A bit of wind, some frost, and finally some sunny November climbing.
After wrapping-up Scouting for Food on Saturday morning, the troop headed to Sandy Spring, MD for our November overnighter. The theme was bring a friend camping and climbing. We had 52 Scouts, 10 friends, and 10 adults in camp--plus several more who came climbing on Sunday. A big thanks to Anya Kim for all the logistics in preparation for the weekend.
Shortly after our noon arrival Saturday, the Scouts sorted-out camping areas and commenced with lunch. The campsites were in small grassy clearings surrounded by trees--which gave some much-appreciated protection from the wind on Saturday. But unlike our usual car camping, the campsite was well over 150 yards from the troop trailer. So the scouts had to do some planning to avoid walking back and forth all weekend.
Something strange happens each year at this time. Somehow 30 degree temps for November car camping have a bigger impact than 20 degree (and colder) temps for December backpacking. At Sandy Spring, we had a fair number of scouts who appeared to be quite chilly on Saturday afternoon. Hope springs eternal for the wearing of more layers on future November trips.
With the recent return to Standard Time, darkness came in a hurry Saturday afternoon. But hot dinners by campfire light were enjoyed by all; and most topped that off with warm desserts. And the adults smiled as teenagers politely pleaded to go to bed at 9PM, retiring to the comfort of warm sleeping bags.
Overnight, the temperature continued to drop--to about 28 degrees. The moisture from recent rain combined with cold air made a substantial layer of frost everywhere by Sunday morning. Most things left unattended on the not-level picnic tables soon found their way to the earth (food packages, water bottles, cooking utensils, etc). And many reported bits of frost falling like snow inside the tents overnight. The weather is quite good at creating interesting problems for scouts to solve. (As for the adults, these things just make the coffee taste better ;)
The scouts worked their way through camp break-down, breakfast prep, and clean-up. Our goal was to be completely packed-up and getting fitted for climbing gear by 9:30AM. Luckily, no one's annual bonus is tied to such objectives. (Another big thanks to Anya for smoothing-over our tardiness with the climbing staff).
Once we actually started climbing, the morning glory came-on full force. It was a thing to behold--an array of green sweatshirts and smiling faces scattered among the trees with a big, bright sun getting warmer every minute. It was a great way to end the weekend.
Check out the activity pix over here.
-Mike Forrer