USS New Jersey Battleship Overnight

January 10 – 11, 2026

We kicked off the new year with a trip up to Philadelphia and Camden to spend the night on the USS New Jersey. We had a few hours to spare before we could board, and since it was a rainy day, we headed to the Franklin Institute. We explored the various science exhibits, though after a while, some of the scouts got a bit bored and decided to play a game of tag and hide-and-seek throughout the museum.

After leaving the institute, we made a quick stop to check out the Liberty Bell before the parents drove us over the bridge to the ship. A big thank you to all the parents who drove and spent the weekend with us!

By the time we arrived at the battleship, it was dark and still raining. We entered through the hatch and descended into the mess hall, which looked really cool. We went down one more floor into a maze of hallways filled with three-high bunks everywhere. Once we found our room and stowed our gear, we headed up for a tour of the place.

There were ladders everywhere! Our guide was great and took us from the front to the back of the vessel. We got to see the inside of the massive gun turrets and the command centers. We even got into one room where you could sit at the computers and pretend to be authorized for a nuclear launch.

Dinner in the galley was a hit, chicken tenders and mac and cheese. Afterward, we had free time. We played cards and poker in the mess hall or just hung out doing whatever we wanted. Some people went to watch a movie, and it was pretty rambunctious until we finally turned in at midnight. One of the highlights was that three lucky scouts were selected to fire the ship’s gun, which was definitely a loud way to start the trip.

Sunday morning came early at 7:00 AM. Following a quick breakfast, we completed our tour with a visit to the bow, enjoying one last look at the Philadelphia skyline from the deck before starting the journey home.

Check out the photos of the battleship trip here.

Shenandoah Canoe Camping Trip

It was great to back on the Shenandoah again. I love the sounds from this trip -- the river rushing over rocks, the canoes rubbing through the rapids, and the paddles pressing and slicing the water. It sure beats a day in the office.

Like the beach trip last June, the canoe trip last weekend was a combined outing for troops 2119 and 1916. And all of our scouts experienced the challenges and rewards of a Shenandoah float trip.

Unlike last fall, the water was at it's usual September level (fairly low). So the game was quite simple: read the rapid, find a route near your current course with decent water depth, steer for it, and paddle like mad to make it through. When you got it right, it was like catching a wave in the ocean. When you got it wrong...well there was considerable extra effort required for the 'unstucking' process. So you really wanted to get it right!

Our campsite was right on the bank of the river. So we had great views of the water the whole time. And considering this was our first trip of the year, lots of things in camp went quite well. The grubmaster meals were top notch. And there was plenty of time for campfires Saturday evening.

A big thanks goes out to Shelly for organizing our largest canoe trip ever (over 60 paddlers!).

-Mike

If you want to see the pictures from this trip, click here.

Sandy Springs Adventure Park Climbing Adventure

This weekend Troop 1916 bravely weathered freezing temperatures for the chance to take to the trees and navigate a whole host of obstacles and ziplines, requiring balance, strength, nerve, and no slight amount of derring-do. The Adventure Park at Sandy Spring Friends School has 13 different courses encompassing many different types of high-wire acts many stories above the ground and for 3-4 hours on Sunday morning, over 50 Scouts (and a few parents) challenged themselves to taking things to the next level.

All of that, of course, was on the heels of a night of camping under a cold, nearly full-moon lit sky. If there was a silver lining to sleeping outdoors in below freezing temperatures it was the lack of precipitation (or even any significant wind). Actually, to the contrary, the cold aside, Saturday ended up being a beautiful day and gave us the occasion to build not one, but two solid fires. After finishing Scouting for Food in the morning and quickly setting up camp after our short trek up to the Olney, Md area, the Scouts largely disappeared in small groups for the afternoon, punctuated only by lunch and dinner. While there were a number of notable meal items, I would be remiss if I didn't call out the burgers and hotdogs Brandon pulled together for the Bulldogs' lunch and the chili pasta that Odin put together for dinner for the Dragons, not to mention the delicious peach cobbler and, of course, S'mores to round out the evening. A special shout-out to JJ for his leadership and organization, which meant that camp was broken up in the morning not only with numerous hot breakfasts, but in time for a full troop set of rose/bud/thorn reflections before we started climbing. While many Scouts felt that the cold was definitely a thorn, perhaps more surprisingly, a good number felt that they were able to manage to sleep and that, once in the sleeping bag, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. There was a strong consensus and anticipation of getting to the climbing and obstacles as well as getting home for a hot shower.

All-in-all, a memorable trip and a solid last camping excursion for 2019!

If you want to see pictures from this trip, click here.