On March 10th, the troop headed out to Camp Highroad for a great outing on a brisk but sunny day. The group consisted of 30 boy scouts, 6 friends, and 14 parents. The majority of the group was able to join the morning convoy of 12 cars for the one-hour drive.
We were parking our cars when a Camp Highroad staffer arrived to get us started on activities. Since our numbers were large, the group was broken down by patrol. The Bulldogs headed off immediately to tackle the mountain boarding while the Dragons were directed to the archery field.
The Lumberjacks and Yetis stayed behind to set up their tents and enjoy some free time. The campsite itself was reachable by a small path from the parking lot and consisted of a large campfire area and a covered platform with picnic tables surrounded by level ground and trees. Each patrol staked out an area amongst the trees to call their own.
The boys had an easy mile-long hike on a flat path to both the mountain boarding and the archery areas. During the March 2017 trip to Camp Highroad, muddy conditions forced the cancellation of mountain boarding. This year, the conditions were great. For the uninitiated, “mountain boarding refers to riding – either while sitting or standing – a large skateboard (with hand or feet grips) down a mountain. The name is a bit of a misnomer, as the mountain in question consisted of a gently sloping, grassy terrain. Prepared for any and all spills with helmets, knee and elbow pads, the boys had a blast launching themselves down on the boards.
Over at the archery field, the boys received a short lesson, then took turns practicing their shots with a row of targets. The highlight of each session was when they competed on one target to see who could get closest to a bullseye. Some parents joined in as well and one neophyte archer (Mrs. Felix) stunned the boys by letting fly some pretty precise shots!
The Bulldogs and Dragons then headed back to camp to set up their own tents and eat lunch while the Lumberjacks and the Yetis took their turns at mountain boarding and archery. Lunch for all patrols consisted of sandwiches.
When all the patrols had completed the activities, there was still plenty of time for everyone to hang at the campsite. A game of Frisbee was waged in the parking lot. capture the flag had the boys running around the campsite, and still others crowded around tables for some serious card playing.
Dinner consisted of chili (regular and vegetarian), 2 sets of walking tacos and cheese ravioli. Oreos and s'mores for dessert. A roaring campfire helped fend off the cold for a while but then campers turned in early. Unfortunately, the temperatures continued to drop, falling into the 20s before dawn.
Breakfast the next morning got the boys moving, and the parents thankfully had coffee to help them thaw out. Breakfast burritos, bagels, doughnuts and pancakes were all on the menu.
Departure was delayed due to many, many "police" lines to check for trash. At roses, buds and thorns, most boys said that mountain boarding and archery were the highlights of the trip and cold weather was the drawback.
Mr. Forrer commended the boys on planning this particular trip. Originally, the March trip was supposed to take the boys to Sandy Spring, MD for a ropes course, a trip the Troop enjoyed last May. Unfortunately, Sandy Spring informed us they would be closed in March, prompting a search for ropes courses and campgrounds around Harpers Ferry. The boys ultimately decided that they wanted to invite friends to a fun activity with plenty of down time around camp. Camp Highroad more than met that goal.
You can enjoy the photos from this trip over here.