Signalling

Instead of our normal monthly campout, we instead hiked to the top of Glassford Hill to complete the Signaling Merit Badge. First we headed into the darkness of the cultural hall to learn about morse code and send messages between the two groups. Next we sent one group to the south side of Glassford Hill and one to the north side, which separated us by several hundred yards. So far, in fact, that we needed binoculars to see each other. We then used handheld signals to send "semaphore code" messages to each other. Putting each signal in a certain position signals a certain letter or number, and after a little practice we were able to communicate pretty well with each other.

One of my friends flys recon and close air support missions over Afghanistan, and during one of his combat missions he flew with an American flag in the cockpit, which he then gave to our Troop, along with an awesome citation signed by the pilot and the mission commander. So I unveiled that flag on to the Troop on top of Glassford Hill, and as it waved in the breeze I read the citation to the Scouts. It was a cool experience.

On the way back to the vehicles we found a deer skeleton, a young buck who wasn't able to fend off a predator - and Aaron just couldn't wait to take the head back home! Thank you so much to Ed and Tim for helping us with some extra leadership - it is very much appreciated.

Click the picture below for more.

Granite Creek

If you haven't headed up into Granite Creek, you should. It heads into an amazing canyon filled with vertical rock walls, petroglyphs, caves, and sandy washes. As usual, we hiked in the dark to get to our campsite - about 7 miles in. Finally we came to a huge sandy river bottom, which made for a great place to camp.

There was so much dry wood along the wash banks that getting a couple of roaring fires was no problem whatsoever, and sure helped to keep us warm throughout the night. In the morning we were able to enjoy the scenery much more, and we found even more caves and indian petroglyphs on the way out.

We didn't get many pictures from this trip, but there are a few if you click on the campfire below. The dark picture with all of the little dots, the one that looks like a picture of the stars, that's a picture of headlamps as the Scouts scrambled over rocks and climbed through brush during the hike in.

Veteran's Memorial

The American Legion and Veteran's of Foreign Wars have been trying to get a Veteran's Memorial built here in Prescott Valley for the last few years. As they finally approached their completion date for the walkway part of the Memorial, they needed a little help with a fundraiser dinner, so the Scouts jumped into action! They helped to serve a fine spaghetti dinner to a LOT of people, and the Veteran's were very grateful.

A couple of weeks later, they were needed again to handout programs at the unveiling of the Memorial walkway, and were also selected to unveil the Walkway during the ceremony. The Walkway is composed of bricks with the name, service branch, and service dates of military Veterans from the Quad-City areas. It was a very special honor, and a great ceremony.

We are very proud of our Scouts for their continued willingness to serve their fellow man, and we are very grateful to our Veterans for their service and sacrifice.

Click the picture below to see more pictures.

Wilson Mountain

Once again we headed to the Red Rocks of Sedona in order to tame Wilson Mountain again. The scenery is always breathtaking and the rock formations are amazing. The Scouts hiked to the top in the dark, and we camped on the top of Wilson Mountain where we could see the lights of Sedona. Tanner and Josh entertained us with various nursery rhymes and Primary songs, which were all kind of jumbled together but highly amusing. And what an awesome, star filled sky we had to look at.

In the morning we headed back down, though this time we could see a lot more of the scenery in the daylight! We worked on finding and identifying animal sign as we hiked down the trail, and about halfway down the mountain, we encountered a black-tailed rattlesnake right next to the trail. It was acting pretty aggressive so we decided it would be best to serve it up breaded with sugar snap peas and cranberry juice. The snake was pretty good-sized, and totalled 55" in length.

Click the picture below for the full picture album of the trip.

Court of Honor - July 2010

If the rain won't stop for Troop 95, then Troop 95 won't stop for the rain. We hiked into the Wolf Creek area while the rain kept us cool, setup camp, had dinner, and continued to enjoy the rain until the late evening when it eventually stopped. Staying up late in the night discussing the finer points of life with the other leaders while the Scouts run amok (in this case playing capture the flag in the dark) has always been one of my favorite parts of Scout trips, and this night was no different. But we had to get up with the sun this time, as we had to be back in town and ready to go for our Court of Honor at 10am. But even though the trip was short, more good memories were made and more great stories were formed (just ask Josh!) and we were happy to have some of the 11-year-old Scouts and some Teachers and Priests with us as well.

We didn't have a lot of time to get changed once we got home, but everyone still managed to get back for the Court of Honor and it is always a pleasure to see all of the parents and family of the Scouts together. We gave out 130 merit badges and 8 rank advancements to the Troop, which they have accomplished since our last Court of Honor in January. It was by far the most awards we have ever given out! A big thanks to Satchel for conducting the Court of Honor, and to Josh for another solid flag ceremony.

As we move forward into the second half of the year, there will be more great opportunities for our Scouts to continue to grow, learn, and become great young men. Thank you to the leaders, parents, family, and friends of all of the Scouts - your support makes this program possible.

And a huge thank you to all the Scouts - I am proud of all the hard work you put in, the good character and strength that you demonstrate, and for the example you are to all of the leaders, especially me.

Scout Camp 2010 - "Camp Silvestre Herrera"

Scout Camp this year was one of the best outings we've ever had! We decided to put on our own Scout Camp instead of attending a formal BSA Camp like we normally do. Wow - what a lot of work that was to organize, but the payoff was so tremendous that looking back, the work pales in comparison.

We had 11 Scouts, 2 Junior Leaders, and 5 Adult Leaders that were able to be at Camp this year, as well as 3 additional Adult Leaders that were able to come up for some of the week to teach Merit Badges and share their experiences with us. I want to say how much all of the Scouts and Leaders are appreciated by Troop 95 - without you, there is no Troop. A special Thank You to Josh, who served as our Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) this year at Camp.

All of the Scouts earned multiple Merit Badges - and Zach led the Troop with 9 Merit Badges earned! We offered only 8 badges a Camp, but Zach took it upon himself to add 6 extra miles to a Troop hike in order to get his 20 mile hike completed for the Hiking Merit Badge. Congratulations to Austin, Taylor, and Brayden who accompanied Zach on his extra mileage so that they could also complete that requirement. Brayden, in fact, did the extra loop twice in order to get his 20 miles!

The Badges offered this year at Camp Herrera were: Archery, Archaeology, Geology, Astronomy, Wilderness Survival, Automotive Maintenance, Cooking and Indian Lore. In addition to Merit Badges, we completed a 14 mile hike from our camp location to the rim of the Grand Canyon, visited multiple historical and archaeological sites, learned about the Grand Canyon and its history at the Park museums, and hiked down into the Canyon to Indian Gardens (9 mi trip) and Plateau Point (12 mi trip).

The Scouts got to learn a lot about building and maintaining a group campsite when you are out in the woods for a week. When they weren't working on Merit Badges, like studying the stars, building survival shelters, practicing archery, or studying ancient indians, they were hard at work at camp! Maintaining the latrine, filling the water jugs, keeping camp clean, cooking and cleaning up every meal, and keeping track of their buddies kept these Scouts busy!

Every morning and every evening we had a Flag ceremony. Displaying and retiring the American Flag with respect and dignity, these Scouts made the leaders swell with pride. We sang a different hymn every morning (thank you Wes!) and "Called to Serve" every night. And every morning Bro. Stine would present a small portion of the life of Silvestre Herrera, our Camp namesake, to the Scouts. Then on the last morning in Camp, Bro. Stine told the heroic tale of how Pvt. Herrera earned the Medal of Honor by serving his fellow soldiers in battle, saving their lives while disregarding his own safety. Please click on the picture of Silvestre Herrera shown below to read more about this great Arizonan.

All the Scouts and Leaders had a great time at Camp! 2011 will find us back at Camp Geronimo, but you can bet that in 2012 we will once again be forging our own paths and creating our own destinies somewhere in the Arizona wilderness!

As always, you can click the picture below for the full album from Camp Herrera. There are a lot of pictures, but they are all worth a look! Thank you to Cameron, our Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, for his excellent photography and for being our JASM one last time.

Click the below picture of Silvestre Herrera to read more about this great Arizona man.

And at the request of the Scouts, here is the Archery Merit Badge Qualification table, starting from the highest score. Brayden was the only Scout at Camp that already had the Archery Merit Badge, and it wasn't hard to see why - he was shooting a bow every chance he got, including late into the night!

Fathers and Sons 2010

This year's Commemoration of the Aaronic Priesthood Campout, better known as Fathers and Sons, produced a great experience and everyone enjoyed their time in the beautiful outdoors! Between kickball, softball, horseshoes, card games, Bishopric devotionals, great food and excellent company, the campout was an enormous success.

A few of us went to Dogtown Lake, just a mile from where we were camped, and enjoyed the excellent fishing that the lake provides. It wasn't long before fishing limits were reached, and shortly afterwards some of us enjoyed a fine meal of baked fish!

Most of the Scouts from Troop 95 were able to make it with their fathers; and for the few who's fathers couldn't make it, they were able to participate with another family.

Thanks to everyone who worked hard to make this campout a success! As usual, please click on the below picture to bring up the rest of the event pictures.

Scout Camp Fundraiser

This year we will be attending a special Scout Camp at the Grand Canyon, and we are really excited about it! The Scouts are doing a fundraiser for this weeklong event by selling shirts. These shirts are awesome! Please check them out at our Online Ordering Site.

If you would like your shirt purchase to go toward a certain Scout's Personal Goal, please put that Scout's name in the "Special Instructions to Merchant" field when you are about to checkout.

We are a very active Troop, so please help us get to Scout Camp! Thank You for your support!

The Red Riders hit the Crossroads

The Scouts needed to do a little fundraising for Scout Camp this year, so we got together with Bro. Stine and Arizona Cap Company, put a couple of new Scout shirts together for this year, and decided to head down to the Crossroads Gun Show in Phoenix. Five Scouts were able to attend and run the booth, and what a fun time they had! Bro. Stine is the Counselor for the Salesmanship Merit Badge, and on the way to Phoenix he covered most of the material for the badge, and the Scouts were able to do the rest throughout the day as they learned selling and advertising techniques. The Scouts did a hard day's work and at the end had a lot to show for it - we raised a good amount of money for Scout Camp, they earned the Salesmanship Merit Badge, and a lot of them walked away with a souvenir of some sort from their time at the gun show.

Congratulations to Tanner who was our top salesman of the day - way to go! In the linked album below you'll find the shirt designs that the Scouts were mainly selling, which includes our two new designs. In addition if they sold anything from Bro. Stine's booth they got the money for that, and he was displaying shirts and hats from his Conservative Shirts.com operation. Our Troop will be selling these and many more shirts as part of our continued fundraising efforts. The info sheet is being designed now, as well as an online checkout system, so look for that information to be posted soon!

A 20 mile hike with a dash of helicopter

Troop 95 has been working on the Hiking Merit Badge, and for the culminating event we needed a 20 mile hike. Back in December we had headed down to the Superstition Mountains and approached Weaver's Needle from the south side, but we wanted to see what it looked like from the north side. What a great opportunity for a 20 mile hike!

It's a long drive from Prescott Valley to the Superstition Mountains, so by the time we got to the trailhead and got going it was almost 8pm. There was no moon so the only light we had was from our headlamps. The trails are pretty well maintained and clearly marked, and we were able to keep our feet heading in the right direction, even when we had to climb Bull Pass - which makes for a pretty good hike at midnight! As soon as we got back to level ground we called it good for the night, even though we were only at the 6 mile mark. The Scouts sacked out right away, but 6:30 came quickly and it was rise and shine and back on the trail.

We left our packs and took a small 2 mile detour into La Barge Canyon, where the wildflowers covered the hillsides and the water flowed clear and plentiful. Once we got back to the campsite we rucked up and got back into the hiking groove - we still had another 12 miles to go! As we headed for the very tough climb to the Weaver's Needle north base and then an even tougher climb that would be cross country through canyons and thick brush to another trail, one of our newer Scouts and his father decided it would be best if they headed back to the vehicles due to some fatigue and comfort issues. It was a 6 mile walk back for them, and we gave them a map and bid them farewell for now.

The next 6 miles were a real treat! We got to the northern side of Weaver's Needle and had lunch, but then rocky terrain, steep canyons, thick brush, and thorny bushes of every description awaited us as we cut cross country in order to reach a trail on the other side. Once we finally got there, we discovered that the trail was rarely used and almost unrecognizable as a trail, so we hiked out through a dry river bed. The temperature all day had been warm but comfortable, but nonetheless we were starting to run low on water and were eager to get back on the trail, which was comparably easier than cross country hiking in this terrain! Once we got back to the main trailhead we still had 6 miles to go in order to reach the cars, so we buckled down, sucked it up, and pushed on. At times it seemed as if someone was taking the trail from behind us and putting it in front of us, but we finally made it back to the vehicles. Much to our dismay the father and son that had left us earlier were nowhere to be found, and after a couple hours of waiting and sending Scouts back to the main trailheads to search around, we had some dayhikers come out and tell us that they had seen the father and son, but they were on the wrong trail. Once again the Scouts headed out to look for them, but to no avail. Finally a county Deputy came by and informed us that the father had been able to get out on his phone and make a call to the 911 dispatcher. A helicopter was on its way and would have to locate them and then extract them. It took a couple more hours for this to happen, but in the end everyone came out okay. A wrong turn at a trail signpost and then misunderstood directions from the dayhikers had sent the father and son headed in the opposite direction from the vehicles, and finally with fading sunlight and limited resources they decided to call 911. As we climbed in our vehicles we were relieved to be heading back home together, despite a minor setback. This just goes to show that even a small error in navigation can be compounded if you are unfamiliar with the area, and helped to remind us that we always need to be prepared and trained for the possibility of getting lost.

The four Scouts that made the whole 20+ mile loop will be getting the Hiking merit badge, as well as another Scout that wasn't able to make it but had already completed a 25 mile hike in the Grand Canyon earlier this year. Good job boys - we're proud of you!

Luke AFB Tour and Ben Avery Shooting Range

Since it's Spring Break we really wanted to take the boys to do something really great since we could have an all-day outing. Luckily I have a friend in the Air Force who was able to set up an AWESOME tour for us at Luke Air Force Base. Thank you so much, Corey - you outdid yourself on this one!

First of all we were able to secure an Air Force van so that we wouldn't have to use our personal vehicles, or rent a van. Our first stop was at CATM, or Combat Arms Training and Maintenance. The airmen there were able to take us into the armory, where the Scouts got to see and handle some of the various weapons, such as the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, the M240B machine gun, M203 grenade launcher, and even the longe range M82 .50 cal rifle. We weren't allowed to take any pictures here, but I'm sure the Scouts will have a good lasting impression of it.

Next up was the Explosive Ordnance Disposal, or EOD teams. We got to head into their training room and see just about every type of rocket, mine, grenade, or detonator you could think up. But the best part was when they took us outside and showed us all of the high-tech gear they use for identifying and possibly disarming explosives. Most of these airmen had been deployed overseas, so we got to hear some great first-hand stories. They demonstrated their x-ray equipment which they use to identify a possible bomb, and they also showed us the robots that they deploy in the field when they need to get close to something that might be dangerous - a shotgun can even be mounted on the larger robot just in case they need to destroy an explosives case or breach a door! These robots cost over $150k, but the Air Force guys were more than willing to turn them over to our Scouts, who all got a chance to remotely operate the robots around the parking lot - picking up hats, leaves, and anything else they could find! The final piece of gear they showed us was their bomb suit, which is what they wear when they have to go in themselves and disarm an explosive device. This suit weighs 78 pounds, but has lots of armor, lights, radio equipment, and even built-in fans to keep the EOD tech cool. A few of the Scouts got to try it on - it turned out to be pretty heavy for them!

After we thanked the EOD techs, we moved onto the softball fields where we were able to watch the K-9 team go to work. "Crash" was the K-9 of the day as he simulated hostile takedowns, prisoner escorts, and even how he could be at his handler's side in an instant, ready to defend his handler's life with his own. It's important to realize that these dogs are not aggressive in nature - they are friendly animals that love to play and be petted just like any other dog. The difference is their breeding and training - they respond only to certain commands, but make no mistake that they respond instantly and to great effect. This was an especially exciting part of the trip for Bro. Stilson (the older one), since he was in the K-9 Veterinary Corp during his time in the Army, and worked closely with the dog handlers and trainers while deployed to Vietnam. The K-9 team is made up of some great guys, and we really enjoyed our time with them.

The EOR, or End of Runway, was our next destination. Here was another spot where we weren't able to take any photos due to our close proximity to the planes while they were on the ground, but again - memories like this don't need photos! Our group was able to be as close as safely possible to the jets while they took off and landed. Luke Air Force Base is a training facility for F-16 pilots, so in addition to the single-seat F-16s, which are the standard combat variety, we were also able to see the two-seat F-16 which can also carry an Instructor Pilot. Over 20 planes took off or landed as we watched, and when an F-16 takes off when you're that close, not only can you see the engine glow but you can feel it in your chest! During all this Corey was able to give us great information on Luke AFB history as well as information on the F-16 and how rigorous pilot training is. Did you know it takes over 6 years for someone to become a fighter pilot in the Air Force?

One more stop before lunch: the static displays. Not every plane that has ever flown at Luke AFB has a static display at the Air Park, but most of them are there, and the Scouts could get as close as they wanted to these jets. At every jet there was a bronze plaque describing the jet, it's capabilites, and when it was at Luke. There is also a memorial in the center of the park for every Air Force serviceman who has earned the Medal of Honor.

Our last stop at Luke AFB was chow! We went over to Club Five Six for their excellent buffet. This club serves enlisted men and women as well as officers, retired military personnel, and base family members. It also serves hungry Boy Scouts! With our bellies full, we bid farewell to all the fine men and women serving at Luke AFB, and headed north. But not back home - we were destined for the Ben Avery Shooting Facility.

Once we got to Ben Avery and got checked in, we had a quick safety briefing and I am glad to say that it worked! We had no safety violations the entire time we were there. We setup with basic targets at 25 yards, and the Scouts opened fire with their .22s. We kept our focus on tight shot groups and accurate shooting, and the boys who were already qualified with Rifle Shooting got even better. We had three Scouts that had not yet qualified and I am happy to report that all three of them qualified quickly and were able to move onto some of the shooting games. Our Luke AFB guide Corey was even able to join us for a little while! Everyone got lots of trigger time as the Scouts shot up almost 1500 rounds of .22 ammo. When we were all done, the Scouts did a fine job of cleaning up the range and securing their own shooting lanes. Then we jumped in the cars and headed back home - tired but happy.

Troop 95 wants to thank Corey and all the servicemen and women serving our Country at Luke Air Force Base and around the world. We owe you our freedom, and you have our gratitude.



(make sure to check back soon, as there will be more pictures from different cameras uploaded)

Movie Night

It's not often that the Scouts get an easy trip for their monthly campout, but with a Church trip early on Saturday we needed to stay close. And what better way to car camp than with a blow-up movie screen, a projector, and some hot dogs and hamburgers! We headed out to the Stine's backyard, setup our movie gear, and watched "Monty Python and the Quest for the Holy Grail". Throw in some grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and you've got a fun night for Scouts. Of course when it's about 20 degrees outside, you'll also need some warm blankets and sleeping bags.

We had to get up pretty early on Saturday to make it in time for the Church trip, but the Scouts were up and squared away before the leaders were! And thanks to the Glassford Hill Troop for coming and hanging out with us.

Shotgun Shooting Merit Badge

It was brought to my attention by one of our Scouts that I hadn't done a write-up on the Shotgun Shooting merit badge that the Troop completed in November of 2009, so here it is!

After our August campout which included qualifications for the Rifle Shooting and Shotgun Shooting merit badges, all of our Scouts had qualified for rifle but not all had completely qualified for shotgun. We headed back to the range in November to make sure all of them got a chance, and of course Troop 95 got it done! Every Scout that went back to the range got qualified for their Shotgun Shooting merit badge, and then everyone had a great time shooting the .22 rifles at distant targets, as well as playing various shooting games and competitions. The night we spent at the range included a very up close and personal visit from some coyotes in camp, but that experience, a beautiful starlit night, and the opportunity to gather together and shoot firearms to our heart's content helped to remind us all how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful and free Country.

Yucca Camp 2010

Snow camp this year brought some challenges that we hadn't encountered before - hidden yucca! There were a lot of these nasty plants just below the surface in the deeper snow, and one of the Scouts had a couple of bad run-ins with them, one of our leaders buried a number of yucca thorns into his leg, and we all spent a lot of time avoiding them while running around during snowball fights! Due to the effect these plants had on our campout, we decided to re-name 'Snow Camp' to 'Yucca Camp'!

We headed up onto Mingus mountain where the snow was still very plentiful. After a short mile hike in from where we parked, we set up camp in a nice clearing and had a great evening filled with a nice big fire, lots of yucca, a beautiful clear night with no moon, and temperatures in the low teens. Throw in an exhausting snowball fight and burying Scouts in the snow, and we were all ready to turn in to our beds, even if they were covered in frost.

The next morning we woke up early, ate breakfast, and got right to the business of a snow ball fight! Too soon it was time to go, so we packed up and headed out. We reached the trucks with no problems, but as we headed down the road we discovered that someone had come in after us the day before, but had gotten their truck stuck sideways in the road, effectively blocking us in. The snow was deep on the side of the road, over 3 feet in most places, so we knew we'd have to dig a road. We got right to work but just about the time we were done the owner of the truck showed up and was able to get pulled out. This sure made it easier for us! We headed off the mountain with more great memories and another adventure for the books.

A big thanks to Bro. Colby and his scouts for coming with us, we really enjoyed having them around.

Court of Honor and Campout

We had a great time this last weekend! We went to the Powell Springs area for a campout to which we invited the 11 year old Scouts as well as the older Scouts. A lot of boys came out and so did a lot of leaders as well as some fathers, and it was really great to get everyone together. Friday night we had a night compass course with some very "sweet" treasure at the end, and we also did fire starting with flint and steel. I'm happy to report that every boy got a fire lit with flint and steel! Then the boys all played capture the flag and eventually we all found our bedrolls in the wee morning hours. Saturday we got up, cleaned up camp, and got prepared for our Court of Honor. Our very dedicated parents and Troop supporters drove the distance to come out and honor the hardwork of our Scouts, and we are very appreciative of that. We awarded three of our Scouts with the Life rank, one with First Class, and four with Tenderfoot, and we passed out over 30 merit badges! We also had the honor to once again dispose of worn American flags - our Scouts are always so respectful with this, and they do a fine job. Then we ate lunch, mingled, and enjoyed a beautiful winter day in the pine trees.

Troop 95 wants to express our deepest gratitude and warmest wishes to the Ellis family, who have been such a strong support and foundation for us the last few years. They are moving back to their home state of California at the beginning of February, and they will be missed greatly. Scoutmaster Ellis, Committee Chair Ellis, and the awesome Ellis Boy Scouts - you will always be part of Troop 95.

Weaver's Needle Campout

We headed down east of Apache Junction, AZ to the Superstition Mountains. Our objective was to hike to Weaver's Needle, and we would be doing it in the dark. We got to the trailhead just as the sun was setting, but our boys were prepared with headlamps and steady feet and we hiked to the saddle overlooking Weaver's Needle without any problems. We camped in the saddle, and awoke to a beautiful sunrise that slowly illuminated the Needle. After some breakfast the Scouts climbed on every rock they could find, and then we packed up and headed over to a point that was closer to the Needle. Once there we found that someone had packed in a wooden picnic table to that location - what a hike that must have been! There were also some Christmas ornaments hung in the trees nearby. That spot was so cool that if we ever go back we'll be sure to camp there! The Scouts again found their inner mountain goat and scrambled all over rocks, even hiking down into a canyon and back up the other side just so that they could sit on one particular rock they had picked out! Eventually we had to pack it up and head out, and we met a lot of people coming up the trail as we were headed down. We got back to the truck and headed into town for some Chinese food (a Scout favorite!), and then headed home with a great desire to visit the Superstitions again!