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!

Wilson Mountain Hike

Wilson Mountain was named after a hunter, who emptied his rifle into a grizzley bear. That didn't stop the bear from mauling him to death before it died.

This trail was 11 miles, round trip. We ascended to 7000 feet elevation, including a 2400 foot elevation gain. We saw plenty of juniper, manzanita, and cactus. The view was spectacular. We saw all of Sedona, Steamboat Rock, and Secret Mountain Wilderness Area. This was the hardest hike we've accomplished as a troop. The boys had high spirits and hiked very fast. We were very proud of them!

Afterwards, we went for ice cream and took Ike's Jeep on Broken Arrow.

Here are the pics:

AWESOME TIME AT THE CRACK!

All the scouts had a fantastic time on the Wet Beaver Creek hike. They stopped at the crack and went cliff diving. Afterwards, we all went to all-you-can-eat pizza that was really great.

Here are the photos:

August Combined Activity - Thumb Butte Hike

The Deacons Quorum took the rest of the Young Men/Young Women's program up to the top of Thumb Butte. There they gave a presentation about how high places give us a heavenly perspective, require lots of effort and preperation, and resemble the temple mounts. They also cited all of the biblical stories about when prophets went to high places to speak with the Lord.

The week before this hike, they did a preperatory hike to verify things like hike length and physical effort. The boys should be applauded for all of their time, effort, and energy.

Click the below photo for more pictures:

From 08ThumbButteHike

Shotgun and Rifle Merit Badges

The boys spent the better part of July participating in safety and instruction classes for the Riflery and Shotgun Merit Badges. On August 1st, they finally got to shoot to qualify. Every boy qualified on a rifle. Satchel, Tanner, and Alex qualified on the shotgun.

Special recognition goes to Satchel Clifford, who was the best shot of the day. Recognition also goes to Tanner who was the safest scout of the day and never had to be reminded about the safety rules. All the scouts had a great time and learned a lot.

At the end of qualifying, the scouts shot shaving cream cans and watched them explode. Brother Stillson then showed them what the impact of a shotgun has on a watermelon as a special safety demonstration.

Troop 95 heartily thanks Dan Malachowski. He created targets, trained youth, was a calming influence when safety violations occurred, and an all around great scouting volunteer.

We also thank all of the people who donated and contributed shotgun shells, clay pigeons, and .22 ammo for our shoot. It cost the troop a fraction of what it would otherwise cost because of the generosity of so many people.

Please click below for more photos:

Cookstove Hike

On Friday, we hiked up the Harding Springs trail in Sedona. We camped on top of the ridge and then hiked down the Cookstove Trail.

Harding Spring is named for O.P. Harding, a pioneer. He came to Flagstaff in 1884 and worked in construction. In 1889 he moved to Oak Creek, homesteaded, and planted hundreds of fruit trees. He brought his fruit to Flagstaff using this trail. In 1910 the Flagstaff newspaper reported that Harding, age 76, had walked from Oak Creek to Flagstaff. At his death in 1915, it was learned that he had been a distinguished Union General in the Civil War, a face he kept hidden during his life in Arizona.

We saw lots of scat from black bears during our hike, but never saw a bear. After our hike, the boys played in Oak Creek for several hours. Everyone had a fantastic time.