Turtle Express: December 2019

     With a day hike, the annual planning meeting, and a court of honor, December 2019 was a great way to end the decade. Aside from planning out what events the Troop would be doing in the following year, the Troop also welcomed Webelos on their trip to Great Falls. This month was very important and fun.

     On Sunday, December 8, Troop 150 met at AUMC, where they would be conducting their annual planning meeting. There were three sessions in this meeting, and they all went well.  For the first session, Scouts shared their ideas on potential Troop events to be done from February 2020 to January 2021.  Many people had great ideas on what they wanted to do.  For session 2, Scouts above the rank of Second-Class joined together to receive a short and intuitive lesson on event planning.

     For session 3, members of Troop 150’s Patrol Leaders Council (PLC), adult leaders, and the Troop Scribe stayed to decide what events would be put on the calendar.  It was very difficult to narrow down the fantastic ideas that had been given.  In the end, the PLC came to a conclusion. Each month’s campout/day trip will follow.

  • In February 2020, the Troop will be having an ILST.
  • In March, the Troop will have a “Military Throughout The Ages” campout.
  • In April, the Troop will go to an adventure park.
  • In May, the Troop will have a Wilderness Survival Campout.
  • At the end of June we will go to Goshen.
  • In July, we will have a DC Day Hike.
  • In August, Troop 150 will have a canoeing campout.
  • For September, the Troop will be going horseback riding.
  • In October, the Troop will either go to Antietam Battlefield or to a camporee.
  • In November, we will have our annual Thanksgiving Campout.
  • In December, we will try out an Ice Skating day trip.
  • In January 2021, we will compete in the Klondike Derby.

     The Troop has many spectacular events planned, and 2020 is sure to be awesome.

     One week after the annual planning meeting, the Troop went on a very scenic 5.1-mile hike along the Potomac River.  Some Webelos and their parents also joined Troop 150 to see how our Troop functions. This hike was very relaxing an a great idea for the colder weather. On the trip, Scouts were taught about the unique history of their surrounding and about the essential skill of how to properly orient a map.

     After hiking the five miles, the group stopped to enjoy a delicious lunch of hot dogs, chili, chips, and drinks. This lunch celebrated the end to the hike and thanked the Webelos for coming.

     The following Monday the Troop held their Winter Court of Honor (COH). Many awards, including a Scout Spirit Coin and the Journey To Excellence Award,  were given. After the ceremony, Scouts chose from a large assortment of cookies, watched a video highlighting some of Philmont Crew T-708 most memorable moments, and participated in a gift exchange. The Winter COH was a great way to end the year for Scouting.

Happy New Year!