The month of January 2020 was exceptionally fun. This month included Annual Inventory Day, a Webelos Night, and a Ski Trip. A PLC where we decided who would plan which event also took place.
On January 11th, the Troop gathered at our closet in AUMC for our Annual Inventory Day. Annual Inventory Day is a day that is designated towards organizing and taking inventory of items in the Troop closet/storage room and ensuring that the Troop gear will be in good enough condition for the upcoming year of camping.
Scouts began by emptying the closet/storage room (where we keep most of our gear; such as stoves, rope, flags, poles, tents etc.). After everything had been taken out, we took inventory of what we had and checked to see if we had the correct amount. If we were missing something, then we would add it to a list of what we needed to purchase. There was a lot to check, but the leadership of our Quartermaster and the strong Scout Spirit of the Scouts helped us get it done efficiently. While Scouts checked tents and the tent’s parts, Patrol Leaders checked their patrol boxes.
After a much deserved lunch of pizza, cookies, and snacks, the Troop went back to work planning where to put our gear and following the plan. After we finished, there was enough space for us to walk with ease in the storage room due to how we organized all of its contents. As we now know exactly what we have and what we will need to acquire for the coming year, the Annual Inventory Day was a great success!
The newly organized closet
The following Monday, a group of Webelos visited our Troop during one of our weekly meetings. There, they were able to enjoy a small campfire with s’mores and watch an amazing video highlighting some of the fun things that our Troop does. If these Webelos decide to join Troop 150, they will be invested in May.
On Friday the 24th, Troop 150 met at AUMC in the late afternoon for the Troop’s biennial Ski Trip. The Troop set off on a 3 1/2 hour long road trip to Davis, West Virginia soon after. About an hour or so in to the drive, it got really dark and started to rain. The Troop came upon a thick fog soon after – it was very difficult to see more than five feet in front of you.
Twenty-four Scouts and Scouters shared three nice and cozy wooden cabins at Canaan Valley Resort, and everybody was thankfully able to get situated into them safely.
The following morning there was no snow on the ground. This meant that the Troop would unfortunately not be able to go Nordic/Cross-Country skiing as planned. However, the Troop substituted that time for free time, which was mostly spent cooking breakfast and watching The Mandalorian.
At eleven, we headed off to the White Grass Ski area (where we had originally planned on XC Skiing). At White Grass, we ate lunch at their cafe, where we also tasted fresh Maple Water and Chaga Mushroom tea for free! The owner of White Grass was very nice, and he took us all behind the cafe to his yurt, where he told us the history of his business and did some stand-up comedy.
Later, we hiked up a long and steep hill behind the yurt. The higher we went, the more snow we found and more beautiful the view was. The hill was a bit muddy and going back down it was a bit challenging. Some people ended up slipping, but the view was well worth it!
After going back to the cabins to get cleaned up, we went ice skating at an outdoor rink. For many of us it was the first time on ice skates, but we were skating loops around each other in no time! Once our feet started hurting from the skates, we decided to head back to the cabins for dinner.
Ice skating at rink, above.
After dinner, we got on a big, blue bus which took us to the place where we would be Snow Tubing. When we arrived, we separated into groups and immediately took the magic carpet/conveyor belt to the top of a slope which we would be tubing down! It was especially fun because since it was during the night, the snow had frozen. As a result, it was very slippery – which made us go super fast! At the end of the night, Scouts and adults raced each other down the tube slope in groups of 8 – 9. It was incredible!
On Sunday morning, we made and ate breakfast quickly so we wouldn’t miss our shuttle to the ski slopes. Before we knew it, the bus was there and we were on our way to Alpine/Downhill Skiing. When we arrived, we collected our ski shoes, skies, and poles. It took a while to find the accurate shoe sizes for us, but we were eventually able to get with our buddies and start skiing.
A group of Troop 150 Skiers
Some Scouts took lessons and improved in skill level drastically. We were very lucky because it was snowing all day and it was extremely cold! We met up for lunch and ate some delicious stew made by Scoutmaster Emeritus Wood. It was delicious and everyone now wants the recipe!
At 17:00, we returned our gear and headed back to our cabins. Everybody was starving and exhausted, but unfortunately we had to wait for a little bit of extra time because the cards to our cabins weren’t working. We cooked dinner quickly and relaxed and finished watching The Mandalorian.
The next day everyone packed their bags, came far too close to wild tame deer, and visited Blackwater Falls. After a short hike to the amazing waterfall, we all formed a circle for roses and a prayer. We were all so grateful for this amazing trip. This trip was so much fun and everyone worked very well together.
After making a thank-you video to send to Mr. Wood (who helped with the food) and ambushing our Scoutmaster with snowballs, we departed from Davis, WV.
Thank you, Mr. Wood!
We later stopped and ate lunch at ‘Quarter Mile Diner’ and then headed back to Northern Virginia. This trip was a very memorable trip and it is definitely a favorite among Scouts.