Cabin Camping TripFriday, February 18 - |
We made our first trip to Griswold Scout Reservation in Gilmanton, New Hampshire. We had Staff Cabins 4 and 5 in Camp Bell, one of two camps in the reservation. This was the 31st Scout camp we have camped in since 2006. Our only goal on this trip was to have some winter fun. There are six staff cabins in a row. Another troop that had 3 cabins was the only other unit in the immediate area. We had 5 Troop 54 Scouts, 2 Pack 37 AOL Scouts, 4 troop leaders, one other parent participating on this trip. Of course, we arrived well after dark on Friday. The recent snow combined with even more recent rain had left much of the road near the cabins covered in ice. Still, we were able to bring the trailer and most of our vehicles right up to the cabins, saving a lot of carrying. The cabins were pretty much just for sleeping in with the only furniture being bunk beds and dressers. The cabins had two frost-free valves for water, one of which was next to one of our cabins. There was also a roaring stream behind the cabins. The winter highlight, however, was Manning Lake, just a few hundred yards from the cabins. During the day on Saturday, all of the Scouts made their way to the pond where Mr. Roberts checked the ice to ensure it was a safe depth (it was, except in a few easily seen spots). Our Scouts played on the ice for quite a while. Their most popular activity was pushing each other around on plastic sleds. Mr. Roberts did some ice skating. We were not the only people out to enjoy the winter weather. Other Scout units on the ice focused on ice fishing. On conservation land near the camp, we could hear snow mobiles buzzing around. Three of the adults went on a hike around camp. Wearing some traction was a “must have” on the hilly and icy camp roads and trails. It snowed on Saturday, but it didn't accumulate much. When we got up on Sunday, it was about 7°F out. All weekend, it was cold enough that the dish washing tubs quickly started to ice up if hot water was not added. This was our 158th consecutive month with at least one overnight camping trip. |
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Page updated 3/31/22 |