Awesome T104/T100 Overnight Kayak Outing this past weekend!
A first for both troops, with many lessons learned, it definitely will not be the last.
Many thanks to everyone, especially SM Shar, for the heavy lift; kayaks, PFDs, and paddles for approximately 30 participants.
This week of 7/10, our troop went to the 5th week of Camp Wolfeboro!
Overall, this trip was a blast, and we did all sorts of things and earned tons of merit badges.
We shot at the range, cooked spaghetti over a fire, made dumpcake in a dutch oven, won the lanyard contest and the chess tournament, and each of us did extra things we loved!
I went swimming a ton and played chess and met a bunch of staff that I realized went to the same school as me!
Walt caught a lizard, frog, water snake, bee, wasp, and some fish! (wow) etc..
Looking forward to Wolfeboro 2023!
Some quick statistics captured by one of the crew:
– Total 68.53 miles including the Phillips Junction food refill.
– 12,126.0 ft Total Ascent
– 10,985.0 ft Total Descent
– 6,922.6 ft Min Elev
– 11,729.2 ft Max Elev (Mount Phillips)
Free Kayak Clinic for Youth at Marina Bay Richmond, May 22, 2022.
BSA Scout Troop 104 is hosting a free 1 1/2 hour kayak clinic for youth ages 9-13 at Marina Bay Richmond on Sunday, May 22, 2002.
Scout membership NOT required. Other fun games and activities will be offered adjacent to the kayak launch area before/after each session!
Participants will receive brief instruction on kayaking and water safety – and then will have an opportunity to practice and enjoy paddling a kayak under close supervision for up to 45 minutes around the sheltered waters of Marina Bay. Kayak, paddle, and life vest provided.
Sign up sessions offered 9:30-11, 10:30-12, 11:30-1, 12:30-2pm. Space is limited!
You MUST reserve a session in advance. To sign up for the Paddle Up! session and/or be notified about future Paddle Up! Clinics and other Troop events are open to the general public.
please fill out the form at this link:
https://forms.gle/RoMuLZfGRUBW3gUL6
Questions?
Please contact Shar Etebar at bsascouttroop104@gmail.com.
On April 29th to May 1st, our troop attended Camporee 2022 at Lake Berryessa!
We merged the Hawks and Ravens patrol and competed in a bunch of activities like first aid, orienteering, obstacle course, and monkey bridge.
For the cord on blue cooking competition, we submitted grilled cheese and hot dogs! Admittedly, we didn’t prepare a lot for it, but there’s always next year.
We also saw a few rattlesnakes around our campground…
by Nickolas/Life Rank/Senior Patrol Leader
Philmont shakedown (training); preparing for July’s Philmont High Adventure.
Sunday on April 17th, we went on a 15 mile hike along Wildcat Canyon Trail!
We started off meeting at the trailhead parking lot and hiked 15 miles through various loops. After 5 miles, scouters doing the 10 mile hike turned back at a loop point.
We eventually made it to Inspiration point where we had our lunch, and then continued off a different trail to take a look at Lake Anza. It was covered with a fern at this time of year, and we were all surprised when we saw it. It looked like a flat meadow!
After that, we looped back and got to Little Farm, and hiked past Jewel Lake all the way back to our cars. Our legs were a bit sore, but we now have a (another, in same cases) 15 mile hike under our belts!
by Nickolas/Star Rank/Senior Patrol Leader
We had a nice productive day, yesterday, at Lake Berryessa for the Camporee Service Project!
Our troop did trail maintenance on the nature trail at the visitor center.
We had to first weed and fully remove debris off the trail. Then distribute and smooth out a layer of decomposed granite for a new, safer, and aesthetically pleasing trail.
After weeks of being shut in because of COVID19 and poor air quality from fires, a small contingent of T104 scouts and scouters met at 8:30am on a very pleasant September Saturday for a 10-mile hike to the East Peak of Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County.
In lieu of our recent normal kayaking trip in the Fall, our scouts decided it would be good to do a number of hikes in our area. We are fortunate to have many good, medium-length hikes within easy driving distance. And the recent merger of three Bay Area councils — the San Francisco Bay Area Council, the Alameda Council, and our home council the Mt Diable Silverado Council — in the Golden Gate Area Council has created new excitement for doing hikes that were previously out-of-council, such as the Mt. Tam hike.
So we met at Pantoll Ranger Station, said “hi!” to another troop with the same idea, got a brief orientation from one our scouts on where we’d be heading, and off we went! Our first leg led us up the Old Mine Trail to the Mountain Play amphitheatre. The skies were fairly clear and it the temperature was just right. We lingered briefly at the amphitheatre, several folks saying they hadn’t yet seen a play there before and others reminiscing about the summer crowds that swarm over the area in normal years. We walked across the top of the theater to continue on Rock Spring Trail, which leads to the West Point Inn. A short break there let the snails catch up with the rabbits, gave us a few minutes looking at the view of San Francisco, and provided a break for some water as the sun was heating things up.
Our trip to the peak took us up the northern stretch of the Old Railroad Grade, past the Visitor’s Center and up to the Fire Lookout at 2,471 ft, where we lingered a while to have water and lunch. Although there were others hiking to the peak, the trail was pretty empty, spoiling us all, and giving us room to spread out. A couple of planes flew by at or below our altitude, native bees buzzed avidly in the chaparral, and we chatted idly while looking over San Rafael and the Richmond Bridge.
The way home was mostly a return on the same trails except that we cut down Fern Trail to the southern part of Old Railroad Grade, giving us a little bit longer hike so that those scouts who wanted it could get a 10-miler for their Hiking merit badge. The detour took us past the natural spring waterfall on that trail and a few people dipped into the pleasantly cold water. The walk was just a tiny bit shy of 10 miles, so the outing ended with a few scouts walking down to the end of the Pantoll parking lot before returning to the group to say thanks and goodbyes.
Thanks to everyone who participated and helped organize the outing. We’re looking forward to the next one coming soon!
t104scouts@googlegroups.com; on behalf of T Mumley
Our kayak overnight outing to Angel Island is on September 21-22. The trip starts 9 am Saturday morning in Sausalito (Schoonmaker Point Marina) where the group will first learn the basics of kayaking, then paddle to Angel Island and spend the afternoon and evening exploring the Island. The group will stay in a Civil War era building in Camp Reynolds on the west side of the Island (which has camping mattresses) and then paddle back Sunday morning to Sausalito. The trip ends early afternoon (no later than 3 pm). Check out the attached document with trip details.
This trip is great for novice to advanced paddlers of varying abilities and backgrounds. The minimum number of participants (scouts and adults) is 10 and the maximum is 24. The cost per participant is $158, plus the cost of food (maybe $20 or so).
To confirm our reservation, we need to provide a head count by August 26. We also need to pay a deposit (1/2 the total cost) by August 26, which I will cover based on confirmed commitments by then. The remaining balance is due by September 13. Jennifer or I will post a signup sheet soon.
This is our annual outing via Environmental Travel Companions (ETC), a non-profit organization that specializes in accessible outdoor adventures for people with disabilities and youth from under-resourced backgrounds, but they also work with youth groups including scouts. ETC Guides are experienced in facilitating sea kayak trips and working with people of all backgrounds and abilities, and they ensure the trip is safe, educational, and fun. We have done trips with ETC for several years; We have been rotating three trip opportunities: whitewater rafting on the American River, which we did two years ago, an overnight kayak trip on Tomales Bay, which we did last year, and this kayak to Angel Island outing, which we did in 2016. Scouts that went on that trip all raved about it!
You can call me if you have questions.
