HONORING 50 YEAR SCOUTER DON ANDRE
THE MANITOGA DISTRICT PRESENTS
Sponsored by Venture Crew 2279
This year’s fall Trek will follow a mostly wooded route in the town of Greenburgh, and the village of Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, and Briarcliff Manor. Coming right after Halloween, you can’t expect to see any Headless Horsemen, but you will have a great scouting experience. Further, you will hike through and near several historically significant landmarks, including the WPA Saw Mill Trail, Kykuit Hill, the Old Central Railroad route, the Croton Aqueduct, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and Rockefeller State Park.
Venture Crew 2279 of the Tarrytown Fire Department’s Hope Hose Engine Company is the sponsor of the event. They will supervise the trail, the sign-in, the camp set up and will grade the units for ribbon awards.
Points can be earned at the initial inspection of scouts and packs, for following correct hiking guidelines, for participation at the trail stations and for each unit’s adherence to low-impact camping guidelines.
Event
schedule
8:30am-10:00am Sign in at Glenville Park off Benedict Avenue on Skeggs Road near the Westchester Marriott.
8:45am-3:30pm Hike the trail. The trail has three segments of roughly 3 miles each. The terrain is reasonably flat except for a slight incline in the first mile.
3:30pm-6:00pm Make camp. Prepare for camp inspection.
6:00pm-7:30pm Dinner at individual Troop sites. No ground fires. Use propane stoves, please.
7:45pm-8:30pm Campfire. Please have a skit or song per unit. Some of your favorite camp Buckskin staffers who are Fire Ventures in Crew 2279 will be on hand to coordinate the festivities.
9:00pm Leader Crackerbarrel.
10:00pm Lights out.
7:00am “UP AND AT EM”. Eat breakfast on rising. Strike camp prior to awards.
9:15am Awards and closing ceremony.
9:45am Checkout by unit after site final inspection.
Program Guidelines
The Trek is designed to:
Each participating scout will be inspected as follows:
The above items count for points. In addition, the pack should ride correctly on the shoulders and hips of each scout.
At the Troop meeting before the Trek, teach the boys how to pack light. The one night overnight bag should have in it:
1. On the bottom a plastic bag with warm sweat clothes to sleep in and to keep on and wear Sunday. For cold days, heavy woolen socks and a wool hat or hooded sweatshirt to stop heat loss through the head is a must.
2. In the middle of the pack, the sleeping bag packed in a hefty-style garbage bag.
3. On top, rain gear. (or in easy access pouch)
4. Required one-night extras: flashlight, extra batteries, one extra pair socks protected in a baggie, individual water.
5. Share of patrol equipment: food and shelter
6. NOTE: for light pack camping, bring plastic utensils, paper plates, garbage bags, paper cups, etc. by patrol. These are not always environmentally sound, but the objective here is to carry everything in and out. For long-term non-backpacking trips, use reusable, washable mess kit type accessories. These are not required on this trip.
7. Second Note: Menus should be lightweight and planned to minimize pot/pan usage while being nutritious. Pasta dishes are great for dinner. Foil cooking, while normally great for backpacking, is limited here due to propane stove use. Breakfast with cold cereal, fruit and cocoa is advisable.
8. Third note: While tenting is per individual unit preferences, special recognition will be given to any unit that carries everything in and everything out on the backs of their respective scouts and leaders.
9. Fourth note: This is a backpacking trip through past national historic landmarks. Make it a worthwhile experience. Leave home radios, electronic games, walkmans, etc. Points will be deducted for playing same on the trails. Further, knives other than scout knives, fireworks and other hazardous items are prohibited. Use good judgment please.
Inspection
#2 - At site
Patrol sites should be laid out neatly. Tent support ropes should not cross with other tents’ ropes. Food should be stored appropriately. Proper use of an equipment tarp/tent keeps the overall site neat.
Each patrol should have a compass and a first aid kit. Each patrol leader should have a clipboard or notebook with roster and menu.
Propane stove(s) should be functional.
Each Troop should have a large first aid kit. Everyone should know where it is.
Inspection #3 – Checklist Sunday A.M.
The site should show no sign of the camp having been there save the obvious matted down grass. Everything that came in goes out. Any garbage found at site on arrival goes out.
A great guide for the overall Scouting experience is the backpacking merit badge booklet. The material in it would fill 3 – 4 Troop meetings in the fall. A discussion could be held after the Trek at the next Troop meeting about how you could improve both your Troop’s overall backpacking performance and your next year’s Trek.
The wilderness use policy of the BSA as set forth in the Backpacking Merit Badge book is attached. Except for the size of group as is obvious due to the district wide nature of the event, the general policies should be emphasized by Troop leaders.
Final Special Note:
We have ordered what we feel are sufficient patches to award to every attendee. However, in the event large numbers cause us to run out, we will immediately reorder and distribute the additional patches via the Roundtable. If such a shortfall exists:
· First priority goes to scouts in pre-registered units paying in advance.
· Second priority are scouts who paid and registered on 11/4
· Third priority are scouters, first pre-registered and then registered at the event.
10/2000