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Weekend

Early in the morning on Saturday, June 14, the Brennan Bus and the two Suburbans left the rectory carrying all the Phoenixes, most of the Vikings, and all three of the No Name Patrol (now Spartans), accompanied by Mr. Brennan, Mr. McCoy, and Mr. Hosford. After the better part of a drive described by many as "insane", (incl. a stop at Sideling Hill) we all stopped at Hardees for dinner (at Nick's insisting). It was fast food, so I dunno about anyone else, but my stomach hurt. We set up that night, which was interesting due to us having a gargantuan camp situated on both side of the main road. In a quick thinking move by Tom, my crew set up "Chateau Wonder", a 5 man tent which would be occupied by 3. (The tent was named after me- "Sevy Wonder") Everyone else got the Heritage Treatment, i.e. lots of bugs. Big bugs, especially Daddy Longleg's. We all woke up the next morning and went up to the dining hall for breakfast. Right after that we went down to the Program Hall for processing. I hate being put through "processing"- it takes forever. The camp people explained a big fish contest, and a Wild West day. The rest of the day was pretty bland, until the opening campfire. Most of the skits were mediocre, but a few really stood out, among them a pun on World of WarCraft... the infamous World of Scoutcraft.

Monday

Monday was the first day of merit badge work. So like just about the rest of the week taken up by badge work, it was pretty plain. A lot of the older guys were going for two or three Eagle badges. Our reasoning was, it would be a lot easier doing some of the harder badges at camp in a week than outside camp, where sometimes Eagle badges can take a month or two. As we would later find, it was good thinking. The Phoenii (sp?) and No names did some of the faster badges to get used to camp, like Leather work, basketry, etc.

Tuesday

A pretty plain day until later that night. We went to a Mass of sorts, all the way over in Camp Liberty. The walk took forever. But, the general suspicion proved true. Upon entering Freedom again, the air raid sirens went off, signaling everyone to find shelter. Since we had time, this was mandatorily the dining hall. This was one of two days when this happened. The sky was green. I swear. It was REALLY boring. We pretty much just sat until the storm passed over. Some people were really nervous about the storm because this was what had been coming east from Iowa after killing 4 Scouts, of all sort of people. To make matters even worse, the inevitable happened. The toilet clogged and had a mass backup. It smelled pretty bad.

But, no tornado. And we actually went back to our site before 11. Miraculously, even in the deluge, none of the tents had flooded. Yet. (Note to reader: Most of the tents were army style a-frames., with wood or concrete flooring. The Chateau was just a normal backpacking tent, albeit without any waterproofing.)

Wednesday

An ordinary day at camp. Really, nothing special.

Thursday

Another pretty plain day until about 4 in the afternoon. John found a big big catfish and was trying to catch it with jellybeans, gummy bears, worms, meat scraps, a stick, some fishing line, and a hook. He got it. After measuring it, it was 18". We took it over to the Quartermaster's shack, for proof. As it turns out, it had eclipsed the previous leader in the biggest fish race by about a half foot. That night was Wild West night. It was REALLY corny but still pretty fun. There was a squirt gun duel, cattle roping with wooden cow heads, a tug of war, etc. Sadly, me, being half Idahoan, lost every roping contest I entered. Tom, Ben, and John did pretty well though.

Friday

Another plain day, until the Anything that Floats Boat Race. It was us and Troop 40, the punks who kept leaving dookies in the urinal and the shower stalls. Neither of our rafts really floated, but hey, we won. Then Noah caught a bigger fish than John. It was 21" I think. At least, we thought, the big fish trophy was safe with Troop 1000. Then we had the Closing Campfire. We were all about to go over to the fire site when, lo and behold, another storm comes flying on through Farmington PA. We again got hoarded into the dining hall. But, as the saying goes, the show must go on. The counselors all did their skits up on the stage in the dining hall. No campfires for effect, but still a 4.5 star show. Again, after the close of the show, we were back before 10. Everyone dozed straight off, eager to go home.

Saturday

We all woke up early, packed up, and went. Another ridiculously long drive, a fitting conclusion to a rough but fun week.

Around 15 Scouts and adults left the rectory on a warm May evening. The drive to McDonalds, where we would eat then drive the last 5 miles, was short. We all went in and ate. It was fine, until the Moses Bus (grey suburban) would not start and smoke came from inside the engine. We thought a fuse or the starter blew. Tom and Nick joked about the car exploding. Still, I don't know what quite happened. So after about 5 minutes of attempting to diagnose the problem, we decided to pile all of our gear in the trunks of our cars, ditch the canoe, and pike in the three or four operational cars. After hastily pitching camp, we all went to sleep, exhausted. Or so we want you to think. Actually, the tent I was in played poker and blackjack until at least 1:00, long after the Phoenix population was asleep. (Anyone that wants to go to Vegas, bring Nick along. He got 21 21's in one night.) The Moose group, Andrew and Louis that night, had a good size fire going down in their corner of camp.

The next morning, we all woke up and ate cold cereal and oatmeal, a KP slacker's dream. Almost everyone worked on advancements, with the Phoenix doing Totin' Chip, the Vikings finishing up 1st Class, and the Moose doing practically nothing. Later that day we took a hike to a nature center, during which Sassafras Mania began. Mr. Eby found a plant, pulled it up, and showed us how to identify it. Everyone soon had some. Later, we went to an open area and did an orienteering course. The area reminded me of the Dead Marshes from the Lord of the Rings. Some spots had at least two inches of water, complicating matters quite a bit. In the end, only two people ended up exactly correct. After this, we all went to a nearby snowball stand, where several people wondered what sassafras would taste like in a snowball. "It's not any different!" someone remarked. We went canoeing later that day, which was very fun.

That night, our patrol had fire-grilled steaks and potatoes, courtesy of John. "Dude, this is great!" someone remarked. The Phoenix patrol had beans and wieners. Louis made a MONDO fire. I mean, it was BIG! It must've been 10 feet high, and that's just the wood! After all of this, we all went to sleep. There was Poker Night again, except I fell asleep in the middle of it and reportedly kicked Nick in the face. Reportedly.

The next morning, we pretty much woke up, ate breakfast, and went to the Flanagan house for Mass. But before, we had a relay race. Many people did the running leg. I canoed, and due to the inability of my crew to work together, I was forced to flip the canoe to keep it from entering the boathouse. So, we lost. Later we all went inside after the guests had arrived for mass. Fr. Lou has Mass in a Box (it's not really called that) which has all the necessary books, clothing, altar materials, hosts, and wine. It actually wasn't that bad, for sitting on the floor. After that, we had lunch, packed up, and headed home. Pics...

[contributed by I. Sevy, Scribe]

The drive down to our spot felt like forever. (Author’s note: Maybe it was because I was in the blue Suburban for once) Finally, we arrived there. It was a nice spot along the Potomac where several other people were climbing, rappelling, and the like. Mark found a vacant rock face that had a nice crack in it that would provide ease in our ascent. I thought wrong. The highest I made it was about 2 meters off the ground. Repeated attempts only yielded several falls into the rock. My back locked up pretty good the next day. Almost everyone made it up using the crack, but Nick just went up the wall. Poor me, can’t climb for beans. J

I got discouraged fast and went off bouldering with Pat. There was this one right by the river that was almost 75° with minimal handholds. That one was tough, but we made it up, and to our delight there were a few hikers at the top that were watching us.

“Wow, you guys are good!” one of them said.

“Thanks!” I replied.

“So, what possessed you to climb that?”

“Demons!” I laughed. “No, just kidding.”

Then we all left, went back to the trucks, and grabbed our gear. Common gear first, as always, but when we were all loaded up it turned out we’d need to come back after pitching camp. So what would’ve been an easy 1K hike to the campsite turned into a 3 kilometer trudge. Sheer boredom brought on a cacophony of “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” amazingly ending at 0 even before we completed the one-way journey.

Exhausted, everyone immediately fell asleep. That’s 5 in a row without Poker Night. That’d better change soon…

So, the next morning I woke up at 5:30-like and immediately rolled over and fell back asleep. When I woke up next, the tent had been taken down on top of Nick, Tom, and I. This prompted a few KP assignments since Nick is patrol leader. We’re leaving for church soon, and I’m here in this collapsed tent writing. This stinks.

So, in retrospect, a great trip. Pics...

[contributed by I. Sevy, Scribe]

Seven Springs:

The first night:

We got to the chalets and set up. Then after finding out where it was, we went straight to the arcade. It was great. After spending a while there, we headed back to the chalets and went to sleep. Or, at least we tried to.

Saturday:

All of us woke up bright and early and hiked to the breakfast room. It was a buffet, and if one person had all that food they could have breakfast for at least a year. Then, after that, we headed outside and set off. It had snowed about ¾ inch the night before, so the whole mountain was finely dusted with powder, making for great skiing. At around 12:30 I went in for lunch and was back out by 1:15. Almost all the powder was gone, a lot of snow had melted, and there was enough slush to rival a Dairy Queen. Despite this, the conditions weren’t as bad as they would be the next day. After everyone was in the chalet, in street clothes, and warmed up, a horde went straight for the arcade. After coming back to the chalet, the arcade horde gathered in one of the rooms and played Mad Libs until around 10, when a bunch of people headed up to the tubing area. After tubing for 2 hours, our group headed back and went to sleep.

Sunday:

The conditions were disastrous, in one word. It was about 5° and the wind chill made it no less than -15°. The Seven Springs crew was blowing snow, which, with the wind factored in, hurt. It was like a wall of tiny little particles, each little one razor sharp, going about 30 mph, and inevitably going to blow right into you. For those that weren’t there, you didn’t miss much that day. Other than the weather, there were more woes. All the melted slush froze over, and three lifts broke down and were eventually closed. I was in the line for one of them. So after trying to survive this, we all loaded up and went home. Whew!

[contributed by I. Sevy, Scribe]

Philadelphia:

Constitution Center:

A fun first trip into the “museum area”. I used a lot of film here event though half of it didn’t turn out. Among the great features was an American Flag that must have been at least 120x144. I mean, it was HUGE. There was also a room filled with life-size bronze statues of all the signers of the Declaration of Independence. I asked the tour guide in the room how much “all that bronze” weighed. He replied that he had no clue but knew the builders had to reinforce the floor below.

Liberty Bell:

Interesting, even though we just went right to the bell. It was a big, big building with history and interesting facts about the bell. Overall I thought this was a very well done building/museum/monument.

Archaeology museum:

We had a lecture here on how they went about clearing out the area around the Constitution Center. I found it to be impressive how slow they went, and what their processes yielded. Where the Constitution Center is now, there used to be a whole block of houses dating to the 1700s. One house area they found belonged to a German Revolutionary War soldier named Godfrey Minic, who they determined was a baker, was married, and had a daughter. Fascinating what you can find from looking at what a person leaves behind, huh?

Battleship:

Arriving, Dinner, and Flight Simulation:

We left Philly at around 5, then went to the ship. Upon seeing this thing for the first time, I was awed. It is a thing, 887 feet long and 102 feet tall (and that’s only what’s above water!), armed to the teeth and able to support almost 2000 sailors. The turret armor is nearly 20 inches thick, as I later found out. I made the mistake of rapping my knuckles against this. So, we boarded the ship, went to our bunks, dropped our stuff, and went back out to the flight simulator. It was pretty interesting, it went up, down, left, right, and then it shot cold air at you. It was not very extreme but still quite fun. After all of that we went back to the ship and had dinner. What was earlier advertised as the “other-other white meat”, seagull; turned out to be pasta. I never believed we’d be fed seagull from the first, I just had no clue what’d be put in front of us. It turned out to be rather good.

Tour:

We were guided around the ship by a man who had served on the New Jersey a while before. I mean, he knew EVERYTHING. We went around the ship, inside then out, seeing the mini-museums, the big guns that there always seemed to be more of, and dioramas of sea life on board the New Jersey. The thing that really amazed me was the amount of armament, and the armament itself. The 16-inch guns, so named because of the width of the barrel. There were 9 of these, each capable of sending a 2700 pound projectile nearly 25 miles. This projectile was so large it could have been (and was test fired with) a small incendiary or nuclear device. That easily could devastate a large city, or when fired against a ship it would more obliterate than sink it. There were also two Phalanx guns, which fired its magazine of 989 shots in less than half of a second. If any portable device shot like that, well, it’s win a war if used in the right numbers and circumstances.

Mass:

I thought it was nice that they offered mass on board the ship, but it ended after lights out, resulting in a crawl around the ship which took around 35 minutes, but we got to our bunks in the end.

That night:

Long.

The next morning:

We woke up early that morning and ate breakfast. I don’t remember what it was, I just remember the mounds of homefries. Then we had about 2 hours to explore the ship ourselves. The group I was with explored the front of the ship, which actually wasn’t that interesting. Then we hit the gift shop, which was great. So after all of that we got back in the cars and went home.

[contributed by I. Sevy, Scribe]

Fifteen scouts and seven leaders left the Rectory Saturday morning, October 20th, around 8:30 bound for Tuckahoe State Park near Denton, MD on the Eastern Shore. There were four vehicles in the caravan: the old Suburban hauling the camp and pack trailer, the newer Suburban with the canoe trailer, the Brennan van, and the McCoy SUV. It was a beautiful morning, clear blue sky, temp in the 60's, and a brisk wind from the southwest. As the caravan progressed past Annapolis and over the Severn River bridge, what was a serene drive suddenly turned calamitous. The right tire on the canoe trailer blew and immediately set off a series of events: the towing ball sheared off the Suburban's hitch; the trailer tongue hit the pavement; two canoes broke their straps and flew out into the road, another broke the front strap, swung out, then back into the trailer, impaling itself on one of the horizontal supports. Miraculously, aside from the tongue that needs to be straightened, a new tire, and the one canoe needing a fiberglass repair, no-one was injured nor was any other damage incurred. A tow truck took the trailer to a nearby boat & RV yard where Ian noted, "they had everything lying around there including the kitchen sink"! Dave Minges found some 2 by 4's and we were able to fashion carriers so that each Suburban could carry three canoes. Mark McCoy put the last seaworthy one on his SUV and we drove to the park, arriving for lunch around 12:30.

After lunch, we launched the canoes into the lake, a manmade segment of the Tuckahoe River, and paddled up the northern section of the River. The River itself was narrow and shallow, lined with marshes, calm, and protected...a good section for many of the scouts who were on their first canoe trip. However, after turning around a mile or so upstream because it became very shallow, the trip back across the lake into a brisk breeze proved to be challenging. Two canoes were towed by Spanky and Perry and a third was capsized. Tom Brennan & Tom Hosford helped Tom III, Nick, and Graham empty their canoe so they could paddle back across the lake in what was now not only a very strong wind, but also a very cold one because of wet clothes. Dry clothes, a warm fire, and a delicious steak dinner capped off with blueberry and cherry cobblers restored the boys' spirits. Everyone else also appreciated such a feast after a pretty eventful day.

It was another beautiful day on Sunday as we headed to Easton for church and then shotgun shooting at Pintail Point. We were a bit late to the range due to the Hispanic priest's struggle to learn English at the age of 70 but everyone was appreciative of his efforts! Incidentally, the church, dedicated in 2005 was designed by the Troop 5 Scoutmaster, Shaun Lackie, whom Dave knows well through his role of Pack 5 Cubmaster. Jody Sevy and Roger Morin provided expert shooting guidance to the scouts and adults, respectively.

Clearly, this was one of those weekend's that proved that driving on the highway can be more dangerous than handling a gun! Pics...

Fourteen scouts and five leaders set out Friday afternoon around 5 PM for a weekend of adventure in the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania. Raining off and on the entire way, then encountering the challenges of signing in and locating the campsite, our intrepid group started pitching tents at 10 PM. At that point it was no longer raining, so we figured that was 50% better than setting up camp at night in the rain! Many scouts remarked that they had never seen so many stars in the sky.

On Saturday morning, the breakfast detail began to stir around 7 AM in temperatures about 20 degrees less than the night before. It had rained again quite heavily in periodic squalls throughout the night as a cold front moved in. Hot eggs and sausage never felt so good. By 10:15 we were headed down the hill to Ohiopyle for rafting under the guidance of Laurel Highlands River Tours. Shivering in our bathing suits and t-shirts, most of us opted for wetsuits before setting out on the 20 minute bus ride to our put-in spot. Troop 1000 had four rafts in our 12 raft flotilla down the Lower Yough. A kayak race was in progress when we set out, and we witnessed them plunging off the 15-20' falls just up river from us! The Lower Yough is a class 3 river dropping approximately 25' every mile. The major obstacles had names like Whale, Flat, Schoolhouse, or Dimple Rock and our guides (in kayaks) did everything they could to point us in the right direction, but often to no avail. Some rafts flipped (not any of the Troop's) and Tom M. (III) and Ian S. gave their wetsuits swim tests! We finally arrived back at the outfitter's around 5:30 and therefore missed church. Once back at camp, we held a prayer service, ate doggies and beans, then settled in around the fire for Roses, Thorns, and Buds, each person recounting what was a highlight & lowlight of the trip so far, and their future anticipation.

Sunday morning was yet colder, mid-40's, but drier. With egg and ham muffin fortification, we drove to Laurel Caverns, arriving at 10 AM for spelunking. The cave, discovered by a farmer a couple of centuries ago, began to be developed in the 1940's by Norman Cale and is still run as a family business by his grandson, David. It has at least 2 miles of tunnels and underground rooms, descending down the side of a mountain. The caverns are divided into 2 sections, the Upper and Lower. Those at least 12 years old explored the lower portions with the Marks (M & B) and Jody S. The Toms (B & H) took the younger scouts through the upper section. All experienced the majesty of large underground areas like the Dining and Ball Rooms, narrow descending "rock-cases" like the Flue, and sections where the only method of advancement was low crawling on one's stomach. When we showed up at the Ridge for a late lunch afterwards, even the bikers and truckers had looks of admiration for our dirt covered scouts who had convincingly conquered the Highlands! Pics...

Troop 1000 sent a patrol along with other Baltimore Area Council troops to Philmont. Pics...

Troop 1000 departed to Seven Springs for a ski trip on February 9. The troop left Cathedral at around 4:30 and began the long drive up to Pennsylvania. The scouts stopped at a Wendy’s in Breezewood for dinner and eventually arrived at Seven Springs, unpacked at the chalet, and went to bed ready to ski the next day. After a breakfast buffet, the scouts went out to rent skis, split into groups, and then begin skiing. The snow on the slopes was good, and scouts and adults alike had a great time. The troop met up again for dinner and then went their separate ways. After dinner, the scouts enjoyed a variety of activities, such as tubing, going to the arcade, swimming, and of course skiing.

On Sunday, the scouts had breakfast, cleaned the chalet, and hit the slopes. One tragic incident occurred that day; Mr. Giltenan broke his leg. The break was inside the boot (which is unusual) and broke through the skin. The Ski Patrol was notified and arrived in minutes. Mr. Giltenan was taken to a nearby hospital. Excluding Mr. Giltenan, the scouts and troop leaders left Seven Springs at around three. The tired scouts were happy to return home after a great weekend of skiing. Pics...

The troop hiked on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania and stayed overnight in the Michener Cabin. Pics...

Although there were no Eagles this year, the Winter Court of Honor was still a well-attended wonderful affair that was a surprise tribute to Skip Eby for all his dedication to Troop 1000. Skip's father, Arthur Eby, who passed away this fall, started the Troop in 1963. Skip was Troop's first home-grown Eagle Scout in the late 1960's. He and his wife, Cindy, have two boys, Chas and Chris. When Chas was of age to join the Troop, Skip became an Assistant Scoutmaster in 1995. Chris joined two years later and when Roger Morin stepped down as Scoutmaster in 2000, Skip volunteered to take on the job. He did an admirable job and at the end of the 2005-2006 scout year, turned over the reigns to Mark McCoy.

The scouts were honored with many merit badges and advancements. The culmination of the event was the roasting of Skip. Past scouts were there to recount adventures involving Skip and several adult leaders completed the portrait of a man dedicated to the ideals of scouting.

On November 18^thand 19^th, Troop 1000 hiked on the Appalachian Trail near Waynesboro, PA. On the first day, the scouts met at the Rectory, split up the troop gear, and began the drive to where they would be hiking. Two groups from Troop 1000 hiked, those preparing for Philmont and the younger scouts. The Philmont crew hiked 9.5 miles and were happy to find a roaring fire that the younger scouts had made when they reached the campsite. Troop 1000 put up a bear bag, made freeze-dried food for dinner, and went to bed, tired from the hiking that day.

We arrived on Staten Island on Friday night, in time for a late pizza dinner with Boniface. After dinner, the boys and I retired to the gym floor in Boniface's parish school, falling asleep while watching the first episode of Ric Burn's epic PBS documentary, "New York." The first episode gave the boys a preview of our next day's tour of lower Manhattan, and the beginnings of Dutch New Amsterdam. The other adults (Mark McCoy, Tom Brennan, and Dennis German) were treated to deluxe accommodations at Bonafice's rectory.

In the morning, after a quick breakfast of donuts and coffee/juice, we departed for the Staten Island Ferry for the trip across upper New York Bay to Manhattan. The boys were fascinated as we passed below the impassive visage of "Liberty Enlightening the World," and approached the morning sunlit towers of Lower Manhattan. They were especially charmed by the excellent view of the tiny, Federal style brick townhouse and church sandwiched between two modern towers at Battery Park -- the former home of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.

Our walking tour of lower Manhattan, guided by Boniface and me, took in many famous sites -- Battery Park, Castle Clinton, the Bowling Green (accompanied by an explanation of the beginnings of American finance), the former headquarters of Standard Oil at 26 Broadway, Trinity Church and the graves of Alexander Hamilton and Robert Fulton, Federal Hall (with it's famous view of the New York Stock Exchange) and, of course, Ground Zero and St. Paul's Chapel.

As lunchtime approached, we wandered under the Brooklyn Bridge into the Five Points area, past the former home and school of Gov. Al Smith, and on into Chinatown. We enjoyed lunch at an excellent dim sum restaurant. For many of the boys, this was their introduction to the wonders of dim sum.

After lunch, we made our way through the crowded din of Canal Street, a bazaar beyond anyone's wildest imagination. The boys and adults were awestruck by the sights, sounds, and sheer size of the afternoon hustle and bustle -- a true New York experience.

We took the subway up to 42nd Street and then proceeded to the West Side for a 2:30 Circle Line boat tour around the Battery and up into the East River. The tour guide was excellent, delivering an exhaustive and enlightening talk on Manhattan Island past and present. He regaled us with too many sites and stories to mention, but they included a history of Lady Liberty, Ellis and Governor's Island, an excellent synopsis of the battle for corporate headquarters being waged between Jersey and Manhattan, a description of the Hamilton-Burr duel as we passed the heights of Weehawken, and a wonderful aside on the history of the three East River Bridges, including a perfect way to remember their names -- BMW (Brooklyn, Manhattan, Williamsburg).

After the tour, we dined at the world-famous Oyster Bar at Grand Central, before heading back to South Ferry for the 9:30 trip back to Staten Island. A long but memorable day.

On Sunday, we attended the 9:30 Mass and Boniface made a special point of recognizing Troop 1000 and his long, affectionate relationship with the Troop. After mass, Boniface led us on a tour of Staten Island, including the Moravian cemetery (last resting place of the Vanderbilts) and its incredible view of New York harbor, and the Todt Hill neighborhood (which I would liken to Guilford with a NY Harbor view.)

We enjoyed a quick pizza lunch again before heading back home. Pics...

Troop 1000 began the 3 and ½ hour drive to Swallow Falls State Park on Friday, September 15^th. Once the scouts arrived, they set up camp and went to bed. The next day, Troop 1000 got up early, had a quick breakfast, and set out to the Youghiogheny River, where they would be rafting. The scouts had a fun day rafting with numerous rapids to enjoy. Some people fell out while rafting; in one incident Graham pulled in two of his raft members, Nick and Patrick, while they were going down Dimple Rock, the most difficult rapid the scouts faced that day. Troop 1000 returned to camp and had a delicious dinner of beef tacos and s’mores. In the morning, the scouts had bacon, eggs, and English muffins for breakfast. They then went for a short hike around the area and went to church. After mass, Troup 100 went to Keiser Ridge for lunch and began the long ride home. Pics...

On July 15, Troop 1000 set off on their trip to Goshen Scout Camp in Virginia for a week of camping and earning requirements. Once the scouts arrived, they set up camp and had a dinner of turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. The next day after breakfast, they took the swim test and were given a tour of the camp.

During the week, the younger scouts worked on rank advancements, while the older scouts worked on merit badges. The scouts earned a variety of merit badges, including Camping, Water Skiing, Rifle Shooting, Indian Lore, and Environmental Science. While at Goshen, the scouts caught two huge fish named Zeus and Poseidon, which they cooked and ate. One memorable day, Troop 1000 brought the head of Zeus to the camp assembly on a skewer.

Gibson Island - May 19-21, 2006: On Friday, May 19, Troop 1000 went to Gibson Island for a weekend of camping and canoeing. When the scouts arrived, they began unloading their gear and set up camp. They then made a small fire and went to bed. The next day, after a filling breakfast of pancakes and sausage, Troop 1000 started working on advancements. While some scouts worked on knots and lashings, others took part in a conservation project in which they cleared two dead trees and created a fire circle. The scouts then went to Downs Park where they played whiffle ball and worked on an orienteering requirement. That night, the troop made a huge bonfire that burned the whole night.

On Sunday, the scouts took down tents and carried all the gear to the cars. Troop 1000 then had a relay race that involved running, swimming, and canoeing. The troop spent their time relaxing by the waterfront and swimming. Once family and friends started arriving, Troop 1000 held a Court of Honor, in which John G. became a Tenderfoot, Graham H. became a Second Class scout, both Nick A. and Ryan M. became First Class scouts, and Andrew B. became a Star scout. Father Rose performed mass, and then everyone had a delicious lunch of fried chicken, salads, and desserts. After some canoeing, Troop 1000 returned to the Rectory to pack away the troop gear and the canoes.

Biking on the North Central Railroad Trail and camping at Bee Tree - April 8-9, 2006: On Saturday April 8^th, Troop 1000, though delayed by rain, set off for the Bee Tree Reserve in Parkton, Maryland. When they arrived, it was raining too heavily to begin biking, so the scouts waited under a pavilion for the weather to improve. After lunch, the rain started to clear, so Troop 1000 started to bike 5 miles. They stopped for hot chocolate and coffee and headed back. That night Troop 1000 had a delicious dinner of beef kabobs, garlic bread, and apple cobbler for dessert.

The next day the scouts had breakfast and got on the NCR trail to begin their 35-mile bike trip from the Bee Tree Reserve to Cathedral. At around 11:00 Troop 1000 stopped at church for mass and continued to the Monkton Station for lunch. The trail soon ended, so the scouts began to ride the rest of the way on roads. After a long day of biking troop 1000 finally arrived at Rectory. Pics...

Hiking the Appalachian Trail - March 11-12, 2006: Troop 1000 started their 7-mile backpacking trip to Gathland State Park on March 11. It was a warm and sunny day and the scouts were able to see many beautiful views of Harper’s Ferry. After several miles of hiking Troop 1000 stopped and had peanut butter and jelly crackers for lunch. They then continued hiking. Eventually the scouts arrived at Gathland State Park and began to set up camp. They collected firewood, and that night they had a huge fire. Dinner consisted of freeze-dried food that received mixed reviews. The next day, Troop 1000 packed up their gear and had breakfast. They then went to church and drove home. Pics...

Ski Trip - February 10-12, 2006: On Friday, February 10, Troop 1000 headed to Pennsylvania to go skiing at Seven Springs. Though delayed by wrong turns and a flat tire, the scouts finally made it to the ski resort by 9:30. That night the boys relaxed in the chalet and watched the Olympics. The next day, the troop had a breakfast buffet and headed out to rent their skis and snowboards. They then split into groups and hit the slopes. It was a great day for skiing, and the scouts enjoyed Seven Springs’ numerous ski runs. After a long day on the slopes, everyone met at the lodge for dinner. Evening activities included more skiing, hanging out at the chalet, tubing, swimming, and going to the arcade. Sunday, the troop woke up to several inches of fresh snow. After breakfast and cleaning up the chalet, it was time to head back to the slopes. Everyone had a great time skiing on the fresh powder. Eventually, it was time to head back to Baltimore. After a dinner stop at Wendy’s in Breezewood, Troop 1000 arrived back at Cathedral. The 2006 ski trip was a great success! Pics...

Fingerprinting Merit Badge - January 27, 2006: Troop 1000 visited the Baltimore City Police Department- Northern District to earn the Fingerprinting merit badge. Officer Doug Gibson spoke to the scouts about the history of fingerprinting and how it is used to identify individuals. The scouts learned about the three different types of fingerprints, loops, arches, and whorls. They also took prints off of glass surfaces with tape and compared them to fingerprints that they had printed on paper using ink. After eight scouts earned the Fingerprinting merit badge, they went to Pepe’s Pizza to celebrate. Pics...

Court of Honor - January 2006: Family and friends of Troop 1000 came to the Parish Center on January 13 to celebrate the scouts’ advancements and merit badge achievements at the Court of Honor. Everyone enjoyed a lasagna dinner arranged by Troop 1000 mothers Tara and Maura McCoy.

Four scouts moved up in rank. Ryan M. and Pete S. became 2^nd Class Scouts, Andrew B. received the rank of 1^ST Class Scout, while Louis M. became a Star Scout. A number of merit badges were awarded to the following scouts: Nick A., Andrew B., Michael G., Graham H., Louis M., Ryan M., Pete S., and Max S.

The highlight of the evening came when Joey B. achieved Scouting’s highest award, the rank of Eagle Scout. Joey’s Eagle project involved setting up a haunted house for underprivileged children at St. Francis school. He was a former patrol leader and attended two high adventure trips with Troop 1000. At the Court of Honor, Joey received numerous compliments as well as letters of commendation from public officials, including the Pope, the Commissioner of Baseball, and numerous politicians including the President, Governor, and Mayor. Pics...

Eastern Shore Canoeing & Shooting - Nov 2005: The troop went to the Maryland Eastern Shore to canoe in the Blackwater Wildlife Refuge and to do shotgun shooting at Pintail Point. Pics...

Rafting - Sept 2005: The troop went to the Youghiogheny river and did the middle portion... had a great time on the river.. beautiful warm sunny day. Camped at Swallow Falls State Park... on Sunday did the loop trail there .. saw and played around on the falls. Pics...

Summer Camp 2005 - Florida Keys Scuba Diving: Roger Morin organized a scuba diving trip that included training dives near Petersburg, VA, a week in the Florida Keys, and three days at Disney World. Story... Pics...

Maryland Day: Troop 1000 provided the honor guard for this year's Maryland Day ceremonies in Baltimore on March 24th. Eight boys attended and got a chance to meet Miss Maryland! Pics...

Alumnus Service Work: Bobby Barczak, a past Eagle Scout from Troop 1000, participated in a service project along with other Loyola College students in Cumberland over Spring break. The week-long outreach project involved the restoration of abandoned houses along with inmates from a local prison during each day. In the evenings, discussions and events were held for children of the sponsoring parish. Pics...

February 11-13 Ski Trip: Our annual ski trip was attended by 27 scouts, friends, and adults. Once again we went to the Seven Springs resort in western Pennsylvania. Roger Morin coordinated the event that ran smoothly as usual. Conditions were good, all slopes and lifts open, and temperatures were in the 20's and 30's. No significant injuries occurred, so the trip was definitely a success.

Pics...

Scout Sunday: Troop 1000 scouts led the procession with flag bearers, did the readings, and provided altar servers for the 11 a.m. Mass on Sunday, February 6th. The Troop hosted refreshments in the Undercroft after Mass.

January Camping Trip: A hardy group of scouts and adults camped at the Appalachian Trial Club's cabin in Pennsylvania along the A.T. Pics...

Eagle Project: Chris E. and about 20 other scouts and friends cleaned plants of insect pests at the Baltimore Arboretum in Druid Hill Park on Saturday, February 5th. The Director was ecstatic about Chris and co. ridding plants in 5 buildings of dangerous pests. Chris is currently designing a brochure for the Arboretum as the second project deliverable. More..

Winter Court of Honor: John G. and Peter M., the last 2 remaining Blue Devils, were awarded the Eagle Rank at the gala held in the Parish Center. Numerous merit badges were also awarded and the new patrol, the Moose, were welcomed to Troop 1000. About 80 people attended.