We are all departing at the same time. Be at St. John's at 5:30PM.
- Weekend FORECAST: Highs in the high-20's, lows in the low-teens. Please be prepared for cold weather with multiple layers of WARM CLOTHES, hooded sweatshirt/coat, cotton plus wool socks, hats, mittens, gloves and warm boots. Please bring at least one extra of each of these (not a bad idea to write your name on everything, too!). No sneakers outside! LAYERS, HAT, EAR MUFFS, GLOVES! Bring your Scout uniform (shirt with name tag and pants, no need for a neckerchief).
- We are staying in the dining hall and adjacent building, both of which are heated but you may be sleeping on the floor. Bring a good sleeping bag and a pad, if you have one. Bring a headlamp and/or flashlight. No fires: no need for matches and lighters are never allowed in Troop 98, nor is any liquid fuel.
- Bring your eating gear (dish, cup, utensils). Make sure it's labeled/marked with your name or initials.
- Please keep all your things in a duffel or soft luggage. We will have to clear out the dining hall early on Saturday and move our things downstairs or to Packer Lodge (the small cabin behind the bathrooms). We are not taking the trailer. Please bring everything you need but not more. Please pack as compactly as you can; we don't have a lot of extra room for luggage.
- Patrols don't need to buy or bring food. We will be purchasing all our meals from the Kiwanis' on Saturday plus Sunday morning. The Troop will provide dinner on Friday evening and lunch on Sunday. We will BillMonk you $30 for this trip (this pays for meals and ski rentals).
- You should bring some cash to buy things from the vendors, buy snacks, buy things at the Camp Brule Trading Post, sponsor a Polar Bear plunger, take a sleigh ride, etc. We suggest about $20.
- The Kiwanis are running the Polar Bear Plunge again, where people jump into the frozen lake (briefly!) after getting cash donations. If you want to plunge you must bring donations of at least $100 (cash or check to "Kiwanis Club of Sullivan County"; tax deductible). If you want to be the Polar Bear Plunger you MUST bring a signed waiver from your parent(s) and found here: WAIVER. Plungers are entered into a raffle to win an ATV or an Alaskan cruise! Wow!
- It's a long car ride and we don't want you to drive the drivers crazy. Please bring a quiet game you can play in the car (and in the dining hall). Playing cards, Battleship (the quiet one), Yahtzee, MadLibs, etc. Board games will be good for Saturday night, too. Remember: no MP3 players, video players, cell phones, or anything that makes noise is allowed on Troop 98 outings.
- Bring any winter gear you might want to use for ice skating, snowshoeing or ice fishing.
- Bring a goofy winter hat for the GOOFY HAT CONTEST. Here's a pic: GOOFY
- Don't forget your Permission Slip, being emailed separately.
Since there is enough snow for X-Country skiing, we will leave after lunch on Sunday. Return is Sunday sometime between 4:30 and 5PM. We will call on the way home to confirm pick-up time from St. John's.
February
15 to 17 at Camp Brulé in Sullivan County. Cross-country skiing, dog
sled races, snow sculptures, ice fishing, "human dog sled" races, tobogganing and more!
Sign Up for the Winterfest trip on President's Day weekend ( Friday to Sunday) at Camp Brulé, in Sullivan County, PA. This is about a 4 hour drive from Blue Bell: map here ==> CAMP_BRULé (GPS waypoint N41 33.898 W76 40.049).
Here's what we're going to do there:
Friday: - Hang
out in the awesomely huge Dining Hall building and play extreme board
games or cards, play guitars, and/or go outside in the snow.
Saturday: - Participate in the Kiwanis WinterFest Carnival
and Dog Sled Race. The Kiwanis organize this as a fundraiser. It
starts early Saturday morning and involves two dog sled races (one 25
mile, one 50 mile). Many people come to see the dogs off and we have
been asked to have our Scouts help "keep" the dogs at bay at the
starting line (under the supervision of each musher, of
course). Between the time the dogs leave and return (several
hours) there are other activities like X-country skiing races, snowman
making contests, ice-sculpting demos, ice fishing demo/contest, indoor
arts and crafts, and a polar bear swim (for charity). See prior year's
pictures here: WINTERFEST2010 and WINTERFEST2009PICS and WINTERFEST2008
- Ice
fishing, ice skating, or ice hockey on the lake, just down the hill
from our cabin. Bring your gear for any of this! Skates, fishing gear,
hockey sticks.
- Provided there's enough
snow, sledding, tubing and cross-country skiing on camp trails or
around the lake. With some preparation and help, Scouts can complete
the Snow Sports merit badge (see equipment details below and
requirements here: SNOWSPORTS [we'll do the section on CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING]).
- HUMAN-sled races, where teams of 6 people (Scouts!)
are hooked up to a dog sled and have to race to the finish line; CASH
PRIZES!
- Hiking or snoe-shoeing around
the lake or through camp (especially if Scouts still need
hiking requirement 1b for 2nd Class rank).
- As
a Service Project for the Kiwanis Club, each Scout attending will be
required to help for three hours during the day. This could be
directing cars to parking, assisting with events, or assisting in the
kitchen/dining hall. You may be able to get more service time if you
need it.
- If you want to participate in the Polar Bear swim you will need to raise money for the Kiwanis club and bring a signed waiver.
Sunday: - GOOFY WINTER HAT CONTEST - Bring your goofiest hat! Here's a pic: GOOFY
- Leave Camp after breakfast and be back in Blue Bell around 2PM, unless there's a lot of snow,
in which case we'll stay and have some more snow activities and leave
after lunch, arriving in Blue Bell around 5 or 6PM (we'll call to let
you know our exact ETA). If it's cold enough and the ice toboggan is open in Eagle's Mere we may go there.
So here's the plan: - Leave Friday January 15th from St. John's at 5:30PM. Early Departure Option: some Scouts may have the day off from school. If you can drive early on Friday
please note this on the RSVP and we'll consider an early departure
(Noon? 3PM?).
- Return Sunday January 17th to St. John's around 2PM (or around 5PM if we stay for tobogganing). We will call en route.
- Accommodations: We
will be staying upstairs in the dining hall (on the floor) and in an adjacent cabin. It's
heated but you should bring a sleeping pad or air mattress (kind of like
the Klondike Derby, except a lot warmer!) or even a camp cot, if you
want.
- Meals: To make this trip
easier and support the Kiwanis' fundraising, we will take all our meals
from them in the Dining Hall. They make good food!
- Cost of Trip: About $30 (to cover food and ski rentals). We will debit your troop account after you go.
- Bring spending money to
enter the contests, sponsor one of our Scouts for a jump into the
frozen lake, buy nick-nacks, or stuff from the Camp Brulé Trading Post. We suggest $20.
- Equipment:
- X-Country skiing: We
will bring and/or rent cross-country skiing gear. Please write in your
shoe size and height on the RSVP form. If you have your own
cross-country ski gear, or can borrow some, please do so and bring it.
- Snoe-shoeing: bring your own, if you have them or if you can borrow them.
- Ice skating/ice hockey: bring your own skates and hockey gear.
- Ice fishing: bring your own gear.
- Camping: regular
gear for a cabin/outdoor campout (just like the Klondike!). You will
be outside much of the day. Bring lots of layers and a complete second
set of clothes, especially socks, gloves and hat.
- Adults and Drivers:
This
is really too far away to have parents just drive, so we need adults to
come on the trip. Please let us know if you can devote this weekend to
Troop 98.
Many of our Scouts say this is our BEST TRIP of the year! Come join us!
SIGN UP ==> HERE <==
|
|
