SCOUTING SMOKE SIGNALS
MONTHLY AWAC BSA NEWSLETTER
THE COURIER is the official messenger of the Anthony Wayne Area Council. Monthly, it goes out to 13,000 Scouts and their families in 11 counties in 7 districts here in northern Indiana. We here in Waynedale are part of Miami District in case anyone doesn’t know. I gather a great deal of information from THE COURIER and reprint it here for the public to let them/you know what is going on in Scouting and to try to entice everyone that reads The Waynedale News to support our local Scouting program.
TROOP 38 IN WEST VIRGINIA
As we go to press this issue, Boy Scout Troop 38, sponsored by Calvary United Methodist Church, 6301 Winchester Road, here in Waynedale, is whitewater rafting the New River in West Virginia. They should have some good stories to tell when they get back. Anyone interested in white water rafting? We’ll try to get some information for you and print it here in Scouting Smoke Signals, when they get back. The leaders may even be willing to come to your Troop meetings and show you the pictures they took and tell you some of their experiences. I understand that they made it into a three-day trip; one day driving down – one day rafting – one day driving back. The rest of the time would be spent sightseeing. The distance from Waynedale to where they were to go rafting on the New River is around 400 miles – an 8 to 9 hours trip one way.
RAILS TO TRAILS
West Virginia is my old stomping ground. Well it’s still my stomping ground but I’m stomping a little further north and a little to the west lately. My brother built an isolated log cabin in the mountains of Ritchie County just east of Parkersburg. How isolated is it? It takes a four-wheeled drive vehicle to get to it. I’m not kidding; a two-wheel drive can’t get up the mountain road if a heavy dew is on.
I go there for R&R several times a year and to visit with my brothers of course. I often drive around to see what all is in the area while I’m there. I’ve discovered a place that might be of interest to the Boy Scout Troops in the Waynedale area. It’s a Rails to Trails Project and it goes through North Bend State Park on Route 31 south of Route 50, east of Parkersburg, West Virginia.
The state took an old abandoned railroad bed, removed the railroad ties, and made it into a bike/hiking trail. It runs 75 miles from Parkersburg to Clarksburg, West Virginia. There are nine railroad tunnels still on the trail that you can hike or ride through and explore. The great part about this, Rails to Trails project? It only has a 5% grade. For those that don’t know, it means that it is very easy walking or riding, no mountains to hike up and down. It would be a great trail for beginning hikers or bikers.
If any troop is interested in taking a trip down there to hike or bike, let me know and I’ll show you what information I have. By the way, it is a 300-mile, one way to get there, which translates to 6 or 7 hours by car. You can hike the whole 75 miles or just parts of it. It would be great training for hiking the 2,000-mile-long Application Trail. There are places in the area to rent bikes and buy groceries.
EAGLE RECOGNITION
Congratulations go out to the New Eagle Scouts in our area – Joseph Keane-Troop 1, Charles Brames-Troop 43, Tyson Abner-Troop 83, David Johnson-Troop 94, Matthew Bennett-Troop 102, Jonathon Magnus-Troop 102, Marcus Lymons-Troop 302, Kenton Blacksten-Troop 730, and Joseph D. Leman, James M. Frauhiger, & Aaron M. Gerber from -Troop 140.
SUMMER HOURS AT THE SCOUT SHOP
8AM – 5PM (Monday – Friday) and 9am – 1pm (Saturday)
NEEDED: A FEW GOOD SCOUTS!
Anyone wanting to join a Boy Scout Troop or participate in Scouting contact Associate Editor Ray McCune at 747-4535.
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