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Pack 1229 Spring Campout

:: Tags: Camping, Dylan, Friends, Outdoors, Scouting

This years Cub Scout Pack 1229 spring campout was held at Lake Fairfax, Virginia. It was a pack level event and there was a good turnout despite the last minute event planning of Pack leadership. One thing that worked out well was putting Leader Bruce in charge of the food situation… specifically dinner, because he Crushed It! It was a great weekend for a campout and the Webelos that attended all worked together and earned one of their elective adventure pins. And as an added bonus, the boys had the opportunity to watch the International Space Station fly over from the athletics filed that night after the campfire. You can see the ISS in the pictures with the full moon.

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Dylan’s Falcon Class Overnighter

:: Tags: Dylan, Friends, Outdoors, School

As part of the celebration for the 3rd grade graduating class at the River School, Dylan’s Falcon Class gets to go on an overnight team building event to Camp Horizons which is an educational outdoor adventure camp located in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Harrisonburg, VA. Accompanied by his teachers and other River School staff, Dylan and his classmates will get to participate in outdoor activities such as kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, zip-lining and swimming. After the trip, Dylan told me that he only got about three hours of sleep that night, because all the boys were keeping each other up all night, but he said everyone had a great time. One of his teachers also complemented us on Dylan’s canoeing skills which they said he was very proud of. Dylan was very apprehensive about this trip early on, but it was nice to see that he had a good time with his friends and made the most out of it.

Shooting Sports Weekend @ BSA Camp Snyder

:: Tags: Camping, Dylan, Friends, Hiking & Camping, Outdoors, Scouting

Every Spring the Boy Scouts of America and the NCAC put on a weekend event known as Shooting Sports Weekend at Camp William B. Snyder in Haymarket, VA. This year was no different, except that for the first time (that I’m aware of anyway) Pack 1229 would be represented at the event at the Pack level. This is a BSA sponsored event that combines an overnight camping trip with instructor lead courses in shooting sports on Saturday afternoon. Over the course of the weekend, the Scouts learn the safety rules and techniques for safe handling and use of bb guns, slingshots, and archery. This was Dylan’s first experience with Shooting Sports and he not only approached it with a positive, respectful and mature attitude, but also turned out to be a crack shot with the bb rifle. We also had a Pack campout to deal with, so there was food, fun, adventures and the evening campfire too! Sunday morning was cold, but thanks to Ed and Bruce, we had a roaring campfire first thing… even before the coffee was ready!

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Pack 1229 Spring Hike

:: Tags: Dylan, Friends, Hiking & Camping, Outdoors, Scouting

For this years annual spring hike, the Pack 1229 Outdoor Committee decided on the loop at Turkey Run Park in McLean, VA. This is a great park with a beautiful hiking trail situated on the Virginia side of the Potomac River across from Cabin John, MD. The weather was absolutely perfect and we couldn’t have asked for a nicer day for the hike. The loop is about 2.4 miles with a elevation gain of about 240 feet, which was perfect for the boys in the Webelos den who needed some more hiking miles for one of their adventure requirements. The trail can be a bit narrow where it runs along the river, so you have to hike in single file at times, but it is still a super fun hike!

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Pack 1229 Fall Hike

:: Tags: Dylan, Friends, Hiking & Camping, Outdoors, Scouting

This years Pack 1229 Fall Hike event was held at Theodore Roosevelt Island in Fort Myers, VA. The island, which sits on the Potomac River between Arlington, VA and Washington, DC. is only about 88.5-acres in size and sits about 44 feet above sea level at its highest point.  The island, which is a national memorial, was given to the federal government by the Theodore Roosevelt Association in memory of the 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt.

Our Cub Scout Pack did a guided nature hike around the island using guide books supplied by the National Park Service and then tried to answer questions about the island and memorial that were in the back of the Park Service guide. Except for it being muddy from all the recent rain, I think all the Scouts had a great time… and I believe they actually learned a little something about history at the same time.

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Pack 1229 Fall Campout

:: Tags: Camping, Dylan, Friends, Hiking & Camping, Outdoors, Scouting

This year we held our Cub Pack Pack 1229 fall campout at Curtis Memorial Park in Fredericksburg, VA. During the camping trip, I had the Scouts from the Webelos Den work on several of their Adventure requirements including ‘Cast Iron Chef’ and the ‘Webelos Walkabout’. The Webs stayed busy by first completed a 3 mile hike on the Curtis Memorial Loop. Then they prepped and helped cooked dinner using ‘silver turtles’ (foil packs) for the entire pack. And they were also responsible for prepping, lighting and tending to the campfire for the evenings events. Dylan and the boys did an outstanding job handling and completing their tasks for the campout and I could not have been prouder of them.

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Go Ape with Haley

:: Tags: Dylan, Fun, Outdoors

As we all know, my son Dylan is a huge fan of outdoor adventure camps and ropes course at Go Ape Adventures is one of his favorites. Here are a couple of pictures from Dylan and Haley’s day out at Go Ape.

Pack 1229 Spring Campout

:: Tags: Camping, Dylan, Outdoors, Scouting

“Wait… you mean we’re suppose to eat the marshmallows too!” – Lake Fairfax, VA

So last fall, I took Dylan on his very first Cub Scout camping trip to Prince William Forest for what I like to call ‘Cabin Camping’ with his CS pack. This past weekend, Dylan got to try tent camping with me for the very first time and he loved it! Cub Scout Pack 1229 sponsors two camping trips a year and last weekend they had their Spring Camp out at Lake Fairfax in Fairfax, VA. Aside from a little rain and wind overnight, it turned out to be a really nice time.
Dylan and I opted to use my REI Passage-2 two person backpacking tent for our first outing together and it did a great job protecting us from the overnight wind and rain. However, I think that in the future I will take my ALPS Mountaineering Morada 4-person Tent and ALPS Air Bed, so that I might get a little better nights sleep. At this level of Scouting, car camping is pretty much all these kids do, so there’s really no need for an ultralight weight backpacking tent. The most important piece of camping equipment for kids at a young age is a good mummy bag. There is nothing worse then having your child complaining all night that they’re cold.

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Dylan’s First Camp-out

:: Tags: Dylan, Hiking & Camping, Outdoors, Scouting, Weekend Excursion

‘Dylan the Cub Scout – Let’s Go Camping!’ – Arlington, VA                                

I have to admit, ever since my son joined the ranks of Cub Scouting last month, I have been looking forward to getting back into the woods myself to help out on some of his camping trips There’s nothing better than pitching a tent in the middle of the woods and falling a sleep under the stars listening to the sounds of nature. However, it turns out that Dylan’s first camping trip with Pack 1229 would wind up being a little different than what we first expected… they call it “Cabin Camping”. Okay, so it didn’t turn out exactly as I had envisioned, but the event was a lot of fun and seeing how we were in bear country (and there had been several sightings), it was probably a better idea to start the ‘first timer’ out in a cabin sleeping on a somewhat comfortable raised cot. Next trip will be tent camping for sure!!

‘The cabin Dylan & I slept in for his first camping trip’ – Prince William Forest, Prince William, VA
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