New Scouts

Welcome to all our new scouts and families. We have 10 new scouts joining from Pack 4, Pack 67 and Pack 32. The first troop meeting that includes new scouts will be Thursday 3/4 at 7pm-830pm. Parents are welcome (but not required) to stay for this first meeting. An adult leader will offer parents an overview of troop operations, and a scout will offer a quick presentation on the short list of personal camping gear that each scout should have. Other kickoff details for new scouts were recently provided via email. If you didn’t receive the email, please let Phil Bedard know at pbedard1@gmail.com.

Pancake Breakfast

Thanks to all for the hard work at the Pancake Breakfast. It was the biggest crowd to date. Fantastic results; nearly $6000 profit, which will fund some much needed troop equipment purchases, and it will make the upcoming high adventure trip much more affordable. Great performances by all – ticket sellers, ad sellers, parent help on the ad sale logistics and day of event, chefs, waiters and clean-up crew. Special thanks go to Stacey Barie, the Brundrett family, Pat Gallagher and future “Hell’s Kitchen” host Peter Lanciano, for supervising key aspects of this event.

Merit Badges

Keep an eye out for kickoff announcements on a variety of merit badges this spring, to include Personal Fitness.

Camp Resolute and Maine 50 Miler Canoe Trip: Plans are moving forward on the troop’s participation in a couple of week long summer events; Camp Resolute in July, and the Maine 50 Miler Canoe Trip in August. Dates and details are posted on the troop website, and more will follow. An important date to remember: March 4th. That is the date that the $100 Maine canoe trip deposit is due. Our reservation and pricing will be based on the deposits that we turn over to the outfitter next week, so please submit on time. The un-subsidized price for this trip is approximately $590 per person. This prices reflects the cost of motor coach transportation, backcountry meals for 1 week, opening/final night campsite at the outfitter’s campground, outfitter shuttle vans to/from wilderness drop point, canoe/paddle/PFD rental, troop adventure t-shirt, and special troop equipment required for the event. The only out of pocket cost to scouts is a couple fast food stops on the way up/back.

While $590 may seem expensive, it is less than what BSA High Adventure camps charge for similar events ($700-$1000). Plus, we include cost of transportation. Compared to similar BSA trips, our Troop-led adventure offers even more high adventure, better food and more personalized and advanced training for our scouts. It’s a good deal. And we are fortunate to have had a successful fundraiser to further reduce the price. Estimated pricing for the 2010 Maine Canoe Adventure is:

Adults: $350
Scouts who sold $100 worth of pancake breakfast tickets: $350
Scouts who sold >$100 worth of tickets $350 less value of tickets sold over $100
Scouts who did not sell at least $100 of tickets $450
Scouts who did not participate in any aspect of fundraiser $590

The exact price will be based on the final head-count and final cost of trip supply/food purchases, but should be relatively close to the forecast above. The “per person” price could come down further if the headcount is higher than expected.
On this same date, we will also be giving a presentation and information session for Camp Resolute to all interested parents and scouts. This presentation will include just released pricing and medical form information. Camp resolute fees are NOT due at this time.

Note that our troop participation at Camp Resolute is open to all scouts in the troop, including first year scouts. But due to the level of outdoor and wilderness training required for the Maine canoe trip, only 2nd year scouts, parents and leaders are invited. However, a high adventure cancellation or open slot may occasionally be offered (at the discretion of the Scoutmaster) to a first year scout if the parent/scout expresses interest and the scout has advanced camping skills/experience. See Phil Bedard if you would like more details.

Court of Honor – Congratulations to Tim and TJ: Congratulations to our newest Eagle Scouts Tim Brundrett and TJ Fasulo. Both were honored at the last Court of Honor. Thanks to all the families and volunteers who worked to make the evening a great success.

Lanciano Cabin NH Winter Weekend

A big thanks again goes to the Lanciano family for hosting us at their cabin for another exciting winter event this past weekend. The snow prayers worked, as there was nearly 3 feet of snow at the cabin!

Venture Campout Report

Thanks to Jim Malnati and Bob Garber for restoring the tradition of an annual Venture Campout. The older ventures recently coordinated a successful winter cabin campout at Nobscot Scout Reservation. They’ve come back with a full report of the facilities. This BSA property offers nice cabins with wood stoves, and an extensive and varied trail system. We’ll try to continue the tradition of an annual venture-only cabin campout.

Troop Day Hike

will be Saturday, March 20th at the Mount Wachusett State Reservation in Princeton MA. We will meet at the parish center for a 9:00 AM departure. We will return for pick up at the parish center by 4:00 PM that evening. Scouts need to bring: a bag lunch, poncho or rain coat if it looks like rain that day, boots, a hat and gloves/mittens. A spare pair of socks is a must to bring. If the weather is cold, bring a warm coat as well. Scouts should bring at least one quart/liter of water (no soda, juice, punch, etc.). Do not bring water in disposable water bottles – get a canteen or hiking water bottle at Wal-Mart, Target, etc. for about $10. Scouts need to bring a day pack (school pack will work fine) to carry their personal and troop gear for the day.

Mount Wachusett is a great place to hike and explore. We will divide the scouts into age/ability groups and cover distances that are comfortable for each group. Mount Wachusett is the highest Massachusetts peak east of the Connecticut River; with a 2006 foot elevation. It’s higher elevations includes one of the most southern New England remnants of the great northern boreal forest, and a patch of very rare old growth oak forest. Mt. Wachusett is also a premier location in New England for watching hawk and eagle migrations.

At the end of the hike we will have some of Troop 4’s famous fried dough!

If you son will be attending the hike, please complete the attached permission slip and return no later than the March 11th troop meeting. If you son would like to attend but won’t be at this troop meeting, please call or email Phil Bedard at 508-561-7058 or pbedard1@gmail.com We will need a few parents to drive to/from and/or stay for the event. If you can help out please indicate on the permission slip.

SCOUTS – Camping Merit Badge Trek Plan Opportunity

For scouts looking to fulfill the camping merit badge “trek plan” requirement, here is a great opportunity. The troop will give credit to any scout who drafts a compliant trek plan for the March day hike. Use the web, where you can find trail maps, road maps and town/park details. Your plan must include a trail map with a suggested 5mile hiking route (you can find a good map at the state’s website for this park), a road map (e.g., google map) with your suggested driving route from Milford to the park, local emergency numbers (police/fire), address of nearby hospital, troop leadership contact information (can be found on this newsletter), and your suggested schedule/itinerary for the day. In the very unlikely event that we have trouble on the trail, a good trek plan, left behind at home and on our car windshields, would help guide friends/family and rescue workers to our aid. Every troop trek should leave a good trek plan behind. In addition to merit badge credit for all entries, a great prize for the best Trek Plan will be awarded.
Please call the Phil Bedard at 508-561-7058 or email at pbedard1@gmail.com if you have any questions.