Boy Scout Troop 451 Durham, North Carolina
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	Camp Lejeune Outing - 24 Scouts and 6 adults spent the weekend of December 10-12 camping aboard Marine Corps Base, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. The Marine Corps provided barracks with 6 person rooms, linens, dining facilities, PX privileges, a Navy medic for the obstacle course, and a tour guide for the entire weekend. Special thanks to Sgt. Ridgeway who served as our most excellent tour guide and liaison for the weekend. He met us late on Friday night at the front gate and helped us get situated in the barracks. On Saturday morning, he met us at the barracks to take us to breakfast, and then he guided us around the base all day. He also demonstrated the proper techniques for negotiating the obstacle course. The Scouts really enjoyed wrestling with Sgt. Ridgeway in front of the PX. If we would have had just a few more Scouts on the outing, they might have been able to take him. Question: How many Scouts does it take to whip a Marine? Answer: More than 24. Another special thanks goes to the MP's of HQSPT BN MP CO K-9 who volunteered their time on Saturday morning to put on a wonderful K-9 demonstration for us. The MP's were very entertaining and able to answer all of our questions. Their presentation was highly polished and well received by the Scouts. They included: LCpl. Herman, Cpl. Cobb, Cpl. Pilz, Cpl. Harwell, and Cpl. Broadhurst. From one of the Scouts:   Scouts enjoyed the Marine Corps obstacle course, the K-9 Corps demonstration, the rec room with free video games and a pool table, and bowling. The best part of the obstacle course was the climbing wall. The best part of the K-9 demonstration was watching the dog bite the guy wearing a special bite-proof suit. The food was good, too. View Photos Parkwood Christmas Parade - Troop 451 once again participated in the Parkwood Christmas Parade on Sunday, December 5. Scouts and leaders decorated the bus, handed out candy, and then had snacks afterward. View photos. AT Backpacker - Scouts backpacked on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia on the weekend of November 12-14. The backpacker ended at the James River Gap footbridge. Virginia Creeper Trail - The Troop headed up to Virginia for a day of biking on the Creeper Trail on the weekend of October 29-30. View photos. Haunted House - The third annual Troop 451 Haunted House was held on Tuesday, October 26. Mawat District Camporee - 8 Scouts and 3 Scouters attended the Mawat District Camporee at West Point on the Eno from October 8 through 10. The troop earned an Honorable Mention in the district-wide Dutch Oven Competition. There were activities for fun and advancement for Scouts on Saturday as well as training opportunities for adults. Saturday night was highlighted by a district-wide campfire which featured our own "Corn on the Cob" who sang for their second public appearance. Floyd, Virginia - 18 Scouts, accompanied by 16 adults from Troops 337 and 451, returned to Floyd, VA, during the weekend of September 24 to September 26. Once again, everyone enjoyed the pizza at Mama Lazardo's and the bluegrass music at the Old General Store on Friday night. On Saturday, 10 Scouts and 6 adults hiked the first half of the Rock Castle Gorge Loop Trail which was over 5 miles, all up hill. Several Scouts completed the map orientation and hiking requirements for their next rank. Also on Saturday, 8 Scouts and 8 adults paddled six canoes and four kayaks down an advernterous 12 hours on the Smith River. Everyone returned cold, wet, tired, hungry, and full of scrapes and bruises, but the lessons we learned and the fellowship we experienced were well worth the cost. After an outstanding dinner late on Saturday, we also hosted a campfire highlighted by singing campfire songs accompanied by a banjo and a guitar until a little after midnight. We concluded the campfire by singing Scout Vespers. View photos. Camp Campbell Water Park - 46 youth and 32 adults from Crew 451, Pack 451, Pack 486, and Troop 451 attended the annual Camp Campbell Water Park from August 27 to 29. The activities on Saturday included a zip line, water slide (until the pump broke), monkey bridge, swimming, and boating with canoes, kayaks, motorboats, and sailboats. Special thanks to the Troop parents who brought additional boats, including two motorboats which spent the afternoon pulling Scouts in tubes. In keeping with the Water Park's tradition of eating well, the Rotten Banana Patrol barbequed steaks and baked potatoes in an open fire for dinner on Saturday night. The Forest Patrol enjoyed Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo with a side salad, and the Troop's Leadership Corp proved their cooking skills with Mexican quesadillas. The adults made shrimp and grits, homemade cocktail sauce, and a fruit cobbler for desert. We also served lunch to everyone but the Venture Crew on Saturday. View Photos. Shooting at Camp Durant - Seven Scouts and five Scouters shot rifles and shotguns at Camp Durant on Saturday, August 7. Three Scouts qualified for the Rifle Shooting Merit Badge. Summer Camp at Raven Knob - 45 Scouts and 16 Scouters from six Boy Scout troops attended summer camp at Raven Knob as a single contingent troop from July 18-24, 2004. The thirty-two Troop 451 Scouts who attended Raven Knob this year earned 92 merit badges, 2 Snorkeling BSA and 1 Mile Swim, as well as working on 27 partially-completed merit badges. Scouts have one year to complete partials. On Tuesday night, the troop made popcorn. We also held a troop campfire during which we conducted a flag retirement ceremony by burning an American Flag and a North Carolina State Flag in the campfire. On Thursday night, we had eight large pizzas delivered to our campsite which were consumed in the blink of an eye, and then we joined our neighboring troop, Troop 28 from Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania, for a troop campfire. Our relationship with Troop 28 goes back more than twenty years. Making their singing debut at the camp-wide, Friday Night Campfire, the rap group, "Corn on the Cob," which consisted of seven Troop 451 Scouts, performed an original and very entertaining song which had something to do with a Funky Monkey. Also at the Friday Night Campfire, three Scouts performed the "Invisible Skit." Late on Friday night, we concluded the First Annual Troop 28 / Troop 451 Chess Tournament For the first time in anyone's memory, the troop earned Camp Raven Knob's Honor Troop Award. To earn this award, the troop was required to complete about 12 tasks while at camp such as performing a conservation project and conducting at least one campsite activity which fostered a sense of Scouting friendship between at least two units. For our conservation project, the troop set up an axe yard and made a lot of trail support stakes. View Photos. Troop 451 Pool Party - The annual Troop Pool Party was held on Tuesday, July 13 at the Duke Faculty Club. View Photos. North to Alaska - 9 Scouts and 5 Scouters departed with the troop bus on June 11 for a four week road trip to Deadhorse, Alaska. 130 miles into the trip they blew a trailer tire. Fortunately, they started the trip with three spare trailer tires. Be Prepared! After stops at Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument, Devil's Tower, and Little Bighorn National Monument, they traveled north into Canada and onto Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks, and then on to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay, passing north of the Arctic Circle. They swam in the Arctic Ocean. Their 26 mile backpacker over a glacier outside of Anchorage was a highlight of the trip, and it taught many of them new skills and instilled in them refreshing self-reliance and team work. The contingent stopped for a day at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio on July 3. They spent July 4 at the US Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. Everyone returned safe and sound on Monday, July 5. View Photos. NC Transportation Museum - 20 Scouts and 11 adults rode Amtrak to the NC Transportation Museum in Spencer, NC, on Saturday, June 19. Amtrak attached an extra passenger car to the train for our trip so the troop had a private car. Amtrak also provided us with drinks and snacks and a couple of volunteer "train hosts" who made sure that we had everything we needed and who talked to the Scouts about railroading. The conductor gave the Scouts an "interview" to satisfy one of the merit badge requirements. The NC Transportation Museum provided us with a shuttle between the train station in Salisbury, NC, and the museum in Spencer which is 3-4 miles from the Salisbury train station. The museum also made special arrangements to have a guide give us a tour of the museum, all at no charge. After lunch, we rode on a train around the museum grounds which was pulled by a 1925 Shay steam locomotive. After the train ride, the Scouts broke into buddy groups, which were accompanied by at least one adult, to tour those parts of the museum which they found the most interesting and to complete the rest of the merit badge requirements. All Scouts attending earned the Railroading Merit Badge. View Photos. French Broad Rafting - Troop 451 took its fourth annual rafting trip to the French Broad River on June 5-6. 19 Scouts and five adults were joined by eight Scouts and four adults from Troop 424 for the rafting. On Saturday, we all took the five-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail and, after dinner, walked to the Camp Store in Hot Springs for snacks and a quick tour of the big city. We did a full day of rafting on Sunday, and we now have several new (and one repeat) member of the French Broad Swim Team. The weather was perfect for camping, hiking and rafting, and the river level was perfect as well. Frank Bell's Rapids, the Class IV near the end of the river section, was especially exciting. Canoeing in Virginia - We returned to Floyd, Virginia and the Smith River for a day of canoeing on Saturday, May 22. Mawat District Camporee - Eight Scouts and four adults traveled to the Tuscarora Scout Reservation near Smithfield, N.C. for the Mawat District Camporee on April 24-25. There were about 200 Scouts and Scouters there. The site was perfect for a District Camporee. It has large open areas, access to fresh water, and plenty of tree cover. Scouts and adults from Troop 451 cooked as one patrol using the menus planned by the Scouts during the previous Tuesday night's troop meeting. Scouts made spaghetti for dinner. Activities on Saturday included an outstanding orienteering station, a Tug-of-War, some First Aid competitions such as a First-Aid Stretcher Race, and a Fire-Bucket Brigade competition. There was an Order of the Arrow ceremony at the campfire on Saturday night.> Hargrave Merit Badge Weekend - 40 Scouts and 15 adults from Troops 424 and 451 joined more than 600 Scouts and Scouters for the 6th annual Hargrave Military Academy Merit Badge Camporee which was held from April 2 to 4, 2004, in Chatham, VA. As promised, Hargrave served the best camp food anywhere. This was the fifth year in a row that we have been fortunate enough to be invited to attend their camporee. Troop 451 really knows how to rough it. On Saturday night, we made popcorn and watched the Final Four Basketball Tournament on the bus television at our campsite. Some Scouts and Scouters from neighboring troops joined us for the evening's entertainment and fellowship. James Sikes demonstrated the accuracy of his arm by pitching granola bars to the crowd. View Photos Backpacking Trip - 20 Scouts and 5 adults, including 3 Eagle Scouts, hiked in the Uwharrie National Forest from March 26-28. Rifle & Shotgun Shooting - On the weekend of February 27-29, the Troop shot rifles and shotguns, worked on the shooting merit badges, and rode bikes on the trails at Camp Raven Knob. View Photos Timberline Ski Trip - 18 Scouts and 9 adults went skiing at Timberline Ski Resort in Davis, West Virginia, on the weekend of January 30. It was really cold (-4 in the morning, one degree short of the Troop record), but the skiing was great. We only had one minor injury, and hardly anybody fell down (well, the part about the injury is true). Scouts cooked pancakes and sausages on Saturday morning to prepare us for the cold, and made some nice, hot Dinty Moore Beef Stew on Saturday night. Add in a Golden Corral breakfast on Sunday, and the food was almost as good as the snow sports. View Photos Priest Wilderness Area Backpacker - Some brave and hardy (or foolhardy!) Scouts and adults spent the frigid weekend of January 6-8 backpacking in the Salmo-Priest Willderness Area in Virginia. Temperatures plunged to -5, setting a new Troop "freezeree" record! View Photos