At the base we checked our gear and slept in a cabin. We set out the next day after getting some training in lifting canoes and assembling our gear. We also learned about 6-ply moss. (Ask your scout.) Our first experience of the trip was watching motor boats rescue flipped canoes! Because of rough waves and heavy winds, we didn’t leave until after dinner to brave the stormy conditions. Our first campsite was a beach, behind which there was a swamp full of mosquitoes.

The next day we were glad to be out of there; we did a 3 km portage on our first full day that was extremely hard, especially for those of us with canoes. We camped that night on a very cool island campsite. The next day we went through some rivers and had little portages. We also saw some Bald Eagles. Our campsite was small but cozy. On the fourth day we had to do seven portages, including one with waist deep mud. Along the way we saw a small waterfall. We then camped on another beach campsite, it was camouflaged by bushes and trees, but best of all there was no swamp.

On the fifth day, we canoed past our intended campsite and portaged past the next day’s pick up spot, and tried to canoe to an abandoned Boy Scout camp. Unfortunately, the campsites on our map no longer existed so we couldn’t finish that mission. We went back, did the portage again and camped on the coolest of all the campsites. This one was also an island, but it was bigger and more open; there was a huge rock with a flat top that overlooked the lake that four scouts camped on top of, and the adult camped on a plateau sticking out the side of the island, about half the island’s length from the scouts.

On the sixth day we got to the pickup site after adding an extra half mile of canoeing, we got picked up and spent another night in the base cabins. Our original goal was 50 miles, we wound up doing 75! Our longest distance in one day was 21 miles. The next day we packed up and headed home. While we were waiting for our plane in International Falls, we toured the Boise paper mill. We also enjoyed a great lunch after a week of trail food!

Please download this Order Form. Descriptions of the wreaths, swags and garland are on the downloadable form.  Makes a great gift! We can ship the 26-inch Gift-Boxed Wreath & Hanger. Members of the Venture Patrol will be available on November 10 and 17 to collect your prepaid orders.

Orders are expected to be delivered the week of December 8. Thank you for your support!

By far, my most favorite activity was flying. It had to be the craziest experience in my life, because once up in the air, the pilot let me fly the plane. I had never flown a plane before and I’m sure it was the highlight of the other scouts’ week as well. The scariest thing that happened occurred when the pilot shut off the engine and allowed the plane to glide. Wow, talk about unnerving!

On another day, we were told to create a raft out of an old canoe and rowboat, neither of which were seaworthy. In our attempt, to get something to float, we tied the two together. The canoe sank the fastest which, in turn, tended to drag down the rowboat. Needless to say, we failed! Game Over! The endeavor however, turned into an all out mud war. The rowboat was flipped it over and used as a tank – the perfect defense against mud bombs!

We wrapped up the week with a ten mile hike to the Turkey Point Lighthouse. The lighthouse was small, but sits up on a bluff that overlooks where the Elk and the North East Rivers come together. We got a really nice view of the bay at this point. All in all, we had a good week and were able to do some things that were out of the ordinary. Now where can I sign up for proper flying lessons?!

Robert McL
Venture Crew Leader

The Venture Crew traveled to Mathews County, Virginia this Spring to kayak on Winter Harbor, an estuary off of the Chesapeake Bay. The crew was nervous about the weather because it had been miserable in the morning but fortunately it cleared up just prior to leaving for the Bay Trail Outfitters. The Outfitters arranged a geocaching tour where the boys learned how to use a GPS unit to find hidden caches accessible only by water. That night they stayed in a cabin that looked out over Mobjack Bay.

Climbing

The Venture Crew earned their climbing merit badge on a Saturday, June 14th at Cardarock MD. After going through the “classroom” part of the badge, the boys spent the morning learning how to repel down a rock face. At lunch, there was a few more minutes of instruction, then off to rock climbing. Everyone had a great time, and the instructors were extremely impressed that everyone finished in one day.