Split Rock Rappelling Trip (even though I hiked)

by Matthew

    We arrived at the campsite late Friday night after a long car ride up. After everyone got into groups for their tents, we all scrambled for the best platforms to set up on only to be told two minutes later we would be setting up on the ground.  We had stopped at McDonalds on the way up and, since we didn’t need dinner, we rolled out our sleeping bags and went to sleep. 

    The next morning we rose early and prepared breakfast for our particular patrol we were in.  The group I was in, having no desire to do dishes, had a breakfast of cold frosted donuts, Tang, and beef jerky.  After breakfast we cleaned up and split into two groups.  Most of the older scouts were in the rappelling group while the younger scouts were in the hiking group.  Due to my wrist injury at the time, I joined the hiking group.  Both groups piled into the cars and we left for our separate locations.  We arrived at the mountain and began our hike with

    Eric with me in the lead.  We made frequent stops due to unclear trail markers or because Mr. H. wanted to teach the younger scouts about the vegetation native to the area.  After a few miles we reached a lake and decided to stop and have lunch.  During the lunch break, Mr. H. discovered something none of us wanted to hear.  We had taken the wrong trail!  We had to vote to either go back or try to bushwack to the summit.  We chose to bushwhack.  Unfortunately, we ended up getting lost and wandering around until we found a path that a hunter had marked out of the woods.  As we emerged from an afternoon of bushwhacking, we found we were at the exact location we had lunch at!!!!

   We hiked back to the cars and drove to the campsite where we began to prepare for a bonfire.  Later, the rest of the scouts from the rappelling trip arrived and we began to prepare the dinner. The variety of dinners was surprising.  My patrol made chicken chow mein while another group, who I will leave unnamed , made tacos that looked suspiciously red. 

    Later we were invited to a talent show by another troop.  We invested and performed some of our own skits and then retired to our campsite.

   The next morning we packed up, cleaned the campsite, and left.  We arrived back in Sudbury late afternoon.  We unloaded all the troop equipment and brought it down to the basement of the church.  When we had finished that we unloaded our own gear and repacked it into the cars, which would bring us home.  So ended the Split Rock Rappelling-Hiking trip.