Ritzhikes

Where: Hidden Valley Scout Reservation, NH When: July 3-9, 2005 With: Andy & the Scouts (and Chip) Andy's final year at Boy Scout summer camp, and the end of his Scouting career. When it was time to join up again in the fall, he decided he'd had enough. Interesting side note: Andy's Scoutmaster asked me during the summer to help plan a fall hike for the troop in the White Mountains. I put together plans for a trip to the 13 Falls Campsite in the Pemigewasset Wilderness, but had to just pass them along with my apologies when Andy left the troop. I used the drop-off at camp as an opportunity to get in a quick overnight in the Sandwich mountain range, just north of Squam Lake, and I invited Chip to join me. I don't remember if Donny came along that year and rode up with us, and I have no pictures from the camp. The only photos were taken at home, before our departure. In the first one, Andy is flipping me off behind my head! More photos

Where: Hidden Valley Scout Reservation, NH When: July 4-10, 2004 With: Andy & the Scouts Andy's second year at summer Scout camp. I drove him up, then just came home. At the end of the week, Jane came with me to get him and we visited Weirs Beach for lunch and the arcades before going home. More photos

Where: Pemigewassett Wilderness, Wilderness Trail When: 9/26-9/28, 2003 With: Hopkinton Boy Scout Troop 1 Throughout Andy's Cub Scout career I was an active parent, but never served in any official capacity. When he joined Boy Scouts I hoped to become an assistant Scout Master and participate on as many trips as possible but that didn't work out. Schedule conflicts kept me on the sidelines and Andy went on the trips on his own. When this year's schedule came out though, I noticed a backpacking trip in the White Mountains and decided to sign up as a parent volunteer. I knew the area well and welcomed the opportunity to get out hiking. It worked out well, because two Scout Masters were the only other adults participating. We gathered at the usual meeting area Friday night and drove north in three vehicles. Most of the kids were in the Scout Master's (Randy) huge van and the assistant Scout Master (Pat) had another crew in his car. I had Andy and one other boy in my ...

Where: Hidden Valley Scout Reservation When: July 6-13, 2003 With: Andy, Donny, and the Scouts Andy's first year at summer Scout camp. Hidden Valley is in Gilmanton Iron Works, NH. It's your basic Scout camp - tents, a lake, trails, facilities for various activities, etc. I drove the boys up, intending to do a quick dump & run before heading off to explore the trails nearby, but wound up spending time helping the boys get their gear to their camp and getting things set up. Especially the bug nets that had to be hung over each boy's cot. Eventually everything was all set and I left the boys in the hands of their leaders for the week. More photos

Where: Camp MacGregor, VT When: October 26-27, 2002 With: Andy & the Boy Scouts As part of the transition from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts, Webelos (advanced Cubs) were invited to join Hopkinton's Troop 1 for a weekend at Camp MacGregor in Guilford VT. The camp had been acquired in a land swap with EMC Corp., in exchange for a property on South Street in Hopkinton. The camp was named after a long-time Hopkinton Scout leader, Pete MacGregor. We drove up Saturday morning, taking Route 2 across the state and 91 north into Guilford. I don't recall having any trouble finding the camp or the troop. We settled in pretty quickly, setting up the tent and such. I'd brought our big family tent for some reason, perhaps figuring the extra room would be nice. Afterward, I just hung out while Andy did stuff with the other Scouts. The site had formerly been a slate mining operation, and the troop went on a walk at one point through the remains of the mine.  Eventually it was dinner time. ...

Where: Hopkinton State Park When: September 30-31, 2000 With: Andy & the Cub Scouts This is an annual event for the Hopkinton Cub Scouts. They rent out the Split Rock picnic area and get permission to camp overnight. The Cub Scouts and their families come, set up tents, and spend the weekend with various activities. We planted some bushes (environmental awareness), installed a new flag pole, went on several walks on the trails, then had dinner and a campfire before settling in to our tents for the night. The next morning everyone cleared out pretty quickly to get to church and other activities. More photos

Where: Camp Resolute, Bolton, MA When: October 22-23, 1999 With: Andy & the Cub Scouts This was a Father/Son "getting to know you" overnight at a local Scout camp for new Cub Scouts. Just a 15 minute drive North on 495. Things started Friday evening, so Dads arrived with their sons after work. We parked and found our way to the camping area without too much trouble, and proceeded to set up our tent. One Dad arrived well after dark with a brand-new tent, still in the box, which his wife had handed him when he arrived home from work. We all pitched in the help him set it up. I don't recall any dinner activities, so we may have been told to eat at home. There was a campfire though. The next morning we had breakfast, then were on our own. The campfire and overnight had been the primary purpose of the event. Several other families left early to get back for things like soccer games. We hung out and explored the camp before heading home. More photos

Where: Philmont Scout Ranch, NM When: Summer 1972 With: Boy Scouts I first learned of this trip the previous summer, while attending the Boy Scout summer camp at Stratton Mt. in Vermont. Philmont was the ultimate hiking goal for any Scout and I set my sights on participating. I don't recall all of the details, but there was significant expense involved and we probably had a variety of fundraisers, etc. throughout the intervening year. Ultimately my maternal grandmother contributed a large portion of the necessary funds. The contingent travelling to Philmont consisted of Scouts from a number of Troops in the area. There were only one or two others from my Troop...everyone else was a stranger. To get to New Mexico the organizers chartered two motorcoaches and planned a route that would take us past some of the more significant sights in America. Each night we'd stay at a high school, Armory or something to keep the expenses down. All told, the entire trip probably lasted abou...

Where: Vermont, Long Trail from Bennington to Stratton Mt. When: Summer 1971 With: Boy Scouts I'd been in Scouting for several years and had participated in numerous camping trips in all seasons, but all of those outings involving driving to the camping area and carrying our gear from the car to the campsite. This hike was (I believe) my first backpacking trip. The initiating event was a stay at the Boy Scouts' Stratton Mountain summer camp (at least a week, maybe two). A number of us from our Troop were going and one of the leaders suggested backpacking to the camp from Bennington, VT. I must have thought it sounded like a good idea because I wound up as part of the group. I really don't recall a huge amount of detail of the hike, but I do have a few distinct memories: * My gear was antiquated, to say the least. I probably wore yellow leather workboots and carried a heavy rectangular official Boy Scout sleeping bag. Mostly I remember my backpack. It was an Army s...