Jim's first year in Scouts, summer of 2007
Our Scout activities in 2007 basically amounted to an experiment in whether young scouts of age 11 could carry off a schedule of adventurous activities, such as snow camping and backpacking. These pictures shows the backpacks and hikes that Jim and I were on. The scout troop we joined also had some other trips, which are not shown, and included campouts to Craters of the Moon, Scout Camp at Lake Forks in Wyoming, and a Redfish lake boating camp.
Our first activity of the year was actually with the Cub Scouts, led by Charlie Honsinger. This was our last activity before we joined Troop 100 of Boise, and we stayed at yurts near McCall, in February. Jim and I built a snow shelter called a Quinzee, and slept comfortably in it as the temperature reached about 15 below during the night.
In the Spring we went on two day hikes, which were designed to be conditioners for backpacking trips to come.
Our first backpack of the year was to a hot springs near Crouch, and was attended by mostly the younger boys of the troop, with one older youth who was senior patrol leader for the trip. The hike was about 2 miles, and had very little elevation gain.
Our next backpack was to a desert camp overlooking a waterfall in the Oywhee Mountains between Idaho and Nevada. The stream that feeds Camel Falls was almost dry, but the lake below the falls was a wonderful small lake. Slot canyons nearby provided terrain unusual for Idaho, and good Spring desert hiking.
For our next backpack we hiked to Twenty Mile Basin, a hike of 6 miles, 2100 feet elevation gain, above Upper Payette Lake. My friend Josh went with us, and gave the boys some good map and compass instruction as well as some great Marine stories, as Josh is a Marine.
In one of those lakes Jim caught a very large trout, and I almost got there in time to get a picture of it. Judging by the size of its tail, that sucker was huge!
There was snow at the lake where was camped, in shady places. The elevation was about 8000'. I don't think I have seen more shooting stars than there were around the lakes and wet places at these lakes.
In July Jim went to Lake Fork Scout camp in Wyoming, and broke his arm on the last day of camp. We rested the arm in a soft cast for a while, and our next backpack was to Sawtooth Lake in the Sawtooth Range of Idaho.
I didn't see much of Jim on the hike in, because he took off and left me! He and the fast hikers zoomed on ahead, and as it turned out ran into two people we know on the trail. The adult leader with Jim was very impressed and thought
Jim must know everyone on the mountains trails.
Our August backpack was a 4 day hike, of 18 miles in the Sawtooths. We hiked to Farley lake, then Toxaway Lake, then Alice, then out to Petit lake, our starting point. On this hike were three boys, none older than 12, with Jim the youngest at 11. The two other boys had attended some of the earlier hikes, so they were equipped and experienced.
Our camp at Farley Lake, the first night of the trip.
Lars was the patrol leader for this campsite, so he started the stove, and cooked the food, and supervised the dishes and camp clean up.
My friend Bryan waiting for the boys and checking his watch, which was a pretty common scene.
The boys on top of Snowyside Pass, overlooking Twin Lakes.
Twin lakes, looking down from Snowyside Pass.
Barb and Bryan study the map.
The fourth and last day on the trail, and everyone is still having a good time!
This was our last view of Alice as we headed down the trail to end the trip.
By the summer's end lots of the boys who had been on the
backbacking trips had done a lot of requirement for advancements, and Jim was almost done with all his first class requirements.
