A couple weeks ago, troop 344 went backpacking along the 8.5 mile wilderness trail at Meramec State Park. There were 6 scouts in total on the trip, and only one of them had been backpacking with the troop before. However, we got off to a great start, taking turns being navigator and learning pacing. The quiet, peaceful outdoors allowed us to relish in the happy light breaking through the limbs of trees, and we also had lots of time to talk about whatever came to us, as a way to pass the time. There was one tricky part to this trip, however. When we got to a fork in the trail we saw blazes with the number 2 on them. We had 2 maps, one small and vague and one large and detailed. However, we so conveniently ignored the bigger one, which would have showed us that campsite 2, which we assumed we were at, was actually on the other side of the loop, and that this, if a campsite, would be a higher number. It also would’ve showed us that this 2 actually meant the connecter trail, which was not where we wanted to go. However, because we forgot to consult the map, we went onward, eventually noticing after about 25 minutes of going the wrong way, so acknowledging our mistake, we backtracked, got to the fork, and continued on the other way.
We were making such good, fast progress that instead of camping at campsite 3, which was about 2/3 through, like planned, we went all the way to campsite 2, which was only about 15 minutes from our cars. (Granted, snack time helped us get there.) When we got to the campsite however, it was already taken, which would have been a problem had campsite 1 not been 30 seconds away. We set up camp and enjoyed great dinners, from beef stroganoff to spaghetti. After the bear bag was set up with our trash, we were fast asleep. The next morning we woke up to a temperature to be reckoned with, but once we were out and about we got used to the cold. Breakfast was enjoyed in the same spot as dinner, and we started packing up and soon hit the trail again. After the aforementioned 15 minutes of walking, we saw our cars in triumph and smiles lit up everyone’s faces as we knew that we had truly conquered this trip. A circle of roses and thorns ended our amazing trek, and with that we headed home.
This trip was very successful, with people who had never backpacked before doing an outstanding job! Not a single gripe about weight or distance was heard the entire time, and morale had been high throughout it all. This was definitely a great trip.
Troop 344 