Troop 344

On October 6th, 7 scouts and 2 adults from Troop 344 drove about an hour to Meramec State Park for one of the Troop’s hiking trips in preparation for Philmont in 2025. This was a very beautiful and scenic hike, with lush Meramec forest surrounding us. For many of us, this was one of the first backpacking hikes we had gone on. Even though some of us hadn’t been backpacking before, the trip went very smoothly. On the first day, we were in awe of the scenery, with trees, logs, and streambeds, the forest seemed to go on forever. However, there were many portions where the hike was very tedious as it went uphill. With our pacemaker, Jonathan, we pressed on, crushing the first 5 of 8 miles in 5 hours. Around midday, we stopped for lunch and a refill of our water bottles. There was a minor delay because some Scouts had brought backpacking meals that needed hot water, but it gave the rest of us more time to relax. When we finally reached our campsite, everyone took off their packs and sat to relax. In the evening, we made our backpacking meals using backpacking stoves to boil water. Carson brought a special treat, cookie dough and an iron skillet to bake it in. Despite the long cooking time, the cookie pie, complete with a delicious charred and blackened bottom, was worth the wait.  Later that night, we heard foxes, which sounded like human screams, in the near distance. Finally, some of the scouts ran short on water, because they thought we would refill the next day, which was not the case. On Sunday, we had a change of pacemaker and navigator, with Darren being the pacemaker and Arin being the navigator for his First Class requirement. There were lots of moments that will be remembered and cherished for a long time. This hike is really rewarding, especially for newer backpackers. Regardless, you should sign up the next time the troop goes to prepare for Philmont.