Hackettstown August 2018

Page 1

No. 16 Vol. 8

www.mypaperonline.com

August 2018

Local Scouts Scale The Heights Of High Adventure In West Virginia

F

By Ricki Demarest or some people, summer vacation means laying on a pool float, jetting off to an exotic locale, or digging toes in the sand. For six Boy Scouts from Troop 416 in Hackettstown, summer vacation meant pushing themselves to their limits and beyond while hiking, white water rafting and ziplining at the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve in Glen Jean, W. Va. Along the way, they became physically stronger, more independent and closer as a group. Every summer, Scouts from the troop select a High Adventure Base to travel to and participate in “activities that you don’t normally get to do in scouting,” according to the troop’s Scoutmaster Eric Maney. This year’s group of Star Scouts were Brandon Kous, Evan Lenz, Alex Vejen, Connor Maney, Justin Kitts and Sebastian Markowitz. They spent the past two years planning the trip with Maney and his assistant Scoutmaster, son Dylan Maney. “Bechtel offers x-game type activities,” the elder Maney explained. “It offered something different from the hiking at Philmont, the island adventure of Sea Base and the canoe touring of Northern Tier. It really appealed to this group of scouts.” Bechtel is the newest High Adventure Base in the Boy Scouts of America’s lineup of sites. This was the first outing there for anyone from Troop 416. The group headed out of town early on Sunday, June 24, driving eight hours straight, only stopping for fuel for two cars, and Starbucks for everyone else. One Scout, Sebastian Markowitz, described everyone’s feelings as they left. “There was a lot of nervous excitement,” Markowitz emphasized, “and it was very cramped, hot and sweaty in the cars. It was a big relief to get there.”

The adventure got interesting quickly, however. “Ten minutes away from the actual camp site, we hit a big pothole and got a flat tire,” Markowitz said. Although it was raining heavily, the group persisted, the tire got fixed and they all made it to their camp site. Fortunately, the tents had already been pitched. For the next week, Sebastian and his group would get up around 6:30 a.m. to prepare for their day, hike to the dining hall and join other scouts from other locals to form “units.” Then it was off to their activities, which ranged from hiking, to white water rafting, shooting, skateboarding, BMX mountain biking, archery and high ropes courses. One high adventure (literally) that Markowitz enjoyed was a 3,000-foot-long canopy zip line tour. “The canopy tours went 80 miles an hour and broke the sound barrier,” he said. Since everyone was in a harness and wearing protective gear, no one was scared just thrilled. A white-water rafting excursion down

the New River Gorge National River proved to be a favorite experience. Lots of recent rainfall created fast water and massive waves. Eight boys were in a raft working together to stay afloat while an instructor shouted orders at them. “She was like a drill sergeant,” Markowitz noted. “She would say things like ‘There’s a big rock here and if you hit it, you’re gonna die.’” Maney was impressed by the fact that the boys tried all the activities, “even the ones they weren’t comfortable with. They all supported each other in all the activities.” Conquering the skill of skateboarding showed Markowitz that “I can learn new skills quickly and if I persevere long enough I can do something I didn’t think I could.” Also, an enormous “ropes course” allowed the Scouts to learn to work together while they climbed from one end of its giant web to the other. Every evening the guys reviewed their experiences, a practice known as “roses, thorns and buds.” Roses, Markowitz excontinued on page 4


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Hackettstown August 2018 by My Life Publications..Maljon LLC - Issuu