February 2015

February Outing

**February 2015 Outing
John Litton Farm Loop
Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area**

T30 shared 125,000 acres of back country with 4 other people,

 Not a bad ratio . . . We still saw them.

The week before an ice storm tore up the park and the surrounding counties so we were warned the trail may not be easily passable and the ride in was a testament to what lay ahead of us.

The road were scraped and salted all the way to the visitor center. A hardy maintenance person opened the center and helped us register.

We headed into a winter wonderland and were treated to an unspoiled land of white trails, curtains of crystal ice and, a peaceful hush, at least when the boys were quite.

The patrol earned their “good turn” by morphing into a tree clearing machine, clearing many dozens of downed trees, scrubs, and branches over six miles of trails; leaving only chainsaw work for a crew to follow.

After some debate over the pros and cons of two possible, very different, camp sites the patrol elected to spend the night under the cover of a rock house.

The evening was spent around a nice fire while some scouts prepared meals to fulfill advancement requirements.

As bed time was approaching we made the rather uncomforting discovery that we were spending the night in the living room of some rather unnerving hosts . . . rats! I mean Remy, Emile and Django!

We survived albeit with less sleep than hoped for . . . except for Rudy, who pitched his abode in the woods and slept soundly.

On the trail out we crossed path with the other four humans in the area and concluded they were not real trails men. Ask the boys about the black smoke, explosions, and a lost bill of exchange.

**John Litton Farm Loop**

Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area

T30 shared 125,000 acres of back country with 4 other people,

 Not a bad ratio . . . We still saw them.

The week before an ice storm tore up the park and the surrounding counties so we were warned the trail may not be easily passable and the ride in was a testament to what lay ahead of us.

The road were scraped and salted all the way to the visitor center. A hardy maintenance person opened the center and helped us register.

We headed into a winter wonderland and were treated to an unspoiled land of white trails, curtains of crystal ice and, a peaceful hush, at least when the boys were quite.

The patrol earned their “good turn” by morphing into a tree clearing machine, clearing many dozens of downed trees, scrubs, and branches over six miles of trails; leaving only chainsaw work for a crew to follow.

After some debate over the pros and cons of two possible, very different, camp sites the patrol elected to spend the night under the cover of a rock house.

The evening was spent around a nice fire while some scouts prepared meals to fulfill advancement requirements.

As bed time was approaching we made the rather uncomforting discovery that we were spending the night in the living room of some rather unnerving hosts . . . rats! I mean Remy, Emile and Django!

We survived albeit with less sleep than hoped for . . . except for Rudy, who pitched his abode in the woods and slept soundly.

On the trail out we crossed path with the other four humans in the area and concluded they were not real trails men. Ask the boys about the black smoke, explosions, and a lost bill of exchange.