PARK RIDGE, N.J.—Troop 80 Boy Scouts said they survived their recent “super adventure” through northeastern New England.
The group of 10 boys and six adult leaders from Park Ridge Troop 80 kicked off their summer vacation by embarking on a 10-day expedition through the wildlands of Maine and New Hampshire.
But this was no vacation: This was full fledged Scout-led trip filled with an intense outdoor itinerary and no fancy accommodations.
According to participant and first-class ranked Troop 80 Patrol Leader Dean Rehak in a letter to Pascack Press, the group camped in tents, with some sleeping in hammocks strung between trees. The boys were in charge of cooking all of their meals and cleaning up.
Even though there was a lot of work to be done, there was still time for fun, Rehak said.
The first leg of the super adventure was spent camping at Wolf’s Neck Oceanfront Campground in Freeport, Maine. Here, the group had the opportunity to visit the town and take a tour of L.L.Bean’s flagship store.
This, Rehak said, was every outdoorsman’s dream. The boys bought fishing gear, outdoor clothing, and utility knives. They kicked off their stay in Maine with a lobster dinner.
The boys got a taste of Mother Nature’s power when their tents were attacked and blown over during a huge lightning and rain storm in the middle of the night. It was all hands on deck in the pouring rain to get the tents secured.
“Although we were wet, we survived the night,” Rehak said.
The second leg of the adventure was spent camping at Lily Bay State Park in Greenville, Maine. This park is home to Moosehead Lake, New England’s largest lake.
The group spent their time fishing, taking a ferry ride over to and then hiking Mount Kineo, visiting a B-52 crash site, whitewater rafting the Kennebec River, and enjoying a deep-fried turkey dinner with campfire songs and stories.
On the final leg of their journey the group camped at Dolly Copp Campground in Gorham, New Hampshire. They spent their days swimming, fishing, and enjoying Cranmore Adventure Park.
Rehak said perhaps the most exhilarating part of the experience was visiting the summit of Mount Washington, the Northeast’s highest peak.
“Or it may have been the surprise visit by a black bear to our campsite that evening, while we were cooking dinner,” Rehak said. He added that the trip was an amazing experience for all involved, which offered the boys to bond over lasting memories.
The scouts look forward to planning another super adventure.
Asked his views on scouting, Rehak said it has provided him with “a lot of opportunities to do some really cool stuff outdoors and spend quality time with my father and other boys from my troop that I may not hang out with at school.”
He added, “I have learned to be more responsible and to appreciate the natural world.”
Rehak said trips like this one, and scouting in general, would not be possible without the support of adult leaders and community members who give their time, energy, and financial support to the Boy Scouts of America.
He said the troop is especially grateful to Assistant Scoutmaster Steve Hopper for all the time he spent planning the trip.
Troop 80, a member of the Three Rivers District of the Northern New Jersey Council, has a tradition of more than 85 years of providing character building, physical fitness, and skills development to boys 10 1/2 to 18.