15 Aug

Emerald Bay, Catalina Island – Jul ’25

Posted by DCole in Normal.

First day of Summer Camp – Sleeping overnight on the battleship USS Iowa
Ahoy Emerald Bay, the T648 pirates have landed. Hold onto your booty!
Thumbs Up! One of our favorite daily pursuits – meal time!
Another fun thing to do with what limited spare time we had – cutthroat Uno card games.
After full days of merit badge classes, extracurricular excursions of snorkeling, biking, and HIKING!
And what is summer camp without the requisite flawless T648-led all-camp flag ceremony?
Landing the War Canoe for our overnight under the stars, surrounded by curious foxes on Parsons Beach
T648 gathers early under our tree for Friday night’s final campfire after an awesome week on Catalina
Front row seats on the ferry – 22 miles back to Port of Los Angeles, and then the long trip home!

25 Jun

Mogollon Rim Fishing Outing – Jun ’25

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Setting up in daylight, even after a brush fire closed Beeline Hwy for much of the day
Our fine fishermen ready to hike to a remote branch off of Willow Springs Lake
The first of 20 bluegill caught and released (mostly) throughout the day
Yep, there are a lot of these little guys in there!
Maybe if we hold them up closer to the camera, they’ll look more impressive?
Sometimes the best part of fishing is just hanging out with wonderful people in a cool forest.
The afternoon was spent in various places along beautiful Canyon Creek
Of course you also always set aside time for camaraderie – anyone for a quick game of cut-throat Uno?
And what’s a fishing trip without a Scoutmaster’s fishing story? – No, it was THIS big!

24 Jun

Slide Rock Outing – May ’25

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Staking our claim to the overhang & ready to head into chilly Oak Creek’s Slide Rock
Testing the water – should my ankles actually be turning blue??
Our first brave, freezing soul surfer!
Lunch break, and a chance to get WARM
Oh my, that’s COLD!
Looks like Slide Rock gets a two thumbs up rating for the day from the scout critic!

24 Jun

Fossil Springs Backpack – Mar ’25

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Six scouts and their adult leaders set out to backpack into the Fossil Springs Wilderness area at the confluence of the Tonto and Coconino National Forests. The trailhead starts out on Deadman Mesa west of Strawberry, and drops steeply down 1,500 feet into the Fossil Creek Canyon below over 4 miles of exposed switchbacks. Once in the canyon, however, the reward is access to another of Arizona’s spectacular riparian areas.

T648 ‘packers taking off at the trailhead on Deadman Mesa
The scouts’ best ‘pack mule’ impersonations during the 4 mile trek down into Fossil Creek
Ahhh – finally down to the refreshingly cooolddd pools above the dam
The bypass waterfall and deep ‘toilet-bowl’ whirlpool at the old unnamed dam
Back up on top after navigating the switchbacks and 1500 foot climb
After all that, we deserve a donut!…..Did somebody say BoSa DONUTS??

24 Jun

Flagstaff Snowbowl Ski Outing – Feb ’25

Posted by DCole in Normal.

T648’s 2025 Ski Team
Like father, like son – bundled up and ready to go!
Which way to the black diamond hill?
Who is that masked man??
Wow! Ski-way to heaven! Nothing ahead but endless snow the rest of the day..

24 Jun

Butcher Jones Base Camp Jan ’25

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Some fine Portillo’s cuisine prior to heading out to the ‘wilds’ of our Butcher Jones campsite
Risen and shining and ready for the hike around the lake
Our fine looking motley crew in the midst of a water break
Top of the rock overlooking Saguaro Lake
Great feats of derring-do during Olympic-caliber Ladder Toss ball game heats
Basking in a superb end to a glorious day

24 Jun

Parson Springs Backpack – Nov ’24

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Seven T648 hikers headed out for a weekend camping in one of the most spectacular riparian wildernesses in Arizona smack dab during peak fall color season. A thrilling 4 mile one-way hike was highlighted by seven challenging boulder-hopping crossings of Parson Creek before reaching the headwaters shaded by brilliant sycamores and a large wild black walnut tree.

All loaded up, and ready to dive into Sycamore Canyon along Parson Creek
We’re thinking that this is the first creek crossing
A good scout treads lightly – but also verrrry carefully
Taking a break from the spectacular fall foliage to fortify with a hearty lunch
A refreshingly welcome mid-outing pause on our campsite’s soft creek beach sand
Up on top once again, trying to think of a thorn – Nope! All roses this trip!

21 Jun

Tonto Bridge Outing – Oct ’24

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Spring water from Pine Creek cascading down in front of Tonto Bridge
A morning spent clambering up the slick rocks at the bridge is a lot harder than it looks!
Beautiful vistas of surrounding canyon walls from under Tonto Bridge
After-lunch siesta. But which will it be tonight – tent, or hammock under the stars?
Refreshed, the afternoon is spent traversing the Highline Trail

21 Jun

Bryce Canyon Labor Day Outing – Aug/Sep ’24

Posted by DCole in Normal.

T648’s scouts left our hot Valley on Labor Day weekend, extending a base camp into a very cool 4 day outing to Jacob’s Lake on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and Bryce Canyon National Park in southern Utah. Spending time at 8,000+ feet is exactly where a boy scout wants to be at the end of a scorching Arizona summer!

It’s not every day an Arizona scout wears furry headgear the end of August!
Vistas of amphitheaters to hike down into and conquer!
Three yahoos and three hoodoos
The Under the Rim Trail has tunnels through the rock fins providing the bases eroding into hoodoos
In the Queen’s Garden – the rock formation above right looks like a standing Queen Victoria
Despite cooler weather, water breaks on any hike with Mr. Benyi are still very welcome
Time to head up the Two Bridges Trail switchbacks on Navajo Loop to get back to the top

20 Jun

Summer Camp – Fiesta Island July ’24

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Eight scouts and 3 1/2 adults (an 18 year old Eagle spent 4 days with us) enjoyed a glorious week at BSA Camp Fiesta Island, which sits on beautiful Enchanted Cove in temperate San Diego. The T648 desert dwellers spent most of the week in the water, whether swimming or utilizing every boat and board imaginable. A wonderful respite from the heat, excellent food and fellowship, and an unparalleled haul of merit badges and experiences to show for it!

Orientation with our Camp Guide on our way to swim check
Two Day 1 champion paddlers!
Down-time leading up to evening flags is a good time to begin planning for a closing skit
They had been led to believe that the 6AM ‘Making Churros’ event was something completely different!!
Shhhh, don’t mess with me – speed kayaking requires serious concentration!

Rub-a-dub-dub, 5 big bubba scouts in a motorized raft ride low in the water

Who’s your buddy? We all are! Almost expecting a chorus line kick to break out during flag practice.

7 scouts head out for a three hour tour, a three hour tour – to deep sea FISH!

Everybody landed multiple Rockfish – to the tune of 36 caught by T648 with 22 keepers!

Blimey! Your pirates for a day with their booty. Foil, butter and open fire coals await back at camp
T648 shows Camp Fiesta Island how an exceptional flag ceremony is done!
Camp food was delicious and plentiful, and seconds were almost always accepted
Our service project involved raking and bagging an incredible amount of pine needles!
By the end of the week, we had at least one ‘Olympic caliber’ catamaran sailor.
Friday brings end-of-the-week disheveled Hawaiian shirt (if you’ve got one) day
Friday night’s sleep under the stars turns into Saturday morning – go home day!

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