15 Jul

Flagstaff Extreme Base Camp – Jun ’26

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Your T648 Extreme Team – 2026!
There’s more than one way to climb a tree!
Literally, the doorways from Nowhere to Nowheresville
Not your garden variety skateboarding course!
Yes….This is even harder than it looks!
Paparazzi shooting up our hero – Roni finished all 5 sections of the difficult course.
Still not too tired for a little game of touch football
STILL not too tired to head back into Lava Tubes, two weeks after our last outing there
Ahhh – s’mores over propane at the end of a perfect day
Which then rolled right on into a perfect night under the stars. Scouting at its best.

14 Jul

Lava River Cave Base Outing – May ’26

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Mmm – Coming up golden outdoors, just like a scout pancake should!
Yet another Scoutmaster toy is a big hit – three burners in one!
Helmets all around – no upcoming cracked scout noggins in this volcanic cave!
The moment of truth. Heading underground.
Look Ma! We can stand up in here!
Where did all this two way freeway traffic come from?
Emerging back into the light after a chilly forty degree, mile long hike underground
All that caving leads to a very big burger / dog scout hunger
Sunday morning dawns bright and thirty-somethin’ degrees – time to head back home

11 Jul

Roosevelt Lake Canoe Outing – Apr ’26

Posted by DCole in Normal.

T648’s Canoe Crew – ready for a day at the lake.
25 years of drought makes the lake a looong way from the boat ramp!
But finally they are off on their overnight adventure!
Sometimes it’s difficult to keep your head when studying scouting requirements!
Fired up on a beach miles away!
Even more fired up back in base camp!
Our overrnighter safely back from their night on the beach
One last chore before heading down the hill towards home.

11 Jul

Pebble Beach / Larry Forbis – Feb ’26

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Grubmaster Jack making sure T648 scouts eat well on the outing
Three desperados in a riveting card game – read ’em and weep!
A little slice of heaven – sour patch in a hammock.
Championship rock skipping on the Salt River….
….later evolves into rock throwing in the Salt River
This outing’s new Scoutmaster toy? A flame thrower-fire starter!
Eyelids droop as scouts are mesmerized by fire and s-mores at the end of another fine day.

‘s

3 Jun

Sunrise Ski Trip – Feb ’26

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Your 2026 T648 Ski Team ready to boot up!
And by golly, here are the ski boots all lined up.
Skies this beautiful portend an absolutely awesome day of skiing!
A skiier’s gotta eat right in order to ski right.
The T648 Ice Pick Man cometh – Arrrggghhh!
Refortifying and fueling up for one last all-out ski-mania.
A glorious, sunlit day spent conquering all Sunrise Ski Area had to offer.

27 May

Kartchner / Tombstone Base Jan ’26

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Early riser Breakfast of Champions before heading to the Caverns
Huddling before the plunge below ground
A hurried lunch between the caverns and the gunfights to come
All this excitement wears a scout out!
Tombstone is scouting out some ‘wanna be’ gunfighters
Hanging out downtown with the local Tombstoners
Sure wish someone would find and hook me up a horse!

25 May

Vulture Mine Base Camp – Dec ’25

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Sunrise over T648’s tent city in the desert outside Vulture Mine
A hoodie huddle during breakfast-prep warms a scout’s cold bones riiiight up!
Once fed – ready to invade Wickenburg’s Western Smithsonian Affiliate
How much silver did she say is on that saddle???
They don’t let us on the fancy saddles, but these will do just fine!
Saddles, guns, apothecaries, saloons – everything you’d ever want in the wild, wild west!
We retire to a quick game of football (?) Uno, before the evening’s entertainment.
Tonight we practice exercising our vocal cords before tackling Vulture Mine
On to a semi-spooky night tour of the most productive gold/silver mine in old-time Arizona
A scout can work up a major thirst at these here desert outings!

25 May

Superstitions Lost Dutchman Backpack Nov ’25

Posted by DCole in Normal.

The few, the hardy – carbo-loading Pringles for breakfast!
T648 on the march along Dutchman towards Weaver’s Needle
Are we there yet??
Finally setting up Home Sweet Home in our cactus garden.
Rushing to tear down camp before the next morning’s showers!
A little weather is refreshing, right??
Wet boots and wide smiles, almost to the cars – with a warm shower in our near futures…

9 Mar

Geronimo West-O-Ree – Oct ’25

Posted by DCole in Normal.

A pair of dueling .22 T648 shooters happily blazing away
Our outing SPL flexing his way out of lock-up
Hatchets, hatchets everywhere, flung and flying through the air
You can’t have a western Camporee without bull ropin’
We got ‘im! Scout knot-apprehending the desperado Matt Moustache
Not yer everyday scout outing Uno. This is West-O-Ree cut-throat Uno!
Acting out our grand finale 3 scout play – at 100+ dB!

24 Nov

Mormon Lake Hike & Bike – Sep ’25

Posted by DCole in Normal.

Day dawns brightly – time to forage up some breakfast in the forest
Hiking in the Coconino Forest by Rogers Lake, and old logging railroad beds
Those who eschewed a hike in the forest, tore up the Ft Tuthill Bike Park instead
Who knew?! There are can openers which do not require electricity!
However, a huge pasta pot DOES require an appropriately humongous glove!
No burning wood nor charcoal, no problem! A portable propane fireplace takes off the evening chill
One final ‘police line’ to leave no trace of our camping. ‘No one go any faster than me!’

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