Troop 757 Portal

A required part of the Venture Patrol is a training hike, which we typically do at Monte Sano State Park. We will be doing this hike for those who are seeking entrance to the Venture Patrol on Saturday morning, May 9th at 7:45AM. Here are the guidelines for the hike:

*Meet at the hiker’s parking lot at the park. As you go into the park entrance on Nolen Drive, you will pass the guard shack, the playground, and the lodge. After the lodge the road will fork; follow it to the right and there will be a gravel parking lot immediately on the right. This is where we will begin, so be there at 7:45 that morning. The hike starts at 8:00, so don’t be late or you may get left behind!

*We will hike approximately 6.5 miles and will end at the parking lot on Monte Sano Blvd. just up the hill from the entrance to Burritt Museum. Scouts may be picked up at this parking lot around 11:15AM. This hike typically takes 3 to 3.5 hours to complete.

*In order to meet the Venture Patrol requirement, you must carry a backpack that weighs 25% of your body weight. For example, if you weigh 100 lbs., then your pack needs to weigh 25 lbs. This is a typical ratio that is used for high adventure backpacking. You can load your pack with gear, sandbags, water bottles, etc. – whatever you need to do to add up to the correct weight.

*Make sure you take the proper equipment such as good hiking shoes (well-fitting boots preferably), 2 liters of water, trail snacks, compass, first aid kit, etc. If you are going on this hike you are most likely a First Class scout or close to it, so you should know what is needed for backpacking.

*You must let Mr. Taylor, Mr. Eads, or me know if you are going. Otherwise we will not know if we should expect you before we leave the parking lot.

The route we take is attached in the “VP Training Route” document. Mr. Eads and Mr. Taylor will be leading the hike. We encourage fathers to join their sons on the hike to enjoy the outdoors. The scouts need to carry a pack, but it is not necessary for adults unless you wish to train for being a Venture Patrol advisor. If you have any questions you may call me at 536-9007, or Mr. Taylor at 830-9299. Emails are vmccarn@integrity.com and rolyatmd@gmail.com.

Mr. McCarn