The beautiful Columbus Day weekend was the backdrop for Troop 71’s two-night camping trip to Onteora Scout Reservation in Livingston Manor, NY. In fact, the Scouts had the entire 1400-acre Catskill camp to themselves. After setting up camp and lunch on Saturday, the Scouts hiked the two-mile perimeter of the Orchard Lake, observing the handiwork of its active beaver population and other areas of the reservation. Then they headed back to the site for practicing tomahawk and knife throwing, collecting and cutting a mountain of firewood and cooking a delicious skirt steak dinner, complete with hash browns, sauteed onions and cream spinach, topped off with apple cobbler.
After a hearty egg, sausage and hash brown casserole for breakfast the next morning, the group headed offsite to Balsam Lake Mountain. They hiked over five miles round trip, stopping at the peak to climb the landmark 50-foot fire lookout tower, the county’s highest location, for its breathtaking and colorful vista as far as the eyes could see across the colored treetops. Another well-earned warm meal of dry rub chicken and tasty rice and a warming camp fire capped off the night for much-needed rest before packing up and leaving the next morning.
Learn more at www.plandometroop71.com.
