West Virginia: Wild, Wonderful, and WET!
May 15th saw the scouts gearing up for one of the most anticipated campouts of the year: the Whitewater Campout! The troop rarely gets the ability to have such a campout due to the factors of cost and scheduling, so many of the scouts going were already getting adrenaline pumping in their veins even before the convoy of vehicles left the church parking lot! The location of the campout was in West Virginia, as the title no doubt explains, and so would require a lengthy drive. The plan was to drive about 6 hours overall between the church and the campsite, 2 hours for a single leg of the trip one way and including two 1-hour stops in between (the first to refill the humans, the second to refill the cars).
However, as said in a famous poem by Robert Burns, “the best laid plans of mice and men, often go wrong,” the trip down to West Virginia had its problems. The first of those problems being when at the first stop for dinner, the choice was at a “Sonic” drive-in eatery, where they’d apparently never had such a large group as the scout envoy and so were rather slow in getting everybody their orders. (Will Carlson, on the other hand, charmed a group of young attractive girls with his guitar skills while we were waiting.) After waiting far longer then an hour, everybody eventually got fed and got back on the road, only for the sky to threaten a fierce rainstorm. The scouts’ luck managed to hold out until the little convoy hit a series of steep hills, at which time the skies opened up and poured out what seemed to be a sea’s worth of water onto the earth. The rain stopped right before the scouts got to a BP to refill on gas, at which point purchases of late night goodies like chips and candy were made before the last leg was started. Towards 11:15 PM, the convoy finally reached the campsite, and it wasn’t until one in the morning till everybody had pitched tents and they were sound asleep.
ON THE RIVER
The next morning had breakfast around 7:30, with simple oatmeal for scouts while the adults had a considerably larger meal. After breakfast, the scouts changed and prepared their dry bags for the trip’s main event: whitewater rafting on the Upper New River. The eager party departed camp at 9:45, arrived at the main location of the Class VI rafting company, and began checking in for the 10:30 trip on the New River. After putting on all the necessary equipment (near-skin tight wetsuits, water jackets, life jackets, and helmets), the rafters traveled up to the launching point in a bus while the trip leader (named George) began a crash course on whitewater rafting 101 at the front of the bus. When the group had arrived at the launch point and the two kinds of watercraft available; the one/two seater “duckies” (inflatable kayaks) and the typical raft were ready, the trip began with some rapids almost right at the start, but nothing that wasn’t a problem for anybody.
The first half of the rafting was a combination of rapids, short periods of calm, and naval warfare by way of splashing via hands and paddles – in short a whole lot of fun was had. CSX also had track that followed the river for all the distance that the scouts would travel on the Upper New River, and there were a few trains that passed in both directions, providing some interesting periodic railfaning opportunities. Right when the party hit the midpoint, marked by a short but wild rapid, the group paddled ashore and had lunch.
“OREO CAKE”
For the mid-day meal, the rafting company had brought a little buffet of sandwich fixings, various salads, and “Oreo Cake” for desert, all in all an excellent little riverside lunch. By the time most of the food had been consumed, everybody pitched in to help clean up what was left and reloaded the tables and water cooler onto the rafts before the boats were afloat again and heading across the river to the other side, the next hot spot to see being this old railroad tunnel that was flooded. The tunnel dated back to right before the Civil War, and the scouts were not only allowed going through it, but were also allowed to check out a neat waterfall behind it before the group had to continue on down the river. After a series of small rapids and a rather long period of calm river (the battlefield for duckie warfare, where a few people got dunked into the river), the group hit the rapid known as “Silo,” a.k.a. the longest rapid on the entire trip (a Class III rapid), and going through “Silo” was worth the 6+ hour drive the previous day. The convoy of boats hit some more rapids after “Silo” before reaching the end point, where the duckies were deflated and the rafts reloaded onto the trailer, and everybody got back on the bus, where George handed out soda pop to everybody.
DRYING OUT – AGAIN!
The scouts’ luck had been holding out the entire day, as the forecast had called for a big rainstorm to hit around the time the rafting trip began. However, the skies had begun to darken around the time the group made it through “Silo,” and right as the bus took everybody back to the cars was when the skies opened up again. The problem, however, was that the rain did not stop after half an hour or so, it only rained harder over time. At the Class VI headquarters, however, the scouts showered, changed into dry clothes, returned the gear they had borrowed, and went to the café above the souvenir shop to watch a video of the whitewater adventure (which had encountered some severe handicaps like an uncooperative battery and had a reduced price of $10, a low enough price for some to buy it, myself included since the still pictures were far more expensive).
BEEF STEW & STOGANOFF
When the scouts had finished buying souvenirs, etc., it was time to head back to the camp to make dinner, which thankfully was easy due to there being a structure providing a roof from the downpour that was still coming down with no signs of stopping. The scouts’ dinner was a delicious beef stew made by Nick Burnley, while the adults once again had a feast for a meal, including beef stroganoff and about two other main dishes, but prayer for everybody was led by Steven LaCount. When dinner was finishing up, the rain had at last stopped, but the damage was done: the tent Nick Burnley and Bret Carwhile shared had somehow gotten absolutely soaked along with everything in it, forcing Nick to sleep in one of the cars and Bret to use the backup tent. The fire pit was also soaked, and there seemed to be no hope of finding any wood close by that was dry enough to start a fire, so some of the group left to go buy some dry wood. However, by the time they got back with some dry wood, Nick had once again proven his unofficial title of “Troop Pyro” by managing to start a fire with the wet wood around him. After the dishes from dinner were all cleaned up, it was time for cracker barrel, where everybody was able to indulge in the same tasty treat: the S’more! (A standard in outdoor living cuisine) I went to bed soon after, but before I could doze off there was some commotion outside, and one of those flatbed trucks was moving about in the parking lot for some reason. Due to my state of sleepiness, I decided to learn what happened tomorrow.
DOUGHNUTS
The next morning, I think I was the first one fully packed up and out of my tent out of everybody else in the group, which made waiting for them to wake up a very long time as it took around 90 minutes for everybody to wake up and leave their tents for breakfast. The scouts simply had doughnuts to simplify clean up (just throw the boxes away), while the adults had yet another large meal to eat. Due to the fact that a 6+ hour drive still lay ahead of the group, those who had finished eating began to start packing their stuff up and breaking down tents, or began to load up Mr. Black’s pickup with the general camping gear again to hasten departure. When everything was loaded up again and the campsite policed, Steven performed a quick chapel service under the shelter before everybody began the trip home.
A LAST LOOK AT THE NEW RIVER
The first stop was actually at the New River Gorge visitor’s center, where there were nice restrooms with hot water and a 200-foot staircase that led to a platform giving a great view of the river and the signature bridge, which was 20 feet taller then two Statue of Liberties put on top of the Washington Monument! After going to the center and learning a bit about the area’s history, the scouts began the real trip back home. The trip home was like the trip there with its division of travel and breaks, but the lunch break was made at a Fazoli’s restaurant, and the food was not only better than Sonic’s but the food was served at a much faster pace as well compared to the long wait at Sonic. However, many scouts needed to use the restroom, and due to the fact the Fazoli’s only had a single-stall restroom, the wait was a bit long, and to kill time some scouts (including Dr. Reynolds) began playing Frisbee in the parking lot. The rest of the trip after Fazoli’s was rather uneventful, everybody arriving at the church around the estimated time of 4 PM in a state of tiredness but fulfillment as well in regards to the campout. After a slight crisis involving tent assignments, S.P.L. Will Carlson dismissed everybody, and so the whitewater rafters began to break up towards their homes and a nice, hot shower.
However, as said in a famous poem by Robert Burns, “the best laid plans of mice and men, often go wrong,” the trip down to West Virginia had its problems. The first of those problems being when at the first stop for dinner, the choice was at a “Sonic” drive-in eatery, where they’d apparently never had such a large group as the scout envoy and so were rather slow in getting everybody their orders. (Will Carlson, on the other hand, charmed a group of young attractive girls with his guitar skills while we were waiting.) After waiting far longer then an hour, everybody eventually got fed and got back on the road, only for the sky to threaten a fierce rainstorm. The scouts’ luck managed to hold out until the little convoy hit a series of steep hills, at which time the skies opened up and poured out what seemed to be a sea’s worth of water onto the earth. The rain stopped right before the scouts got to a BP to refill on gas, at which point purchases of late night goodies like chips and candy were made before the last leg was started. Towards 11:15 PM, the convoy finally reached the campsite, and it wasn’t until one in the morning till everybody had pitched tents and they were sound asleep.
ON THE RIVER
The next morning had breakfast around 7:30, with simple oatmeal for scouts while the adults had a considerably larger meal. After breakfast, the scouts changed and prepared their dry bags for the trip’s main event: whitewater rafting on the Upper New River. The eager party departed camp at 9:45, arrived at the main location of the Class VI rafting company, and began checking in for the 10:30 trip on the New River. After putting on all the necessary equipment (near-skin tight wetsuits, water jackets, life jackets, and helmets), the rafters traveled up to the launching point in a bus while the trip leader (named George) began a crash course on whitewater rafting 101 at the front of the bus. When the group had arrived at the launch point and the two kinds of watercraft available; the one/two seater “duckies” (inflatable kayaks) and the typical raft were ready, the trip began with some rapids almost right at the start, but nothing that wasn’t a problem for anybody.
The first half of the rafting was a combination of rapids, short periods of calm, and naval warfare by way of splashing via hands and paddles – in short a whole lot of fun was had. CSX also had track that followed the river for all the distance that the scouts would travel on the Upper New River, and there were a few trains that passed in both directions, providing some interesting periodic railfaning opportunities. Right when the party hit the midpoint, marked by a short but wild rapid, the group paddled ashore and had lunch.
“OREO CAKE”
For the mid-day meal, the rafting company had brought a little buffet of sandwich fixings, various salads, and “Oreo Cake” for desert, all in all an excellent little riverside lunch. By the time most of the food had been consumed, everybody pitched in to help clean up what was left and reloaded the tables and water cooler onto the rafts before the boats were afloat again and heading across the river to the other side, the next hot spot to see being this old railroad tunnel that was flooded. The tunnel dated back to right before the Civil War, and the scouts were not only allowed going through it, but were also allowed to check out a neat waterfall behind it before the group had to continue on down the river. After a series of small rapids and a rather long period of calm river (the battlefield for duckie warfare, where a few people got dunked into the river), the group hit the rapid known as “Silo,” a.k.a. the longest rapid on the entire trip (a Class III rapid), and going through “Silo” was worth the 6+ hour drive the previous day. The convoy of boats hit some more rapids after “Silo” before reaching the end point, where the duckies were deflated and the rafts reloaded onto the trailer, and everybody got back on the bus, where George handed out soda pop to everybody.
DRYING OUT – AGAIN!
The scouts’ luck had been holding out the entire day, as the forecast had called for a big rainstorm to hit around the time the rafting trip began. However, the skies had begun to darken around the time the group made it through “Silo,” and right as the bus took everybody back to the cars was when the skies opened up again. The problem, however, was that the rain did not stop after half an hour or so, it only rained harder over time. At the Class VI headquarters, however, the scouts showered, changed into dry clothes, returned the gear they had borrowed, and went to the café above the souvenir shop to watch a video of the whitewater adventure (which had encountered some severe handicaps like an uncooperative battery and had a reduced price of $10, a low enough price for some to buy it, myself included since the still pictures were far more expensive).
BEEF STEW & STOGANOFF
When the scouts had finished buying souvenirs, etc., it was time to head back to the camp to make dinner, which thankfully was easy due to there being a structure providing a roof from the downpour that was still coming down with no signs of stopping. The scouts’ dinner was a delicious beef stew made by Nick Burnley, while the adults once again had a feast for a meal, including beef stroganoff and about two other main dishes, but prayer for everybody was led by Steven LaCount. When dinner was finishing up, the rain had at last stopped, but the damage was done: the tent Nick Burnley and Bret Carwhile shared had somehow gotten absolutely soaked along with everything in it, forcing Nick to sleep in one of the cars and Bret to use the backup tent. The fire pit was also soaked, and there seemed to be no hope of finding any wood close by that was dry enough to start a fire, so some of the group left to go buy some dry wood. However, by the time they got back with some dry wood, Nick had once again proven his unofficial title of “Troop Pyro” by managing to start a fire with the wet wood around him. After the dishes from dinner were all cleaned up, it was time for cracker barrel, where everybody was able to indulge in the same tasty treat: the S’more! (A standard in outdoor living cuisine) I went to bed soon after, but before I could doze off there was some commotion outside, and one of those flatbed trucks was moving about in the parking lot for some reason. Due to my state of sleepiness, I decided to learn what happened tomorrow.
DOUGHNUTS
The next morning, I think I was the first one fully packed up and out of my tent out of everybody else in the group, which made waiting for them to wake up a very long time as it took around 90 minutes for everybody to wake up and leave their tents for breakfast. The scouts simply had doughnuts to simplify clean up (just throw the boxes away), while the adults had yet another large meal to eat. Due to the fact that a 6+ hour drive still lay ahead of the group, those who had finished eating began to start packing their stuff up and breaking down tents, or began to load up Mr. Black’s pickup with the general camping gear again to hasten departure. When everything was loaded up again and the campsite policed, Steven performed a quick chapel service under the shelter before everybody began the trip home.
A LAST LOOK AT THE NEW RIVER
The first stop was actually at the New River Gorge visitor’s center, where there were nice restrooms with hot water and a 200-foot staircase that led to a platform giving a great view of the river and the signature bridge, which was 20 feet taller then two Statue of Liberties put on top of the Washington Monument! After going to the center and learning a bit about the area’s history, the scouts began the real trip back home. The trip home was like the trip there with its division of travel and breaks, but the lunch break was made at a Fazoli’s restaurant, and the food was not only better than Sonic’s but the food was served at a much faster pace as well compared to the long wait at Sonic. However, many scouts needed to use the restroom, and due to the fact the Fazoli’s only had a single-stall restroom, the wait was a bit long, and to kill time some scouts (including Dr. Reynolds) began playing Frisbee in the parking lot. The rest of the trip after Fazoli’s was rather uneventful, everybody arriving at the church around the estimated time of 4 PM in a state of tiredness but fulfillment as well in regards to the campout. After a slight crisis involving tent assignments, S.P.L. Will Carlson dismissed everybody, and so the whitewater rafters began to break up towards their homes and a nice, hot shower.
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