Troop 281 Cincinnati, OH

Marengo Cave On Tuesday, a presentation was given about caving. Here are some interesting and vital points that were made: There are lots of caves in Kentucky. Spelunking is another term for caving. Types of caves include: 1. Sea caves 2. Lava tubes 3. Wind caves 4. Glacier Caves Mammoth Cave is the longest cave in the world. Stalactites are on top and stalagmites are on the bottom. When they meet, it is called a column. Caving is the third fastest growing sport in the world due to publicity on TV from channels such as Discovery. The BSA requires scouts to be 14 years old in order to go wild caving. [Ed. Marengo Cave Trip is NOT a "wild" cave. Marengo Cave will be fuly guided.] Caving has lots of dangerous aspects to it including, but not limited to: 1. Getting stuck 2. Rain (can cause flooding in the cave) 3. Hypothermia 4. Getting lost 5. Falling rocks 6. Equipment failure And that’s just a few… Also, congratulations to the newly elected patrol leaders: Will C., Brandon B....

Over the weekend the bike trip took place and, on Friday night, the scouts were greeted by rain (again). Then on Saturday they rode for 38 miles. My group however took a wrong turn in the very beginning and accidentally went an extra 4 miles (oops!). Some scouts actually ended up going the whole fifty for their cycling merit badges. Finally for the grand finale, the scouts went to the Clifton Mill for breakfast and attempted to eat two pancakes that were roughly the size of their heads! Jack Van Keuren, Historian

At the meeting on Tuesday, SPL Elections were held and Alex R. was elected as the new SPL. His term will begin at summer camp. Patrol Leader nominations were also held. After that Ben M. gave a presentation about not tying. Then the scouts played another game of dodge ball. Jack Van Keuren, Historian

Patrols in Action At the meeting on Tuesday, Scouts split into their patrol corners to plan for the upcoming bike trip. They requisitioned any gear they needed and planned meals for the weekend. After that, they nominated candidates for Senior Patrol Leader for the 2010-2011 year. The nominees were Alex R., Alex S., and Steven L.. The Senior Patrol Leader elect will begin his term starting at summer camp. After the nominations, the scouts played dodge ball and several scouts got “head shots” on other scouts. Jack Van Keuren, Historian

Bike trail encircles Cincinnati's Lunken Airport On Tuesday the scouts came together to ride their bikes at the Lunken bike trail. The meeting was mostly to check that their bikes were working properly and if there was anything that needed to be fixed. For most scouts their ride was uneventful; however there was one scout who was somewhat un-lucky… He ended up crashing his bike but he wasn’t hurt in the event other than a scratch or two. Hopefully everyone is getting ready for the BIG bike trip that is coming up because if you had any trouble at Lunken you will want to get it resolved soon! Jack Van Keuren, Historian

On Saturday Scouts pulled orders for customers that were picking up their orders. And it all took place in the rain! Jack Van Keuren, Historian