Troop 281 Cincinnati, OH

   This week we went to RockQuest for a rock-climbing meeting. The Scouts who went said they had a good time.   The walls that were roped were 40 feet tall and the bouldering walls - ones without ropes - were 10 feet tall.   Thanks to the adults that came, we could climb on the roped walls.    The building is covered with roped walls around the edges and an island of bouldering walls in the center.   With the bouldering walls there was a little room on the top where you could sit and watch.   You didn’t have to climb to get up there. You could take the stairs leading up to the room.  It was a good meeting. Joe S.  Historian

We had a backpacking trip to the Red River Gorge and a Scout meeting this week. There were three groups for the backpacking trip: the Philmont crew, the intermediate group, and the day hikers. The Philmont crew went seven miles the first day and two miles the second day.  The intermediate group went three miles the first day and one mile the second day.  The new Scouts day hiked. We were going to go to the Appalachian Trail but the weather was too bad. It was a good trip in all. At the scout meeting Steven L. did a presentation on Honor Flight.  Honor Flight is a program that flies veterans to Washington D.C.  World War II veterans have first priority for flights; they only occur once a month. This meeting we were going to play dodge ball, but Alex S. couldn’t find the dodge balls. We played swing the thing instead. Joe S.     Historian

This week we moved the Scout lock up to the annex and we had a Scout meeting.   This Scout meeting was a little different from the other meetings; most people arrived thirty minutes before the meeting started.   We arrived early so we could pack up the trailer.   After we finished packing the trailer we broke in to two groups, D.A.R.E. and people who all ready had D.A.R.E.  D.A.R.E. stands for “Drug Abuse Resistance Education.”  Deputy Walsh came in with her drug sniffing dog that she works with.   The group that had already had D.A.R.E. played Boy Scout Jeopardy the whole time.   The fight to win was fierce between patrols. Joe S. Historian

This week we had a skill session on the map and compass.   Alex S. was not there so Alex R. had to do the skill session instead.   We had the first uniform inspection in a long time. This meeting we played stampede.   Stampede is a game a lot like tag.   There are 3 different animals: bears, bobcats, and buffaloes.  You are one of the animals and one person is a wolf.   When the wolf calls your animal, you have to run to the other side of the gym. If you are tagged when running across, you are a tree.   Trees can tag but can’t move their feet.   If the wolf calls stampede, all the animals run.