Hey Troop 3, Fans, and Family,
I have made some adjustments to the website which should make us more social.
I have added Jetpack sharing which will automatically share our posts to facebook and twitter. There should be some other cool sharing features too. Make some comments and we will see what happens.
Let me know what you think and look forward to some posts from our recent ski trip to Paoli Peaksin Indiana.
We arrived at Sipsey wilderness in Alabama at around 9:30: a three hour drive from Nashville. We divided into our three patrols, whistlepigs first, and started walking in the dark to our campsite. After passing a few for the other two patrols to use, we found a nice one and set up camp. That night it was about 20 degrees. We ate cracker-barrel by moonlight with freezing hands then went to our tents.
The next morning we broke down camp, ate breakfast, and started hiking. It took at least 30 minutes for us to gain feeling in our toes. As the temperature slowly climbed, it became more and more pleasant weather for hiking. And as soon as it became bearable, we came across a river.
After taking off our shoes and socks and hiking up our pants, we crossed a river that was more painful than cold. And to make matters worse, it was muddy and slippery. So by the time we had gotten across and climbed up the hill, our feet and ankles were cold, wet, and covered in wet dirt. We quickly dried off and put warm shoes and socks on.
From there it was smooth sailing until it was time for lunch. After lunch we had multiple stream crossings in which some of us got our shoes and socks wet. Luckily we were close to the campsite and had extra clothes. Our campsite was near the river and we were able to refill our water bottles while we were there. We had a campfire and ate chicken Parmesan for dinner, then we all went to our tents and went to sleep.
The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast, broke down camp, and left at about 9:00. A storm had been through previously and there were many large fallen trees blocking the trail. We had to climb over almost all of them. This took a large toll on our average moving speed. On our way, we stopped by a waterfall, the needle eye(a huge rock with a hole you can go through), and the largest tree in Alabama.
We decided that we weren’t going to stop for lunch until we got back to the cars to make up for the time we spend climbing over trees. We hiked from the giant tree to an old logging road that was 3.5 miles long. There we split into two groups: a fast group and a slow group. The logging trail led strait back to the parking lot. We walked as fast as we could for 3.5 miles until we finally arrived at the cars.
The time was 3:30 when we got to the parking lot and were reunited with the rest of the troop. We immediately started making our reuben sandwiches for lunch and gobbled them up. We put all our gear in the trailer, got in the cars, and headed home. We arrived in Nashville at about 8:30.
Honey Badgers
All of the patrols and parents going on the trip meet up at the church at 5:30 to split food and check packs. We all got into our cars and we were off!
Once we got to the Sipsey parking area we ate our cracker barrel (lots of snacks) in the cars. after we ate we put on our packs and headed down the hill to the trail head. We found a rocky area that we could stay at for the night and decided to stay there.
when we woke up in the morning it was very cold!
We took down our tents and ate oatmeal. as we started walking it got warmer, and warmer, and warmer, until we were sweating!
we met Libor at a stream and he helped us get across.
Soon we saw the Otters at the other end of a knee deep river. Yes, we had to cross it, and it was very very very cold. once we all got across we sat and dried off and ate snacks. But we had to keep on going, so we crossed a few more streams and did a ton of walking.
then we ended up at our campsite. we all set up tents and collected firewood Raleigh and I ( water-men ) went down to the river and filled up water bottles for everyone and filled up pots for dinner. soon after, we had dinner, mashed potatoes and pork. It was delicious! Our fire ceremony turned out well and we then told stories. After that was lights out. we woke up early in the morning and i had to go get water again from the cold stream! Breakfast was good and we after that we were off. we hiked for a long time until we came upon Alabama’s biggest tree, and a beautiful waterfall. As we explored the waterfall and caves we found many huge ice sickles. we then climbed up the steep hill that led to a strait trail that was pretty boring, and at last we got to eat lunch.after lunch we stayed on the trail and ended up at the trail head.
We were exhausted! When everyone got there we left and got back at the church at about 8:00. And that was it for our Sipsey Wilderness trip!
Congratulations to Joseph, our newest eagle scout.
Overall, the turkey fry went very well. The 1st shift got there before 6AM and started sitting everything up. The temperature was well below freezing when we started and pretty much all day long.
The kids in the troop were responsible for preparing the turkeys to be put in the fryer by getting them from the fridge and weighing them so the adults knew how long they were to be cooked.
After the turkeys were fried, we took the turkeys to the cooked turkey station where they were packaged up for customers to pick up so they could be enjoyed for Thanksgiving dinner the next day. All turkeys were carefully wrapped in aluminum foil and included reheating instructions.
The 1st shift had about 65 or 70 turkeys finished by the time our shift ended. The best part of the day was getting to eat the turkeys we just fried. We had purchased 3 extra turkeys so we could eat them for lunch which was very good.
After our shift was over, all the giblets and extra parts were taken to Walden’s Puddle where they will be fed to injured animals who are there to be rehabbed before being returned to the wild. Waldens Puddle was very thankful to get the turkey parts and was excited our troop thought about them when having our turkey fry. In addition to the turkey parts all the old oil was given to be recycled so nothing went to waste.
All in all the Turkey Fry was a great success and we hope to build form our success and expand even ore next year.
A big THANK YOU to the community for its enthusiastic support of this year’s Turkey Fry! We have officially sold out of turkeys. If you would like to be placed on our “Stand By” list – in case we get a cancellation or someone doesn’t show up to claim their turkey – please submit your name & contact info using the online form below. We will contact you if a turkey becomes available.
And if you missed out this year, don’t be glum. This is an annual event, so there’s always next year. Just be sure to order early! We’ll begin taking orders in early November 2014.
Thanks y’all!
we got to our campsite at dark. We unpacked our tents and set them up. the next morning it was terribly cold! We ate breakfast and started on the hike.
we saw some beautiful sights from the over looks. we stropped at a nice place to eat lunch and refill our water bottles.
then we started hiking again. the bucks and otters went on ahead and the honey badgers stayed behind and went slower. the honey badgers made a mistake and did a loop around a hill, but they found their way back on the trail.we saw more over hangs and cliffs.
After that it started to get harder and we had to climb some steep hills. we eventually arrived at the camp site and we were relieved that we could make a fire!
we set up camp and ate and told zombie stories around the fire. the fire cerimony consisted of ghost stories and skits. we all had a good time. in the morning we packed and went on a short walk to look over the cliff.
then we went on our big hike. it was a challenge, but a great success!
(*Fried in peanut oil, 8-10 lbs cooked weight)
Order your Cajun-spiced fried turkey by Friday, November 22nd and enjoy a juicy, flavorful bird without the hassle!
Pick up between 9am – 5pm on Wed. Nov. 27, 2013 @ East End United Methodist Church, 1212 Holly St., or have it delivered to your home or office in East Nashville/Inglewood/Downtown for $5. Free delivery for those wishing to donate a turkey to a local non-profit organization. Reheating instructions will be provided.
Cash, check, or credit card payments accepted. (Make checks payable to Troop 3.)
Last year we sold out, so place your order soon! There are three convenient ways to order:
Don’t need a turkey? You can still support the troop by “sponsoring” a turkey for $15 or a fry pot for $50 to help offset fundraising costs. Donations of any size gratefully accepted.
Proceeds support the Scouts & activities of Troop 3. This year the boys are earning money to pay for winter & summer camp, as well our 2014 High Adventure Trip backpacking in Colorado.
We practice “Leave No Trace” and good stewardship of the environment. Turkey giblets will be donated to Walden’s Puddle Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Center and used cooking oil has already been promised for recycling.
Your local Boy Scouts thank you!
