Troop 140’s January Campout to Dinosaur Valley is full of mountain biking, horseback riding, and a conservation project, making for the perfect scouting experience that everyone was delighted to be a part of.

Some scouts are carrying heavy buckets across a trail

A team of scouts are hard at work on their project

Scouts are getting ready for their mountain biking expedition

T140 saw the return of a Troop-favorite campout – the USS Lexington! This is a live-aboard experience on a WWII-era aircraft carrier. The haunted house really makes the event, though. Almost 50 in total Scouts and adults attended.

A group of 17 Scouts & Advisors traversed ~60 miles of Philmont’s North country during June while on a 12-day trek.  This included an ascent of Baldy Mountain, followed by a quick scramble down to avoid a thunderstorm.  Activities at staffed camps included spar pole climbing, black powder rifle & shotgun shooting, railroad building, low-COPE challenges, blacksmithing, and Cowboy Action shooting.  They were aided on their way for two days with help from their beloved burros, Harold & Burrito.  Inquire with the participants what trail names they acquired along the way (Fabio, Chipmunk, Captain Underpants, Gump, and Green Acres just to name a few).

Congratulation to Henry Suber & Aneek Pifer on completing the 22-mile ride requirement for the mountain biking portion of Cycling Merit Badge at Brazos Bend SP.

Can you find 2 of Troop 140’s current adult leaders?

Many of the 2022 Philmont participants went on a practice backpacking trip along the horse trails in the Davy Crockett National Forest near Kennard, TX over the weekend of February 19th, 2022. The first night at Ratcliff Lake was COLD – a low of 26.6F. In all, the group hiked 14.0 miles and accumulated 6 Frost Points. Scouts used some new backpacking cookware thanks to Mr. Unruh, and Avi was deemed the World Champion of pancake flippers. No actual sightings of “Scary Clowns”, but Collin knows they were out there. The coyotes Saturday night were scary enough.

Troop 140 traveled to Louisiana for airboat rides and a tour of the Tabasco factory on Avery Island during the January 2022 campout. Participants camped at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park next to the Atchafalaya swamp.

The T140 Scouts destined for Philmont this next Summer had their first “shakedown” hike over the weekend of December 4 – 5, 2021. The one-night backpacking trip was intended to help prepare the Scouts and Advisors for their 7 to 12-day treks in NM. This was a chance to test out boots, packs, and backcountry cooking skills. In all, there were 26 participants that hiked 10 – 12 miles in total at Lake Houston Wilderness Park (LHWP).