​With the break in summer heat, there is no better time to take a hike in the mountains.  Normally I would attend the Labor Day kayak sale at Twin Rivers, but since this year we are focused on Philmont, I wanted to test my mettle, check out an unvisited trail, and see how some new equipment is working out.
The trail head for Cole Mountain serves several great hikes in the Mount Pleasant Recreational Area within the Jefferson-Washington National Forest.  We even plan to use this trailhead for our extended shakedown hike in April.  Since the access is via a Forest Service road, I wanted to make sure that "normal" vehicles could make the trip.

​Starting with my CamelBak Cloudwalker (c. 1995) with 2 liters onboard, I loaded it with my Frogg Toggs rain jacket, first aid kit, toilet kit, water filter, sunscreen, whistle, snacks, leather gloves, and ball cap.  Whenever you take a hike in the back country, be sure to bring your “10 essentials”.  The total weight of my kit was 10 pounds.

​Since switching from boots to trail runners, I haven’t had a chance to walk on rocky terrain.  So far, I’ve been impressed with the fit and feel of these Altra Lone Peak shoes, but I needed to make sure my feet will be protected from the sharp rocks underfoot.  Although my pack was light, this hike will give me a better idea of how the shoes will hold up.  Also, I’m checking out Dirty Girl gaiters, which should keep debris out of these low-top shoes.

​Another item under test is the use of my fanny pack to hold my map, compass, reading glasses, headlamp, and pocket knife.  The ease of access should mean I’ll check my navigation often.  Maybe I won’t get lost.

​​Finally, I’m testing the new rubber tips on my trekking poles.  The Leave No Trace crowd recommend these to cover the carbide tips, which dig into the trail and cause erosion.  Philmont requires using rubber tips.

​The first 213 miles are an easy 4 hour ride on interstates and turnpikes.  An interesting sign is posted along US-29, “The use of GPS tracking is not advised.”  That signs reminds us that your phone app for navigation relies on cellular service.  But there is another lesson in that statement -- you need to use all the navigation tools available – make your decisions using all the data.  The last 4 miles are tricky because the GPS maps are not accurate.  I missed the turnoff but realized right away and only lost five minutes.  The forest road is paved until the last 1.2 miles, which is like a 5-10 mph camp road.

​This is a well-groomed, well-marked trail.  Many thanks to the Natural Bridge ATC for their work.  The trail head is interesting because it requires hikers to pay close attention to navigation to find the right trail; there are many.  I hiked this loop trail in a clockwise direction.  After a short downhill, the trail climbs for a mile to a large wooded peak with a large dry campsite.  After that, the trail drops steadily to Cow Camp Shelter, located next to Little Cove Creek.  It’s a very nice site with fire ring, outhouse, and plenty of campsites.  Continue for a short way, turning right at the Appalachian Trail, and returning to the parking lot.

The Dirty Girl gaiters are great.  They have a Velcro fastener that matches the one built into the Altra Lone Peaks.  The shoes felt good, but I’m eager to check them out on rocky terrain while carrying a full load.  The fanny pack is perfect.  I consulted the map many times, which was fortunate a couple of times.  Finally, the rubber tips worked okay.  I noted that they have a little less traction.  Best of all, my fitness level has definitely improved.  I never breathed hard except for a short time when the grade increased quickly and sneaky right after leaving the shelter.  I paused to take a quick drink and was back to normal.  Also, another big win was a new snack.  About an hour and half into the hike, I felt my energy drop, so I stuffed a Robert Irvine's Fit Crunch Snack Bar.  It was delicious, went down quick, and didn’t make a lump in my gut.  I felt energized within minutes.

Great turnout for the New Year’s race. Had a thrilling run in 16-18 kts with 20 kt gusts.  The chase start began with light winds from 030 T, which resulted in arriving to the start line about 3 minutes late.  But as we headed south down Hampton River, the wind's began to pipe up and had built to 15 kts once we turned at R4.  By the time we rounded R18, winds had strengthened to 18 and backed to 020 T.  There was a short period of very light drizzel on this reach.  Once we made the turn into Phoebus channel, the Chamberlin wind shadow eased the wind back to 12 kts.   

We earned the Anchor Award distinction. Too bad I can’t share this one with the scouts.  The Anchor Award is for finishing 18th out of 18 boats. 

Officially, we've been sailing every day this year!

A pleasure to sail with our youth crew: Greycen, Jacob, Dylan, Trey, Diamond, and Astanzi. Special thanks to our leaders Shan and Max for providing great skill and leadership during the race.
Hopefully next year we'll be able to enjoy the before and after race get-togethers.

​Instead of sitting around in a stuffy room, we conducted our meeting on the trail. We held a Bridge of Review, conducted officer elections, and welcomed a new member.
Congratulations to Keegan for advancing to Ordinary Sea Scout. Welcome aboard to Eagle Scout Nathaniel who joined today.
New officers are:
Boatswain Greycen
Boatswain's Mate Keegan
Purser Jacob
Yeoman Justin
Storekeeper Dylan

Despite the weather forecast for incoming storms from the remnants of Hurricane Laura, Troop 242 and our subject matter experts gathered at the kayak beach at Fort Monroe at 9 AM with the intention to complete the Kayaking Merit Badge.  Twenty-eight scouts from T242B and T242G came ready to have some fun.  Instruction provided by our older Sea Scouts, a couple of whom are also members of the troop.  Three round-robin groups were introduced to safety, first aid, essential equipment, and construction in 15-minute sessions.  Then everyone gathered for demonstration of paddling skills and a safety brief before launching.  Scouts practiced the basic strokes and demonstrated their ability to recover from a capsize.  After lunch, the whole group walked to Firehouse for some ice cream.  This was a wonderful event and the weather was excellent.

​Since we've never tried to fly the symmetrical spinnaker before, we were waiting for perfect light air conditions to practice.  Today we had 7 kts directly from the East, which made perfect conditions for a down wind run from Old Point Comfort to the Middle Ground light. So 10 shipmates pushed off from "A" dock and made way for Hampton Roads.  After passing G1, we turned right and raised sails.  After getting steady under main and jib, we setup the pole and lines for the spinnaker.  Since we only have one headsail halyard, we had to lower the jib before raising the spinnaker.  The  first hoist was not particularly graceful, but the helm did a great job keeping the boat under the kite.  When we ran out of room, we lowered the spinnaker and raised the jib again and headed for the center of the channel.  Once we got in better position, we lowered the jib and hoisted the spinnaker again.  Such a satisfying sound to hear the kite pop into place.  We continued until we had to tack and avoid a large barge.  We headed back to the barn in 3 tacks, close hauled, and making 5.5 kts.

Shipmates came together on a 100-degree Sunday to perform community service to one of the gems in Hampton - the Newmarket Creek.  A dozen scouts launched kayaks and rowboats to remove litter from this remote recreational waterway.  After a short safety briefing, they launched from the floating dock at the Air Power park.  Wonderful folks opened the back door to make access to the bathrooms and water much easier.  We had a great surprise when the Council VP of Program, David Singletary came by to help.  In all, we removed about 20 pounds of garbage from about 1 mile of waterway.  I think we'll do this again, when it's not quite so HOT!  ​