Scouts Step Up to the Challenge

Saturday included a superb ten-mile hike on the Seven Sisters coastal path of the South Downs Way. The Seven Sisters are a series of chalk sea cliffs on the English Channel coast in East Sussex. Following the rugged terrain, always going up or down, the scouts saw wild ponies and explored old Second World War pillboxes while working on their orienteering skills.

Later, after cooking their dinner of hamburgers, the troop settled down to a warm campfire. Then the rain came – in biblical proportions – at about 1 a.m. (or perhaps it was 2 a.m. because the clocks changed over the weekend). No matter how wet some of the scouts and adults might have gotten overnight, spirits were still high as the troop cooked breakfast burritos and packed up the campsite. 

Last month, the Scout Troop participated in their annual "February Freeze-out." The scouts hiked ten miles on a clear and bitterly cold day in the Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. While on the hike, each scout took a turn leading and perfected their land-navigation and orienteering skills. During this event, the troop stayed overnight in a camping barn and cooked their meals as patrols. A friendly competition had the Moose Patrol creating the best breakfast while the Fungi Patrol came ahead with their beef stir-fry dinner.

It's not all about physical challenges, however. In November, the scouts participated in the Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Brookwood American Military Cemetery. There, the Scouts assisted the Brookwood American Military Cemetery Superintendent Matthew Brown by directing visitors and laying wreaths. Scouts Gus M. and Flo M. also laid a wreath from the troop at the World War One monument.

During the event, Deputy Chief of Mission from the US Embassy Matthew Palmer spoke about the American and Allied sacrifices to defend liberty in Europe during both World Wars. A highlight for some of the scouts was the opportunity to speak with His Majesty, the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey, and wield his ceremonial sword. After the ceremony, the scouts ate hotdogs and drank hot chocolate provided by the ceremony organizers at the Trench Warfare Experience.

Take a look at our Flickr album to see photos of the fun.

If you would like to know more about Troop 301, please contact Scoutmaster Brendan Bartlett at bbartlett@tasisengland.org or the Senior Patrol Leader, Nathan, at nathbart@tasisengland.org.