Photos
Below you will see a very
small sampling of photos from recent (and a few less recent) adventures.
North Manitou Island High Adventure Backpack Outing - Summer 2007
The High Adventure Outing for 2007 was a backpacking trip on North Manitou
Island. North Manitou Island is part of the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore. It
is a special area because it is designated ‘backcountry’. This means that hikers
and campers on the island enjoy a true wilderness experience, i.e. there are no
wood fires allowed, there is only one well on the island that provides drinking
water (all other water used for drinking must be filtered or purified), there
are no outhouses/bathrooms in the backcountry….so, hikers on the island are
truly “roughing it”. Indeed, this was the attraction to the scouts. See
here for more information, including
photos!
Manistee River Trail backpack outing - Fall 2006
Picture 1 (large - 1.3MB)
Picture 2 (large - 1.3MB)
Picture 3 (large - 1.3MB)
On Saturday the 21st of October 14 scouts and 4 adults set out upon the Manistee
River Trail from the Red Bridge just north of M-55. The temperatures were cool
and the skies were grey, but the conditions were very good for backpacking. It
didn’t take long for everyone to get into a rhythm as we began to work our way
along the river. An early break afforded time to make adjustments to gear and
communicate a few important backpacking reminders.
Soon the clouds disappeared and the sun came out along the Manistee River that
was all decked out in spectacular fall colors. A few boys were heard to say “are
we still in Michigan?” The remainder of the days seven mile hike was pretty
uneventful except for the fabulous views of the river from vantage points that
were often as high as two hundred feet.
Tents seemed to go up quickly as the group reached the evening’s camp site and
rain drops began to fall. A light drizzling rain afforded us all enough time to
set up camp and prepare meals for dinner before the sky really opened up and
began to pour for the next fourteen hours.
As morning dawned, and the rain continued, our leaders made the decision to
adjust the day’s plans for a shorter hike on the last day. The rain dampened
enthusiasm and slowed the work of breaking camp. All were quiet as the group
headed out for the morning’s short three mile trek. The day wasn’t going to be
as planned and the weather wasn’t ideal, but all agreed that Saturday was a
great day and well worth the planning time and effort it took to make the trip.
The rain stopped as everyone loaded their gear into vehicles for the two hour
ride home. The boys were tired and damp, but the cars were warm. The trip home
was filled with less conversation and a lot more snoring from a small group of
backpackers that were a little more experienced than they were the day before.
Summer Camp at Camp Gerber - Summer 2006
Summer Camp - 2006 - large (1.8mb)
Summer Camp at Camp Gerber - Summer 2005
Summer Camp - 2005 - large (2.1mb)
Summer Camp at Camp Gerber - Summer 2004
Summer Camp - 2004
BSA Troop
147-Holland, MI
