Dolly Sods backpacking is a Troop 55 tradition and scout favorite! Dolly Sods and its’ environs are considered the premier backpacking locale east of the Mississippi River. They feature varied terrain and eco-zones more reminiscent of parts of Canada than the mid-Atlantic. The scouts camp in patrols and enjoy campsites along Red Creek or along the many scenic meadows above the the wilderness.
Bears (Vikings & Scorpions)
Dolly Sods was a blast! Personally, it is my favorite outing of the year, and I always end up enjoying it. We left the church early Saturday morning, heading out to rural West Virginia. When we got there, it was extremely foggy and was misting/raining a little. You could not see the sun, and it appeared quite bleak. Surprisingly, the outing turned out great! The Bears Patrol hiked a total of ten miles, and coincidentally met up with the Vikings, who went farther than they had to, and the Scorpions. We camped about a mile and half from a “beautiful” view, but there wasn’t a lot to see, due to the overwhelming amount of fog. We hiked back, had a campfire with the other two patrols, and went to bed. We woke up early that morning and made oatmeal, before having a service with the other patrols, and starting the hike back to the trailhead. The fog wasn’t half as bad on the second day, and I really enjoyed the scenery during the hike back. The Dolly Sods outing was a lot of fun, and I’m looking forward to it next year- as long as the fog lets up.
By Patrick R., Bears
Lead Historian
Dragons & Eagles
On October 27-28, 2012 Troop 55 went to Dolly Sods for a backpacking trip. Our patrol (the Dragons and Eagles) took the Blackbird Knob trail (about 7 miles) and the fall colors were very beautiful.It was very good hiking weather although it rained most of the night on Saturday which made it harder and nice and soggy in the morning. Mitchell, the patrol leader, brought cheese and herb noodles for dinner that was very tasty.
I especially liked this outing because I got to know some of the Eagles patrol who had combined with my patrol the Dragons. I learned a lot of new camping skills from Mr. O’Cain and Mrs. Bell, our patrol adults. The mountains were very foggy and you couldn’t see 10 feet in front of you which made it hard to cross creeks and hike up the rocky terrain. The new scout in the Eagles patrol, Nathan H., and Arvind, a first time backpacking scout in the Dragons patrol, did great for their first Dolly Sods trip. We can’t wait until next year!
By Daniel R., Dragons
Acting Historian
Bucks & Sharks
(Chris N., Alex B., Josh O., Stephen T., John S., Nick H., Joe M., Mr. Meeker and Mr. Reuss)
The Bucks and Sharks patrol joined forces to hike along trek #1. Thankfully the rain held off on Saturday and it was beautiful hiking weather. Chris N., a Philmont hiking veteran, lead a brisk pace. New scouts Nick H. and Joe M. did a fantastic job on their first backpacking trip. Mr. Meeker redeemed himself by not setting off any of his famous “short-cuts” this year. And though we almost lost Mr. Reuss on a grueling uphill stretch, he managed to keep up for the most part.
We pitched camp just before it got dark and started raining. Dinner was, uh, interesting. Mr. Meeker further redeemed himself when he produced a loaded ziploc of Halloween candy. Yummy! The lack of a roaring campfire told us the Sharks & Bucks need to work on their campfire building skills! Overall, a great backpacking experience with these two hard-charging patrols.
Bonus: Mid-hike on Saturday the Bucks and Sharks ran into another group of hikers coming the other way down the path. Lo and behold, among the other group was illustrious Troop 55 alumnus – Nick D.! There was much back-patting and rejoicing as Nick joyfully greeted his former troop-mates. Click the link below to see a few pics of Nick, including a movie Mr. Meeker took with a shout out to Mr. Pan and some comments about what constitutes a real beard.
By Mr. Reuss
