posted Apr 19, 2016, 11:15 AM by David Martin
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updated Apr 20, 2016, 4:41 PM by Michael Hartford
]
Key Facts: - Departed Minnehaha United Methodist on Friday, April 15, at about 6:30 PM.
- Returned to MUMC on Sunday, April 17, around 11:00 AM.
- Camped at Wild River State Park - two sites at Group Area Basic A.
- For canoes and shuttling on Saturday, we used Wild River Outfitters (http://wildriverpaddling.com/). We booked 8 canoes, met at the outfitter at about 8:30 AM. It's a 45 minute drive from the park to the outfitter.
- The roster included 12 scouts (in 3 patrols) and 4 adult leaders (3 of them driving).
- The estimated cost per scout was $12 for grub, $8 for the group site reservation, and $16 for canoe rental.
Tasks: - Make reservation - Hartford
- Make arrangements with outfitter - Hartford
- File Tour Plan - Martin
- Communicate to scouts - Hartford
- Communicate specifics to participants - Hartford
- Cross-check adult training across planned activities - Martin
- Cross-check roster against vehicle/seat count - Martin
- Review health records - Martin, Hartford
- Write up "notes for next time" after the event - Hartford
Notes for Next Time: - Verify training for adult leaders farther in advance. (Doing this 2 weeks in advance did not allow for filling in any gaps.)
- Set a goal to have at least two adult leaders with current CPR/AED and Wilderness and Remote First Aid certification at for high adventure and other trips
- Establish firmer "buddy boat" guidelines: toward the end of the trip we got strung out pretty far along the river, and some boats were out of sight of another Troop 1 boat for some time.
- Establish wait points along the river to help with the line getting strung out; on the St. Croix, we can use the mile markers at camp sites to plan
- Wind was a challenge! Consider paddler size when setting up canoe pairs in windy conditions, and if a light Scout is in the front find ballast to weight him down (Dan's boulder under Stuart's seat was sheer genius)
- Scouts did a great job this time of getting loaded quickly with correct gear; one less stove than we needed was taken, which we will address at the 5/2/2016 meeting with a labeling project.
- Camp set up was also very effective; one tent that was missing bones was brought and had to be swapped--we need to do another tent assessment, possibly as part of the 5/2 meeting or a later meeting.
- Breaking camp for canoeing was smooth
- We had a successful campfire program--low key, because everyone was tired, but an effort was made
- At supper, most patrols ate as a patrol; there was a little bit of wandering and begging for food from Scouts who didn't like their patrol's food; we need to continue to enforce the patrol dining method
- Breaking camp went very quickly and efficiently. We had time after packing and policing to play games and take walks, and even left a little early to spend more time returning gear to the shed.
- Early season camping at state parks often means that the office isn't open when we arrive, and if we have an off-site activity we may never encounter the park staff. We were not able to purchase wood at the camp office. Fortunately there was a lot of down dead wood at the site, and we used that despite the no-gathering regulations (the quantity of dead wood was such that no one will miss the little we burned!); in the future, when using state parks early or late in the season, we should be prepared to purchase local firewood at a convenience store near camp.
- The outfitter, Wild River Outfitters in Grantsburg, http://wildriverpaddling.com/, was great to work with, and I would use them again for a similar or even an extended St. Croix River trip.
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