Good scouts, bad scouters

We took 4 scouts backpacking this weekend on the Tuscarora trail near Front Royal VA. 1 scout struggled (a bit out of shape, pretty heavy pack, sore feet by mid-Saturday) but everybody had a good time.

We hiked a mile or two Friday night, then doubled back by the truck Saturday morning. I like this trick: give scouts an opportunity to take gear out of their pack after they carry it for 3 or 4 miles. They are more apt to ask "what else don't I need" than to insist they need a complete stainless steel mess kit.

We put in about 9 miles Saturday with around 2500' elevation change, and arrived at Little Crease shelter about 5:00pm. If you've been to this shelter you know how amazing it is. A beautiful stone patio and fire pit, crystal clear reliable water, huge shelter. We see that the shelter is already occupied by another troop. 4 scouters, maybe a dozen scouts, a local Front Royal troop. No problem: plenty of great camping spots nearby and our scouts wanted to sleep under the stars anyway. I introduce myself to the other scouters, two were nice, but the other two just said, "you know there's another camping site 2 miles up the hill" and pretty much nothing else. So the weekend turned into a great hike in beautiful weather, with practice lightening loads, and an object lesson in the difference between courteous and discourteous.