Canoe & Camping Trip - 2005
(scroll down for pictures)

The Canoe & Camping trip took place April 9-10, at Devil's Foot Island.  The weather was absolutely great, sunny all weekend.

We again began our adventure at the Stop River bridge at Noon Hill Road.  After the previous week's rain, the river was swollen and made for easy paddling, despite the amount of equipment carried in each canoe.  After paddling through the winding curves of the Stop, our destination was in sight, and we landed our canoes on the island.  Gear was unloaded and trekked up the steep slope to the camping areas. 

Camp sites were established, and the tents were assembled.   Some scouts took advantage of the wilderness surroundings and worked on various badge requirements (map & compass, campfire & stove safety, knife & axe handling.)  Others joined in with the construction of tripods (with varying degrees of success) to hold logs for sitting around the campfire.

After lunch, there was a session of "Capture the Flag", followed by an impromptu canoe expedition of the other side of the river, culminating in a water fight.  (Aren't you guys glad you brought extra dry clothes?)

On this outing, each patrol had the responsibility of cooking for the entire troop, not just their patrol.  Lunch was kabobs, dinner was pulled-pork sandwiches, and breakfast was eggs & ham.  All agreed the food was superb!

Several scouts chose to sleep out under the stars at the top of the rock hill on the upstream side of the island.  We awoke Sunday , to view the mist (and Canada Geese) flowing over the river.  We restarted our campfires and prepared breakfast.  Afterwards, the tents were dropped, gear was packed and trundled down the hill to the canoes. 

With one last look at Devil's Foot, we made our way downstream along the Stop River, to Causeway Street.  Due to the high water level (and the replacement of the bridge a few years ago), it was again necessary to portage over Causeway.  (Not an easy task since the re-grading of Causeway eliminated the former portage entry/exit points.)

We then followed the Stop for a short distance, to where it joined the Charles River.  From there, we continued along the Charles to the Rte 109 bridge, where we disembarked behind the old Charles River Restaurant.