Canoe & Camping Trip - 2006
(scroll down for more pictures)

The 2006 Canoe & Camping trip took place April 8-9, at Devil's Foot Island.  The weather was gray and cloudy most of the weekend.  We had a few very brief showers on Saturday, and even one burst of sleet.  On Sunday, the sky was clear and sunny.

This year, on Saturday morning, we started the day by helping with the annual cleanup outside the United Church of Christ, our sponsoring organization.  We raked leaves and picked up trash that had accumulated around the sides and back of the church building.

We then re-assembled at the Metacomet Field parking lot and carpooled to the Stop River bridge at Noon Hill Road.  For the first time in many a year, the river was at its normal level, because of the lack of rain this Spring.   We were unable to take any shortcuts, and were forced to carefully navigate all the twists and turns of the Stop River.  It started to rain lightly as we began.  We eventually landed our canoes on the unusually exposed shore area surrounding the island.  Gear was unloaded and trekked through the muddy banks and up the steep slope to the camping areas. 

Camp sites were established, and the tents were set up, (some in rather unusual places, I might add.)  A few tents that had been pitched at the top of the rocky crag were re-directed to lower locations.  The sight of fully assembled tents making their way down the rock cliff was strange to watch, to say the least.  (Wish I'd had a movie camera for that.)

Many of our new scouts, for whom this was their first trip with Troop 10, were present, and were instructed, by our Troop Guide and the Patrol leaders, on various badge requirements (campfire  safety, knife & axe handling, compass work.)  Other scouts went out in canoes or kayaks, and went exploring down the riverbanks.

As has become traditional, 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. 

Highlight this year was a troop campfire, our first in a long time.  Each patrol prepared a skit, song and cheer for all to enjoy.  Insofar that we had many new scouts on the trip, Mr Wheeler decided to forgo his planned "ghost story", and instead talked about some of the history and lore of Devil's Foot, Noon Hill and the Stop River areas.

It was colder this year, so no one 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 clear sunny skies.  We restarted our campfires and prepared breakfast.  Afterwards, the tents were dropped, gear was packed and trundled down the hill to the canoes.  We made our way downstream along the Stop River, to Causeway Street.  Because of the much lower water levels, we  did not have to portage over Causeway Street, but instead finally got the chance to pass under the bridge for the first time since its reconstruction.

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.