Pemi Campout

The Winter Campout took place Feb 28-29 in the Pemigewasset Wilderness of the White Mountains National Forest, NH.

We drove to the trailhead, in North Woodstock, just off the Kangamagus Highway. After readying our gear (much of it loaded into sleds) we then hiked for about one and a half hours, three miles alongside the Eastern branch of the Pemigewasset River, to the Franconia Brook East Campsite. The weather couldn't have been any better for the hike, sunny, with high clouds, but a slight breeze to keep us cool.

As it turned out, the trail was groomed and packed down, so we did not need to use snowshoes for the hike in. However, after arriving at the campsite, the snowshoes came out and the Scouts went off exploring cross-country. Later, the tents were set up and we all set about preparing hearty dinners. Meals had been planned and were cooked by the individual patrols. Dinner selections varied from Ramen soup, to hot dogs, to steak tips on buttered noodles. After dinner, we chatted around the campfire for a short while, but all were pretty tired from the day's activities.

Sunday morning was bright and cold, another beautiful day. After thawing out our boots and pants, breakfast was prepared by each patrol. Meals varied from oatmeal, to hardboiled eggs and Pop-Tarts, to cheese & ham omelets w/blueberry muffins. We then broke camp, packed up our tents and gear, and loaded them back on our sleds and backpacks. By 11:00am we began the trek back to the trailhead, arriving back at the cars shortly after noontime.