By Evan Centofanti, Star Scout
Editor’s note: This article was written by Evan Centofanti, age 13 and a Star Scout in the troop.
On the weekend of May 16 and 17, Troop 489 of Hillsborough went on a canoeing adventure deep into the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey. Scouts paddled their way through miles of winding streams and scenic vegetation.
During the day, they traveled down the Wading River, and explored what the beautiful Pine Barrens have to offer. The Scouts navigated down the river of the canal in the early afternoon and spent the rest of the day camping at Bass River State Park. The group had to steer their canoes through rapids, and obstacles like rocks and tree branches.
Some of the Scouts were very familiar with canoeing, but newer Scouts to the troop were new to the trip, but fit right in quickly and had a great time with their fellow peers. While the group was eating their lunch, the troop found a rope swing that they couldn’t resist using. This amazing six-mile trip along a peaceful river was fun and enjoyable and they had lots of fun.
After the canoeing, the troop headed back to the campsite, where the Scouts set up camp and their own tents. For dinner, the Scouts broke out into their own assigned patrol cooking groups, where they had planned and bought the food they prepared and cooked. Some Scouts even got Scouting rank requirements completed during the trip.
After dinner, the Scouts went to bed in their tents for the night. In the morning, they got up, cooked breakfast, broke down camp and headed back home. This has been one favorable trip that the Scouts like to go on and they cannot wait to go next year!
