The Adventures of Boy Scout Troop 870

Finally we had a normal snow year with enough snow to dig snow caves. It's not as cold as you think inside a snow cave and there is no wind. It does help to have a big campfire though.

The snow level was high enough we were able to camp at Peterson Prairie and explore Dynamited Cave, among others. I can't lie about the rain - you can see it in the photos. But it was dry in the caves!

We biked the lower 13 miles of the Klickitat Trail, an old 'rails to trails' railroad along the Klickitat River. Then that night we camped out near Goldendale and had a great time at the Goldendale Observatory.

We had a lot of smoke from the Warm Springs fire but other than that we just had another great time!

Another great day on the river. Warm water and perfect temperatures!

Memorial weekend we went to Lava Butte, Lava Cast Forest, Cabin Lake campground, Fort Rock (the town and the rock), Hole-in-the-Ground, Crack-in-the-Ground, South Ice Cave, China Hat, and Lava River Cave. What fun!

Considering the forecast, this trip turned out great! Blue skies all weekend, just a dusting of snow on the ground, and only 22 degrees at night. The caves felt warm since they are in the 40's regardless of the outside temperature. We explored the well-known Ape Cave as well as the lesser-known Lake Cave and Little Red River Cave. What fun!

Lorraine once again organized a wonderful outing to Butte Creek where our very own Troop 870 wranglers were waiting for us: Alex, Joey, Jared, and Kevin. Great job guys!

Twice a year we elect new leaders and install them. We also award the numerous merit badges that were earned in the previous 6 months.

Trip of a lifetime! 70 miles of paddling on 12 lakes and 3 rivers over 8 days. You travel around a big square and end up right where you started! We had 1 day and 2 nights of rain, warm temperatures, and hardly any bugs.

We almost canceled due to thunderstorms, but the smart phones showed the front would pass by and after waiting an hour, we launched. The only real rain we had was during lunch while we were under the picnic shelter at Tualatin Community Park. Pretty good timing!

It was a little cool but it was sunny and we had downriver wind! Professional photos can be purchased at http://imperial.photoreflect.com/

Last year the boys voted to visit the Redwoods so this year we did, with a bonus stop at the Oregon Caves. It was pretty much a perfect trip. The adults had more fun beating the boys at whiffle ball than anything else!

One of the dads in the troop is in the National Guard and arranged for us to paddle around Camp Rilea. Forecast called for rain but we went anyway - and it didn't rain!

Our annual good time at Bullwinkles Family Fun Center.

Free fishing weekend is coming up in June so it's time we learned what to do with the keepers!

Tucked in the middle of Timberline Ski Area is an old (1930's) cabin purchased by the Boy Scouts in 1953. Who knew? The wood stove kept the place plenty warm, especially upstairs in the bunk room (heat rises!). In the morning we skied down to the chairlifts under beautiful blue skies and had a great day.

Perfect weather, lots of new snow, 15 fun people, and birds on Kevin's head. What could be more fun?

Every year we have one meeting out of uniform.

This year we did our annual 3-day trip on the Upper Deschutes. We rafted 50 miles from Warm Springs to Maupin, camping two nights along the way. A little rain the 1st night and a distant thunderstorm provided entertainment. The 2nd night the Perseid meteor shower was spectacular in clear night sky. No one got hurt, everyone had a great time, and we all got wet!

Due to scheduling conflicts the troop was not able to participate in the annual all-nighter at Bullwinkles. But we did the next best thing - unlimited games, pizza, and soda from 7-11pm. We had over 25 boys turn out for this fun event! Too bad most of my photos didn't turn out.

Finally a camporee with not just no rain, but also perfect warm temperatures! This was at Horning's Hideout again which worked out really well and everyone had a great time. The dry weather made for some dust but Denis and Kevin solved the problem with the dirty trailer. Thanks guys!

Since no one signed up to go snowshoeing, we decided to go to Teacup Lake Nordic area which was a much nicer place for beginners than Trillium Lake. The trails are groomed by the Oregon Nordic Club. We had 14 people and a wonderful time. Perfect weather. Perfect snow conditions. No bad traffic. No one got hurt. I can't wait to go back!

Tucked in the middle of Timberline Ski Area is an old (1930's) cabin purchased by the Boy Scouts in 1953. Who knew? The wood stove kept the place plenty warm, especially upstairs in the bunk room (heat rises!). In the morning we skied down to the chairlifts under beautiful blue skies and had a great day.

Every year the boy scouts have a white elephant gift exchange and pizza party. This year Kevin stole a "holy mackerel", I got fuel for my JetBoil, and Zoe got Winnie the Pooh. Nobody dared steal the Pooh Bear.

The first rainy weekend of the season didn't stop the troop from camping for 2 nights on the south side of Mt St Helens. We explored Ape Cave, Little Red River Cave, and Lake Cave. It's dry in the caves so a little rain is no big deal.

Every six months the newly-elected leaders spend a weekend at Camp Smith learning about their roles and how to run the troop.

Opal Creek is a beautiful creek in the heart of Oregon old-growth forest. The swimming holes are wonderful, especially the natural water slide. Unfortunately there has been a lot of mining in the past and Kevin didn't find any gold.

Everyone heard how cool this hike was last year we decided to do it again. The bushes and weeds have grown an amazing amount in only 1 year. There were more washouts and fallen trees to contend with too. In a couple of years the forest will reclaim this railroad. We are fortunate to have seen it while we can.

In December 2007 the Port of Tillamook Bay railroad through the Coast Range was washed out in numerous places during a huge winter storm. The railroad tracks, trestles, and tunnels remain in place. The railroad is no longer used and you can see why when you look at the pictures. For anyone who ever wanted to explore an abandoned railroad, this is perfect. This is a wilderness hike with no road access for the 16 miles of our hike.

This year we had great weather and a great time, rafting the last 40-some miles of the Deschutes River from Buckhollow Creek to the mouth at the Columbia River.

Our sponsor organization, the Beaverton Optimist Club, asked for our help in installing new playground equipment in Carolwood Park. Sometimes we have summer troop meetings in this beautiful park.

There are numerous lava tube caves in the Mt Adams area and our troop visited a number of them.

This year's district-wide camporee was held at Horning's Hideout.

We spent a night camping in the snow at Trillium Lake. We had fresh snow and cold temps. Brrr!

What a beautiful place. A little rain never hurt anyone, right?

We spent the weekend camping along the Clackamas River while working on the canoeing merit badge.

After an intense downpour and thunderstorm, it got hot and we had a great trip. Except for the cow.

This was the 3rd year the district-wide camporee was held at PGE's Trojan Park near Rainier, Oregon.

We visited Ice Cave, New Cave, and Cheese Cave during the first significant snow fall of the season. The caves were warmer than outside!

Ole's Cave is a lava tube south of Mt St Helens, near the more well-known Ape Cave. It is a mile or so from the road so we hiked in and spent the night. We got at least a half inch of rain and could have never made a fire without Jeremy's umbrella.

This was the 2nd year the district-wide camporee was held at PGE's Trojan Park near Rainier, Oregon.

Another fun horseback campout, this time for a full day ride.

This was the 1st year the district-wide camporee was held at PGE's Trojan Park near Rainier, Oregon.

Our first outing with Troop 870. We must have had a good time because we came back for more. Thanks Lorraine!