A big thank you to Mr. Midlo, Mr. Arntz, Mr. Blaum, and Mr. Gray for supervising the boys while they participated in the Gladiator Games (Fall Jamboree). We had 15 Scouts participate, two of which are Eagle Scout candidates.  We had lots of help with the trebuchet and the chariot.  If anyone took any pictures during the camporee please share them with Lou via email or dropbox.  In our picture this week we have Perry our SPL with Jonathan, Eldon, David, and Elijah having some post meeting fun. 

This year’s National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT), took place from July 23rd through July 30th, at the Denali High Adventure Camp just north of Talkeetna, AK.  Myself (Connor), Eldon, and Jack, attended and participated in this year’s NYLT.  Unlike the two weeks prior, when it was hot and sunny during summer camp at Denali, the week of NYLT was wet and raining the whole week.  Unfortunately my tent had a leak in it, so I learned first-hand how to cope with wet, cold sleeping conditions.

While at NYLT we set up our own campsites and cooked all of our meals.  The first couple of days were spent attending leadership training classes, where we studied leadership techniques and learned skills we will need to become successful Boy Scout leaders.  When we weren’t attending leadership classes, we were participating in team building exercises.

On the last day of camp, the individual patrols hiked to remote campsites where we set up small camps, built fires, cooked our last meals, and enjoyed our last night together.

This year, Troop 219’s annual summer camp took place at the Denali High Adventure Camp located at Mile 133 on the Parks Hwy.  The 40 Boys and 5 Adults who participated in this year’s camp, drove 3 ½ hours on a school bus to the camp location.  We left JLC on Monday morning, July 11th, and returned Saturday afternoon July 16th.  The Denali High Adventure Camp is Alaska’s newest BSA Camp located in a remote location about 25 miles north of Talkeetna, AK.    

The week we spent at camp was sunny and hot the whole time. Sometimes too hot!  Despite the Merit Badge sessions being so far apart that we needed to use bikes to get from one session to the next, our Troop completed over 110 Merit Badges. 

Throughout the week of camp we cooked our own meals, and organized many activities within our patrols. My favorite activity to watch was the “Battle Boarding” where participants did battle on the Stand-up Paddle Boards. Some other activities that we were able to do when we had our work complete were 3D Archery, Large Bore Rifle Shooting, Muzzle Loading Shotguns and Rifle shooting, Pistols, Stand-up Paddle Boarding, Kayaking, and Log Cabin Building.

Five Scouts and two Adults hiked 24.1 miles through Crow Pass on Saturday,June 25th, 2016.  The day was overcast with the occasional rain shower, which kept the temperature down so the hikers would not get too hot.  The scouts from Troop 219 left Girdwood at 8am and were picked up at the Eagle River Nature Center at 10pm the same day.  The 24 mile hike took 14 hours to complete. 

According to Nikki Sellers, one of the two adults on the hike, the most memorable part of the day was when they had to cross two rivers.  The widest crossing was approximately 50 yards wide and the very cold glacier water in the river came to the hiker’s hips.  After successfully crossing the river, the hikers stopped for lunch. The scouts from Troop 219 reached the peak two hours after starting the hike. 

Another memorable part of the hike was when the scouts had to traverse a snow field that was filled with wet, heavy snow that was on a 45 degree slope.  I am sure it would have felt like one wrong move and they might have tumbled down the mountain. The 24 mile Crow Pass hike was long and arduous, and the scouts who completed it should feel very proud of their accomplishment.

Scouts and adults from Troop 219 participated in the annual NRA Youth Safety Training again this year. This free, highly anticipated event is a favorite of our troop. This year’s Youth Firearms Safety Training was on Saturday, June 4th, at the Birchwood Recreation and Shooting Park in Chugiak, AK.  Participants arrived at 7:30am and the event last until 5pm.  Throughout this bright, sunny day, the NRA event had a total of 14 different types of guns to shoot at 85 various stations.  In addition to shooting and learning gun safety, we got to see SWAT demonstrations involving kicking down doors, blowing down doors, and shooting 3 human outlined targets behind each door. 

The NRA not only offers free firearms safety training to youth in our community, it also supplies a lunch of hotdogs, and hamburgers.  We all had fun and I can’t wait to see what fun events are offered at next year’s NRA event.

Photograph Courtesy Lou Rivera- Murray

Eighteen scouts and six adults hiked the 1.5 mile round trip from Skyline Road to the peak of Mile High on Sunday, August 28th, 2016.  The day was bright, sunny and warm.  The scouts from Troop 219 had a short meeting at Joy Lutheran Church, followed by the hike straight up to the Mile High Peak.  The entire hike took 1.5 hours. After the hike was complete, all scouts and adults returned to Joy Lutheran Church to finish the meeting and return home.