Don't Panic! Well, at least not yet...

Written by Jeff Zantek

Wednesday, 08 July 2009 13:42

Two weeks. 177 miles. Over 1,000,000 memories. Our intrepid Crew joined with Venturers from California, Texas, and Colorado to raft the "River of No Return" AKA the Salmon River in Idaho. They continued on to the Snake River and paddled completely up into Oregon and then Washington. The adventure included certification with the American Red Cross in Wilderness First Aid, the American Canoe Association as River Guides, and the BSA Kodiak Nature of Leadership course. Check the Photo Album and share the experience.

This is what Jake had to say about the Trek:

"The rafting trip this year was awesome! I had a blast. There was so much adventure, there were new friendships being made, and becoming educated in both Wilderness First Aid and whitewater guiding was an amazing experience. I must say that it was the trip of a lifetime, everyone was friendly to one another and the rapids were way cool. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking and along with that I got the chance to see some of Idaho's wildlife firsthand. We all had a good time off of the river as well as on it, playing games and having water fights, it was so much fun! More importantly though is we had the chance to branch our Crew out and connect with some of the other Crews just on the other side of the Puget Sound. I really hope we can hook up with them for another trip sometime. I unfortunately cannot share my thoughts on the Kodiak or Kodiak X courses since I did not participate in those. [Ed: Jake previously completed them] However I can say that I really enjoyed myself during both the guide training and the Wilderness First Aid course. It truly was one of the best trips I've ever been on and if I had the chance I'd definitely do it again!"

It's Off to Indiana

Friday, 31 July 2009 19:24
Venturers Brett and Jeff departed on a July 31st red-eye flight to Bloomington, Indiana to attend the National Order of the Arrow Conference at Indiana University. They'll spend the week on campus, attending leadership and high adventure planning workshops and other activities, networking with 7,000 other delegates from across the country. See event.oa-bsa.org for more details.

Crew Visits Seattle

Thursday, 21 May 2009 02:34

The highly-anticipated excursion to the Experience Music Project (EMP) in Seattle was on Saturday, May 23. The weather was incredible and the holiday weekend brought out the Seattle population en mass. The EMP, for the unenlightened, is a museum dedicated to music and its culture. Seattle is known not only for coffee, but also for being the birthplace of grunge and a continued cradle for alternative musicians. Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Jimi Hendrix, Heart and many others got their starts here in the PacNorWest. The EMP celebrates and commemorates their contribution to society and the culture of Washington, the United States, and (with some) the world.

Seattle Center was also hosting the Folklife Festival, which added to the massive crowds out for the weekend. Wading through the humanity was a new experience for those used to the elbow room of Kitsap. The EMP tour included admittance to the Science Fiction Museum, so the Crew hit the SFM after lunch. In addition to Science Fiction Hall of Fame for authors and film directors, the museum was filled with memorabilia from notable SciFi flicks and TV series from the past 50 years, including actual costumes, weapons, and probably every robot ever built for the screen.

We took a diversionary hike through Pike Place Market on the way back to Colman Dock and the ferries. Street Theatre was never better, including the sidewalk musician who played guitar, accompanying himself on harmonica, and sang...all while whirling a hula-hoop around his waist. Crazy. Don't forget to view the pictures from the day in our Crew photo album. The link's over on the left of the page.

Spring Camporee 2009

Monday, 04 May 2009 22:47

The Crew just returned from the combined Orca and Sinclair Districts' spring Camporee at Camp Hahobas. The highlight of the weekend was a reinactment of Lord Robert Baden-Powell's Siege of Mafeking, redeclared as Mission X...a late night series of challenges to test everyone's abilities in Scoutcraft in the dark. Devon's team (The Caffinated Campers) was declared the winner of several contest events and the overall winner for the Mission. Everyone was done by 0320 and arose on Saturday morning to some great breakfasts in the woods. Saturday afternoon turned into Stay-Dry Survival Camp, as Hahobas is located down by the Big Bend in the Hood Canal and it's unusual weather Convergence Zone...it poured mightily from late Saturday morning until after dark. Jeff, Bret, and Luke donned their Pacific Northwest native button blankets and treated everyone to a Haida and Lummi Indian "dance party", then called out the names of those Scouts who had been chosen by their Troops and Teams to join the Order of the Arrow. Over 300 youth and 30 adults attended.

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