Saco River Canoe Trip Report by Tim

Saco River Canoe Trip

            The Saco River Canoe Trip for 2011 started off on a rainy Friday evening in the true spirit of scouting. The troop arrived at the church parking lot at about 5:00. After some hustle and bustle about rides and what gear was going where, Troop 12 left the parking lot a half hour later. We stopped at McDonalds for dinner, and continued on our merry way. Arriving at the campsite at around eleven, the troop was acquainted with what turned out to be the biggest problem of the weekend; the mosquitoes. In a lull in the rainstorm, the scouts hastily set up their tents to escape the rain and vicious bugs.

            The next morning, the scouts had a quick breakfast of bagels and oatmeal and then headed down to the river. Canoe buddies were chosen, and each canoe was supplied with two oars, a throw line and life preservers. The canoes were launched at around 9:30, and the boats grouped together for a photo. The trip was underway.

            The day started off cloudy with some hopeful rays of sunshine peeking through. It was not very hard going, as the current pushed the boats along the river. There was debris such as fallen trees in the river from hurricane Irene that had passed through several weeks previously, and the water was rather cold, so no one was inclined to swim. By noon, however, the sun had come out and the temperature began to rise.

            With the building warmth in the air, an unforeseen annoyance became one of the greatest irritations of the trip. The mosquitoes on the river were vicious. When the troop stopped for lunch around 12:30, they attacked in huge numbers. Lunch was over in twenty minutes, and for the whole rest of the trip, the mosquitoes hung around the troop like a plague. The Scouts could often squash three or four at a time such was their proximity to each other.  

            The canoe trip ended early at around 3:00 in the afternoon, on account of the innumerable bugs. The troop had planned on the trip taking all day, but the mosquitoes had other plans. Upon arrival at the campsite, it was decided that the troop would go to North Conway, a nearby town that was the place to be on a Saturday evening. The Scouts were allowed to go through the various shops and general stores along the main road of the town. There were not nearly as many bugs outside the wooded campground, and the troop enjoyed about an hour of bug free bliss.

            The troop came back to the site at around 5:00, and dinner preparations began. For those that have not been on a scout trip, dinner is often a sizable meal, and takes a long time to prepare. By 7:00, the meal of tinfoil dinners was cooked and ready to be eaten. The Scouts cleaned up, and went to bed by 9:00.

            The next morning, the Scouts arose, packed up the site, policed the area, and started the long drive home. The Scouts were tired but content about the weekend’s trip. They had managed to get out into the woods and forget about the rigors of work and school for a few days, which was reward enough for their hard work.