Spy Rock-Liam

Since his birthday in June, Liam has advanced into Boy Scouts (11 yr old scouts) this year, for which he is thrilled.  Now he can participate in all of those envious activities that Caleb has been a part of!  He kicked things off with a one-day daycamp in June, but this past weekend he got to go on his first overnight camping trip along with two other boys in his patrol.  One of their requirements is to camp, prepare a meal, and hike 5 miles.  They did this all last Friday-Saturday up along the Shenandoah Parkway.  In fact they backpacked in for two miles, gaining 1,000 feet of elevation gain, and set up camp right off the Appalachian Trail at Spy Rock.

Their two scout leaders went along, and so did Jared.  The boys set up their own tent (Jared's 25-year old 3-person Eureka tent he used as a scout, and has since given to Caleb), foraged for wood, started a fire (another requirement), cooked and ate their slightly burned hobo (tinfoil) dinners, made s'mores, then talked late (10:30 ish) into the night.  The next morning it was Liam's turn to prepare breakfast: hot water on Jared's old backpacking stove, for hot chocolate and hot tang (which Liam had never had, but was a camping staple for Jared growing up), hot cereal and then a new experiment: precooked bacon, which was such a huge hit with everyone.  Jared decided we should have it every camping trip we go on.  (I won't stress about what is in the bacon that allows it to sit at room temperature for months and still not give us food poisoning...  I'm not sure we can really call it a "food," now that I think it through.  But I digress.)

After breakfast they hiked without out their packs along a 5 mile loop before they broke down camp and saddled the big packs back on and headed home.  The views - even captured on the little point-and-shoot camera - look spectacular.....I mean this is why they call it the Blue Ridge Mountains!  Liam and Jared have definitely convinced us that we need to repeat the event on our own.