Troop 255 Rocks Pinnacles!

On January 11-12, 2014 Scout Troop 255 made their annual trip to Pinnacles National Monument. Pinnacles is a beautiful place, with steep rock spires, ramparts, crags, and incredible views from its high peaks. It is a popular place for mountaineers to practice their climbing skills and it is also a release location for the rare California Condor which can be seen soaring majestically between the hills and over the canyons.

Troop 255 makes an annual trip to Pinnacles in January and invites Webelos from the Half Moon Bay area Cub Scout packs to attend so they can learn about Boy Scouts and complete some requirements for advancement.

The first day is typically filled with Scout activities and this year was no exception. We had Scouts working on first aid, fire building, ax and saw safety, and learning to tie various knots. In addition, each of the Webelos got a chance to join a patrol and create a patrol flag.  There were also opportunities for the boys to participate in dinner preparation in the kitchen area. The patrols rotated through the various stations, so everyone got a chance to participate in each activity.

The evening's highlights included a wonderful dinner of chili, rice, and quesadillas and a number of vigorous games of "capture the flag." This year we were fortunate that the overnight temperatures stayed above freezing, which made for a very comfortable overnight camp.

The following morning, after breakfast and camp cleanup, the Scouts hiked the High Peaks trail which starts and at Bear Gulch, rises 2,000 feet to the high pinnacles, and returns to Bear Gulch via caves formed by Bear Creek eroding through a number of large rocks in a canyon. The weather on Sunday was cool and clear, making for great visibility and great hiking.

Overall, the Troop 255 Pinnacles trip rocked this year!

Mountain Bike Overnight at China Camp State Park in Marin

November 23-24:

China Camp provides some magnificent panoramic views of the Northern Bay along with miles of multi-use trails all just a short distance north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

In addition to getting a chance to ride the multi-use trails along the salt marshlands, Scouts had a chance to work on rank advancement and learn about trail courtesy and bike safety. While the main group was out riding some Scouts remained in camp to work on requirements for Tenderfoot and Second Class ranks. Several Scouts also got a chance to fulfill cooking requirements for rank advancement, while others worked on their Cooking Merit badge.  The camp was in a very nicely wooded area right by the trails and the weather was nearly perfect for the trip.

Before leaving the area Sunday, we made a short trip over to visit the remnants of a former Chinese fishing village. There the Scouts got a chance to explore a little of the history of the area as well as to play and skip rocks along the shoreline.

It was a wonderful trip overall to a beautiful area that is surprisingly close to the Scouts' home base in Montara.

Scouting for Food 

Saturday, November 16

This year's Scouting for Food was a huge success with the boys bringing in -- literally -- tons of food!  Things were very busy Saturday at the Coastside Hope drop-off center as Scouts from Troops 255 and 263 along with Cub Scouts from Packs 255 and 263 worked to sort and box the donations as they came in from all over the Coastside. 

Scouts work to sort donations into containers and then move them into boxes.

The donations continued to come in right up to the ending time at 2 p.m. It was wonderful to see all the contributions. This year's donations topped last year's record and set a new Coastside Scouting for Food high with 4,389 pounds of food collected and sorted. 

Thank you all so much for contributing to this wonderful, valuable, and caring community service effort!

October 16 Troop Meeting

7pm Yacht Club

During the troop meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 16, Scouts rotated by patrols through several different activities. One group continued working on the requirements for the Cooking merit badge:

A second group discussed opportunities for community service with the Scoutmaster:

And the third group participated in games out in front of the Yacht Club.  The day had been particularly warm for the coastal area, which made the evening temperature perfect for outdoor activities by the harbor. And there's always the wonderful view of the sun setting over the harbor:

Great meeting!

Moss Beach Park Cleanup

On Sunday October 6, members of Troop 255 had the opportunity to participate with Cub Scouts of Pack 255 on a service project to clean up and improve Moss Beach Park. Activities included trash clean-up, fluffing up the existing bark, adding new wood chips around all areas where kids might fall, pulling weeds and a thorough cleaning of all the park play structures.

Moss Beach Park as we finished cleaning up

The park clean-up was a wonderful success, with fresh wood chips, clean structures and no more weeds! The whole park now looks fresh and new again. Overall, it was a wonderful chance for the Scouts to do a good turn for the community while earning service hours.

Thanks to all who participated! The park looks great!!!

October 2nd Troop Meeting

7pm Yacht Club

At the troop meeting, the Scouts had an opportunity to start work on the Cooking merit badge. Starting in 2014, the Cooking merit badge will be added to the list of merit badges required for the rank of Eagle. Because cooking is something that can be done at the Yacht Club during the troop meetings, this is a wonderful opportunity for the Scouts to learn about such topics as proper food handling, preparation and cooking safety as they work through this requirement. 

Scouts discussing the fine details of fine cuisine 

Several changes to the upcoming events schedule were announced. These include: 

On Saturday-Sunday, November 2-3, we will have a backpacking trip to Black Mountain backpack camp in Palo Alto.

On Saturday-Sunday, November 23-24, we will have a mountain biking and camping trip to China Camp State Park in Marin.  This trip will replace the Wente trip we had planned for October 12-13 because Wente is not available.

The Pinnacles trip will be Friday-Sunday, January 10-12.  There was a conflict with Pack 255's schedule on the dates chosen previously.  

Sept. 28-29 Portola Redwoods Overnight Camping Trip

The Troop is scheduled to go an overnight camping trip at Portola Redwoods Saturday and Sunday September 28-29. Originally this was scheduled to be at Black Mountain but that site was booked so the venue has been changed to Portola Redwoods in San Mateo County. 

Photo Courtesy of California State Parks and Recreation.

Directions and more information about the Portola Redwoods State Park is available at the park web site.