On Friday, November 18, the boys and girls of Troop 3 met up at the Appalachian Mountain Club-Cardigan Lodge in Alexandria, NH, in preparation for the annual hike to the summit of Mount Cardigan (3,155 ft), and a weekend of fun before Thanksgiving.
The hike has been a strong tradition for many years, and it continues to be one of the most popular troop events which Scouts look forward to every fall. It isn’t free, so the Troop depends on fundraisers, led by the Scouts, to help fund Scout trips such as Cardigan and other activities. The two Troop fundraisers are running the beach parking lot at Harbor’s Point during the summer, and the Troop 3 Tree Sale, which is currently happening at the Scout House (74 School Street) through December 18.
Following a delicious, energy-fueled kick-off breakfast Saturday morning, the day of the hike was one not to forget, between the highs and lows of the day. While there was a bit of separation between groups, sometimes intentionally and at other times not, everyone in the group reached the summit. Pre-packed lunches were enjoyed in the midst of the wind and suddenly chilling conditions at the peak.
After lunch, pictures, and enjoying the view, it was time to head down the mountain. This proved to be arguably the most difficult part of the entire hike, as not everyone was quite ready for what was in store. There were sharp downward slants without much traction outside of occasional patches of snow, so most had to take it slow. There wasn’t much space to gain traction, so most went through a guess-and-check process of stepping on snow, rocks, and ice and seeing if it was suitable to make the next step downward. The roundtrip trek came in just over 5.5 hours in length when the last hikers were in, with everyone making it down the mountain safely.
Once off the mountain, Scouts and families enjoyed hot, homemade chicken soup, nachos appetizers, and later, a spaghetti dinner, garlic bread rolls, salad, and fresh apple crisp. The main event of the evening followed, the annual Binsky-Winsky Cribbage Tournament. To advance into the championship game, Mr. Neil Campbell defeated Adrian Kuehnemund while Mrs. Angela Campbell defeated Adelaide Hall. In the end, what ended up being a Campbell vs. Campbell final game, Mr. Neil Campbell was victorious.
Sunday morning, a rested group enjoyed a relaxed breakfast of egg sandwiches, homemade blueberry muffins and fruit salad before heading back to Manchester-by-the-Sea to unload Christmas trees for the tree sale.
A very diverse group of 36 (Scouts, adults, and siblings) attended the trip, with some Scouts having never hiked Mount Cardigan before, and others who had gone multiple times, including experienced adults.
Despite the challenges that will always surface during a trek of this length, the day, and the entire weekend, were enjoyable for all.
