SUMMARY ' OF OUTING: 50 mile backpacking trip
at Lassen Volcanic Nat'l Park, one week in duration. Altitudes varied from
6200 to 10,500 feet above sea level. Ten girls (all Seniors holding their
First Class) and five men attended.
EVALUATION: In general, this was an outstanding outing. We not only all had a lot of fun, but we achieved the satisfaction which comes from having met a challenge. All of us came home, after our week in the mountains, as good friends.
Evaluation by the Senior Patrol Leader
Orginization of troop members for this outting
Press release that was writen but not used
Outing historians view of this outting
Song writen while on the trail
Planning, which was done by a team of five girls (leader, transportation, finance, equipment, food) and one advisor (Ass't Scoutmaster, Boy Scout Troop 463), was well done. The food was adequate in amount (thanks to some help from the Ass't Scoutmaster of Boy Scout troop 466) and tasty, our equipment (including our Hank Roberts butane stoves) was adequate and failure-free, and our timing and route were well chosen. The 45 miles of prep hikes (with packs) turned out to be especially important, in that they helped most of us to bring our bodies and packs up to the level necessary to make the 50 Miler comfortably. When planning next year's outing, we must make attendance on the prep hikes absolutely mandatory.
Our major problem was blisters on girl's feet, some of which were picked up on the prep hikes (and which had not healed in time for the 50 Miler) While the blisters didn't slow anyone down, their elimination next year would make the trip easier for most of the girls. Treatment for blisters, as developed on the outing, consisted of the following:
Swab blister and surrounding skin and needle with alcohol swab.
Use needle to carefully drain blister, mopping up with a clean 2x2 dressing.
Apply a fresh 2x2 dressing to blister, holding in place with surgical tape.
Cover dressing with a piece of moleskin at least 3x3 in size.
Part of our preparation next year must include a class on foot care, stressing methods to avoid blisters in the first place, such as the use of two or three pairs of socks (of adequate weight and construction), moleskin on "hot spots", the detection of "hot spots", etc. As a final note, while our troop has always emphasized the importance of well fitting and well broken-in boots, several girls did very well on this outing wearing sneakers throughout. The absence of rocks on the trails helped.
While we didn't have a clear idea of what should be included in our First Aid kits before the outing, we surely do now. As a minimum, two kits should be brought for each ten girls, containing:
2x2 dressings (many)
surgical tape
Moleskin (a lot)
needle
alcohol swabs (a lot)
betadyne swabs
scissors (lightweight, folding, for cutting moleskin)
bandaids (many)
salt tabs (essential to maintain body salt balance)
aspirin
tweezers
petro jelly
neosporin jelly
sunscreen
"Potable Aqua" tabs (the best halizone)
"Foam Eze" foam pads (little donuts normally used for corns)
Our pack inspection was a success, resulting in no girl's pack exceeding 27 pounds in weight. This careful element of planning contributed to most girls ability to keep up the pace on the trail.
The route was beautifully planned, with the first two day's hikes being easy enough (less than six miles) to allow all of us to become used to hiking at altitude before we hit the strenuous climbs.
Having a lake to swim in each afternoon was a delight, allowing us to stay clean and contributing to high spirits throughout.
Getting up at 5:00 or 5:30 am each day wasn't much fun, but it permitted us to be in to camp each day between noon and 2:00 pm, allowing time for laundry, swimming, etc.
If we had notified the San Jose Mercury/News before the outing, they would have given us coverage in the Feature section. Our contact next year is:
San Jose Mercury/News
750 Ritter Park Dr.
San Jose 95190
Ann Hearst,
R. Waugh,
Leader/Advisor
Cadette/Senior Troop 253
G.S.U.S.A.