Ten Senior Scouts of Cadette/Senior Troop 253 participated in their troop's first annual 50 Miler backpacking trip this summer. Accompanied by five men, the girls hiked the trails of Lassen Volcanic National Park, at altitudes ranging from 6100 feet to 10,500 feet above sea level. Each evening the troop camped by a different alpine lake, rimmed with pine trees and mountain tops, and one of the first things done at each camp was to head for the lake for a relaxing and refreshing swim. The girls were treated to spectacular vistas while they were learning how to live in the wilderness in comfort, without doing damage to the environment. Halfway through the trip, they conducted a Scout's Own on a talus slope near Widow Lake, while they watched the sun set over Lassen Peak. Each evening saw a campfire built by the side of a glassy lake, and as the trip wore on and the girls gained confidence in themselves, the campfires were accompanied by singing.

Preparations for the trip began in June, with the formation of a trip planning team. This team consisted of a young adult advisor and five girls. one girl was in charge, overall, for the outing - not only in the planning stages, but on the trail as well. A second girl took responsibility for finances, a third for transportation, a fourth for food and menu and the last girl was in charge of equipment.

The entire team was involved in choosing the route to be followed, carefully studying topographical maps of the Park. By the end of June, the team had roughed out a complete plan for the trip, and they conducted a meeting for all the girls and adults planning to attend. After final plans were complete, parent's questions were answered at a cookout held at the home of troop leader/ advisor Rosemarie Duca.

As part of their preparations for the outing, the girls planned a series of six prep hikes covering a total of 45 miles with backpacks, for several evenings and Saturdays prior to leaving for Lassen. Since the prep hikes were not overnighters, the girls could use whatever they wanted to bring their packs up to the required minimum weight of 25 pounds. one girl carried her softball trophies, and another loaded her pack with library books. The hikes not only provided for physical conditioning, they also helped to point up potential problems with boots, feet and backs.

After all the preparation, the purchase of additional troop equipment and food for the outing, the final requirement- before departure was pack inspection. Held the night before the troop left, each girl emptied her pack and had the contents inspected to make sure that all the required equipment (and nothing more) was there. At the end of the inspection, the group was divided into

Three patrols of four people each, with a fourth patrol of three. Patrol equipment, such as a stove, fuel, cook kit, first aid kit and a wash bucket was divided among the members of each patrol, as was the food which had been bundled and labeled by day and meal by the patrol leader. Since the girls were allowed only two changes of clothing, including that which they were wearing, the patrol's wash bucket was as essential as the cook kit. Finally, each pack was weighed and inspected to make sure it was in good condition and fit well. After three years of extensive weekend backpacking in the coastal mountains, with few restrictions on weight, the girls were pleased to find that none of their packs weighed over 30 pounds for this week-long outing. After all the packs were impounded, the girls and men headed home for a good night's rest.

Leaving early on the morning of the 18th of July, the troop arrived at Lassen Park to spend the night at Lost Creek Group Campground. After a hearty breakfast of fresh food to prepare them to live for a week on freeze dried meals, the troop hit the trail at Summit Lake. Each day saw the troop up before dawn, making their breakfast, cleaning up equipment and camp and packing while the mists rose from the surface of the nearby lake. on the trail by 7: 00 am, the troop was in to the day's camp between noon and 2:00 PM, beating the heat of the day and providing ample time for laundry, swimming and day hiking.  Tuesday was a day dreaded by the girls - the plan for the day called for a hike from Snag Lake to Butte Lake, crossing the barren cinder fields and going over the top of Cinder Cone with packs.  The climb up the loose cinders of the Cone, the first of three volcanoes which they climbed, was difficult in the thin air, but the views from the  top of the Painted Dunes and Fantastic Lava Beds was an ample reward.  Wednesday morning saw the troop climb Prospect Peak, with a hot breakfast at the top with a view of Mount Shasta - by then the girls knew that they could meet any challenge which the Park offered, and spirits began to lift. After making camp on Friday night, the girls day hiked into Bumpass Hell, the largest active area in the park, reached by a hike through lupine and other alpine flowers.  On Saturday morning, before leaving for home, the girls climbed Lassen Peak, beginning at Lake Helen at 8500 feet and reaching the top (10,500feet altitude) an hour and 15 minutes later. Much of the long drive home was occupied by initial planning for next year's 50 Mliler.
All girls attending the outing were required, by troop rules, to be Senior Scouts holding their First Class Award. The cost for each participant was $60, but most of the girls earned part or all of that amount in several money making activities held during the previous Scouting year.

The girls of Troop 253 are grateful for the assistance given them by Warren Harrington, Ass't Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 466, who helped with the menu planning and food purchase, and to Ravmond M. Waugh, Ass't Scoutmaster of Boy Scout Troop 463 (and son of one of 253's leader/ advisors) who acted as advisor to the planning team for the event. Fathers joining the girls on the outing were Lee Hotz, Duke Hughes, Vern Tucker and Raymond W. Waugh. They were, in turn, grateful to the girls for cutting back on their pace on the trail, allowing them to keep up.

Leader/Advisors for Troop 253 are Rosemarie Du

ca, Anne Sklensky, Dan Swanson and Ray Waugh.