1982 Troop 253 2nd Annual

Fifty Miler to Desolation Wilderness

Evaluation by Leader

Ray Waugh

Troop Leader/Advisor evaluation, Fifty Miler outing to the Desolation Wilderness, August, 1982

SUMIMARY:

This was a fifty mile backpack trip of our own design, taking place in the Desolation Wilderness area of the Sierras west of South Lake Tahoe. Altitudes climbed during the outing varied from 6000 to 9735 feet above sea level. Seven girls (all Seniors, holding their First Class), one adult woman and four men attended. Due to several missed trail junctions and the need to cross-country in several places, the original 55 mile hike stretched out to something just over 60 miles, a feat completed in seven days. This was our troop's second annual 50 Miler.
 

PLANNING:

All planning for this outing was done by the girls who went on the trip  (see organiaation chart and assignments). The troop was organized into three patrols of four people each, with each patrol being self-sufficient (food, shelter and equipment). In general, the planning went well and all required tasks were completed before we left. However, some decisions were late in being made, the team had too few meetings where all members were present (a job made more difficult by the fact that all of them did some travelling this summer), the group worked as a loose coalition of individuals instead of as a team and communications between the various members could have been better. Finally, the team should have included more girls so that no girl had to fill two positions. It is expected that next year's planning team will include some adult representation.

All paperwork was submitted by troop leader/advisors, including Wilderness permit, collecting parent permission slips and girl medical forms, Plan 3 health insurance, Notification of Intent to Travel and Readiness to Travel.
 

FOOD:

In general, this year's food was an improvement over last year’s. The menu was varied and suited everyone's tastes, there was sufficient quantity of food for every meal, some supermarket foods were used in place of the more expensive freeze-dried backpacker's dishes, and all meals were well balanced. The only improvement which I can suggest for consideration for next year is that our food was about two pounds per person heavier than it was last summer; either that weight should be eliminated, or the heavier meals should be eaten during the first few days of the trip.
 

EQUIPMENT:

In general, our equipment held up well. One patrol used our troop butane stove exclusively, while two others used personal gasoline stove primarily. This year we added shelters to our troop equipment, lightweight nylon 8’ x 10’ tarps which we rigged with lines around the edges and with which we carried aluminum poles to enable .us to erect a three person rain shelter. Equipment failures this outing consisted of one backpack's hip belt ripping loose (repaired with light nylon line on the trail, and later sewn back together with a needle and fishing line) and the partial loss of a boot sole (which was reattached with pine pitch and light nylon line). On the evening before we left we conducted a pack inspection to make sure that each girl had all the items required by our equipment list and to verify that no pack weighed more than 32 pounds (including all food, clothing and equipment). During next year's inspection, the condition of each pack will also be checked.
 

MEDICAL:

Each patrol carried their own small first aid kit, and each girl was required to bring along a few first aid basics in her own pack. Additionally, I carried our troop's new troop kit. , along with a book on wilderness medicine. The weight of the troop kit was just under a pound, with all items tucked into pockets formed into a clear plastic organizer from a Seal-A-Meal bag. The contents of the kit were used to treat the cause or symptoms of an injured heel tendon, two yellow-jacket stings, a threatened nosebleed, uncountable mosquito bites, an eat ache, chafed inner thighs, sunburn and, of course, foot blisters. Because many of the girls toughened their feet before the hike with twice-daily alcohol rubs, and because we modified our blister care technique (substituting Op-Site for gauze against the blister and removing all moleskin each evening to allow the blister to air and heal), our foot blister problems this year were much less severe than they were last summer.

As part of the medical preparation for this trip, each girl was required (as was each adult) to attend a number of prep hikes to tune up their hearts, lungs and legs. Some of the hikes, all of which were made with loaded packs, were short five-milers near Sanborn County Park in the evenings after the adults returned from work, and one was a 22 mile weekend outing at Big Basin Redwoods State Park. .
 

OTHER IMPRESSIONS:

We all enjoyed this outing very much, and came away with many happy memories along with the feeling of satisfaction which comes from having met a real challenge. This year's hike was much more difficult than last year's, with steep, rocky trails to be climbed with packs at high altitude (including 9200 foot high Dick's Pass). In places, the trail disappeared and we had to rely -upon topo maps and compass to cross-country over rocks and peaks and snowfields to our destination. One day, we spent ten hours with our packs on our backs. Despite the challenge, no girl (nor even any adult) complained, and everyone claimed to have had a great time. We swam in a different lake each evening, we stood atop Mt. Tallac with Lake Tahoe spread out 4000 feet below us, we enjoyed a campfire each night, -we danced and sang at Middle Velma Lake, and even the rain and hail on the trail couldn't dampen our 5pirits. The girls of the "Fighting 253rd" once again proved the wisdom of Virgil's insight when he wrote THEY CAN BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY CAN.

SCOUT EVALUATIONS & JOURNAL:

 Evaluation by Denise Duca

 Evaluation by Kim Hotz

 Official Miler Journal