Beautiful sunny cold day. Howard Pachter and his friend, Sam Harris, were the first to show up in front of the Everheart Museum. While, I was showing Howard how to find North with the aid of the sun and a watch, two cars pulled up: Mr. Ruder and Mr. and Mrs. Davidow. The following scouts met at the museum: Pachterr, Davidow, Borer, Rabkin, Kosher, Ruder, and Leventhal. Epstein got tired of waiting and had gone on ahead to wait for us at the spring. After running (perhaps I should say walking) Bob Ruder and Ted Leventhal through their Second Class Measuring, Directions, and Map Orienteering, we started off to Nay Aug Wells. On the way, we looked for tracks and other signs of animals, and identified several species of trees. The snow was frozen on the ground and our shoes broke through and crunched as we walked.
I took a picture of the group on the steps of the museum. When we arrived at the cook site, I took the two scouts who needed their Second Class Hike aside and asked them if they would like to take their hike and then come back, build a fire, and cook. They were agreeable, so I left the other group of in charge of Pachter and Borer.
We went to the end of Arial Street, then bee-lined through the woods to Lake Scranton Road. Scout Kosher asked if I was depending on them to find the way. I said “Sure. You and the compass.” We arrived at Lake Scranton Dam at 3:00 o’clock. I took a picture of the dam and explained to the boys where we were headed and how to get there and then started them off.
They were so busy talking to each other, they missed the path at the pile of cinders and went right on by. When we got to the end of the path, we saw that the creek was frozen over. We walked up to the turn in the creek near a patch of white rocks. We got out the topographical map, oriented it, and took a bearing in the direction we expected to go. We skirted the swamp and found our way out without using the compass. We hit Ore Mine Road and walked down to the spring in the clearing. There was water in the pond. I started the boys up the road and walked down stream. The water runs a little ways then disappears underground. We left the area at 4:00 o’clock.
When the boys started back, they were tired. Especially Rabkin, his legs are much shorter than mine. They started singing on the way back, but when they neared the cook site, they started hollering for someone to bring them a sandwich. I let them cook and eat first then they built their fire afterward. I had the two Tenderfeet make new fires as they had no success with their original attempt. At 4:40 pm, I chased some of the boys as their parents expected them back at the Museum at 5:00. After Kosher and Rabkin put out their fires, they left. Dick Epstein and John Borer like fires so they stayed until dark. They cleaned out the spring and burnt trash as an excuse to stay. We arrived home at 6:00. Not many tests were passed but a good time was had by all.
P.S. My dog Pudgy enjoyed the hike too. She couldn’t wait to have her hamburger fried.