Scouts unfazed by winter activities

Matamoras — Boy Scouts from Troop 77, undaunted by a winter snow squall, recently concluding a winter campout at Pike County’s Lily Pond park. Ten scouts joined the campout, which began with a six-inch snowfall on Friday evening of Feb. 29. Besides extensive sledding and occasional cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, scouts and leaders went on a five-mile hike through nearby forests, after first reviewing the route on maps and learning proper orientation of a compass. All cooking was done by the Scouts outside. Another highlight of the outing was a wilderness survival lecture by David May, who had his K-9 and tracking dog Seamus along. May is also a deputy with the Pike County Sheriff’s Department. For many years Seamus had been a K-9 with the department, until the dog took “retirement” not long ago from regular sheriff’s duty. May reiterated for the Scouts the importance of layering their clothing and of proper hydration in winter. Scouts on the trip included Senior Patrol Leader Joe Nied, David Shankler, Kyle Teune, Dakota Hendricks, Luke Reno, Dan Reno, Ben Cunningham, Jack Brighton, Joe Barth and Tyler Cullen. The campout is but one of several activities for the busy troop this winter. In February, several Troop 77 Scouts joined others from across the Delaware River District of the Hudson Valley Council to hear Pastor David Repenning preach at Scout Sunday services. The annual ecumenical service was at Drew United Methodist Church in Port Jervis. Religious faith is a tenet of Scouting. Scouts learned about their obligations to be good citizens during a session with Officer Mark Moglia, school police officer with the Delaware Valley School District. Moglia also briefed the scouts on proper school conduct in a variety of situations. After talking to the scouts, Moglia answered a number of questions about school security from parents who were at the meeting. Rounding out the winter activies was the annual Klondike Derby for the Delaware district, at Manza Family Farm in Montgomery, N.Y. Troop 77 was one of only a few troops to bring two patrols of scouts to the derby, which tested a variety of scouting skills, including first aid, map and compass and animal and track identification. Scouts in the “Viking” patrol were Joe Barth, Ben Cunningham, Cody Fitzsimmons, Dan Reno and Kyle Teune. Scouts in the “Penguin” patrol were Joe Nied, Luke Reno, Jack Brighton, David Shankler and Tyler Cullen. Troop 77 meets at 7 p.m. most Tuesdays at the United Methodist Church in Matamoras. New scouts are always welcome.