With San Mateo County now in the Orange Tier and likely to improve to the Yellow soon, we’re eager to resume in-person Scout meetings! We have approval from our Charter Organization, Kiwanis Club of Menlo Park, to meet.
The overall plan:
- Rotating in-person with online meetings so that we meet the needs of those who have to socially distance with those who are eager to return to face-to-face engagement
- Rotating in-person meetings between Wednesdays and Thursdays so all have an equal chance at attending
- Careful adherence to County standards for safety, including masks, distancing, temperature checks, pre-clearance health questionnaires, and hand sanitizer
- Stable cohorts of 14 or fewer.
More detail:
- Safety Logistics:
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- Parents will receive a pre-meeting health check questionnaire the day before each meeting
- Scouts will be divided into cohorts based on patrol. Scouts should maintain six feet distance within their cohorts and cohorts will be separated by 10-20 feet
- After a brief welcome, explanation of safety measures, announcements, and flag ceremony, scouts break into smaller groups within their cohorts to learn skills
- There will not be restrooms available
- If anyone becomes sick during a meeting, they will be separated from their group and parents notified immediately
On May 8th, we will be having our first camp-out of the year! We will be hiking about three miles to the campsite. This should be a fun way to get warmed up for future camp-outs and test our gear.
This trip will be a great opportunity to get out of the house and get ready for longer backpacking trips later this year, and to get some camping nights!
We will depart early on May 8th and return Sunday afternoon (Mother’s Day). Sign up on the Calendar page HERE.
Troops 64 and 4064 will be having a merit badge class for the Traffic Safety merit badge! The whole badge will be completed in one meeting, and it is open to all scouts. This is a great opportunity to gain valuable traffic safety skills in addition to earning a new merit badge!
Over the next few months, we will be going mountain biking for the cycling merit badge!
The badge requires 9 different rides, all of which will be completed at Baylands Park.
This is a great opportunity for scouts of any biking ability to have fun and earn an Eagle required badge!
Each ride will be put on multiple times, so you can still do the badge even if you can’t make every ride.
For more information, go to the Calendar page
We’ll hike about 5.5 miles to a beautiful mountain lake in the Tahoe National Forest. Starting location is Carr Lake Campground https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/tahoe/recarea/?recid=55594
See the full hike at Alltrails Glacier Lake Hike
For those that have been to Dinky lakes, the scenery is similar but the elevation is lower. As this is national forest, no reservations are required.
If you are interested please sign up on the calendar page for this event which also has the zoom address for the Aug 31 planning meeting
Tags: backpacking
Troop 64 is going to the Klondike Derby, a winter-based camporee. They will join other Scouts, BSA Troops, and Venturing Crews and have the opportunity to camp in snow shelters they build and participate in a series of competitive events. Typical events include Sled Race, Jumbo Ski, Snowshoe Relay, Spear Throw, Fire Building, Snowball Toss, Ice Rescue, and Hasty Shelter Building. Typical events are described at http://terfry.com/klondike/klondike_events.html
Be Prepared to stay warm in cold/snowy conditions.
See the Calendar page for details
Where: North Tahoe Regional Park Thomas Llewellyn Scout Area, 6600 Donner Rd, Tahoe Vista, CA 96148
Saturday:
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10:00am – Arrive, setup tents, and build snow shelters
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7:00pm – Astronomy (weather permitting)
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8:30pm – Cracker Barrel
Sunday:
Our next trip is our annual backpacking trip at Point Reyes on Saturday to Sunday, December 21-22. We’ll leave Portola Valley Saturday morning and return home around 4 pm on Sunday. The hike in to Wildcat Camp is 5.5 miles with a few hundred feet of elevation gain; the hike back, partly on the beach, is a little shorter, and will go up Alamere Falls.
There are many opportunities to complete requirements for ranks and merit badges, including a 5-mile hike with map and compass, selecting a campsite and setting up a tent, and cooking for ranks and MBs. This is a great backpacking trip for first-timers as well as veterans. This is a great time to get away to the quiet and beauty of the Point Reyes backcountry.
Let Kirt know if you wish to go Scouts’ parents are welcome. Go to calendar page for this event for more information, the trip plan (to come), and to contact Kirt.
Troop 64 enjoyed great November weather at Pinnacles National Park last weekend. This 2-minute video shows some of the highlights enjoyed by the Scouts and leaders. One of the highlights was watching the graceful soaring of some of the rarest birds in the world, the California Condor. (more…)
We are planning a campout and hike to Pinnacles National Park south of Hollister for Saturday to Sunday, November 16 to 17. On Saturday we’ll do an 8-mile loop hike through the pinnacles, through a tunnel, and past the bat caves. The troop has done this twice in recent years and seen tarantulas, sleeping bats, and other wildlife. On Sunday, people can head home after breakfast or go on another hike.
This is a good opportunity to complete Camping MB requirements for nights, hiking, and cooking; for Tenderfoot, Second Class, or First Class cooking; for Troop events and campouts; Second Class map and compass; and more. For more information and to sign up see the calendar page for this event at Pinnacles Camping.
The park was an active volcano region millions of years ago split by the San Andreas fault and contains talus caves, lava tubes, and majestic rock spires. Pinnacles is one of four sites where captive-bred condors are released to live in the wild, and many of these birds live out their lives flying between Pinnacles and the Big Sur coast. Pinnacles was set aside as a monument by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908 and became a national park in 2013.
Troop 64 is going to Sunset Beach State Park this weekend. The beach supports four major plant communities and associated wildlife. There will be plenty of opportunities for Scouts to explore nature, work on achievements and merit badges, bike and fish, and have fun on a beautiful California beach. Sunset Beach is just south of Santa Cruz on Monterey Bay. Follow the link to the official State park brochure
Go to the Calendar page for more details.
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Hamburgers, Hamburgers, Hamburgers!!!
It’s that time of year again. The Town of Portola Valley is having their annual picnic September 14, and the Scouts use this as the main fundraiser for the year. We cook and sell hamburgers. Because this is our main source of income for the year (and is 100x better than selling popcorn), everyone is expected to take at least a shift or two.
Tons of stuff to do the day of, such as cooking, taking orders, or even bringing an ice chest (with ice in it!). Signups below. Sign up soon to take the best spots!
sign up link on calendar page
8:00AM to 3:)00PM, September 14, 2019
The BBQ Team
Our first meeting of the scouting year is from 7 PM to 8:45 PM, September 4 in the Alder Room at Portola Valley Town Center. Please attend and help us plan an exciting year of scouting. Our annual fund raising picnic is coming soon, and we have half a dozen camping trip planned in the next few months.
The ever-popular shooting sports camp is a chance for scouts to learn the safe handling and cleaning of firearms like .22 rifle, shotgun (12 and 20 gauge), archery and tomahawks. Trained range masters will run each station and provide close (and strict) supervision. Eye and hearing protection is provided. All firearms and ammo are provided- don’t BYO firearms. There will be several other Troops from the Bay Area attending. This event has been a lot of fun the past few years and adults were also able to shoot. Turns out T64 has some very good clay pigeon shooters!
Location: Camp Rancho Los Mochos. A large scouts camp in the hills SE of Livermore. Address: 18450 Mines Rd, Livermore, CA. It’s about a 2 hour drive from PV.
For more information and to sign up go to the Calendar page for this event.
Remember to sign up for May 31-June 2 weekend backpacking trip to Big Basin. Full details below….we still have some space, so please join us for an amazing trek!! This will be a 2 day backpacking trip. We will camp at Big Basin HQ on Friday night, hike 5-6 miles on the Skyline-to-the-Sea trail to Sunset Camp (backcountry) for Saturday night, and then return via Sunset trail on Sunday (another 5-6 miles). The trail is about 2,150 of climbing over the 10 mile loop – with a backpack this should be challenging. Here is a link to the hike: http://www.redwoodhikes.com/BigBasin/BerryCreek.html
It looks incredible, and with all the rain, I’d think the waterfall should still be good in end of May. We have reservations for 12 people, and need 2 adults, so max would be 10 scouts. If your scout is interested, please see details on the Calendar page
We are booked for the nights of April 12th and 13th at Little Basin State Park near Boulder Creek in the local mountains. We will plan out the food at an upcoming scout meeting and meet at Roberts to shop before we go. We will also plan out the car pooling to make sure we can get everyone there and back.
Little Basin is a unique camping destination that features open grassy meadows, acres of dense redwood forest, and miles of hiking trails as well as two sports fields, a tennis court, a basketball court, a sand volleyball court, a children’s playground, and more. Camping accommodations include cabins, tent spaces, RV sites and a large group camping area. All campsites are equipped with a BBQ grill, picnic table, and fire ring. The campground also includes piped drinking water, rest rooms, and showers.
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Tags: Trail to 1st Class
