Tuesday we spent a lot of time on the road driving to Ohio to Zaleski Sate Forest.  This was a long ride.  We decided not to eat lunch and begin our backpacking trip early so we could make camp and eat a good dinner. We never managed to find the trail the first day but did walk almost 3.5 miles. We backtracked so we could start on the trail the next day and camped where we started AND we had a shower! Dinner was backpacking stew and pudding and it was very good. We found the trail on Wednesday and backpacked all day doing the caterpillar on the steep inclines and declines which was really appreciated by the adults on the trip. We camped on a hilltop that night after walking nearly 10 miles. Thursday morning we broke camp and walked the last mile and a half back to the cars and showers. It was a very hard trip but we all did it!

Mrs. Begley brought us lunch and we grilled hamburgers near the old Iron Furnace. We then drove to Logan Ohio and visited one of the last washboard factories in the US. The Sunnyland Washboard Factory still makes washboards using really old equipment. We also got to see a blacksmith. Then we went zip lining at Canopy Tours along with Mrs. Begley and Camille. This was a lot of fun and went really fast. We had super pizza from the gas station near the zip lining. After this, we drove for 3 hours in heavy rain to Mohican. We were welcomed to our site by Mr. Dzurnak and Will who had pitched their tent and spent the day biking and waiting for us. Mrs. Krymowski, Kristen and Tom also were there but they slept in their car due to the terrible downpour. We spent one night and then we were ready to go canoeing.

The canoe trip started out rough because the river was very high and very fast because of all of the rain the night before. One of our canoes flipped and got stuck in some logs and 4 Scouts went after it on land to get it loose. After the first half of our trip on the river, it was so rough we had to end the canoe trip. The Krymowski group brought us our grub for this last day. Donuts for breakfast and filet mignon, corn and baked potatoes for our lunch. That meal was the best!

This trip was an adventure enjoyed by Matt M., Matt S., Matt B., John, DJ, Eric, Danny, Steven, Elora, Nick, Alex, Kevin, Mr. Makowski, Mr. & Mrs. Mayher, Mr. Booth and Mrs. Verhovnik.

Suggestions and Recommendations

1. Before the backpacking portion of the trip you will want to lighten your load as much as possible. You'll need room for crew gear, tent, food, and water. Bring along a small duffel bag to store your extra gear and clothing in the car while you are on the trail.
2. You will need two pairs of shoes for this trip. Hiking boots and an old pair of tennis shoes or water shoes. During rafting and canoeing you'll need either the tennis shoes or water shoes (no flip flops). Hiking boots will be used mainly on the trail. Your second pair of shoes can also be worn around camp.
3. See the backpacking gear list for a list of items to bring. Add other clothing as desired.
4. Most of you will be using the 2 man backpacking tents which provide just enough room for two people to sleep. Keep your packs outside the tent overnight. This is not a luxury campout.

Waiver Forms

1. There are two waiver forms, one for Wilderness Voyageurs, Inc. (adult or youth) and one for Hocking Hills Canopy Tours. These must be completed and turned in by our next troop meeting.
2. Hocking Hills Canopy Tours requires a copy of a parents drivers license to compare parental signatures on the waiver form. I will make sure to get these back when they are done with them.