The Blue Cord hike Wun planned was a raging success, even though we didn't get to the end-point and had to bug out. The reasons it was such a success: everyone on the hike got to experience real navigation through untracked bush, using a GPS, following faint trail signs, orienting and reading a map, reading the landscape. And, we all got out in one piece. All the scouts were cheerful, helpful, cooperated with one another. Best blue cord hike for *learning*, ever!

24th September 2011

We hiked from Bell to Wollangambe crater (return.) While we were being soaked in rain at sub-zero temperatures, unable to feel our fingers (or make them work), it was snowing in Bathurst! BoM reports that it reached -0.1C in Bathurst at 2pm, and -1.2C at 1pm at Mt Boyce (nr Victoria Pass).

We measured air temperature of 4C at Bell at 2pm, and (with wind chill on the plateau) we almost certainly experienced sub-zero conditions an hour earlier as we hiked the last half of the journey.

That's kind of exciting. Who'd have expected that in late September? Coldest, wettest hike we've ever done.

All the Scouts (Kyle, Sam, Nick, Rohan) were well prepared with thermals, fleecies and rain gear, all were excellent hikers, cheerful, capable and determined, and the whole thing went very well indeed. I hope they understand what a great job they did.

We also set a troop record on both inward and outward legs of the journey.

• the smiles on their faces when they finally constructed themselves dry shelter, cooked and ate breakfast out of the rain.  
• The junior scouts and the cubs who got up early Sunday morning and (unbidden, of their own initiative) put up all the dining flies which had been torn down by Saturday night's gale-force winds. 

Some concerns: 

• scouts who turned up to a camp without sufficient wet weather gear, even though the forecasts all predicted foul weather, and despite several emails warning of the forecasts.  For future reference: an emergency poncho is not going to last a weekend of activity in the rain, and should be reserved for emergencies only.
• getting out at all - thanks to Narra for his 4WD.

Everyone was warm enough (fortunately the temperature wasn't extreme) and well fed, and in good spirits despite the rain.  While we couldn't make their meals for them, rules allowed us to make them the occasional milo and biscuit supper.

It's unfortunate that the weather precluded a full programme, but the shared experience of adversity builds character, and teaches them to work well as teams, which I observed them doing.

Thanks to the scouts who made the camp work so well.

Thank you to the parents who provided transport on Friday, emergency transport on Sunday, and who volunteered transport on Monday.  Thank you to the parents, leaders and scouts who stayed around to unpack the two tonnes of gear, and hang tents out to dry.  Thank you to the parents, leaders and scouts who came back Monday to do more gear-drying work.

Special thanks to Kilkie (Louisa) who arranged the menus, purchased the food, drove half the gear up and back, and was our troop's mainstay and unfailingly most sensible person.  Thanks to the leaders, who helped Kilkie with the preparation, and made the whole wet weekend bearable and even good fun.

Colin McCormack ("Code")
ASL 1st Roselea.

Celta and Narra proudly display our 2011 Scouthike Activity Base's award for 'Technical Excellence'

Every year about 200 leaders from Sydney North Region (extending from the Harbour to the Hawkesbury) spend days to create activities for the Scouts (about 800 of them this year) to enjoy as they hike around the forest.  Each year there's an enormous bloom of creativity, with over 50 bases created in the bush.

Each activity base has a theme.  In our case 'Food Storage and Water Purification' ... hardly the most inspiring of subjects, but turned into interesting and educational fun for the scouts by the effort of 11 leaders from Yanagin District.

Our Kilkie created a great active display and exercise in water filtration, showing field expedient water distillation (a billy, some foil and a PET bottle condenser) to turn salt into fresh water, a solar still, and the bits and pieces (and expertise) to make field expedient water filtration - to turn turbid mucky water into something suitable for purification.  She also set out for display the various methods we use to purify water on hikes - iodine/chlorine tablets, boiling, the activated carbon filter 1st Roselea's committee and your fund-raising bought for us.  This was the star turn in our little theatre, with patrols queuing to experience the fun of making water safe to drink.

Dave McIntosh from Brush Park troop made some Coolgardie safes to demonstrate low-tech meat storage (ingenious devices, really.)

Scouts had some fun, and may have accidentally learned something useful.  I think we're all really pleased to get the award, and I'd like to thank Kilkie for her creative work in constructing the most interesting and engaging part of it.