September 11, 2022 - Staunton State Park Hike
Hiker 1,2,3,4,5 + GS WAY 1,4 + OUTDOOR SKILLS 5,6,10 + CABIN CAMPER 1
Meeting Activities:
See the 9/11/22 Meeting Plan
Girl Scouts Love State Parks 2022 and GSCO State Parks patches
All Hiker badge requirements
Other badge requirements: Girl Scout Way 1,4 + Outdoor Skills 5,6,10 + Cabin Camper 1
Comments:
We coordinated our hike for Girl Scouts Love State Parks weekend, a national event with a special 2022 edition patch. The GSCO organized fun activities at state parks across the state. We met at Staunton State Park around 10:15am on Sunday.
Everyone was in high spirits to get into the foothills and though we were a little bummed to not see any leaf color changes yet, it was a treat to be outside. The weather was ideal with sunny, clear skies and temperatures in the upper 60s-low 70s.
We learned about “Leave No Trace” principles, including that an effective “cathole” needs to be 6-8 inches deep and that it is important to bury (or better yet pack out) toilet paper.
We also discussed being safe in bear country, including storing “smellables” in a bear-safe container, using the “thumb rule” to give wildlife plenty of space, and being loud when approaching running water to not surprise unsuspecting wildlife by the water’s edge.
We discussed how to apply the Brownie slogan of “Be Prepared” to our excursion. All the scouts and volunteers were well-prepared with water, snacks, sun protection and weather appropriate clothing. We made sure everyone had a Staunton park map and knew our plan for the day.
As a troop, we decided on the 2.15 mile long Davis Pond hike adjacent to the visitor center. We talked about trail etiquette, the importance of being kind to nature and others on the trail, and how to interpret the fire-risk rating.
Before heading out, we “buddied up” to keep ourselves safe and accounted for. At various times throughout the day, we stopped and took a buddy count. Our signal was Meredith calling “buddy up” and then asking “buddies ok?” to which buddy groups replied “a-ok!”
The Davis Pond trail is very nice and wide, and we got peeks of beautiful forested foothills through the trees. Milo and Piper were honorary quadri-ped scout dogs and received a lot of attention from others on the trail.
Girls discovered three hidden artifacts on the trail with descriptions of life at the turn of the century on this former homestead. Iris gets props for reading the cards, printed in cursive.
By now everyone was ready to take a break!
After “Leaving No Trace” of our lunch, we hiked across a small man-made dam separating Davis Pond.
GSCO organized a free fishing clinic so the girls got a crash course and dry-land practice on casting their fishing line.
Next it was time to grab the bait and try our luck in the upper and lower ponds.
Somewhere between Laurie saying “I’m not sure we’ll catch anything today” and “Hey, is it just me or that bobber is bobbing hard?!”, Grace scored an impressive catch! She reeled it in for a photo op before letting it go back in the pond.
No disappointments elsewhere. The rest of the troop succeeded in “vegan” fishing and many of the girls caught plenty of tree branches and algae.
We turned in our fishing poles and continued our return hike back to the visitor center.
On the way back, we sang some Call and Repeat songs to keep things interesting.
Back at the visitor center, we reflected on our excursion, the ecosystem and how we can be a good partner to nature and keep it in balance. Girls wrote or drew pictures on their badge reflection sheets to remember how they completed the requirements and their favorite activities.
We wrapped up the day by planning ahead for the RMNP camping trip in two weeks and the Take Action Project at Dinosaur Ridge on Oct 8.
Hiker Badge Requirements
#1 - Decide where to go - We voted on doing the Davis Pond hike. We looked at the map to consider the length, number of people in our group and if it will be a safe and fun hike. Dru gave the troop a tutorial on topographic map reading including: legend, elevation gains and map scale ratio.
#3 - Pick the right gear - All the scouts were well prepared with sturdy closed-toe shoes, backpacks and sun protection. Many of the scouts thought ahead and included their first aid kit from last meeting.
#4 - Pack a snack for energy - No problems here. The scouts had plenty of healthy and morale-boosting snacks. Impressively they rationed their sweet rewards well and saved them for the homestretch hike!
#5 - Go on the hike - Job well done. No complaining, and everyone had fun!
Cabin Camper Badge Requirements
#1 - Plan your camping trip - We talked about our reserved campsites, meal plans, and how girls can help prepare meals. Meals will be shared and some ideas include Breakfast: No cook bagels, cream cheese, muffins, oatmeal; Lunch: sandwiches and apples; Dinner: Pasta with choose-your-own sauce options.
Family Follow Up:
This excursion is part of the Outdoor Journey series which includes four badges: First Aid, Hiker, Cabin Camper and Take Action. “Journeys” are multi-session experiences that allow the girls to dig deeper into their chosen topic and how they can make a difference in their community. Read more about the different Journeys here.
Talk to your scout about the upcoming Take Action Project. The project goal is to create something that lives on. Our troop has decided to “teach others about something” as a way to impart knowledge that lives on. As you reflect with your scout on her experiences, ask questions that get her to think about how she might take what she is learning and teach it to other scouts attending the event on Oct 8 at Dinosaur Ridge.
Our next excursion is a high-risk activity, overnight camping in Rocky Mountain National Park. We need activity-specific permission slips from each attendee. Although broadly sketched out with the girls’ input, also we need to pin down who will be doing what. Use Team Snap for coordinating travel and carpooling, food to bring and cook, and equipment needed, e.g., tents and camp kitchen items.
Announcements:
Next Meetings:
SAT-SUN 9/24-9/25: Overnight RMNP + Cabin Camper
SAT 10/8: Dinosaur Ridge + Take Action
SUN 10/23: Democracy for Brownies with Guest Speaker: Jolon Clark, Denver City Council
NOTE: SAT 10/1 - DLS Night Market at Children’s Museum
Thanks!
Lynne (Josephine’s Mom) and Meredith (Mila’s Mom)