Sea scout troop enjoys weekend of adventure
ELEVEN hardy Arklow Sea Scouts and their seven leaders gathered in the picturesque village of Laragh for the start of an epic and memorable weekend away in the Wicklow Mountains.
It was the members of Tiller Troop from 9th Arklow Sea Scouts that set out on the scouting trail. The task at hand was to follow-up on bush craft skills they had participated in over the previous weeks in their den on Harbour Road in Arklow.
Under the leadership of their skipper, Declan Pluck from Avoca, the scouts hiked up to the slopes of Paddock Hill and set up camp for the night using bivouacs made from very basic materials.
As the morning progressed the scouts got stuck into a wide variety of practical skills, including demonstrating proficiency in the use of camp tools such as the pocket knife, hand axe and bow saw. During this, leaders Gerard Sheridan and Sandra and Jim Hoare assessed their ability and awarded the much coveted Blade Licence to the worthy recipients.
The afternoon proved a sunny affair where Rover Scout Killian Lambert from Shillelagh gave a practical demonstration on how to find direction using the shadow cast by the sun shining on a stick.
Later that night, Jim used The Plough and Polaris, the north-star, to similar effect.
Joshua McAnaspie from Arklow had a number of different lightweight camping cookers laid out on the forest floor and, ably assisted by skipper Declan and friend of the troop Donie Forrester form Celbridge, the scouts got some hands-on experience of how to operate cookers of varying fuel types. This trio of scouters also made up some diverse and unusual shelter types, one of which the scouts themselves had to emulate for a warm and comfortable night on the ground.
The Tiller Troop outdoor pursuits programme is designed to be progressive, but sometimes scouts just have to jump in at the deep end.
Those who had never camped out before certainly survived a baptism of fire.
The main event on Saturday evening was Skipper Declan Pluck’s interactive workshop on how to make a variety of tasty treats on an open fire.
Mouth-watering goodies such as baked chocolate bananas and the ever-popular cinnamon apples were wolfed down.
Leave No Trace (LNT) is an educational tool intended to promote responsible outdoor recreation and, in the weeks prior to Tiller Troops’ backwoods adventure, several scouters underwent a workshop in the ethics of LNT under Roundwood native Damien Cashin and Tim Orr of Vagabond Tours.
Inspired by this knowledge, Sandra Hoare held a very interactive and thought-provoking exchange on the seven principles. Without doubt the main event of the weekend involved a sunrise hike and an investiture.
Even though daylight saving time officially began in the early hours of Sunday morning, the scouts were not a bit perturbed at losing a valuable hour sleep.
They rose before dawn and were led out cross country by Watch Leader Conor Nugent to the megalithic stone alignment that are ‘The Gossan Stones’ near Scarr Mountain. Here, as the morning sun pierced the horizon, the troops’ latest member, Ciara Hallam from Arklow, placed her hand on the unfurled World Scout Flag.
With an assembly of her peers observing and flanked by her brother Ryan and Watch Leader Ruby Cantwell, Ciara recited the Scout Promise and became the latest member of the nearly 40 million strong World Organisation of the Scout Movement.
All the scout leaders would like to congratulate the Tiller Troop youth members on earning their Backwoods Adventure Skill Badge, including Ailbhe Sheridan, Aíne Ní Chonchúir, Ciara Hallam, Jodie Weldon, Ruby Cantwell, Conor Nugent, Dylan Hayden, Eoin Scanlon, John O’Neill, Owen Byrne and Ryan Hallam.