High Adventure for a Low Price

[OldGreyEagle]

The Venture Crew I am involved with is in the midst of planning a trip for 2002. I would like to know if anyone has a website or other source for getting ideas, ideally it would be in the eastern third of the US, but doesnt have to be. When we started our Venture Crew I was unaware that High Adventure meant high cost and Extreme Activities carry an Extreme price tag, can anybody help?

[eisely]

Gorp has a website that is packed with information and links. Just search for Gorp.

[OldGreyEagle]

Thank you Mr Eisley, I appreciate it

[Ridgewalker]

Get a copy of the BSA publication: Passport to High Adventure. It lists all the Council High Adventure camps, and their programs, in the country. Your scout shop should have it, or can order it.

 

As far as costs, Philmont is $415 next year. Add transportation, meals and miscellaneous expenses and you can easily spend $750-$1,000 each. Our contingent from Wisconsin is charging $800 for 2002, this year it is $720, but Amtrak and Philmont fees have gone up.

 

However, if you're willing to have your scouts and leaders put in the planning time, you can do a great self-directed week-long High Adventure program within a day's travel for a couple hundred or less.

 

You can stay, and eat, at most military bases for very little. If you're passing through, council camps will let you stay the night for next to nothing.

 

Now, a commercial: My son is Camping Manager at a private camp in Colorado. If you're interested, and not offended by this solicitation, log on to www.lostcanyon-camping.com

 

 

 

 

[Mike Long]

High Adventure DOES NOT MEAN HIGH COST!

Official BSA MEANS HIGH COST!

Know the difference.

 

I just returned from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park after doing a week long backpacking trip with my older scouts.

 

Here is the cost Breakdown for 8 people.

 

Scouts buddy up and buy food- $35 to $40 each

Backcountry Camping permit- FREE

Transportation by church of personal van- FREE

Gas Do your own mileage.

Smokemont Camping fee- $16 per night (2 total)

Off trail cookout feast- $15 per person (19 steaks, 20 baked potatos, huge salad and doughnuts)

 

I had two scouts than went that also went to Philmont on this trip. They both thought that the Smokies trip was better than Philmont. I have to agree with them if for no other reason than cost verses value.

Philmont $1100 through the council and hard to get in

Smokies less than $100 and easy to get in.

 

Listen to Ridgewalker, an excellent trip can be planned for cheap that will rival Philmont.

 

OldGreyEagle Aren't you in the Chicago area?

 

How about the Boundary Waters? You could put together a canoe trip cheaper than the BSA Canoe base there.

Isle Royale National Park, you could hike or canoe that area.

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail is a possibility in your area. The trail not complete but there are at least 500 mile done that could be hiked or biked.

Also the North Country Nation Scenic Trail also incomplete but still has a huge amount of trail to hike that is done.

What about the good ol Appalachian Trail? Thats pure free high adventure as long as you aren't in the White mountains.

How about Floating the Mississippi River?

Following the Lewis and Clark Trail by Bike?

The Ohio Trail?

 

What about trips that don't depend on a trail system? You could do a biking tour of Michigan lighthouses. Is there an Indian Reservation near you? You could call them and see if they have a heritage program where you scouts could learn how the Native Americans lived before we came.

 

Life is high adventure, just do something that sounds cool and it will be. Your trips don't have to be "Extreme" just interesting.

 

[OldGreyEagle]

Actually I am in the Allentown, PA area. Although I do appreciate the information. The Smokies sound like a good direction to go

[Mike Long]

Hmmm...I must have been thinking of someone else.

I must admit, I am extremely biased towards the Smokies. 900 miles of trails and so little time....

 

The single best resource about the Smokies trail system is a book called "Hiking Trails of the Smokies" also called the little brown book. I think it is published by the Smoky Mountain Historical Society (or something similar) The book gives a trail by trail description of every trail in the park complete with elevation profiles, historical facts, natural features and other points of interest. It also comes with a good trail map. If you do decide to hike the Smokies you will need to get a topographic map and the best one is printed by Earthwalk Press.

[OldGreyEagle]

Thank you Mike, Actually I am from the Chicago area, That may have come out during my ramblings on other topics, like Merlyn-LeRoys efforts. I do live around Allentown Pa right now. Thank you for the Smokies stuff, It will help

[eisely]

A big part of the cost of any high adventure experience is the cost of getting there. As I reflect on my total scouting experience, the cost can vary a great deal depending on where you live. I grew up in the midwest, and there were far fewer accessible opportunities for high adventure there, compared to those available close to large tracts of public lands. Great Smokies would be one of those tracts. Here in California we can backpack in the Sierras at much less cost than going to Philmont. Nevertheless many units, including ours, return to Philmont frequently. In defense of Philmont, there is much more there than just the backpacking. There is a lot of support in the backcountry in case of trouble and a lot of activities. Considering what you get for the cost, it is still a good deal, providing getting there is not prohibitively expensive. 30,000 scouts and scouters per year can't be totally wrong.

[Mike Long]

I don't mean to come off as a Philmont basher and I'm sorry if it seemed that way. Philmont has a fine program and I am still champing at the bit to go myself. I just find it frustrating that most Scouters I talk to assume that if you can't go to Philmont for whatever reason then you can't have a high adventure program. Most never think of all the equally good opprotunities out there for high adventure. I'm only trying to raise awareness of the options available to all of us.

[eisely]

Agreed.

[Ridgewalker]

Let's not forget that one of the purposes of BSA high adventure progams is older boy retention. The big three of Sea Base, Boundry Waters and Philmont are great, but have become the ONLY high adventure destinations in the minds of some leaders and scouts.

 

When a unit isn't able to get into the BSA bases it can have a negative effect on their program because they have never considered anything else. That is why I encourage unit leaders to use the Passport to Adventure as a guide.

 

I've been on five Philmont treks, and three backcountry training sessions, and will be leading a council contingent again this year, but won't be going on the trail. Philmont and the other high adventure bases are great if you make it part of your overall high adventure program ... letting the youth leadership plan and prepare for the event. But if they just show up with an 'entertain me' attitude then you may as well go to Disneyworld.

 

With everyone's tight time schedules and limited budgets, a unit can get more out of a 7-10 day high adventure event that the unit has selected and planned, than one of the BSA bases.

 

Use the patrol method, set achieveable goals, and have fun!

[Ridgewalker]

I forgot to mention another source for inexpensive High Adventure destimations: Selden's List at http://www.lns.cornell.edu/~SEB/high-adventure.html.

 

It has links to many other websites.

 

Also, if you know of a high adventure location in your area that might not be known nationally, please post it on this forum with a web link if it has one.

 

I'll start with the Porcupine Mountains in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on Lake Superior. It is a great one week backpacking destination. You can make it a two week event by also visiting Picture Rocks to the east.

 

PS, there's dozens of waterfalls in the area.

 

There are several sites on the web, just do a search for Porcupine Mountains.

[Mike Long]

I didn't think about it earlier, but our troop site has a photo journal of our last high adventure trip to The Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

 

The URL for the main page is http://www.troop623.com/

 

Those of us that are in a rush might want to skip to the story itself

http://www.troop623.com/Smokies01_1.htm

 

The photos are large and will take a while to load if you are using a modem. Sorry if it is a problem but the boys demanded big pictures and most have high speed access anyway.

 

If anyone would like to contact me directly for further information please feel free to use the contact info provided at the bottom of each page. I would be glad to help.

(This message has been edited by Mike Long)

[eisely]

We in California are amply blesseed with backpacking opportunities. There are also good opportunities for extended Whitewater Rafting trips through commercial operators. The lower Klamath River in Northern California seems to offer more opporutnities for longer trips. We are less blessed with canoeing opportunities. One can also put together extended treks in the mountains of Southern California earlier in the spring before the Sierras become accessible. Probably the best outing within a short drive of the San Francisco Bay Area is at Pt. Reyes National Seashore. We took advantage of a three day weekend last November to do a 25 mile, 2 night trek there. It turned out to be more demanding than we anticipated, but a great trek. Pt. Reyes has the least defiled beaches I have seen in California. Needless to say, reservations are needed the instant the window for reservations opens up.