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Katonah on the Saco River

Chris Kristensen and his son recreate a classic pose while playing chess on Saturday night...

Last weekend, Troop 1 Katonah went on their annual trip to Maine to go canoeing on the Saco river. We departed from Katonah Elementary School at 10:00am and arrived at Doc's cabin in Freyburg, Maine at around 5:00pm. Once there, the patrols moved into the second floor of the newly built barn where they lived for the weekend. Even though Doc passed away last year, he left his cabin to our Scouting family so that our troop could continue to enjoy it for years to come. Scoutmaster Hank Tschorn and his wife Mary have seen to that.

The next morning we left the cabin with all of the canoes and headed to the launching point. Due to the non-stop downpours the water level was higher than normal, causing the authorities to close the upper part of the Saco River above Swans Falls. We could only be able to do part of the second half of the river, and therefore not camping out overnight.

We launched our canoes from the Canal Bridge area in Fryeburg. Along the river, there was rain every now and then, but for the most part, it was somewhat warm and nobody complained. We stopped once on the river for lunch and to enjoy the warm weather... until it rained again, that is! The river was higher and faster than usual, which made paddling so much easier. Rapids were practically nonexistent. When we reached Lake Lovewell, the water turned choppy and the wind picked up as we headed back to the rendezvous at Doc's cabin.

Each night there, we had a different dinner which all turned out to be amazing. Saturday night was steaks, chops, and chicken grilled up by Hank. Sunday we spent the whole day traveling to different places and viewed different landmarks around Fryeburg and Conway, New Hampshire. Sights included a giant boulder that was the size of a house, and a spectacular set of waterfalls that were awesome and violent at the same time. It was great day, aside from the fact that it rained for every minute of the day. That night, we enjoyed the long-awaited turkey dinner (our troop's favorite, expertly prepared by Mrs. Tschorn), and for desert we had homemade strawberry rhubarb pie. After dinner, we went to the movie theatre and saw the newly released "Transformers 2," which turned out to be a movie enjoyed by all.

In the morning, we packed up and said goodbye to the cabin. We brought home memories of a great trip, and my patrol is already making plans for next year!

—Kyle W., Troop Historian

If you go hungry this weekend, it's your own fault. The troop enjoys breakfast Sunday morning...

Enjoying breakfast on the porch overlooking Lake Lovewell

A 1936 painting of the lakefront view from the cabin, with Doc's red canoe on the beach!

The Scouts enjoy a bonfire at the cabin on Sunday night.

On Monday, we toured some of the local sights, including Madison Boulder.

"Okay guys... one... two... three!"


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