Troop 1 Katonah, New York

Quite a busy night on Thursday! Many awards and congratulations were handed out at the Troop meeting at KES. Matt Bona was awarded his rank of Life Scout, just sneaking in under his 18th birthday. Sharing the occasion with Matt was his mother, who has been his big supporter throughout his Scouting career. At the other end of the spectrum, Jack K. and Joe S. were both awarded the rank of Scout, the first rank you can earn on the Trail to Eagle. As a special surprise for the troop, everyone was packed into cars for a short "Field Trip" to Carvel in Bedford Hills where everyone was treated to ice cream as thanks for taking First and Second Place at the Muscoot District Fall Camporee. Scoutmaster Hank's challenge to the troop: "Take first place at the Klondike Derby and I'll take you all out to dinner!" We are also planning a troop activity/campout to the museum at West Point Military Academy for Saturday, November 19. We are investigating options for overn...

Boy Scouts from Troop 1 Katonah visited with Cub Scouts from Pack 1 Katonah on Tuesday night to teach knots, introduce principles of "Leave No Trace" camping, and generally have fun! Photos by John Albert... After showing the Wolf Cubs how to do the bowline, Ryan tells the scouts "Now it's your turn!" Harry demonstrates some knots to Tiger Cubs. Peter shows the Wolfs his method of doing the Timber Hitch. Taylor and Charlie demonstrate the half hitch to the Bears. Billy showing the Tigers the Square Knot. "That's right, you just about have it..." Harry gives a quick introduction to the 7 principles of Leave No Trace . After demonstrating the bowline, Kyle watches the Webelos give it a try. After the pack & troop closed things out a wild game of dodge ball broke out. Visit Katonah Pack 1's web site!

Hello Scouts, Congratulations to all who attended the Fall Camporee last weekend! I'm very proud of each of you and coming in 1st and 2nd place was the icing on the cake! That is a Scoutmaster's pay day! Thank you all for your commitment to the troop: GREAT JOB! Remember to dry out your tents this week and bring them to Thursday night's meeting. Also a reminder to those of you who already volunteered to help with knot tying the Cub Scout meeting is tonight at KES at 7:00pm. KES would once again like some scout help at the Halloween Fair on Saturday starting at 11 am. I'll remind you at the meeting but you might like to make advance plans to attend. Have a good Tuesday! —Hank Tschorn, Scoutmaster

Our two patrols placed first and second at the 2011 Muscoot District Fall Camporee at Durland Scout Reservation this past weekend! Congratulations to all the Scouts who worked hard and gave their best effort! More photos and details to follow...

The 2011 Muscoot Fall Camporee "Galactic Training" will take place this weekend at Durland Scout Reservation at Clear Lake. Patrol Leaders should familiarize themselves with the event, and make sure they bring all of the required gear to participate. The event packet can be downloaded from the Council web site. The event has a Star Wars theme, and participants are encouraged to show up "in costume." The events will include First Aid, Emergency Shelter, Pioneering, GPS, Cooking, and Fishing . We will be leaving from KES on Friday afternoon at 4:30pm, and returning Sunday morning. Participation in this event is encouraged to ensure the success of the patrols! The troop functions best as a team, and when Scouts are missing, we cannot perform at our best. Early departures are discouraged, as it weakens the patrol, and then the remaining members must clean up and break camp with fewer people. As a reminder, Scouts will return Sunday morning, so there will be plenty o...

We will be departing from KES on Saturday, October 15, at 7:30am SHARP. Do not skip breakfast and bring a bag lunch to eat on the trail. It takes about two hours to get to the Kaaterskill Falls trailhead, which is located up in the Catskill Mountains near Hunter. After our hike, we will be car-camping at Colgate Lake . Expect our return to be sometime early Sunday afternoon. There are ways you can prepare for this hike the day before the trip. Loading up on carbs the night before will help you store the energy you'll need for Saturday's activities. A pasta dinner or chicken and rice are great ways to load up. Energy snacks for the trail will help you maintain energy levels, too. Avoid "energy bars" and granola bars, they tend to be made with processed fats and sugars that will slow you down. Instead, consider a trail mix made from dried fruits (raisins, apricots, cranberries, etc), peanuts, walnuts, chocolate chips or Reese's pieces. Hydration is very important,...

More photos from our October 9 advernture to Catamount Zip Line in Hillsdale, New York! Photos by Alex Bacon.

On October 9, Troop 1 Katonah traveled to the Catamount Aerial Adventure Park up in Hillsdale, New York. Everyone had a great time climbing, swinging, and zipping! Photos by Dean Pappas This coming weekend is our annual Kaaterskill Falls Hike and Campout . Call your patrol leader and make sure he knows you will be attending.

We'll be leaving from KES on Sunday, October 9, at 7:30am SHARP! We'll be on the ropes course for at least three hours, so plan on having lunch up there (pack your own lunch or bring some money to buy lunch up there). Wear comfortable clothing that permits free movement, but should be close fitting and NOT have loose ends that could get caught in ropes course and ziplining equipment. We should return to KES around 4:30pm. The cost is $44.00 per person, please bring cash or check to reimburse Chris Kristensen for the cost of our reservation. See you Sunday!

As of this morning, we have 12 reservations for the Catamount Zip Line on October 9. It would be great to get at least three more to qualify for the group discount. We'll also need drivers to help bring Scouts to this activity, located in Hillsdale, New York (about an hour-and-a-half leisurely drive up Route 22). Please contact ASM Chris Kristensen for more details. Patrols should be planning for the Kaaterskill Falls Hike and Campout for October 15-16, as well as the Muscoot Fall Camporee for October 21-23. This Thursday's troop meeting will be held at Katonah Elementary School. See you there!