Pamlico Sea Base

On Friday, November 1st, we will be headed to Pamlico Sea Base, a high adventure base near Washington, NC, for a 2-night outing. This will be an awesome opportunity for the scouts.  Scouts will be paddling in the Pamlico Sound and have the opportunity to earn either Canoeing or Kayaking merit badge.  Our first night will be at the Sea Base on the property of East Carolina Council's Camp Bonner.  We will arrive set up camp and prepare dinner, while having time to explore Sea Base and receive instruction from the program leaders about our excursion for the weekend.  Saturday morning we will break camp and prepare for the paddling trek.  We will spent the night at Goose Creek State Park on the Pamlico Sound.  We will return to Sea Base Sunday morning and arrive back in Hickory on Sunday afternoon.

What:  Pamlico Sea Base, a high adventure camp.  It offers sea-kayaking treks around the Outer Banks.  It's located on the Pamlico River as part of East Carolina Council's 600+ acre scout camp.

When: Friday, Nov. 1 to Sunday, Nov. 3.  We will leave the church at 9:30 am Friday.  We will return Sunday afternoon/evening.  Scouts will be able to call for a ride as we approach Hickory.

Gear/ Equipment: Sea Base will take care of most of our equipment.  Each scout will need to bring their own personal gear and mess kit.  This list  includes:  sleeping bag, clothing (remember to layer), toiletries, camp stove (if you have one), mess kit, sunglasses, rain jacket, sun protection, bug spray, a hat, and towel.  Please wear your Class A uniform for travel on Friday and Sunday.  Everyone should plan to bring a swimsuit or quick-drying pants for certain requirements for your merit badge.  I would not recommend you wearing blue jeans to paddle in, in case you get wet-- they dry very slowly and could cause you to become cold very quickly.

The Sea Base will be providing tents, paddling and safety equipment, and dry bags to carry our gear in the boats.

Food/ Meals:  We will be cooking our own meals.  Please eat a good breakfast Friday morning.  We will stop for lunch on the way to Sea Base.  We will be responsible for dinner Friday night,  3 meals Saturday, and breakfast Sunday.  We will also stop for lunch on our return to Hickory.  Meals will be planned at the troop meeting Tuesday night, but plan on food costs of about $25, plus money for fast food stops en-route.

Cost: The Sea Base weekend program will be $45 per person, plus $25 for meals at Sea Base.  Additional money for fast food lunches to and from Sea Base will be needed, as well.


This is a terrific outing for the scouts.  I hope that everyone who can attend will plan on attending.  This should be a fun and unforgettable trip for everyone.

Call or email me if you have any questions.  Thanks, and I'll see you Tuesday.

New River State Park Canoeing

On Saturday, Oct. 19, we will be traveling to the New River State Park near Jefferson, NC, for a canoeing and camp out.  We have also invited the Webelos from Pack 231 to join us on this trip.  Our plan is to travel to Zaloos Canoes on the New River, where we will be outfitted with the gear for a 5-mile canoe trip down the New River, one of the oldest rivers in the world and one of the few rivers in the northern hemisphere that flows north.  Our campsite, which is in the Wagoner Access portion of the New River State Park, is directly off of the river.  This will be the point where we will end our canoe trip.  The forecast for Saturday will be partly cloudy with a high of 57/ low 41.  The chance of rain is 30%.  Please keep the temperatures and possibly of rain in mind as you prepare for the trip, making sure to dress in layers with a rain jacket.

Where: New River State Park, Wagoner Access, located off Hwy. 16 near Jefferson, NC.  Our river outfitter is Zaloos Canoes on Hwy. 16.

When: Saturday, Oct. 19- Sunday, Oct. 20th.  We will meet at the church at 9:00am.  It will be a 1 1/2 hour trip to Zaloos Canoes on the New River.  Several scouts are expected in Hickory for a school orchestra concert on Sunday afternoon, so we plan to be up, have breakfast, and return to Hickory by 12:30.

Equipment:  We will be car camping.  Troop tents, sleeping bags/pads, mess kit, water bottle.  Prepare for cooler weather for this trip.  Should something unfortunate happen, like falling in the river-- intentional or not, please make sure you have extra dry clothes available back at the campground.  We will be patrol cooking for the entire group. We'll have a fire ring in our campsite and we'll bring firewood.  There are restrooms and water is available in the campground.

Meals:  Please eat breakfast at home and pack a bag lunch.  We will eat our lunch either prior to or on the river. We will be cooking as a patrol Saturday night and breakfast Sunday morning.  Please bring a water bottle for the river and you may bring your mess kit.  We will have paper plates and utensils available for dinner and breakfast.

Cost: Canoeing will be $18 per person.  Please also include $8, which will cover the cost for camping and food.  Total cost $26.

I look forward to seeing everyone on Saturday!