A couple of months ago we surveyed the troop regarding High Adventure preference and a Whitewater rafting trek received the highest number of votes. You are receiving this email as your scout ranked Whitewater in their top 3 choices.

As you may have seen on Feedblitz the troop has secured a reservation for a week-long trek in the Smokey Mountains – July 27 to August 2. The trek is run through the BSA Daniel Boone Scout Reservation for a very reasonable price of $475. (This camp filled up immediately when it opened registration in October. We were lucky to get a spot.) The price includes 5 days of guided rafting on Class II-V rapids, camping gear, and food. Transportation will be additional but we are trying to find cost effective options. At this point we are estimating $700 to $900 Total for the cost per person.

In order to make this happen we need 10 scouts and 2 leaders to commit to the trek no later than January 5 as the first installment payment is due by January 15.

At this point we have 2 scouts and 1 leader committed to the trek. We have the possibility of taking a smaller crew of 6-7 scouts but we need commitment before we can even investigate this option.

Back by very popular demand.  Winter Luge at the Muskegon Winter Sports Complex.  Sign up now, spots are limited!

Join Troop 24 on Sat/Sun January 11/12 for Luging at Winter Sports Complex in Muskegon, MI.

• The cost to Luge is $45
• 20 spots are available
• Sign-up closes on Dec 18 – no exceptions

Participants will be staying in a hotel Saturday night.  Once the Luge sign-up closes and we have a final count of scouts, we will make hotel reservations.  Boys will stay in rooms of 4 scouts,  the cost of the hotel, food, and transportation will be calculated and attendees will be asked to pay the remaining expenses by Jan 3.  (Preliminary estimate of additional expenses is ~$60/scout).

Scouts sign up here

Adults and Leaders sign up here  (we need 4-5 leaders/adults)

Registration will close when we have 20 scouts or on December 18 (whichever is first).  If over 20 scouts are interested, we will have a waiting list in case of cancellations.  Contact Susan Lynch with questions or to be placed on the waiting list.

The track provides an Olympic thrill with the safety of the participant in mind. Top speeds of approximately 30 mph are possible from the public start area located about 3/4 of the way up the track.  The 850’ track was designed by three-time Olympian Frank Masley and consists of six curves and two starting areas. Coaches are on hand to teach and assist both beginners and those who have slid before.  Scouts will have a 2.5 hour session which will include a lesson/coaching.

Check out the very cool video at this url: http://www.msports.org/luge

Boys will need to be able to carry a 25-40 lb sled up [lots of] stairs to starting area.

There will be NO Troop meeting on December 12. Instead, we will be going to the Oak Brook Family Recreation Center from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. on December 13. The Oak Brook Family Recreation Center is located at 1450 Forest Gate Road in Oak Brook. Parents are asked to provide transportation for their scouts to & from the event. We also need adults to attend as chaperones. There is no cost to families for the outing, but we need to know how many plan to attend. Please let us know if you can come by signing up here: http://troop24riverside.com/2013/12/gym-swim-form-december-13-2013/

The Morton Arboretum is offering several merit badge classes during their Winter term. More information can be found here:

http://www.mortonarb.org/learn-experience/course-guide?field_course_type_tid=80

Thanks to those of you who have already volunteered to work at the Holiday Stroll this Friday. We are still in need of scouts & adults to work the 6:00-7:00 shift and the 8:00-9:00 shift this Friday, December 6. We provide ingredients for strollers to roast marshmallows and make s’mores. We do not charge for the s’mores, but collect a free-will offering that goes to the Riverside Food Pantry. We will be located at Riverside Garage.

PLEASE sign up here: http://troop24riverside.com/2013/12/holiday-stroll-form-december-5-2013/

Monday trip on the Nantahala River

Our older scouts have been meeting to discuss possible high adventure outings. After a survey of parents and scouts, the first choice was a whitewater rafting trip. Fortunately, we have been able to reserve one week at BSA Camp Daniel Boone in Asheville, North Carolina, for July 27 through August 2, 2014. All participants must be First Class or above, have graduated from 8th grade, and have previously attended a summer camp with Troop 24. Participants will be required to pass a swim test, and should be strong swimmers.

They require a minimum of 12 participants on the crew so we would need 10 scouts and 2 leaders to commit. We must have commitments by December 30 for the event to go forward.

The trek itself is $475 per person for the week. With transportation, extra meals during travel, and miscellaneous expenses, we estimate the cost to be $700-$900 total per person (variation in cost depends on transportation costs, and whether we fly or drive). We will collect the cost in 3 installments, with the first $175 due by December 30, an additional $250 due on March 1, and the balance due on May 1.

More information is available at:
http://www.campdanielboone.org/HighAdventure/RaftingCanoeingTreks/WhitewaterAdventureTrek.aspx

The whitewater trip does not conflict with our regular summer camp at Tesomas, which is July 13-19. Scouts can attend both.

Ready to sign up? You can do so here: http://troop24riverside.com/2013/12/6083/

Have more questions? Contact Kent Johnson at kentjohnson@ameritech.net.

Sign-up is now closed for Whitewater Rafting.