Lisbon Troop 109 Scouts get outdoors in October

LISBON — The month of October was an outdoor experience for all things 109 in Lisbon: troop and pack.
The outdoors was first infiltrated when Jake Baird, Bently Bossee and Joseph Breton (aka Johnny) Webelos of Cub Scout Pack 10, visited Wolf Neck State Park Oct. 13 for a ranger guided tour, led by Rangers Andy Hutchinson and Meredith Mcloon.

The group ventured down the trail with one of the rangers, learning about plants, trees, mammalian habitats, bird flyways, and the birds that use them to visit Maine. The hike wasn’t far, but the Scouts were so engrossed in the discussion that a half-mile took more than an hour and included a seashore search for evidence of animals. They practiced the “leave no trace” and “outdoor code” while at the park and learned a catchy way to remember them. They later visited an exhibition set up by Mcloon with animal pelts found in Maine and a few of their skeletal remains. The Scouts spent another half-hour studying the pelts and asking questions of the rangers.
The next weekend, the Webelos of Pack 109 conducted a six-mile hiking trip along the Paper Mill Trail to earn the Historic Trails Award. The trail, which is along the Sabattus River, has a rich history of workers walking and products being transported up and down it, and runs alongside the river while scurrying behind Lisbon’ High School before in front of Lisbon Community School. Along the way, the Scouts saw a huge insect habitat, a garter snake and evidence of other animal life. The Webelos also carried the supplies they would need for the next day, adding difficulty to their hike. They hiked three miles one way before setting up camp inside the town’s MTM Center and enjoyed a pizza party and two movies with popcorn. They spent the night there, tore down camp the next morning, enjoyed a sausage and pancake breakfast, and then hiked back to their start point.
Scout Troops 109 of Lisbon and 2019 of Lewiston also combined resources for an overnight at Camp Gustin in Sabattus on Oct. 19 and 20. Troop 109 is an all-boy troop, and Troop 2019 is a cohort of sorts because both Lewiston and Lisbon’s Cub Scout Packs feed into it, allowing the two towns to share a local “all girl” troop. The two troops braved the elements and slept in them despite the temperatures dropping into the 30s.
Scouting skills like starting fires, campsite setup, identifying evidence of animal presence, identifying plants and trees, and learning how to work as a team while cooking and cleaning up could all be seen happening during this camping trip. Troop events, unlike Cub Scouts events, are Scout-led. That means that the Scouts decided what they will eat, they cook it, and do everything else under the leadership of older Scouts rather than adults.

TOP PHOTO: Jake Baird, Bently Bossee and Johnny Breton took part in several Lisbon Troop 109 events in October. (Submitted photos)