Troop 6 was established in April of the year 2005, and started with one patrol: The Shining Dragons Patrol. Then, a troop from Charles Town, West Virginia merged with Troop 6. The Shining Dragon Patrol was eliminated, and 3 new patrols were formed: The Snakes, The Ebol Eagles, and The Silver Wolves. Our troop was now formed
The troop had elections for its Patrol Leaders, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader, and their Senior Patrol Leader. They also assigned jobs to the patrol members (Scribe, Historian, Librarian, Quartermaster, OA Representative, etc.) In September of 2005, a pack from Martinsburg, West Virginia had most of its Webelos cross over into Troop 6. They were split into the 3 patrols. Troop 6 is still growing today.In April of 2005, the troop went to Blue Ridge Center for a 3-and-a-half mile hike. Webelos Dragon Den 1 from a local Pack accompanied them. This was Troop 6's first hike. The Webelos Den got credit for an activity with a Boy Scout Troop, and Troop 6 got a cool patch.
The next thing they did was do their good turn for America. They picked up trash around the church. Also while doing this, they got a tour around the Church graveyard.
In July of 2005, the Troop went over to the scoutmaster's house for a backyard campout. The scouts going for Tenderfoot cooked a meal for their requirement. The troop also swam in the scoutmaster's pool, and had a polar bear swim at 5:00am the next morning.
Then, after all the things they had done, Troop 6 needed money. So they ran a car wash at AutoZone in Charles Town. Some of the profit went to the Troop, and some went into the scout's Scout accounts.
Afterwards, the troop went on a 10-mile hike on the C&O Canal. This hike counted as a requirement for their hiking merit badge.
In September of 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, so Troop 6 helped Zion Church in a Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser for victims of the hurricane.
In October, the troop went to the Pumpkin Patch at York Hill Farm. They went into a corn maze, got pumpkins for Halloween, and took a hayride around the farm.
In November, the Troop did community service hours at our Chartered Organization's annual Farmer's Market. They helped take people's things out to their cars and helped out the cashiers at the registers.
Then, Troop 6 had their Scouting for Food in Tuscawilla Hills. The first week they put door hangers on people's doorknobs, and the second week they collected the food people put out. Several hundred pounds of food were collected.
Next, the troop went on a 10-mile hike at Gettysburg. This was another hike for their Hiking merit badge, and they got to see monuments and history.
After that, the troop had a fundraiser at the Charles Town Christmas Parade. They sold reserved seats for people and gave them hot chocolate.
At the end of 2005, we conducted our 4th quarter Court of Honor. Many awards, rank, and activity patches were presented. A good end to the year !!
2006 started out right with our next outing - Troop 6 went to Camp Rock Enon for a 2-night Winter Campout. They did requirements, had free time, ate, played, and generally had a good time.
Next, the troop reserved Shepherd University's Bowling Alley. They knocked down the pins and got their bowling balls in the gutter. They also played Foosball and Pool!
In February of 2006, Troop 6 had participated in Boy Scout Sunday at Zion Episcopal Church. They were the readers, torchbearers, flag holders, and gospel bearers. They had fun, and went to church at the same time!
In February, Troop 6 was really busy. They went on a 5-Mile hike at Harpers Ferry. Along the way, they stopped by the Appalachian Trail Center and got to look at a map of the whole trail. It was huge!
The Troop then had a Swim Party at Shepherd College in their pool. The boys going for Second Class got their achievements done for swimming and then there was free time for the rest of the time. The water was warm and the scouts had fun!
In March, the Troop went to the annual Merit Badge University, held at the Charles Town Presbyterian Church. A great number of merit badges were earned, including Photography, First Aid, Music, American Business, Home Repairs, and many, many more. All the participating scouts advanced greatly and had a great time!
Then, the scouts had another campout at Antietam Battlefield National Park. They learned many new things, and they had their first experience using mess kits to eat their food on. The boys had a great time with each other.
In April, Troop 6 went on a 12-Mile Bike Hike along the C&O Canal from Shepherdstown to Harpers Ferry. A lot of the scout’s legs we’re sore, and some left with a few cuts, scratches, bruises, or blisters, but they had a great time.
Next, the scouts went to Frederick, Maryland to take a 2 hour Self Defense Class. From blocking their punches to knocking people down, the scouts learned how to defend themselves in a grave situation.
In May, the Troop participated in the SAC Spring Camporee. The theme was Scout Olympics. The troop won many games, cooked great food, and had a great time!
After the Camporee, the troop made history again. The senior scouts of the troop formed their own patrol: The Lightning Patrol!!! It has no patrol leader, but is made up of the senior scouts who lead and run the meetings and skill sessions.
Several Good Turns were done over the next few months, including handing out flyers on Flag Day and helping some senior citizens with stairs at a function at the former mayor's house - very cool!
In July, we went to Camp Tuckahoe for our summer camp. What a week it was !! The pool, the lake, the air conditioned dining hall....but the best part was the program. It rocked! We earned tons of awards and merit badges and left camp with the Baden Powell Troop Award.
In August, we decided to take a hike on the Appalachian Trail and also to go to the top of Maryland Heights. Talk about a climb. At some points, it looked like it was going straight up. We made it to the top and had lunch at the outer wall of an old civil war fort. Going down was easy, but then we went back up to the ATC HQ. We definitely slept well that night.
In September, we camped out at Sam Michael's Park in the scout area. It had been several years since a troop had been there and it needed a lot of clean-up. We spent six hours cutting down small trees and clearing brush out of the pavillion and fire rings. We also found a few small critters that needed to relocate. By the time we left, the place was in fantastic shape.
Mid-September, we held elections for the new PLC. This is my last entry and I am turning this over to a new historian. Happy Scouting !!! --- Troop Historian JP
Our next event was the Fall Camporee at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds. It rained on Friday so we had to set everything up quickly. It stopped raining and we roasted marshmallows. The next day, when we woke up, there was a huge dark cloud and it poured for some of the day. We went to Traffic Safety and Truck Transportation merit badge classes. We went back to camp. There was a gun display and cool vehicles. On Sunday, we packed up and the sun came out.....Sribe Eric, subbing for Historian Wyatt.
PLC training was conducted by our Scoutmaster Corps, so we all learned about our job descriptions and what the troop expected of us. We also got the right to wear the trained tab!
Up next was the Haunted Trail at the Jefferson Community Parks and Recs. It was a rainy and very windy night and our "spider alley" was almost impossible to setup. Once we had things fairly ready to go, the night was called off by the Parks staff because of the weather. We all moved inside and participated in all of the games. Tons of fun!!
Another 10-mile Bike Hike was next and then it was time for the Food Drive. This year, Troop 6 managed to collect over 1000 pounds of food. And the weather was great!
Next up was the December campout.....Now, we are not known as a lucky troop campout-weather-wise. And this was definitely not an exception. We drove there from the church on the evening of December 8th. Thinking "Oh, it's just a little chilly, but I'll be fine", I gladly hopped into the jeep. The scout caravan then drove to Camp Rock Enon and our camping area, and through to PineCrest campsite. As soon as we got out of the vehicles, we realized the temperature had dropped a lot!! I had incorrectly thought we would go to the campsite, unpack, and stay in the cabin. Because of that thought, I had worn my normal, everyday clothes. I suffered - and from the sounds of some of the other scouts, I was not the only one. We unpacked the gear, claimed our bunks, and I thought it was bedtime. Wrong again. We hiked down to the parade field to examine the stars, where I lost the feeling in my hands and legs. We then went back, got in bed and slept. The next morning, we were awakened by shaking of our bunks....for those who fell back asleep (like me), we were then re-awakened by a high-F note from the Bugler. We no longer thought about the temperature, because we had gotten smart and layered up. The day was fairly uneventful, with firebuilding and wood chopping to be taught and done. There was something mid-day, through - - the hike. We had just finished running the compass course when the Scoutmaster Corps announced the hike. To cut to the chase, it was up a mountain, and when we came down, we had to stop and go back up again to hit the right path. If you ask the scouts, we were off-course ... if you ask the SM Corps, we knew exactly where we were....We won't take sides...The rest of the day was uneventful and ended with the viewing of National Treasure projected on the wall of the cabin. We awoke the next morning and packed up our gear and headed home.
We then celebrated our accomplishments at the December Court of Honor. Many awards were presented. The end of another successful scout year.
Many items through the years...
In April 2010, Scoutmaster Hardy retired as Scoutmaster. Sean Epperson assumed responsibility as the new the second Scoutmaster in the history of Troop 6.
Updated as it goes !!!