Blue Mountain Summit to Lehigh Gap (13.6 miles)
April 2nd – April 3rd
Appalachian Trail (AT) backpacking trip Sat. and Sunday over Knifes Edge and Bake Oven Knob. This is a “rugged” section of the AT, but T179 has done it before and it’s a blast. Some hard work, but great views and a real sense of accomplishment. It’s not a lot of miles each day, so it allows us to take our time. See the Trip Map attached.
We will meet at Westmont Methodist Church at 7:00AM Sat.. Departing at 7:30 and we won’t be stopping. Eat breakfast at home or eat in car. We should finish the hike around 2:00PM Sun.. We have a car shuttle, but should be back in town around 5:00PM.
If you’re hesitant to go because you’ve never backpacked or you’re not sure what to expect, call Mr. Stine or Dr Conway.
Tents: We have several 2-man tents for the scouts to use. Each scout will carry part of the tent to share the weight. Need a tent or backpack…please let us know
Food: We will be on the trail Sat lunch and dinner and Sunday breakfast and lunch. Suggestions:
- Pack a sandwich in your backpack for Saturday and Sunday lunch.
- Sat dinner and Sun breakfast can be super easy and filling by making the dehydrated meals you can buy at Dicks, Walmart, REI. To eat, you boil two cups of water and dump in into the meal bag. Bring a long-handle spoon to make easier eating.
- I buy Mt House scrambled eggs and bacon. I bring a few of the small packets of pepper from WaWa. Sometimes I even bring extra already-cooked bacon that I made at home and add it. Instant flavored oatmeal is another easy breakfast…just boil some water.
- My dinner Sat night is a vegetarian Pad Tai. But I add some already fully cooked, sriracha chicken that comes in the foil pouch you buy at the grocery store. Hey…don’t judge me!!! Ha ha. It’s delicious.
- For lunch and trail snacking, I bring store-bought trail-mix and add some M&Ms to it. I also pack Wheat Thins, dried fruit (apricots, bananas, etc), chunks of cheddar cheese and a pack of pepperoni.
- I bring hot chocolate and a bunch of cookies that won’t crumble-away to dust for dessert
Stove: There will be several camp stoves to share already being packed. Don’t feel you need to go out and buy one. Think about what you need to cook to eat and pack the appropriate mess kit. If you’re just eating dehydrated meals, all you need to do is boil water. That’s just the pot and lid. You don’t even need the bowl.
Below is a good link to a packing list:
MEC-backpacking-checklist-English.pdf
Covid Decisions for Parents and Scouts to Make:
Once-upon-a-time, we would squeeze 8 people in an 8-passenger van and 3 scouts in a 2-man tent. That’s changed for now. In the Trip Prep meetings, we’ll be asking who is driving and what the family is comfortable with in terms of tent assignments. It’s all up to what the family is comfortable with.
Adult Leaders:
- Mr. Stine (856.816.8021)
- Dr. Conway (215.840.8116)
- Mr. Snoke (856.685.3580)
- Mr. Mallgrave (856.631.3733)
- Tim Clark, Asst SM
- Other adults welcomed. Please LMK
Main Number/Voice Mail for Troop 856-617-HIKE
