Scouts, As of January 1, 2017, the new BSA rank requirements officially go into effect. Beginning in January 2016, BSA started the sale of the new 13th Edition Scout Handbook, with many revised requirements for each rank. All the boys who joined Troop 233 in 2016 should have purchased this new edition and thus have been […]
Bethesda’s Troop 233 celebrated the achievements of five scouts who achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. On December 4, 2016, the troop held a joint Court of Honor for all five scouts who completed all the requirements for Eagle Scout over the course of the past six months.* The ceremony was remarkable as none […]
For almost a quarter century Bethesda’s Troop 233 has participated in the annual placement of 23,000 luminaries to honor each soldier who fell on the historic Civil War battlefield at Antietam. This is one of the most rewarding scouting events of the year and offers a chance for members of the troop to contribute to an important public event while having […]
An intrepid party of eight Scouts and Adult Leaders backpacked (deliberately!) into the first significant snowstorm of 2016/17. Saturday dawn was cloudless and cool, but as we started walking in Dolly Sods, the dark clouds of the approaching cold front overspread the sky. Just after our first fording of Red Creek, light showers started for […]
One camping trip that scouts, particularly the younger ones, typically look forward to is the annual survival weekend at Calleva Farm. Troop 233 each fall makes the short trip to practice their skills in making their own shelter in the woods of Calleva. Taking place soon after Halloween, the scouts build their own shelters from available […]
Bethesda’s Troop 233 spent a glorious fall weekend backpacking through the Shenandoah Valley last October 29-30, 2016. The troop split into two groups, one consisting of senior scouts who tackled the White Oak Canyon trail, hiking up over 3000 ft and experiencing wonderful vistas and waterfalls. The second group consisted of younger scouts who hiked a portion […]
In July, 2016, several scouts and leaders from Bethesda’s Troop 233 headed to the backwoods of Northwestern Maine for wilderness canoeing and hiking. With a professional guide from the Boy Scout’s Matagamon Adventure Center, the group first climbed a peak in Baxter State Park. Look for the picture of the group hunkered down in rain […]
One of Troop 233’s more popular camping trips of the fall is the Nelson Rocks Outdoor Center in West Virginia, October 15-16, 2016. This year, the scouts had a choice of a spectacular fixed-cable rock climb (“Via Ferrata”), or, for younger scouts, a tree canopy zipline tour. Set in the beautiful Shenandoah Mountains, the scouts had an […]
Bethesda’s Troop 233 made their annual trek this past weekend to Gettysburg, PA to hike the Gettysburg National Military Park. Enjoying the beautiful weather, the scouts took a long hike through the park, hitting some of the major high points in the park. In addition, the scouts walked into Gettysburg and viewed a diorama re-enactment of […]
On a bright, hot day in mid-September, a group of scouts and adult leaders headed out to Old Rag Mountain in the Shenandoah Mountains for Troop 233’s annual post-Labor Day hike. We also got the chance to welcome a couple of new scouts to the troop. In the end, after a challenge-filled hike in 90+ […]