The Troop bus left the church parking lot at 7:15 AM from the church parking lot to head to scout camp. I was so excited as this was my first time to ride on the troop bus and to see scout camp. The bus ride took approximately 2 hours. Once at camp our leaders checked in a place they called the reservation office. After checking the troop bus took us to our departure spot to start the hike. Before we left we were given our dehydrated  meal for dinner and three breakfast bars for our Sunday morning breakfast. I just want to get started on the 5 mile backpacking trip as I want to see this place they call Cedar Bluff. Finally it is time to strap on our backpacks and head out. It didn’t take long to get deep into the woods. The hike was up and down a few hills and we had several creek crossings. The hike was a little tuff as I had never walked so far with a backpack on my back. We were on the trail for around 3-½ hours before we reached Cedar Bluff. I was very tired from the hike and really didn’t know if I liked the hike until I was actually standing on Cedar Bluff. The view from the bluff was breathtaking. We then ate lunch and took a break. After lunch the scouts were given free time to explore. After a while the scouts were asked to come and gather up so we could have church. I was thinking what a great spot for a church service overlooking the lake. After church the leaders got out the backpacking stoves and we heated up water for fixing our dehydrated meals for dinner. I was not sure how these dehydrated meals were going to taste. Once the water was added it took approximately 15 minutes for the meals to be ready to eat. It seems to take forever for the meal to be ready to eat. Once it was ready I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it but the meal was actually great. After dinner the scouts and leaders just sat around and talked. When the sun went down everyone went to bed. As it was very dark and cold. On Sunday we got up when the sun came up. We packed up and headed out on the hike back to the troop bus. The hike back was once again up and down hills but it was funny because it felt as if we went down hill more.

That may be because all I could think about was the stop the troop was going to make at McDonald’s on the way home for lunch. Overall the trip was great and I am glad I was able to make the hike and I hope the troop does it again.