Every 5 years the New England Scout Councils come together for a weekend of fellowhip and fun on the Cape Cod Fairgrounds in Falmouth, MA.  This event know as Mass Jam brought over 300 Troops and Crews together (approx 5000 Scouts and Leaders) for camping, games, skills, exhibits, and fun.  It was mayhem at times with long lines for the snack bar and trading post, but overall the Troops had a great time!   https://massjam.org/

In July 2023 The Troop returned to Yawgoog Scout Reservation in Rockville, RI for a week of Summer Camp.  This year we stayed in a new campsite and camp.  We stayed in TUOCS (Scout spelled backwards) in the historic Camp Three Point.  The Scouts earned around 60 merit badges combined throughout the week and had some fantastic fun swimming, boating, shooting rifles, shotguns, and archery, they did Wilderness Survival and attended many other classes throughout the week.  Let's Hear it For the Point!

In July 2023 The Troop returned to Yawgoog Scout Reservation in Rockville, RI for a week of Summer Camp.  This year we stayed in a new campsite and camp.  We stayed in TUOCS (Scout spelled backwards) in the historic Camp Three Point.  The Scouts earned around 60 merit badges combined throughout the week and had some fantastic fun swimming, boating, shooting rifles, shotguns, and archery, they did Wilderness Survival and attended many other classes throughout the week.  Let's Hear it For the Point!

In June the Scouts headed out west to Charlemont, MA for White Water Rafting on the Deerfield River.  We camped at one of our favorite locations the Country Aire Campground.  The owner is an Eagle Scout and former Scouter who not only runs a beautiful campground but also makes delicious donuts and produces his own maple syrup!  Rafting was through ZOAR Outdoors for a full day on the Deerfield.  We stopped along the way for a delicious picnic lunch and had fun with water wars along the way.  The evening was topped off by Scoutmaster Nate making us all pizza with his Oonie Pizza oven, YUM!

In May 2023 Troop 29 headed down to the Cape Cod Canal to bike along the bike path.  We camped across the street at one of our favorite parks, The Mid Cape Recreation Center, which is owned and operated by the Army Corp of Engineers.  Unfortunately the clouds opened and it rained pretty hard on our bike ride.  We spent a bit of time in the Visitor's Center learning about how the Canal was made.  Everyone was pretty wet and miserable after the ride back to the park, so we thought it was better to head home on Saturday afternoon.

For the first time in a long time the Troop stayed relatively close to home and camped at the Hale Reservation in Westwood, MA.  What a hidden gem this place is for the area citizens.  We had a decent campsite with a huge covered pavillion and flush toilets!  On Saturday we went to Tree Tops in Canton which has ropes courses and zip lines of varying difficulty.  After Tree Tops we headed back to camp and helped clean up the camp trails as part of our Earth Day Community Service

In March we rented a cabin for the first time at Nobscot Scout Reservation in Sudbury, MA.  We have been here a few times in the past, but never in a cabin.  We worked on some basic Scout Skills this weekend like how to property use cutting tools (Knives, Axes, and saws) and how to set up a dining fly.  We also helped perform some "good turns" for the camp by stacking wood at one of the other cabins.

In January the Scouts took a daytrip to Blessed Sacrament School in Walpole where Mr. Hall is the Director of Technology.  The Scouts spent the day learning about Robotics, Engineering, Teamwork and ultimately earning the Robotics Merit Badge.

In December the Troop traveled to Rock Spot Gym in Lincoln, RI.  The Scouts were able to climb safely indoors for the evening, enjoy some pizza, and play games before bunking down for the night on the padded gym floor.  The older Scouts were able to complete the requirements for the Climbing Merit Badge as well!

In November Troop 29 hosted the Webelos from Pack 92 on a unique overnight adventure at Camp Resolute.  We gathered in the afternoon on Saturday for some games, followed by a huge Thanksgiving Feast of Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, and lots of gravy!   That night the Troop performed skits at the campfire while everyone enjoyed some apple and pumpkin pie.  On Sunday we had a big pancake breakfast and then travelled to the nearby American Heritage Museum to tour the showcase of one of the most amazing collections of military vehicles and gear in the world.  Just the plan we needed for a rainy Sunday morning in November!

In October the Troop headed west to Camp Moses in Western Massachusetts.  We arrived late in the evening on Friday and setup our tents in the dark.  On Saturday  the camp runs an outstanding daytime program called Woronoco Heights Outdoor Adventure (WHOA for short).  The camp staff offered multiple stations throughout the day with the chance to do Rifles, Orienteering, Blacksmith, Tomahawks, Ham Radio, Escape Room, Mt. Biking, Animal Tracking, and many more.  The events change seasonally at WHOA as well, so you could go back in the winter for a totally different experience.  Later on Saturday the troop had a Dutch Oven Cooking Contest to see who could make the tastiest meal.  The Tater Tot Casserole was one of the Troop's favorite meals!

We thought we would try something NEW in September and headed down to the coast of Rhode Island for some surfing lessons.  We tented at Camp Aquapaug on Saturday night and then on Sunday morning we headed to nearby Narragansett Beach.  The surf was very high and rough that weekend due to a hurricane that was down in the Bahamas, but the Scouts and Leaders gave it their best to learn the basic techniques involved in surfing and try riding some tasty waves.  Some did better than others and overall we had a great experience.  Definitely a trip to be repeated in the near future!

Every Year in July the Troop spends a week at one of the resident camps in the New England region.  In 2022 we returned to our Council's Camp Squanto in Plymouth, MA.  This year we were able to share the Wampanoag campsite down by the pond with our friends from Franklin Troop 126.  The Scouts worked on Merit Badges each day, cooled off in the pond, and participated in the annual Apache Relay.  There were also the fun staff campfire skit shows, OA Callout, Pirate Scavenger Hunt, and other fun activities throughout the week.

Life is never boring at Troop 29!  We love to find new adventures for our Scouts that help them learn new skills, but also offer fun weekends in the outdoors.  In June we headed to our favorite Cape Cod for a fishing trip.  We camped for two nights at the Midway Recreation Center on the Cape Cod Canal which is run by the Army Core of Engineers.  Saturday morning we headed to Falmouth and met up with Patriot Party Boats for some great fishing conditions.  We caught a plethora of Scup and Black Seas Bass over the course of a couple of hours.  Some of the Scouts even got to drive the boat!   We headed back to camp in the afternoon to play some games and enjoy the freshest fish and chips anywhere with hand cut fries and the fish that we caught that day.  Even the Scouts who don't normally eat fish dug in and had happy bellies that day.

In May we took a smaller crew out on the Charles River and navigated the winding waterways from Medfield down to the dam in Natick (about 10 miles).  We were able stop midway to campout on the shores of Rocky Woods on Saturday night.  After pitching our tents we did some fishing and cooked burgers and hotdogs over an open campfire.  The next day we cooked a mountain man breakfast over the campfire before loading up the canoes and paddling the rest of the way to Natick.

In April we took our new 5th grade Crossover Scouts and their parents to the top of Mount Monadnock in New Hampshire.  It was a chilly April weekend, but the spirits were high and most of us made it to the top of the Mountain.  Mount Monadnock at just over 3000 feet is said to be the 2nd most climbed mountain in THE WORLD.  It sees approximately 125,000 climbers annually.  That is 2nd to only Mount Fuji in Japan with 200,000 visitors each year.

Winter can be challenging for camping in New England unless you really like freezing in a tent or are lucky enough to get a heated cabin.  One of the events that Scouts look forward to is the Freezeout or Klondike Derby at one of Mayflowers two main camps.  Camp Resolute hosted their Freezeout in February and it sure was cold!   Troop 29 just went for the day to compete in some wintery events like the dog sled race, sling shot, and fire building.  Hot Cocoa and Soup were enjoyed by most that day.

As part of the Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge, we decided to head out to Boston for a day of walking the Freedom Trail and soaking in the rich heritage that still exists in downtown Boston area.  We took the train from Franklin into Boston and began our adventures along the trail.  We visited the Old Granary cemetery where Patriots like Samuel Adams and John Hancock are buried.  We visited several colonial era churches and meetings halls.  The old State House is the scene of the Boston Massacre and the shot heard round the world.  After a long hike in the rain to the Northend we were able to score some authentic Boston Pizza.  We finished up at the Paul Revere house (he really lived there) before heading back home.

Mayflower Council offers several opportunities throughout the year for Scout Troops and Packs throughout the area to come together for a friendly competition of Scout Skills and other fun outdoor activities.  This particular camporee was GPS themed.  We used GPS coordinates to navigate from one station to another and participated in various fun activities throughout the day.  We had a fun campfire and skit show at the end of the day.  That night we were lulled to sleep by the bagpiping sounds of James McKnight before the wind and rain swept through the campsite.

What an amazing weekend camping in Rhode Island at BSA Camp Aquapaug and biking on the steep roads of Block Island!  We arrived at camp late on Friday and headed out early the next morning to catch the auto ferry over to the Island.  We arrived at the ferry terminal a bit later than originally planned which did NOT make the crew happy (20 people with bikes) oops!   Arriving to Block Island we discovered that the roads were NOT flat at all.  Lots of steep climbs and decents as we made our way around the island.  There were awesome sights along the way including the lighthouse and painted rock.  We finally made our way to the beach for lunch and later that day took the ferry back home.  What a great day and fun weekend in Rhode Island!

Our first time at Yawgoog Scout Reservation, Camp Sandy Beach was in the summer of 2021.  We normally go to a week of summer camp at our home camp in Plymouth, but due to Covid issues we decided to try something new.  What an amazing week the boys had with merit badges, family style dining, waterfront activities, sing alongs, skit shows, and more.  They loved the trading post stores and visited frequently for Arizona Iced Teas and assorted snacks.  The adult leaders found a great place to hang at the Factors Club where the coffee was freshly made and the wifi was just good enough to get some work done.  We will definitely be back to visit Yawgoog in the future and explore more of this great Scout vacationland in southern Rhode Island.

In June we returned to one of our favorite places Waquoit Bay in Falmouth Cape Cod.  We were here two years prior and able to kayak to and sleep on a nearby island called Washburn Island.  Unfortunately camping on the island has been suspended, but we were still able to paddle around the bay and stop on the island for lunch.  After checking out the jetty and digging up some fresh clams, we headed back to our campsite in the nearby State Campground.  Scoutmaster Jon brought his clam knife and shucked some fresh clams for the Scouts to try!

Our older Scouts had been asking for a long time to do a real backpacking trip where we carry all our gear into the woods and campout.  We headed out to Rutland, MA and hiked part of the Midstate Trail for about 6 miles into Treasure Valley Scout Camp.  Once we got to camp, we setup our tents and had lunch.  We were in need of some water and all of the facilites on our side of the camp were closed, so one group went off to search for water while others stayed at camp to gather wood and start a cooking fire.  We had amazing foil packs that night cooked over the campfire coals.  The next morning we packed up and hiked back to our cars.  What a great trip for our Scouts and Leaders!

This was the first Troop Camping Trip for our crossover class of 2021.  We decided to camp at our favorite Camp Squanto in the Penobscot Site that we normally have for summer camp.  We brought our bikes with us and road some of the bike trails through nearby Myles Standish forest before stopping by one of Plymouths many ponds for lunch.  After the long ride back to camp the new scouts worked on their Totin' Chip and other advancement requirements with our older Scout Leaders.  We had a great dinner and desserts made in dutch ovens before heading off to bed.