Historian Report                                        6/18/07      

            Hello, my name is Kyle Kittelberger, and I have had the pleasure of being the troop historian. We have had many events since the last Court of Honor. In the month of February, the troop traveled down to the Croatan National Forest for a weekend of hiking, which is located near Morehead City. The trail started in the coastal plain and wound through pocosins, pine savannas, swamps, and ended in the Neuse River Wetland. At the end of the hike, it looked like we had participated in a muddy survivor challenge.

In the month of March, there were three events. The troop had the privilege of camping at the Fort Macon base and experiencing how the coast guard operates. We learned about the machinery and even toured boats. During our breaks, some went down to the beach to fish or toured the old base. Later in March there was an Adopt-A-Highway. This is where the troop is able to help the environment and community by picking up trash found along the road. Every Adopt-A-Highway is a surprise because you are always finding different objects. The highlight was Ramon finding a pair of panties to add to his collection of things. The month ended with troop elections.

In April there were five events. The month started with Danny’s Eagle Ceremony. Congratulations to Danny and his family. Then we had the New Boy Campout at Falls Lake. This was a time for the older scouts to introduce themselves to the younger scouts and make them feel welcomed. We had an awesome campfire with lots of new and funny skits. We even found out who the ugliest man in the world is, what those important papers are, and this it is helpful to know how to spell words like boulevard. The troop had its annual hot dog sale, which is where the troop sells hot dogs in front of Northern Tool for fundraising. There were two hikes- one at Blue Jay Point and another at Uwharrie.

In the month of May the troop had two events. There was a pre- AT 10 mile hike with a full backpack at Falls Lake. This was for hikers to prepare themselves for the Short-AT. A week after this hike, part of the troop traveled to Grayson Highlands Park in Virginia to hike 15 miles on the AT.

There have been four events to date in June. The moth started out with a 10 mile hike at the Eno River State Park. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t hold up in the end. After school ended, part of the troop left for Virginia to embark on a long journey, hiking 50 miles on the AT. We arrived on Friday and on Saturday we began our long journey, hiking 10 miles. On Sunday we hiked for part of the time on the Virginia/West Virginia border. On Monday, everyone was ecstatic about eating pizza, and boy did those showers feel great. Tuesday we left the comfort of the hostal and ventured back on the trail. After hiking 12 ½ miles, everyone enjoyed the campfire that night, where we all had our boots branded with the AT sign. [Thank you Mr. Fitzpatrick for carrying the brand.] After hiking 12 ½ miles before 12:30 on Wednesday, lunch tasted so great, especially the watermelon. Then there were eleven. That night we had a great time cooking in a hot dog contest. Thursday was the hardest day to hike out of the entire 80 miles. We had to battle harsh terrain and severe lightning and thunderstorms during the 19 miles. At last, it was Friday, the end of the trip. Everybody slept well that night. This past Saturday, there was an Adopt-A-Trail where the scouts help keep the greenway clean. And finally, here I am, talking to you at our Court of Honor. Thank you for your time.