2024 Canoe Training and Salty Rat
By Layla, Webmaster Troop 506G
Every year in February, troop 506 scouts and families get the opportunity to go on a canoe trip down the Colorado River. It is a very unique and fun experience. However, another special thing that our troop offers, is the training trips for the canoe trip. First, in October, scouts and families must get canoe trained. This is a one day training, that is very fun, because a lot of scouts attend it. Everyone gets to learn the basics of canoeing, get onto the water, and hang out with friends. The next day, the canoeing merit badge is offered to scouts. There, the scouts can learn even more skills, and also practice capsizing, which is something that (hopefully) doesn’t happen very often, so it is pretty fun as well.
After the training, in December, another training event takes place, which is called “Salty Rat.” This is a one day canoe trip around the bay, where you practice loading up canoes, canoeing, setting up and making lunch. Then scouts have the opportunity to also camp the night after to really indulge in the canoe trip experience. One thing that scouts enjoy on the Salty Rat is the famous chili that is made every year for lunch. Overall, these two training events are not only fun by themselves, but they make the big Colorado trip even more enjoyable, because then you have much more practice and you know what you are doing.
