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.
The Joshua Tree Camping trip is a very fun camping trip that Troop 506 goes on every year. It is one of the trips that the scouts look forward to every year, because there are many fun activities. Some unique things that scouts love about this trip are the rock climbing, the exploring, and the amazing views. After a long hike/scramble up a boulder, the view of the desert is even more phenomenal. Additionally, the stars at night, the sunsets, and the sunrises are also breathtaking.
During the Joshua Tree trip, there is a campfire program that never disappoints! Scouts come up with fun new skit ideas (or reuse old ones), and it is such a fun way to bond with fellow scouts and have a good laugh. Scouts also cook for themselves and their patrol, so it is very good for learning new skills. This is also a trip for the families of Troop 506, and is fun for everyone involved.
Surf Camp is a great easy little trip for new scouts to learn the ropes of scouting. This was in fact the first trip I went on as a boy scout. Although there are not very many merit badges to earn at this camp, it does give you a great chance to get some other sign offs for your rank advancement.
Surf camp is also a unique experience offered by troop 506. Only troop 506 offers surf camp. Mr. Catanzaro even had a special class where you could earn a patch. It was very easy to get if you paid attention. This was called The Surfrider award.
What also made this surf camp even more incredible is that a journalist from scout life magazine came. Our surf camp was featured in the 2024 August edition of scout life magazine. It was incredible.
Even if you don’t like surfing, Surf camp has plenty of other options. Last year at surf camp there was a riptide starting under a bridge & you could boogie board & float on it into the sea. It was super cool. And we played a lot of card games in our down time at surf camp. So even if surfing isn’t for you, come check it out anyway.
Philmont is a very special trip that our 506G troop got to attend this summer (2024). It is a twelve day high adventure backpacking trip in New Mexico. Philmont is not like other backpacking trips, in the sense that there are events/activities that the scouts get to attend almost everyday. Our crew spent months going on training hikes, backpacking trips, and planning for this fun, but tough, trip.
There were so many fun activities that we participated in, but some of our crew’s favorites were horseback riding, black powder shooting, and Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience (COPE – a rope course and team building exercises). Additionally, we all loved the campfires where there were funny skits, good songs, and overall good comradery. There were also beautiful views, sun rises, and sunsets that we got the chance to experience.
Philmont was definitely a hard and life-changing experience for the entire crew. Although there was rain, thunder, and a lot of hiking, we persevered and made it to all our events! I think these hardships made everyone so much tougher, and brought our crew closer together too. Even though we had chosen a 65-mile trek, in all, we hiked over 100 miles all together! This just goes to show that we are all so much tougher than we believe, and Philmont definitely helped our crew to realize that about ourselves.
Over summer, the girls of Troop 506 enjoyed a week at camp Emerald Bay, on Catalina Island. Camp Emerald Bay is known for their many water activities and merit badges. Our troop had a fun time doing some of the activities that Camp Emerald Bay offers. As a troop, 506G did snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, and much more. Additionally the campfires were also a widely enjoyed activity among the scouts.
Camp Emerald Bay offered many activities for individuals as well as troops, so 506G was kept busy and entertained the whole time. One of the main things that our scouts enjoyed was meeting other scouts from all over. Since there were so many activities, it allowed for scouts to mingle around and meet new people.
One fun troop activity that 506G did, was the War Canoe, where all ten scouts were in one canoe paddling through the ocean to a different beach. At that beach, the troop hung out for the day and spent the night. A couple years ago, when 506G previously went to Camp Emerald Bay, the War Canoes were still shut down because of Covid. So, it was really nice that this fun and memorable experience was able to be had this year at camp.
Even though this camp experience was a lot of fun, there were many opportunities for scouts to learn and grow. At Camp Emerald Bay, there are a variety of different merit badges that a scout can earn. In addition, there is also time for scouts to get sign offs and learn new skills. After the fun week at Camp Emerald Bay, every scout came home with more merit badges under their belt.
Overall, this year at Camp Emerald bay was definitely a success! All the scouts had a lot of fun doing things they might not normally do, like learning how to sail, go snorkeling, etc. Many lasting memories were created this year at camp, and we are excited to create even more at next year’s camp, wherever it might be!
One of my favorite scout trips is the February Colorado River canoe trip. This is an annual event that the hard-working parents of Troop 506B and Troop 506G organize. I have been on this adventure twice, and both were fantastic experiences. This trip lasts about four days. There is so much more to this trip than just canoeing. We get to explore caves, hot springs, hiking trails, and the beauty of nature.
We take two different routes on this stunning river. One route starts at Hoover Dam and goes down the river from there. The other begins at Chocolate and has a scenic route of tall cliffs and shimmering water. Both have many landmark sights that everyone should see at least once.
Troop 506 canoeing on the majestic Colorado River
To go on this trip, you need to train. You can do this by going on the “Salty Rat” around Mission Bay. This is a canoe trip that is 6 hours long. You also have to go on two training days to properly steer a canoe, use a paddle, and get back into the canoe if you capsize. The training is purposely more difficult than the trip to ensure you are prepared.
Troop 506 reflects on the entire trip
This is an experience that everyone should try. Troop 506 is very inclusive, so you can canoe on the river as soon as you are twelve. If you are not convinced already, let me tell you that the Colorado River is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. I highly enjoyed this trip and hope to go on it many more times in my scouting journey.
View from the canoe. It doesn’t get much better than this!
Scouts from Troop 506 enjoy perfect weather as they cruise down the river in their canoes
One of the most enjoyable trips in my Scouting journey is Surf Camp. Surf Camp is an event only offered by Troop 506. We get to hang out with all of our friends in the sun all day long. It is a very leisurely experience that was designed to create a break for Scouts, somewhere Scouts could enjoy the environment and natural wonder around us, the coastline.
Although this trip is made easy for the Scouts, we still get many chances to get sign-offs and learn many new skills. Every year there is a new experience and even more enjoyment. It is so unique that this year a journalist from Scout Life Magazine visited us to write an article about our adventures. This made the Surf Camp experience even more satisfying.
There are many different activities to choose from including surfing, boogie boarding, swimming, and more. We also do many different activities on land such as friendship bracelets and hanging out at the campsite. The Surfrider Award is also offered and led by Mr. Catanzaro. This is a very special award, and there are not too many chances to get it. Surf Camp is a wonderful opportunity to earn this awesome award.
This was the first Scout trip that I went on when I joined the troop two years ago. I have made so many new friends at Surf Camp. This is also an event that a lot of alumni come to. This trip is perfect for a relaxing break. I personally love this trip and hope to go on it many more times in my Scouting journey.
The girls troop went on a camping trip in Yuma, Arizona, with the purpose of doing what was essentially a lazy river trip. Monica Winters, an ASM, organized this trip after organizing white water rafting at Kern River for a few years now. It ended up being 3 hour float trip with numerous little adventures within. As a scout who attended, this trip was very fun and I hope it becomes an annual trip.
On March 18, 2023, the girls’ troop went to the San Diego Food Bank. There, they packaged bags of fruit to be distributed by the food bank at a later date. The people there that day ended up packaging roughly 6,000 pounds of fruit to help people in need. They packaged pears and oranges into mesh bags for two hours that day.
Audrey Weishaar, one of the volunteers, described the experience. “At the food bank, we started off by getting a safety talk. We were told we had to watch out for forklifts, wear gloves, and learn how much fruit to put in each bag. We then seperated into two groups, since there were too many of us to fit at only one crate of fruit. So one group filled bags with pears and the other with oranges. The adults helped too! It was a lot of fun. I’d never done something like that. With Girl Scouts I’d done food drives, but never something like this. It was really cool to see so much food get prepared. There was a very big sense of accomplishment with helping so many people.”
