Scout-O
April 16-18, 2010
Hale Reservation
Westwood, MA
We camped at Hale Reservation in Westwood, MA, to attend our first Scout-O. The reservation was awesome, with well-maintained roads and facilities and plenty of nature on 1100 acres. It also had 700 acres of Trustees land adjacent to it. We had the access to a nearby cabin, so we used that for storing our gear, for dining and for cleaning dishes. Otherwise, we tented as planned.
The Scout-O was an orienteering event for Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, organized by the New England Orienteering Club (NEOC). Eight Scouts and three leaders came prepared for the moist weather.
Organized was definitely the word for the event. They had staggered start times and sets of custom maps arranged for each group. Any especially ambitious groups could come back for harder courses. The club closely monitored the field to ensure that all groups who started courses returned from the woods.
Bill Pullman, of NEOC, was our guide for the first course. We finished the "White B" course in 5th place of 16 with a time of 38:56. The best time, by a Troop 168 entry was 10:10, but that was their second try. Bruce Wester provided and introduction to the Orienteering merit badge. Then, most of our Scouts ran a second course, the "Yellow B" course, finishing with a time of 55:55; that placed them 3rd place of 26 teams.
Photos by: Joshua Froimson
