Written by Jeff Gleiser Monday, 06 April 2009 21:13

Report from Raven’s Knob

For the past several weeks, Scouts have been preparing for our trip to Raven’s Knob Scout Camp in Mount Airy. The trek was a great challenge for everyone, and it was met with a good attitude and many lessons in self-reliance, perseverance, and team work. The map and compass were tools we used often, as we traversed the western ridge above the camp.

We arrived to “The Knob” on Friday evening and quickly set camp as darkness fell. It was cool with a stiff wind along the ridge where we were camped. Much to everyone’s disappointment, we could not start a fire due to the wind. This dashed any hopes for a snack of s’mores Silas brought to share. Instead, everyone chose to turn in early for the night.

Saturday morning was brisk, breezy, with clear skies. We broke camp and ate breakfast. After a quick stop in the parking lot to drop off a few non-essentials, we made our way through the heart of camp and were soon on the trail to the camp’s name sake Raven’s Knob. Our plan was to follow the white trail to the knob then across the ridge along the west side of camp. It didn’t take long to find out that the trail had not been used in some time, making the map and compass very valuable tools. The climb to the knob was tough, but we finally made it. It was a gain of 650 feet in elevation in about a ¼ mile distance.

The rest of the morning we spent following the trail now marked with orange blazes with some white beneath them. Up one peak, then down, each with its own challenges. We took several breaks along the way until about noon time. We planned to eat at Raccoon Mountain, and once there everyone enjoyed a well deserved rest. After lunch, it was back on the trail. The turn back into camp came, and almost as quick it went back to the north. This part of the orange marked trail took us to the junction of what we assumed was the green trail, but it was unmarked. The yellow trail was also here but seemed to end at that point instead of finishing its loop around camp. The orange trail continued northeast and you guessed it, up hill toward Warrior Mountain.

 

 

 

 

We were in need of water, so we opted to follow the yellow trail south down into the valley where Endicott Creek flowed. We came to an opening in the woods with a grassy field and 2 Adirondack shelters. After refilling water bottles and a light snack, we decided to camp here for the night. Camp was set, and everyone found a cool place to rest and enjoy the quiet. After supper, we had a small campfire and talked about the day’s events. It was then off to bed, with three of our Scouts opting to use one of the Adirondacks instead of their tents.

During the night, two or three coyotes could be heard calling to each other from the ridge to the east and west of us. An owl joined in the chorus for much of the night as well. Morning came with a woodpecker and whippoorwill acting as our alarm clock. We broke camp, ate a small breakfast and started on the 2 ½ mile hike out to the main part of camp and the parking lot. After leaving camp, we stopped for a hearty breakfast at the Wagon Wheel restaurant in Mt. Airy. We finished our meal and then left for home.

It was a great trip. No one got hurt or lost, and nobody really complained about the difficult trail. The fellowship was second to none. At the next Monday night meeting there will be many tales to tell as we have our Thorns and Roses.