On November 23^rd – 24^th, 2013, the Boy Scouts of Troop 43 from Sea Cliff, NY went to Mohonk Mountain House to try and do the “Labyrinth”.  The “Labyrinth” is a 1 mile rock scramble in which hikers ascend 300 feet up a mountain and have to climb over, under and through rock formations to get to the very top, which is called Sky Top Tower. 

 

Along the way, the scouts encountered challenging rock formations such as “Head Ache Rock”, “Fat Man’s Misery”, “The Lemon Squeeze “, and “The Crevice.”  It was tough to make it through the entire course, but after about an hour the scouts found themselves at the final section called the “Lemon Squeeze”.

 

The “Lemon Squeeze”, which is a deep crack inside the face of the mountain, is where the scouts had to climb several series of narrow, wooden ladders, some of which were on strange angles, making them hard to climb.  Finally, the scouts came out the very top through a tiny crack called “The Crevice”.

 

After the scouts had finished the climb and their lunch, they headed to their campsite, which was only fifteen minutes away from the Mountain House.  After the scouts set up camp, the temperature dropped and even started to snow for several minutes.

The scout’s dinner was either pasta with marinara sauce or steak, depending on what patrol that scout was in. 

 

Overnight, the temperature dropped from 32 degrees to 22 degrees, with the wind chill making it seem like it was 8 degrees.

In the morning, all of the troop’s water froze, so they had to warm it up by the campfire.  Most of the scouts refused to leave the campfire since it was so cold out, but soon everybody got packed up and ready to leave, despite the harsh weather. 

This trip was an especially cold trip, but it was also one of the very best adventures the Troop has done.

 

The Troop’s next camping trip is practicing outdoor skills at Schiff Scout Reservation in December.  Hopefully, it will be warmer!

 

K. Soscie