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Listed below
are just some of Troop 123's more recent past events.
(Click on the highlighted text for
more information.)
2009 Scoutmaster Mark Steelquist:
Wednesday, December 16, 2009 Troop 123 Christmas Party!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
9:00 a.m. - Meet Scoutmaster Mark Steelquist at the Whitman School parking lot to car pool to the Summit Tubing Center at Snoqualmie Pass.
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| Denali Evo Snowshoes |
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Troop 123 Scouts attended a Snowshoeing 101 class at the downtown Seattle REI store.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
8:30 a.m. - Meet Scoutmaster Mark Steelquist at the Whitman School parking lot to car pool to Fort Worden State Park for an overnight camp-out.
| Vern Puddy's Beechcraft Baron |
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| Click the Image |
Wednesday, November 11,
2009 Veterans Day! Schools closed. Seventeen Troop 123 Scouts toured the Museum of Flight. Afterwards, they went through their Aviation
Merit Badge Worksheets with Troop 123's Aviation Merit Badge counselor, Steve Kirsch, who is a United Airlines pilot.
The Scouts then went to Boeing Field where they conducted a pre-flight check on the twin engine Beechcraft Baron airplane
owned by Scout Grand-Parent, Vern Puddy.
Saturday, October
24, 2008 Six Scouts spent Saturday morning working on Scout Skills at Carkeek Park. We started
with a brief shopping trip to secure supplies for lunch (English muffin pizzas cooked over briquettes), then headed to the
park to work on plant and animal identification, knot tying, lashing and fire building under the guidance of the ASPL and
the assistance from another Scout. Not sure of the final tally, but at least one Scout finished the requirements for
First Class! - Assistant Scoutmaster Scott Reed.
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| Click the Image |
Friday, October 23, to Sunday
October 24, 2009 Two of our Senior Scouts and Scoutmaster Mark Steelquist attended the 16 hour
Leave No Trace Instructor training course at Camp Sheppard. They are now certified as Leave No Trace Instructors, which qualifies them to lead Leave No Trace Awareness workshops
at the unit, district and community levels.
Leave No Trace is a set of seven principles used to guide activities
in the outdoors. By applying these principles in the outdoors, users can minimize their impact on the environment, wildlife
and other users. A Leave No Trace Awareness Workshop can be as simple as a 30 minute orientation, to a full weekend of
instruction and practice. These principles will be applied to every outdoor activity conducted by our Troop.
| Upper Lena Lake |
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| Click the Image |
Friday, October 9, 2009
Two (2) overnight camp-out at Lena Lake in the Olympic Peninsula. Click here for the Washington Trails Association's comments.
On Friday afternoon we set off from the Lena Lake trailhead on the Hamma Hamma Road. It was about 2.5 miles to the
lake with an elevation gain of 1200 feet. About 2/3 of the way up we crossed the bridge over Lena Creek and there was no water!
We could hear the water rushing further down the mountain, but it was a subterranean stream at the bridge crossing.
We arrived at the lake and found it to be drained down probably 20 feet below its normal bank. The inlet stream was dry,
and about 100 yards above the lake, Lena Creek was flowing but simply disappeared into the gravel. One of the strangest things
I've ever seen. Exposed tree trunks throughout the lake indicate that this lake was created fairly recently by a huge rock
slide off one of the mountain slopes. Several Scouts became mired in the lake bottom muck that, with the lowered water level, formed the lake shore. On Saturday we made a mid-morning
start for Upper Lena Lake, a 2800 foot climb over about 3.5 miles one way. Dave and Norm hiked with the fast walkers and I
held up the rear with a couple of less-fast Scouts. Two-thirds the way up the trail, the fast group met us on their way down.
"There is no lake!", they claimed. Apparently they turned back short. They described to me where they had hiked
to and all the boys and adults turned back for Lower Lena Lake. I continued up to the upper lake. I passed their turn around
point and kept going to find Upper Lena Lake within 200 yards of where they stopped. Unbelievable! Unbelievable describes the beauty of Upper Lena
Lake. Unbelievable also describes the decision to climb 2700 feet and turn around 100 vertical feet from the goal, midday,
in good weather. Oh well! We'll just have to go back! I've attached a picture of the upper lake basin to prove that it exists. The campsites at the upper lake
are very nice; better than the sites at Lower Lena Lake. No fires at the upper lake, however. I saw a black bear, and kept
my distance. Back at camp we saw ravens and heard owls at night. Three boys and Dave Geer hiked out Saturday afternoon. The rest of us hiked
out Sunday morning, early. I highly recommend the Halfway House Restaurant in Brinnon, where we ate a huge breakfast. - Scoutmaster
Mark Steelquist
| Andy Tiura |
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| July 8, 1957 - September 2, 2009 |
Saturday, September 26,
2009 Troop 123 Scouts participated in the Walk to Defeat ALS at Seward Park, as a Service Project in remembrance of
Troop 123 Scout Parent Andy Tiura. Andy's son has a website for his Team. Click here for the link.
Sunday, September
20, 2009 Troop 123 Scouts went on a day hike to Barclay Lake and Eagle Lake.
We had a great hike on Sunday! Eight Scouts, six adults and one Webelos, hiked 2 1/2 miles to Barclay Lake. We started
out with a map and compass orientation, and then hiked to the trail for lunch. After lunch, Jeff Westmoreland and our new
Assistant Scoutmaster, Nick Davis, continued up the trail to Eagle Lake with two scouts, while the rest of us explored Barclay
Lake. We got a bit muddy, and pestered some frogs before hiking back down the hill to the cars. - Assistant Scoutmaster
Scott Reed.
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| Click the Image |
Friday, September
11 to Sunday September 13, 2009 Six Troop 123 Scouts staffed the "Mom & Me Camp" for Cub Scouts at Camp Sheppard. According to the Troop Guide in charge of this event: "Our Scouts were
great! We rocked peoples socks off!!!!!!" - RS
| 2009 Summer Camp at Camp Parsons |
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| Click the Image |
Sunday, August 16, to Saturday,
August 22, 2009 Thirty-three Troop 123 Scouts attended Summer Camp at Camp Parsons. See Shutterfly for photos.
| 2009 Summer Camp at Camp Parsons |
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| Click the Image |
Our week at Camp Parsons was an awesome experience for 33 of our Scouts. This was
the largest Troop 123 contingent of summer campers in years. Most days our Scouts could be found at the waterfront, rifle
range, craft lodge, or the ecology/conservation center.
Our Troop came home with the most Camp honors ever, including Honor Troop and Best Scout Rifle Marksman.
Friday's Hulabaloo belonged to Troop 123. In the Patrol Games, the Saucy Posse Patrol took 3rd Place among all the Patrols
in camp.
Troop 123 won 1st Place in the Hulabaloo Relay Race, and was the victor in the 2 1/2 mile canoe race
for the Octopus Cup, which is the the most coveted unit award at Camp Parsons. More than 80 merit badges were earned at Camp
and every Scout had an experience they will never forget. - Scoutmaster Mark Steelquist
| Dosewallips State Park |
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| Dosewallips River |
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Troop 123 Scouts and their family members, who were not on the Tour à Camp Parsons, car pooled to Dosewallips State Park to greet the riders on the Tour à Camp Parsons as they arrived from their 261 mile, week long bicycle ride
up the Oregon Coast. Everyone enjoyed an overnight family camp-out alongside the Dosewallips
River.
The next day (Sunday), everyone traveled five miles north to Camp Parsons, for the Scouts' first day of Troop 123's week long Summer Camp.
| Cycling Merit Badge |
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Sunday,
August 9, to Saturday, August 15, 2009 Troop 123 Scouts rode on a 261 mile, week long bicycle ride up the coast of Oregon from Cape Lookout State Park, to Summer Camp at Camp Parsons (Tour de la côte de l'Oregon à Camp Parsons or simply
- "Tour à Camp Parsons").
Friday, July 31, 2009
- Troop 123 Scouts biked the Lake Washington Loop - 51.6 miles. The temperature was in the 80's.
Four Troop
123 Scouts, Scoutmaster Mark Steelquist and I, left Gasworks Park before 7:30 this morning for our second
"Lake Washington Loop" ride. We were able to keep a better pace than last Saturday, proving that training does help!
By 9:30 or so, we'd made it to Bellevue. Around 11:15 we found ourselves in the middle of a seat-of-the-pants detour
around the Seafair activity at Stan Sayres Pits. We paused in Leschi hoping to see the Blue Angels fly, but they
were either late or we were early. We pressed on. We made better time than Saturday, primarily
because of shorter breaks. Riders who did both days were in better shape at the end.
For those who missed this wonderful ride you've
got one more chance! We'll be riding the Loop again on Wednesday morning (same start time of 6:30 a.m.), hoping to go a bit
faster. Since we've done the ride twice clockwise, we're going to mix it up and go the opposite direction, heading out
south and ending with a relatively easy 12-mile cool-down ride on the Burke Gilman Trail.- Assistant Scoutmaster Scott Reed
Thursday,
July 30, 2009 5:30-8:30 p.m. Troop 123 swim party at the Blue Ridge Pool.
| Cycling Merit Badge |
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Sunday, July 26, 2009
- Troop 123 Scouts biked from Wilmot Gateway Park in Woodinville, down the Sammamish River Trail to Redmond, and then looped around Lake Sammamish and back - 35 miles.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
- Troop 123 Scouts biked the Lake Washington Loop - 51.6 miles. The temperature for both days was in the 80's.
The weekend bicycle "Tour
of the Lakes" or "Tour des Lacs", shake-out rides were a success! Saturday
we left Gasworks Park at around 8:30, rode the Burke Gilman trail north to Kenmore, turned south to climb two long miles
past St. Edwards Park to the top (roughly) of Finn hill, then down through Juanita and Kirkland before climbing up Bellevue
Way to our lunch stop at the QFC in Clyde Hill / Northwest Bellevue. After lunch our route took us parallel to 405 south to
Renton, then north on the Seattle side of the lake and back to Gasworks. Along the way the Scouts got a good idea of their
general level of fitness, and a few have realized they need to ramp up their training before we head to Oregon. Sunday's ride around Lake Sammamish was
shorter, but more fraught with technical difficulties. Early in the ride one Scout required a brake adjustment. Shortly thereafter
another missed a turn and had a nice tour of Redmond Town Center before rejoining us at Marymoor Park. And, half an hour or
so after that we had an McGuiver-esque derailleur repair (it's amazing what you can fix with a stick and some ingenuity) and
a standard flat repair. But everyone's legs held up well and we were done in relatively good time. -
Assistant Scoutmaster Scott Reed
| Troop 123 Big Burger |
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Saturday, July
18, 2009 Troop 123's Scout Family Potluck Picnic was held in the shared backyard of the Puddy
and the Vortman families. The 24th Annual Seafair Indian Days "Pow Wow" was going on next door at the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center in Discovery Park.
| Bainbridge Island Bike Ride |
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| Click for a Larger Image |
Saturday,
July 11 - Sunday, July 12, 2009 Troop 123 Scouts biked from 100th Avenue NW to Edmonds,
took the ferry to Kingston, and biked through Indianola, Suquamish, and across the Agate Passage bridge to Bainbridge
Island, for a total of 36.6 miles. They camped overnight on Bainbridge Island. On Sunday, they biked to the Bainbridge Island ferry dock, took the
ferry to Seattle, and then biked back to 100th Avenue NW. See Maggie Bolliger's and Christine George's
photos on "Shutterfly".
This weekend's overnight bike ride went well! We had 8 on the
road Saturday - 4 adults and 4 Scouts.. We logged about 33 miles from Maggie's house up to the Edmonds ferry dock, then down
through Indianola and Suquamish, across the Agate Pass bridge, and then meandered down the west side of Bainbridge Island.
The hills were numerous, the sun was bright, and the heat was, well, hot. We rolled in to Betsy Kenney's parents' property
around 2:30 p.m. The Scouts played pickelball while the Adults re-hydrated and rested our legs.
We had six Scouts along. We
ended up riding just over 32 miles, up to the Puget Park Drive-In Theatre just south of Everett. Took about 3 hours and 45
minutes, which is slower than I'd hoped for, but not horrible." - Assistant Scoutmaster Scott Reed. The weather
shifted in the evening, bringing in rain squalls and some nice light showers to the south and west. We rolled out late this
morning, took our time getting fed and packed, and then altered our return route so that Barry and his son could take us up
hills that really should have either an escalator or a rope-tow on our way to the ferry. So while our mileage was shorter
today than original planned (20 miles instead of 28) the rapidity of the elevation gain more than made up for it! - Assistant
Scoutmaster Scott Reed.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009 Troop123 Scouts attended a Bike Maintenance 101 class
at the Recreational Equipment Seattle Store. Sunday, June 28, 2009 Troop 123 Scouts biked north
on the Inter Urban trail and returned, to train for the Tour à Camp Parsons.
| Troop 123 Scout in a 1929 era Scout Uniform |
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| Click the Image - Photo with the permission of Maggie Bolliger |
Saturday, June 27, 2009 Troop 123 Scouts provided a Color Guard with a Scout dressed in 1929 era Scout uniform at Carkeek
Park's 80th birthday celebration. Troop 123 Scouts helped dedicate the opening of Carkeek Park in 1929.
See Maggie Bolliger's and Jeff Westmoreland's photos on "Shutterfly".
Friday, June 26, to Sunday, June
28, 2009 Troop 123 two overnight camp out with Cub Scout Pack 321 Webelos at Gold Basin Campground near Darrington, Washington.
"We had
six Scouts from Troop 123 participate in this event. Two Scouts acted as Patrol Leaders. We also
had six Webelos from Pack 321 with their families.
We split the Scouts and Webelos into
two teams, each lead by a Scout Patrol Leader. Each team participated in a Conservation Project to
clean up the trail to the Gold Basin Mill Pond. The work performed by our Scouts and the Pack 321 Webelos was
outstanding. The trail was covered with debris and overgrown with vegetation. When their the work was completed,
we could clearly see the red brick lined asphalt trail. Also, the vegetation had been cut back so people could
walk through without brushing against branches or leaves.
At the evening campfire, both the
Boy Scouts and Webelos Scouts told stories and performed skits for everyone. It was creative and entertaining.
Several of our Troop 123 Scouts fulfilled requirements for their next rank.
On Saturday afternoon, all of the Scouts and three Webelos took a five mile hike up to Lake Twentytwo.
It was a 1,200 ft elev. gain over a 2.7 mile trek. En-route, several Scouts learned how to orient a map to a compass,
and were able to pick out landmarks, i.e., peaks, etc. At least a third of the lake was still covered with
snow and ice. The Scouts had a snowball fight, did angels in the snow, and overall had an awesome time. The
waterfalls on the far side of the lake were breathtaking. There had to be four to six of them spilling
over the sheer rock drop overlooking the South end of the lake.
The two Scout Patrol Leaders did
an outstanding job instructing the Webelos Scouts in fire safety and fire building. Both Patrol Leaders also led
the Boy Scouts in helping the Webelos families break camp. One Patrol Leader led the group in our "Leave
No Trace" effort to insure the site was better than we found it." - Assistant Scoutmaster Jerry Richart.
| 2009 Summer Sailing Event |
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| Click the image for a larger view of the Francis Orielle |
Thursday, June 18, 2009 Troop
123 Scouts provided a Color Guard at the promotion ceremony for Whitman Middle School's 8th graders.
| Washington Athletic Club |
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Tuesday,
June 9. 2009 Ten of Troop 123's younger Scouts took and passed their Second Class and First Class
swimming tests at the Washington Athletic Club.
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| Click Image |
Saturday,
May 30 to Sunday, May 31, 2009 Relay for Life is a fund raising event for
the American Cancer Society. It is one of Troop 123's annual service events. On Saturday morning, Troop 123 Scouts directed
people where to park, help schlep gear, and set up tents and canopies. At the 10:00 a.m. opening ceremonies, Troop
123 Scouts conducted a flag ceremony. The rest of Saturday, Scouts were at the beck and call
of the Relay for Life Committee. At 10:00 p.m. there was a Luminaria ceremony, where paper bags decorated in
honor or in memory of a loved one with cancer, were placed around the track to provide light for the walkers during
the night. Twelve Troop 123 Scouts spent the night. The closing ceremony was at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
Scouts helped take down tents, hauled stuff for people, emptied trash, and cleared the track and field of debris.
| Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park |
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| Click the Image |
Monday,
May 25, 2009 Memorial Day. Troop 123 Scouts decorated Veteran's markers with American Flags, helped
host, and were the Color Guard for the Memorial Day observances at Evergreen Washelli Memorial Park.
Friday, May 15, to
Sunday May 17, 2009 2009 Aurora District Camporee! The Aurora District Camporee was held at Camp Brinkley. Scouts were required to hike in as a group wearing
their full Class A uniform and carrying all their gear. Points were awarded to all Troops for nearly everything
they did over the two overnight Camporee weekend. Troops set up camp at various locations all around Camp
Brinkley. Their sites were also inspected for points. There were various competitions such as Iron Chef,
Fun Events, Scout Skills Trails, Webelos Lunch and the Relay Race on Sunday.
| Cycling Merit Badge |
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Saturday, May 2, to Sunday
May 3, 2009 Troop 123 Scouts had a two day bicycle ride on Whidbey Island, riding 25 miles each day. Click here for the route map. They spent the night camping at South Whidbey Island Sate Park.
"We had a great overnight bike ride this weekend, in spite of hills and rain! Seven of
us (counting Maggie, who provided much-needed van support) headed out Saturday morning, riding about 23 miles over a wide
variety of hills to South Whidbey State Park. The weather cooperated pretty well, drizzling on us but never advancing to a
full rain. We ran in to a couple mechanical issues on Saturday - a flat tire that was easily fixed and an out-of-true wheel
that required assistance from a real mechanic - but all arrived safely at the park and managed to get the tents and tarps
set up before the rain really set in. Four other riders joined us that evening, two of them biking
in and the other two arriving in cars. Sunday dawned bright and sunny, and the 20 mile return trip was both beautiful and
strenuous. We again ran in to some mechanical difficulty, with one rider's rear derailleur refusing to stay in gear, but the
other 10 of us made the ride relatively unscathed. Winded and sore, sure, but with no permanent damage. This trip was a good shake-out for what we can expect this summer. The Oregon Coast leg of the trip will likely have
very similar terrain to Whidbey: rolling hills with occasional large hills thrown in for fun as we cross various headlands
and points. And once we get in to Washington it looks like much of the same, possibly with a few bigger hills thrown in for
fun (we'll know more when we drive the route in July). And since the daily mileage will be higher on the trip, we definitely
need to get more training in. Unfortunately, weekends are pretty tight through the end of school, but I will work with Scoutmaster
Mark Steelquist and the Senior Patrol Leader to find some time to put in some single-day rides, possibly including a weeknight
or two as the days get longer, and will schedule another over-night ride in July." - Assistant Scoutmaster Scott Reed
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| Savage .22 Caliber Single Shot Bolt Action Yourh Rifle |
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Troop 123 "Blue Moon" night at Sam's Gun Shop & Range in Everett for firearms safety, orientation, and marksman training, plus pizza!
| Kopachuck State Park |
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| Click Image |
| USS Abraham Lincoln |
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| Click the image. Then click the new image that appears. |
| Columbia Center |
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| The "Big Climb" |
| Click the Image |
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| Troop 123 Scouts at the Central Market in Shoreline |
Saturday, March 21, 2009 Scouting
for Food. In past years, Troop 123 Scouts have gone door to door, distrubuting door knob hangers one weekend,
and picking up donated food the next weekend. This year, Scouts were stationed with parent supervisors at the
Holman Square QFC, and the Shoreline Central Market, from 10:00 a.m until 4:00 p.m.
Last year, Troop 123 Scouts
collected a little over 500 pounds of food going door to door. This year they collected 1,228 pounds of food, plus $412
in donations, thanks to the efforts of Troop 123 Scouts, Lisa Westmoreland, and other parent helpers.
See Maggie Bolliger's photographs on "Shutterfly".
| Penrose Point State Park |
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| Penrose Point State Park |
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| Scoutmaster Trapped by Scouts in Igloo! |
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| Click photo for a larger image of trapped Scoutmaster calling fror help. |
| Should we dig him out? |
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| Click the photo for a larger image. |
| Snow Fort Building |
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| Click the photo for a larger image of Jeff |
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| Parents are always welcome to enjoy the rigors of every Troop 123 Scouting event. |
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