Boy Scout Troop 648 | Scottsdale, Arizona

24 Nov

Mormon Lake Hike & Bike – Sep ’25

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Day dawns brightly – time to forage up some breakfast in the forest

Hiking in the Coconino Forest by Rogers Lake, and old logging railroad beds

Those who eschewed a hike in the forest, tore up the Ft Tuthill Bike Park instead

Who knew?! There are can openers which do not require electricity!

However, a huge pasta pot DOES require an appropriately humongous glove!

No burning wood nor charcoal, no problem! A portable propane fireplace takes off the evening chill

One final ‘police line’ to leave no trace of our camping. ‘No one go any faster than me!’

24 Nov

Flagstaff Extreme Outing – Aug ’25

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This troop is most definitely ready to launch themselves into the Ft. Tuthill Adventure Zone

All harnessed up and ready “two” go. Pull us up into the wild blue yonder!

Aww man! Pulling up a BIG chair, to wait out the lightning storm delay

Wahooo! Back up on the platforms, ready again to suspend gravity amongst the trees

Ultimate to the supreme, dude! Riding the wire on the Adventure Course

It takes a village of cooks, and a ton of pasta to feed these extreme adventurers

Those weather delays were somewhat of a thorn, but overall this outing rocked the roses!!

15 Aug

Emerald Bay, Catalina Island – Jul ’25

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First day of Summer Camp – Sleeping overnight on the battleship USS Iowa

Ahoy Emerald Bay, the T648 pirates have landed. Hold onto your booty!

Thumbs Up! One of our favorite daily pursuits – meal time!

Another fun thing to do with what limited spare time we had – cutthroat Uno card games.

After full days of merit badge classes, extracurricular excursions of snorkeling, biking, and HIKING!

And what is summer camp without the requisite flawless T648-led all-camp flag ceremony?

Landing the War Canoe for our overnight under the stars, surrounded by curious foxes on Parsons Beach

T648 gathers early under our tree for Friday night’s final campfire after an awesome week on Catalina

Front row seats on the ferry – 22 miles back to Port of Los Angeles, and then the long trip home!

25 Jun

Mogollon Rim Fishing Outing – Jun ’25

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Setting up in daylight, even after a brush fire closed Beeline Hwy for much of the day

Our fine fishermen ready to hike to a remote branch off of Willow Springs Lake

The first of 20 bluegill caught and released (mostly) throughout the day

Yep, there are a lot of these little guys in there!

Maybe if we hold them up closer to the camera, they’ll look more impressive?

Sometimes the best part of fishing is just hanging out with wonderful people in a cool forest.

The afternoon was spent in various places along beautiful Canyon Creek

Of course you also always set aside time for camaraderie – anyone for a quick game of cut-throat Uno?

And what’s a fishing trip without a Scoutmaster’s fishing story? – No, it was THIS big!

24 Jun

Slide Rock Outing – May ’25

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Staking our claim to the overhang & ready to head into chilly Oak Creek’s Slide Rock

Testing the water – should my ankles actually be turning blue??

Looks like Slide Rock gets a two thumbs up rating for the day from the scout critic!

24 Jun

Fossil Springs Backpack – Mar ’25

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Six scouts and their adult leaders set out to backpack into the Fossil Springs Wilderness area at the confluence of the Tonto and Coconino National Forests. The trailhead starts out on Deadman Mesa west of Strawberry, and drops steeply down 1,500 feet into the Fossil Creek Canyon below over 4 miles of exposed switchbacks. Once in the canyon, however, the reward is access to another of Arizona’s spectacular riparian areas.

T648 ‘packers taking off at the trailhead on Deadman Mesa

The scouts’ best ‘pack mule’ impersonations during the 4 mile trek down into Fossil Creek

Ahhh – finally down to the refreshingly cooolddd pools above the dam

The bypass waterfall and deep ‘toilet-bowl’ whirlpool at the old unnamed dam

Back up on top after navigating the switchbacks and 1500 foot climb

After all that, we deserve a donut!…..Did somebody say BoSa DONUTS??

24 Jun

Flagstaff Snowbowl Ski Outing – Feb ’25

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Like father, like son – bundled up and ready to go!

Wow! Ski-way to heaven! Nothing ahead but endless snow the rest of the day..

24 Jun

Butcher Jones Base Camp Jan ’25

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Some fine Portillo’s cuisine prior to heading out to the ‘wilds’ of our Butcher Jones campsite

Risen and shining and ready for the hike around the lake

Our fine looking motley crew in the midst of a water break

Top of the rock overlooking Saguaro Lake

Great feats of derring-do during Olympic-caliber Ladder Toss ball game heats

Basking in a superb end to a glorious day

24 Jun

Parson Springs Backpack – Nov ’24

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Seven T648 hikers headed out for a weekend camping in one of the most spectacular riparian wildernesses in Arizona smack dab during peak fall color season. A thrilling 4 mile one-way hike was highlighted by seven challenging boulder-hopping crossings of Parson Creek before reaching the headwaters shaded by brilliant sycamores and a large wild black walnut tree.