Troop 77 - 2002 Spring Break: Desert & Mountain
Adventure
| When: |
Saturday, March 9 through Saturday, March 16, 2002 |
| Where: |
The
Sand Dunes and Mountains of West Texas
(plus one little corner of New Mexico) |
| The Plan: |
Saturday, March 9:
7:00 a.m. - TOBC Men's Breakfast
9:00 a.m. - Assemble in church parking lot
9:30 a.m. - Depart in Class A or B uniform
Noon - Lunch at roadside park near Junction.
- Arrive before 5:00 p.m.
at Monahans
Sandhills State Park. We have two water and electricity sites
reserved in the Willow Draw Camp Area (reservation #'s 2067746 and
2067748).Sunday, March 10:
Tour sand hills, visit Odessa Meteor Crater (now you will not
need to
visit the small one in Arizona), visit American Airpower Heritage
Museum,
and visit Million Barrel
Museum.
Monday, March 11:
8:30 a.m. - Depart
Noon - Arrive at Guadalupe Mountains
National Park
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday:
Hike/backpack in park and visit nearby Carlsbad Caverns
Friday, March 15:
- Depart Guadalupe Mountains National Park
- Arrive before 5:00 p.m. at Balmorhea State
Park. We have two
water-only campsites (reservation #'s 2067735 and 2067738). Time for
an evening swim...at least for the polar bears among us, depending on the
weather! To be allowed to swim at Balmorhea, for anyone under 18 whose
parent or legal guardian will not be physically present, the state park
requires written permission on their Swimming Release Agreement
form. It may be printed from the internet at http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/balmorhe/release.htm
or you may also obtain a copy from the Scoutmaster.
|
| Route: |
To Monahans Sandhills State Park:
From Lago Vista, west on FM 1431 to Marble
Falls, south on US 281 to Johnson City, west on US 290 to I-10,
west on I-10 to Fort Stockton, north on TX 18 to Monahans, east on
I-20 to Monahans Sandhills State Park (exit on Park Road 41 at mile
marker #86).
While staying at Monahans:
Travel east and west on I-20 to visit Odessa, Midland and vicinity.
To Guadalupe Mountains National Park:
West on I-20 to I-10, west on I-10 to Van Horn, north on TX 54 to US 62/US 180, north to Guadalupe Mountains NP.
To Carlsbad Caverns State Park:
US 62/US 180 to Carlsbad Caverns National Park and return.
To Balmorhea State Park:
South on TX 54 to Van Horn, east on I-10 to Balmorhea exit (exit
#206), south on FM 2903 to Balmorhea, east on TX 17 for 4 miles
to Balmorhea State Park.
Return to Lago Vista:
East on I-10 to US 290 (east of Junction), east on US 290 to
Johnson City, north on US 281 to Marble Falls, east on FM 1431
to Lago Vista. |
| Costs: |
$5 per person per day, $35 for week. You
will need money for tickets to visit Airpower Museum ($9 adult, $8 ages
13-18 or over 65, $6 ages 6-12), Carlsbad Caverns (tickets are $6 or $3
for ages 6-15), and
optional plastic
disc ("sand sled") rental at Monahans Sandhills
(approximately $1 per hour). Payment for trip due no
later than Monday, March 4. |
| Food: |
Bring all your own food and snacks for seven
days. We will be in remote areas with little or no chance of
resupply. No ice chests. No cooking for lunch.
|
| Uniform: |
Class A or B uniforms at all times.
Uniforms are optional when backpacking. |
| Other: |
Electronics are okay only when in vehicles
while traveling. Earphones are required for sound.
Use Buddy System for travel, camping, cooking, touring, hiking, and
backpacking.
BE PREPARED: All of the group campsites at Guadalupe Mountains NP are
already reserved. The regular campsites are only available on a
"first come - first served" basis. Therefore we will most
likely end up on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land located on US 62/US 180 at the 5-mile marker in New Mexico, at which point the
instructions would be to "Go west and find a site."
This will be primitive--no water, no showers, no picnic tables...not even
a McDonald's. So
you will need containers to haul in water, toilet paper, and a trowel. |
|
