Scouts BSA Troop 577

A Year With Troop 577

No two years look exactly the same, but here's what recent years have included.

September

Weekly Troop meetings start for the year. We have our fall Court of Honor. This month's campout has been the "Cardboard Classic" cardboard boat race for the last 2 years.

October

Our camping trip was the camporee last year, and a wilderness survival campout this year.

November

We've done "Campsgiving" at Ft. Washington State Park the last couple years. The scouts cook a full Thanksgiving dinner at camp and everyone's family comes to camp to enjoy it and get to see what Troop camping is like!

December

We have a holiday party, but no camping trip.

January

We participate in the yearly "Klondike Derby." It's a sled race, skill competitions, and games against patrols from other troops. We camp in tents and a cabin for the weekend.

February

We've done our yearly road trip this month, or sometimes in March. We've gone to places like Washington DC, Baltimore, New York City, and Rhode Island. Sometimes it's a day trip, sometimes we camp, and sometimes we'll stay in a hotel.

March

The last few years we've done cabin trips. We worked on Moviemaking Merit Badge, gone snow tubing, and played boardgames.

April

We've camped and hiked at Hickory Run State Park and backpacked the Appalachian Trail in recent years. This year we're having a fishing trip.

May

As it gets warmer we've done aquatic activities like canoeing or whitewater rafting.

June

Weekly troop meetings wrap up for the year, we have our end of the year Court of Honor, and we go camping on the beach at Seaside Heights.

July / August

We do a week of summer camp, usually in July, but once in August. The scouts choose the camp each year, and recently they've picked Resica Falls, Ockanickon, Rodney, and NoBeBoSco. We'll also have some fun activities over summer like go-karting, Hershey Park, Top Golf, an escape room, troop games at a park, ice cream, mini golf, etc.

The scouts plan the year's activities at our annual planning conference over the summer.

Backpacking through a rhododendron tunnel

Camping & Backpacking

Troop 577 camps almost every month. Some trips are close to home, and some are a bigger deal like backpacking on the Appalachian Trail.

On the Water

We usually have at least one aquatic trip each year. We've gone canoeing on the Mullica River and whitewater rafting on the Lehigh River Gorge in recent years. Summer camp is always an opportunity to get on the water too, like paddling, sailing, or motorboating on the Chesapeake Bay.

Sailing the Chesapeake Bay

Target sports at Camp Rodney

Summer Camp

Every summer, we spend a week at camp. Target sports, rock climbing, fishing, and boating are favorite activities for the scouts. Summer camp is a great opportunity to earn merit badges and try new activities. Being outside with your friends for a week is the highlight of the Scouting year!

Beyond the Woods

Not every trip is about the woods. Troop 577 has explored the streets of New York City, toured museums in Washington DC and other cities, and learned about our history at places like Gettysburg, Fort McHenry, and Independence Hall.

Independence Hall, Philadelphia

At the helm, BSA Sea Base

High Adventure

Troop 577 scouts have taken on the BSA's biggest high-adventure bases. They've sailed the Florida Keys at Sea Base, backpacked the backcountry of Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, paddled the boundary waters at Northern Tier, and explored the National Jamboree with 15,000 other scouts from around the country!