Our backpacking trip out to Beaumont was simply awesome. With only three scouts and two adults on the trip it was a case of quality, not quantity. We had excellent weather and everything came together well. It began at the Old Church where we distributed food and some crew gear before departure. The short ride was uneventful and in no time at all the cars were pulling into camp. After check-in we put on our packs and headed to Beaumont Village. The entire camping area was our for the taking and we decided to stay near the pavilion. For some, the first priority was to start a fire, while other shall we say, more seasoned members, chose to put up their tents. With the fire going and the wood plentiful, we sat, talked, and enjoyed a snack under a bright waxing moon. Overnight the temperature dropped to the low 40's, making for cool but not troublesome sleeping weather.

In the morning we awoke to dew covered grasses and cool temperatures. After packing most of our gear we made a small fire and had breakfast. The dried apricots were not a favorite and will not be on the next backpacking menu. With breakfast finished and our fire out we began our trek using the Beaumont Trail(BT) to make our way to Trumbull campsite in Camp McCahill. It started out nice enough, but there was some overgrowth on the trail making it difficult to navigate. The weather warmed up, eventually making it to the 70's, and most of us went down to a T-shirt. Hiking further we ran into logging trails that made following the BT impossible. We actually made a U-shape and ended up on the other side of Cub World. Wanting to reach our destination on time we decided to head to Camp McIntosh by road and pick up the trail again by cabins 6 and 7. The trail was easier to follow and we made good time. After about 90 minutes there were more logging trails and it just didn't feel right because we were heading away from the river. Checking a compass had us bearing East when we should have been traveling Southwest. We located the correct trail by doing a little back tracking and looking around. Debris from logging had obliterated this part of the trail, but once found we were on our way again. Total travel time to Trumbull ended up being around 2 hours 30 minutes. At Trumbull we relaxed and had a delicious lunch of PB & J on Pita Bread, Ramen Noodles, Raisins and Hawaiian Punch. Then we built a honkin big fire to burn "The Chunk", "The Fungus Log", "The Long Partially Burnt Log" and "Mickey Mouse". At the same time we set up our tents and relaxed for a bit. Once rested we took a short tour of Camp McCahill to see the older parts of Beaumont. Exploring was interesting and full of natural beauty. Everyone thought it would be great for the troop to use this part of the camp more often. After our hike it was supper time and we were plenty hungry. The meal was a mixture of backpacking meals followed by a chocolate pudding cup. After supper we exchanged a few stories and songs around a well fueled fire. In no time at all the fire had burned low and it was time for snack. After polishing off the 100 calorie packs (2 each) just about everyone headed to bed, at a record 9:30pm.

Most of us slept in until around 8am at which time we broke camp and had breakfast. After cleaning up the campsite we took a walk down the road to our cars and the way home. It was a great trip and we're all looking forward to the next one. Members of the crew were John, Kevin, Matthew, Mr. Makowski, and Mr. Owen.