Coldwater Backpacking
2/17/2017
On February 11-12, Troop 26 went on an overnight backpacking trip to Coldwater campground. We had a lot of fun, at camp and while hiking. Because it was raining so hard, we abandoned going to Horseshoe Bend, which was our main destination. Thanks to the massive amount of rain in January, Manzana Creek was swollen and very rough. Because we did not go all the way to Horseshoe Bend, we only had to cross the raging river 6 times instead of the anticipated 13. This was a enjoyable but very wet backpacking trip.
At the first river crossing, Mr. Johnson told us that this river had the power to sweep away some of the younger scouts. He also told us that at no time would any younger scouts cross by themselves. So the older scouts paired with the younger scouts, keeping them safe. The second river crossing was hazardous, as Mr. Brown lost his glasses in the river. The third and fourth river crossings were the easiest, as the water was very low there. Just after the fifth river crossing, it started to rain, so we decided to hike back to Coldwater and set up camp there. As we ran back to Coldwater, we all thought the same thing: we would have to set up our tents in the pouring rain. When everybody was finally dry, we eventually got a fire going (thanks to Mr. Brown and Mr. Swider!) and had dinner. Nathan Wong had brought his drone and, once it stopped raining, he flew it around the campsite. It had been a tiring but enjoyable day.
The next day saw blue skies and a shining sun. When everybody was awake, we had a quick breakfast and headed out on the trail. Nate’s drone took the troop picture. Sadly, only about 1/8 of a mile out, Andrew, one of the new scouts, fell and hurt his shoulder pretty badly. We all distributed his gear among ourselves and were crossing the first creek within a few minutes of stopping. The next four creek crossings went without any problems. When we finally arrived at Potrero, the campsite closest to the trailhead, Ben Brown held a Scout’s Own meeting and we told our Roses and Thorns of the trip. The hike finished with a quick lunch and the trip back to SB.
