Matilija Backpacking Trip Summary

[gss-content-box]This article was written by Jonathan Weakliem.[/gss-content-box]

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On November 15, 14 scouts and 8 adults went on a backpacking trip to Middle Matilija. We met at Big 5 at 7:00 as usual, loaded up the cars, and drove to the trail head.

The drive took about 1 hour. We got our packs on and Ben, our trek leader, led us on the trail. The weather was sunny, but thankfully, there were trees to shade us on our 4.5 mile hike. There were many stream crossings on the way, and the hike was a very pleasant one.

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The campsite was very roomy. We all had lots of space, along with a creek flowing by for water. While we were setting up our tents, we found a problem. Timmy and Ben’s tent didn’t have any poles! Luckily, Timmy was resourceful. He kept his tent up with an elaborate rope system, tying their tent to a tree, stakes, and my tent!

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Many of us went on a quick hike to see a waterfall. It was a nice quick hike, with lots of trees and stream crossings. Sadly, the waterfall was all dried up. From there a few adults went to see Upper Matilija.

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We had dinner early, and everyone was content. Timmy even brought his cook group brownies for desert. It was pretty windy that night, so I’m not sure if everyone got a good sleep. In the morning another problem struck. One cook group forgot breakfast, but they survived. We then all set off on the trail.

The hike back was pleasant, and I think we all enjoyed the trip. We then went back to the church and went home.

The trip was attended by the following scouts: Jarrison B., Logan B., Benjamin B., David E., Timmy H., Sam J., Max J., Billy M., Cameron N., Wyatt S., Connor S., Nicholas S., Jeremiah S., and Jonathan W.

The adults who attended were Mr. Beckstrand, Mr. Brown, Mr. Ebeling, Mr. Hirsch, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Mintzer, Mr. Swider, and Mrs. Spencer.

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