The 93 foot "Thomas E. Lannon" was built about 10 years ago, to the 100 year-old plans of a classic swordfishing schooner. The scouts got to hoist the sails and each had a turn at the helm, as they tacked to and fro´ in the fresh breeze of Gloucester Harbor on the crisp autumn morning. They learned first-hand about the history of America´s fishing industry.

Boy Scouts from St. Leo's Troop 11 finished up the year with a hiking adventure in the Presidential Mountains of New Hampshire on June 23-25th.

The troop camped at Barnes Field near Gorham, & set off Saturday hiking in the rain through the Great Gulf Wilderness. They followed the trail along the Peabody river upstream, past a series of waterfalls, then crossed over an "Indiana Jones" type suspension bridge, just as the weather cleared. The younger scouts went up that far, then returned to camp, while four of the older scouts & four adults continued on to ascend Mt. Washington.

Leaving the Great Gulf Trail, they headed south through steaming woodlands on the Madison Trail, crossing a number of smaller streams. After crossing the auto road, they took the Nelson Crag Trail up to the boulder-strewn summit. Overall, it took from 8:30 in the morning until 5:30 pm to reach the top. They descended via the auto road, returning back to the highway at 9:30pm. They basically hiked 18 miles sideways, and about a mile up & down vertically.

This arduous trek was not undertaken lightly, however. In order to "Be Prepared," the scouts planned their year to ensure each boy would have the skills & conditioning necessary.

Since they were attempting to climb the "Home of the World's Worst Weather," in December, they camped in survival shelters on a Winter Survival Campout at Leominster Sportsmen's Camp Bartlett. In May, they began a series of four 10-mile hikes around town and on the Monoosnock and Midstate trails. The ultimate preparatory test was a 20-miler on the Midstate trail from the Mount Wachusett Ski Area to Rutland & back, twice over the Mountain in one day. [Mount Washington was still about twice as difficult as that]

Boy Scouts from St. Leo's Troop 11 finished up the year with a hiking adventure in the Presidential Mountains of New Hampshire on June 23-25th.

The troop camped at Barnes Field near Gorham, & set off Saturday hiking in the rain through the Great Gulf Wilderness. They followed the trail along the Peabody river upstream, past a series of waterfalls, then crossed over an "Indiana Jones" type suspension bridge, just as the weather cleared. The younger scouts went up that far, then returned to camp, while four of the older scouts & four adults continued on to ascend Mt. Washington.

Leaving the Great Gulf Trail, they headed south through steaming woodlands on the Madison Trail, crossing a number of smaller streams. After crossing the auto road, they took the Nelson Crag Trail up to the boulder-strewn summit. Overall, it took from 8:30 in the morning until 5:30 pm to reach the top. They descended via the auto road, returning back to the highway at 9:30pm. They basically hiked 18 miles sideways, and about a mile up & down vertically.

This arduous trek was not undertaken lightly, however. In order to "Be Prepared," the scouts planned their year to ensure each boy would have the skills & conditioning necessary.

Since they were attempting to climb the "Home of the World's Worst Weather," in December, they camped in survival shelters on a Winter Survival Campout at Leominster Sportsmen's Camp Bartlett. In May, they began a series of four 10-mile hikes around town and on the Monoosnock and Midstate trails. The ultimate preparatory test was a 20-miler on the Midstate trail from the Mount Wachusett Ski Area to Rutland & back, twice over the Mountain in one day. [Mount Washington was still about twice as difficult as that]

The gallant crew before embarking on the quest, near the Fife Brook Dam & Hoosac Tunnel.

Getting the Campfire ready for Dutch Oven French Fries.

Smiling faces after dumping out the scoutmaster in the Zoar Gap rapids.

The boys also toured the Submarine USS Lionfish & the Destroyer USS Joseph Kennedy, and PT Boats, a landing craft, the Marine Museum, & a Russian missile boat.

It´s a rebuilt French & Indian War Fort that was once an outpost of Massachusetts, way back when.

St. Leo´s & Leominster Public Schools had a half day on Friday [the last day of class], so we met after school & went up to Seabrook Power Plant´s Visitors Center first.

Indoors, they have quite a few ´hands-on´ nature/nuclear power/energy displays: Touch tanks with starfish, crabs, etc.; Fish Tanks, Chilly Willy the Blue Lobster; Lots of buttons to push & cranks to turn - VanderGraff Generators, those sparky rabbit ears on transformers like mad scientists use {I´m an ME not a EE}, Reactor & Atom models that light up, cutaways of fuel rods & Concrete & steel from the construction, turbine blades :) & a bike you can pedal to generate power & light up lightbulbs.

Outdoors, they have a 3/4 mile boardwalk nature trail through the woods on the edge of the salt marsh, & picnic tables. The lads liked the minnow traps that you could pull up & empty out the fish.

Afterwards, we walked along the beach a bit & then went deep-sea fishing with Smith & Gilmore on board the ´Sea Mist´ [just over the drawbridge @ Hampton Beach]. They have a nice 2-hour night fishing trip from 6:30-8:30 pm that´s PERFECT for Cubbie aged kids - just right for their attention span for a first trip. They go out about a mile or so - just off the last buoy, mostly ´topwater´ fishing mackeral-blues-etc. - so they won´t get tired arms {or seasick}, having to go down 300 feet for cod. Plus you get to watch the sunset over the beach & the lighthouses blinking!

St. Leo´s Scouts from Pack 7 & Troop 11 visited Mystic Seaport, the USS Nautilus & submarine museum, the Coast Guard Academy museum & the USCGC Eagle on a recent adventure.

They camped over at nearby Camp Yawgoog In Rhode Island. Cub Scouts & Parents stayed in REAL LOG CABINS, while the Boy Scouts camped in tents. They had a good time fishing, exploring [the swamp boark-walk trail is right out of the Cheese-Moose Hunt song] & campfire-cooking Hotdogs on a stick.

At Mystic Seaport, the scouts got to haul a line to raise a sail on one of the ships, & made a rope. They watched a Breeches Buoy Rescue demonstration, too. The Cubs really liked the old-fashioned school master from 1876. [It was definitely worth seeing Mystic first, since they gained a better appreciation of the stuff we saw the next day.]

Sunday after church, we broke camp & headed off for further nautical adventures in Groton & New London:

The USS Nautilus was the first nuclear-powered sub, & the first to go UNDER the North Pole!! It´s tied up next to the Sub Museum, which has real mini-subs outside & cool historical stuff & models inside, control rooms & periscopes to look through.

Afterwards, we saw the historical display @ the Coast Guard Academy museum in Waesche Hall - lots of rescue gear, lighthouse stuff, & ship models. The Eagle was tied up at Fort Trumbull & making preparations to leave on their Summer Cruise.

There they explored the Treasure cave of the Ghost of Captain Thomas Veale. Legend has it that the Captain was in his Treasure Cave when the Earthquake of 1658 shook the town & trapped him and his gold forever!

The boys got to see the real ones of the models they built & talk to veterans who actually flew them to defend the USA. They saw a replica of the Wright Brothers Plane, on tour for the 100th anniversary of airplanes & restoration work underway on a B-29 Superfortress. The boys even got to fly in a flight simulator.