Camping is one of my favorite parts of Girl Scouting, so when I was asked to help Senior Troop 7269 and join them on a camping trip to Camp Woodhaven, I jumped at the opportunity!

I approached their leader with the idea of working on the “High Tech Hide & Seek” IPA (badge) because I have recently picked up the hobby of geocaching and that’s what this IPA is all about. I wanted to get the girls out and about and present them with a challenge and I picked the “Five Hundred Steps” cache. All signs pointed towards this being a difficult hike but the girls enthusiastically said “Bring it on!”

After finding a parking spot and trailhead, we headed up the hill. Initially, the trail was just a mild incline but it quickly became clear what we had gotten ourselves into. The trail is part of the Blue Mountain Climbing Club and the 500 steps were made up of rocks.

We climbed, scrambled, huffed and puffed our way up what one girl described as a “Vertical Boulder Field.” We quickly rose almost 700 ft in elevation in just about a half mile of distance. And with every rock we conquered, the view became more and more spectacular.

When we finally reached the top, each girl paused and enjoyed the spectacular view. Even though it was a bit cloudy, everyone could appreciate the beautiful scene before us!

After a brief rest, the girls began to search for the cache. GPS units in hand, they fought their way through pickler bushes and over fallen logs. Eventually, an “I found!” rang out at the top of the mountain and the rest of the group came to see the hidden treasure! The group signed the log book and left in the cache a special Travel Bug attached at a Camp Woodhaven patch.

The trip down was just as challenging as the trip up the rocky incline but we made it! The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing at camp, making a horror movie, and cooking over the open fire.

These girls have been involved in Girl Scouting for years and have come to appreciate the opportunities and challenges that are before them. They had such a fantastic attitude about the trip and their mantra of “Bring it on!” is one that we all can embrace when faced with a challenge - either in Girl Scouts or in life.


-Tammy
IVSU Webmistress
Leader Brownie Troop 7058 & Cadette Troop 71515