About the Campout

Our May campout is climbing the beautiful rock faces of Cherokee Rock Village (CRV)! Located along Lookout Mountain, the sandstone boulders of Cherokee Rock Village are a premier rock climbing location in the country. The site has everything from gentle rising broad boulders that may be enjoyed by a novice to vertical rocks for the experienced sport climber.

Scouts will enjoy a full day of climbing adventure with experienced BSA Certified Climbing Instructors.  Outdoor rock climbing can help you develop a set of skills and strengths you may have never known you had!  

Additional Details

Due to the instructor-to-climber ratio, we can accommodate 30 scout climbers.  All other participants will have the ability to boulder, hike, watch wildlife, work on Scout advancement/merit badge, and enjoy time cooking and camping! If all the rope climbing spots fill up, priority will be given to those Scouts with the Climbing Merit Badge or those Scouts who are registered for the Climbing Merit Badge at Summer Camp. The remaining spots will be filled on a "first-to-sign-up basis".

CRV is located in the Central Time Zone; however, all times listed are Eastern Time Zone and we will stay on EDT throughout the trip. 

Schedule Details

We will meet on Friday evening at 6pm at OGUMC and then depart.  Have dinner before you arrive at OGUMC, as we will not stop before arriving at CRV.  After arriving at camp, Scouts will set up their tents and get to bed.  Saturday morning at 8am CT (9am ET), climbing scouts will meet with instructors and hike the short distance to the climbing area. After orientation and equipment checks, we will climb until 5:00pm, having a break for lunch in between.

Non-climbing scouts will be free to hike, boulder or work on advancement, with adult knowledge of activities. Scout hikes will require adult accompaniment. 

On Sunday, the Troop will drive back to Atlanta, arriving at OGUMC around 1:30pm stopping for lunch on the way.

Adult participation is critical - we will need at least 2-3 other adults who are either certified or highly knowledgeable with climbing and belay. We will also need adults to stay at base camp to monitor non-climbing scout activities.

Climbing waivers

Parents of Climbers and Adult Climbers, please review the instructions below for the AAC Climbing Waivers.   The waiver can be electronically filled out and submitted.  You may also choose to print a copy and fill out manually, however, you must then scan a copy and email to the address below.   We are asking all waivers to be submitted before the campout.  Waivers are good for 1 year.  Note: this is the same waiver used for the caving trip in January, so if you signed a waiver for that trip then you do not have to fill out and sign another.

Waiver Instructions

Waiver 

When complete, you must email your waiver(s) to the following address: aac.copeclimbing@gmail.com.

Weekend Weather

Here is the area forecast.The trip will happen rain or shine.

Packing list

• See the Gear webpage for the printable, standard packing list. For this campout, add . .  . 

  • Climbers

    • All gear will be provided for climbing, but if you have a favorite harness, helmet or climbing shoes, please feel free to bring them.

    • A hat is very helpful for sun or rain

    • Climbers are REQUIRED to have two liters of water per Scout in refillable water bottles.

  • Base Camp/Hikers

    • Bring sturdy hiking shoes if you plan to hike

    • At least 1 liter of water in a refillable water (Nalgene) or camelbak type water pouch

When to wear class A uniform

Scouts and adult leaders will wear Class A shirts at the following times:

• We always travel in uniform to and from the campout

• For Scouts Own Service

Medication 

If your scout will take medications during the weekend, please have your Scout turn it over to the medical officer when arriving for departure at OGUMC. 

• • • Complete this Medication Administration Form

    • NO prescription, over-the-counter medicine, vitamins, or herbal supplements are permitted in a scout’s gear.

    • The Scout’s medication, along with the completed form should be placed in a Ziplock bag.

    • Medications MUST BE in their ORIGINAL containers.  We will be unable to accept anything without the original container. 

    • Please label the Ziplock bag with your Scout’s name.

    • Emergency medications such as Epi-pen and albuterol inhalers should be kept with the Scout at all times!!!!!

MEALS

• Bring money for Sunday lunch

• Patrols will meet two weeks before the campout to determine their meal plans and equipment needs. 

• All patrols are expected to put together enjoyable, healthy menus that use their cooking skills.

Tenting

T77 Scouts are to coordinate tenting with other Scout(s) on their own which includes who they are tenting with and who is bringing the tent. They do not need to communicate their arrangements to the Scoutmaster. Check out the Tenting Guidelines here. 

KEY CONTACTS

• Senior Patrol Leaders

  • • T77, Charlie Hunter

    • T177, TBD

  • Chris Henderson <chris@difco.us.com> T77 Trip Planner/Leader

  • Andrew Kraft <akrafty@me.com> T77 Activities Leader

  • David Briick (COPE/Climbing Committee Chairman Atlanta Area Council)

  • Loren Rogers <lorenrodgers@gmail.com> Asst Trip Planner

  • Paul Mooring <frostypauly@yahoo.com> Asst Trip Planner

• Scoutmaster

  • • T77, Sara Henderson, (678) 641-9427‬, sara_crofton@yahoo.com

    • T177, Marcus Taylor, ‭(404) 295-0428‬, marcus.taylor@gmail.com

Directions 

Via I75 and HWY 411:  I-85 South, to I75 North.  Exit 290 for GA-20 W Towards Rome.  Turn left onto HWY 411 heading South then use the right lane to take the ramp onto US-41 N/Hwy 411 S/Joe Frank Harris Pkwy SE.  After ~3 miles, use the right lane to take the US-411 S/GA-20 W ramp to Rome.  Continue ~55 miles and turn right onto AL-68 West, at Leesburg.   Travel ~ 3 miles and turn left onto Valley St.  After 1.5 miles, turn sharp left onto Rock City Ave. Follow ~ 3 miles to Cherokee Rock Village. 

Via I20 West: Take I-85 South to I-20. Take Exit 11 and turn right towards Bremen.  Merge onto Highway 27 North for ~24 miles.  Turn left onto Canal Street US-278 West.  Take slight right onto GA-100.  Turn left at Prior Station Road, GA-100.  Turn right onto Mountian Home Road, GA-100 N.  Travel ~ 5 miles and turn left onto Moutain Home Loop.  In less than 1 mile, turn left onto Jackson Chapel Road. In 3 miles, turn left onto Hwy 411 South. Follow Hwy 411 S for ~ 24 miles and then turn right onto AL-68 West, at Leesburg.   Travel ~ 3 miles and turn left onto Valley St.  After 1.5 miles, turn sharp left onto Rock City Ave. Follow ~ 3 miles to Cherokee Rock Village. 

Hospitals

Riverview Regional Medical Center (35 minute drive)

600 S 3rd St, Gadsden, AL 35901

256-543-5200

Riverview Regional Medical 

Hours:  24 hours