About the Campout

Cloudland Canyon is located on the western edge of Lookout Mountain, offering rugged geology and exceptional hiking. The park straddles a deep gorge cut into the mountain by Sitton Gulch Creek, and elevation differs from 800 to 1,980 feet. Everyone should bring a day pack with essentials (water!) and plan to change into a class B shirt.

• Webelos will participate in Camporee-style games and activities hosted by the Scouts and then have an opportunity to hike. The campout begins Saturday morning by arriving at the OGUMC parking lot by 7:00 a.m. Eat breakfast before arriving or bring a bagged breakfast with you. You should not plan to stop along the way. 

• Scouts will participate in either the Cooking Crew or Webelos Crew, arriving either Friday night or Saturday morning respectively. More information will be provided about Crew assignments. All Scouts will hike and contribute to the Thanksgiving Feast preparation. This is a good trip to work on camping and hiking skills, so review the requirements prior to the trip. 

We will then enjoy our famous Thanksgiving Dinner Saturday night! 

Contacts

• Cloudland Canyon Main Office: (706) 657-4050

• Trip Planner: Andrew Kraft, akrafty@me.com, 678-778-5824

• Trip Leader: Mike Henry and Paul Mooring

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

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

• Venturing Crew Advisor: Mitch Leff, mitch@leffassociates.com, ‭(404) 861-4769‬

Notes: 

Attending 77/177 Scouts and adults are planning Saturday lunch and dinner and Sunday breakfast.  

T77 and T177 Scouts and Adults should bring money for Sunday lunch on the drive back to OGUMC. 

Scouts must have Parts A and B of med forms completed and turned in by Friday October 20 or will not be able to attend. 

Attending Scout adults must have Parts A and B of med forms and training (YPT and Haz Weather) completed by Friday, October 20 or will not be able to attend. 

Webelos: 

• Webelos will begin the campout Saturday morning, arriving at OGUMC by 7:00 a.m. Eat breakfast before arriving or bring a bagged breakfast with you. You should not plan to stop along the way. Webelos and their parents can determine their transportation. Consider riding together to reduce the number of cars at Cloudland Canyon. 

• Complete Parts A and B of med forms for Webelos and attending adult. 

• Turn in forms and payment by November 4. Turn them in the Saturday morning of the campout.  

• Adults need to complete Youth Protection Training and Haz Weather training two weeks prior to the campout (take needed training now!)

• On Sunday, after Webelos leave Cloudland Canyon, they are welcome to return directly home rather than reassemble with the Troop at Oak Grove UMC. 

Let Andrew Kraft, akrafty@me.com, know of questions. 

More about the Schedule

Friday night: Scouts, if your patrol is assigned to the Cooking Crew, arrive Friday night so you are ready to take charge Saturday morning of the Thanksgiving Feast preparation. Eat dinner Friday night prior to arriving at Cloudland Canyon. Breakfast and hot drinks will be provided by the Troop and you will get some hiking in Saturday. 

Saturday: Webelos and all other Scouts/Adults will assemble (in Class A uniforms) at Oak Grove United Methodist Church by 7:00 a.m., having already eaten breakfast (or have breakfast in the car). From OGUMC plan to arrive at Cloudland Canyon State Park by 10:00 and get to the Pioneer campsites. Lunch will be provided by the Troop. Webelos will enjoy games hosted by some Scouts (Webelos Crew) and then do some hiking. All Scouts will also do some hiking on Saturday in addition to their Cooking Crew or Webelos Crew responsibilities. All patrols will help prepare Saturday evening’s outdoor Thanksgiving Feast -- a culinary adventure you do not want to miss!  

You will need a Georgia State Park parking pass or pay the fee to enter ($5). 

There is very limited parking at the Pioneer sites. 

• After dropping off Scouts and gear, vehicles should plan to go park in the Main Trailhead parking area and a couple vehicles will then shuttle those drivers back to the Pioneer site. 

• On the campout website there is a link to the “Camp Map”. Click on the link and in red I have typed “Our Campsites” at the Pioneer sites where we are camping (left side of the map). The longer term parking is in the parking lot of the “Main Overlook: on the map. 

Sunday: We will prepare and eat breakfast together. There may be an option for some hiking in the morning. On the drive back, stop for lunch. All Scouts will need to return to OGUMC after leaving Cloudland Canyon to unload the trailers and do roll call before being dismissed. 

Packing list

See the Gear webpage for a packing list. Remember to be ready for wet and cold weather! (click links for more info and lists)

• Mess kits are not needed as we will use disposable for meals

  • Adults: Bring a mug for coffee/hot drinks. Scouts will use disposable cups for hot drinks. 

• Money for lunch stop on return

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Hospital

CHI Memorial Hospital Georgia

100 Gross Crescent Cir, Fort Oglethorpe, GA 30742

706-858-2000

Open 24 hours

23 miles, 30 minutes

FAQs from our Scoutmaster, Sara Henderson

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NOVEMBER T77 TRIP

I've received several really good questions about the trip that I'll address here!

Q: Do you have a gear list you can share for the trip? What gear do we need to bring? 

A: Here is our standard Troop gear list that is available in the Camping section of our troop website. While it is comprehensive, there are some things on this list you won't need. As guests of the troop, you will not need to bring any cooking equipment (T77 will provide all food for the weekend). Adults should bring their own coffee mug for coffee (a T77 adult will serve as barista--we will have plenty of coffee!) and scouts should bring their own mug if they’ll want hot chocolate Sunday morning. You'll also need the standard camping pad, a sleeping bag appropriate for the weather, and rain gear in case it rains (we camp rain or shine). If you have more specific questions about gear, you are more than welcome to email me. Also, see the tenting question directly below.

Q: What is the tenting situation? 

A: As you know, families tent together in Cub Scouts. In Scouts BSA, however, youth and adults are not permitted to share tents and must tent separately. While your sons will still be registered cubs, we encourage Webelos families to follow this model for our November trip to prepare them for the impending change. In order to achieve this, Webelos adults will need their own tent and scouts will need a separate tent. We encourage Webelos to share tents--we find it makes the transition easier. When we assemble around 11 am at the Cloudland Pioneer site on 11/4, Troop 77 Senior Patrol Leader will decide where "Adult Land” and "Scout Land" will be. Adults will camp in Adult Land, Webelos will set up their tents in Scout Land with the help of older scouts. Webelos Den Leaders and parents should determine tenting arrangements before the trip. Is your son going to share a tent with a buddy? Decide ahead of time who is going to bring the tent and make sure all pieces are with the tent before departure. If you have a 6 person tent, great! Sleep 6 Webelos in there. Only have a 2 person tent? That's fine--2 Webelos can sleep inside or your son can sleep alone but setup near his buddies' tents. 

Q: What if I know my Webelos scout won't tent without me? 

A: You'd be surprised. Kids are resilient and tougher than we give them credit for. Often, with a little encouragement and some gentle prep work, they'll come around to the idea. Try setting up your family's tent together a few afternoons to get them used to doing it themselves so they grow in confidence. Talk about how you'll be nearby if they need you. If they  adamantly refuse the idea, it's ok. We still want you to join us and as registered cubs, we can't require you to tent separate from your scout. We'd rather you share a tent with your son than not camp with us. But we encourage you to start a dialog with your scout about the concept. 

Q: Can I send my Webelos on this trip by himself?

A: Unfortunately, our troop policy does not allow this. Every Webelos scout must be accompanied by a parent.

Q: Is there a cost for the trip and how do we pay?

A: Visit the November Campout and Games webpage for more information. The price is $20 total for one Webelos and their parent. When we assemble the morning of Nov 4th at OGUMC, you will pay by check (make out to Troop 77). 

Q: What about food?

A: troop 77 will provide all the food for the trip. Troop adults and youth plan for, buy, and prepare a simple Saturday cold cut sandwich lunch, and a hot Sunday breakfast. And of course we offer our famous “Thanksgiving in the Woods” dinner Sat night. We are accustomed to planning around food allergies, so please be sure to note any food considerations when you register (this includes allergies, intolerances, Kosher, Keto, etc). If you want to supplement your scouts' food with items from home you are welcome to, but we find the most picky kids will eat what is served on trip trips. 

Q: What about BSA health forms?

A: We need them and will collect them Sat morning or you can turn them in early to our Black Box at a Tuesday meeting (see the trip page for more info). On Sunday morning before you depart, we can either return them, or take them back to Atlanta with us and shred them. 

Q: Do you require attending Webelos adults to complete any BSA training?

A: YES. For the safety of our youth, all attending adults be current in Youth Protection Training and Hazardous Weather Training. Please email the completion certificates to Troop 77 Trainer Sean Borja at michael.sean.borja@gmail.com by Friday, November 3rd. Each participating pack must provide one adult who is Baloo-trained.

Q: How do we get to Cloudland Canyon Pioneer site? Do we carpool? 

A: Carpooling is encouraged! After all, A Scout is Thrifty. All trip participants will assemble at Oak Grove United Methodist on Sat 11/4 at 7:00 am. Webelos families will experience a typical camping-trip departure where scouts pack the trailer, participate in Roll Call, and divide up into carpool vehicles. Webelos families are encouraged to ride together. You will need to account for carrying your family's gear in your car. We do not caravan. We also always travel in uniform, so we encourage registered Cub leaders and Webelos to wear their Class A to wear them to the church on Saturday and back home on Sunday. Once you arrive at camp on Saturday, you’ll unload your gear and then move your car.

Q: What is expected of me in regards to my son?

A: Get ready for Scouts BSA magic! Your days of being in charge of scouts directly and responsible for everything when you go pack camping are coming to an end. Before the trip, give your son the packing list and let him do it while you watch and support. Let him pack his bag so that when he camps away from you in November, he'll know where everything is and what clothes he has available to wear. Then you'll need to transport your son to and from camp. Beyond that, your work is done. Once we arrive at camp until we leave, your son will be overseen by Troop 77 youth leaders. Your job until Sunday departure is to relax (bring a comfy chair or hammock), hike the Cloudland trails, visit with your new troop friends, and possibly lend a hand for adult patrol duties like peeling vegetables, washing cooking gear, or helping cook evening cobbler. But you will not plan, facilitate, run, oversee, monitor, assist, or manage any youth activities that weekend. That is the job of the troop's Senior Patrol. In fact, if you do see your son it'll likely only be from a distance and possibly for a quick hug at bedtime. 

CHECK OUT THE "FORMS/RESOURCES" SECTION OF THE TROOP 77 SITE FOR MORE INFO?

Want to know more about the troop structure, philosophy, etc? Check out the Forms/Resources page on the troop site. There you'll find New Parent presentations, the Parent Handbook, and more. In fact, I encourage you to browse the entire Troop 77 site at https://www.oakgrovescouting.org/st77.