Welcome to campout memories, a series run by Historian Joe in which I reminisce on the fondest campout memories of my experience in Troop 123.

Troop 123 has been to New Hampshire’s Mount Monadnock twice now, once in 2013 and once in 2015. Both times the experience was unlike anything I had ever done in my history of scouting. On each campout, the trip lasted three days and two nights. On the second day, we left early on and begun our scaling up the mountain, and spent the rest of the day after we climbed back down relaxing. The structure of each trip made for solid, unforgettable experiences that can only truly be understood by undertaking the task to climb to the top of a mountain.

The first time around, I struggled to make it to the summit. I was staggering as I made it to the top and finally caught my breath. Had I not been equipped with a protein drink beforehand I would have definitely not made it. Climbing down was more difficult than I had anticipated, as it was a different trail and was significantly steeper. For the remainder of the day, our troop played some board games and card games and replayed specific points of the climb in our heads, jogging through our memories so as to never forget them.

The second time felt longer than the first, but also easier. This time I was equipped with not only a protein drink, but also a pair of shoes that were surprisingly effective in scaling mountains. With much more energy left in me at the summit, I was able to focus more on the amazing view of the surrounding landscape from the top. Trees looked like grass. Lakes looked like swimming pools. Buildings looked like toy models. Climbing down felt more natural with the new shoes, and the remainder of the day was spent similarly to the previous time.

With one year of scouting left for me, I certainly hope I can make it three times that I’ve climbed Mount Monadnock with Troop 123. Until then, this is Historian Joe signing off!