February Hike – Coyote Hills
Date/Time: Sunday, February 8, 2015, 2:00pm Cancelled due to Rain
Location: Coyote Hills Regional Park
Distance: 4 miles round trip
Time: Allow 2-3 hours
Grade: A few short but quite steep grades
Suggested Age: Tigers through Webelos
Attire: Class B uniform
Award: Trail Trekkers patch
Parking & Fees: Parking at the Visitor Center. $5 parking fee.
Meeting Point: Coyote Hills Visitor Center
Contact: Hiking Chair Siddharth Bhatia
RSVP: Evite
What to Bring:
Plenty of water, snacks. Wear clothes appropriate for the weather.
Details:
Head first into the marsh by crossing the park road at the south end of the Visitor Center parking lot. The kids will enjoy walking on the boardwalk. Stop at the wildlife viewing platforms to observe water fowl and possibly muskrats. When the boardwalk ends, keep heading straight, gradually curving to the left, until you reach the D.U.S.T. Trail. Turn left on this trail, then right on Lizard Rock Trail. You will then join Bayview Trail, a paved bicycling trail which encircles the hills. Turn left on the Bayview Trail. When you reach Nike Trail, follow it up to a saddle. Once on the saddle, head south on the Hill Trail. After a short steep climb, you'll reach Red Hill Top, a hill formed of red chert. Watch out for poison oak among the rocks. On a clear day, the views are great. You'll want to point out some of the sights - the salt evaporation ponds to the west, the marsh and boardwalk below you to the east (can you see where you were?), and some of the high peaks in the Bay Area. Some of these peaks are "Rim Rover" peaks which the boys can climb when they become Boy Scouts - Mission Peak just a little southeast, Mt. Tamalpais to the northwest (beyond San Francisco), and Mt. Diablo to the northeast. Continue south, stopping at Glider Hill to watch people flying model gliders. Go slowly down the steep hill to Soaproot Trail and go left, passing above Dairy Glen, the group campsite. Turn left again, back to the Visitor Center (you'll be approaching the Visitor Center from behind.)
Meridian Matters – February 2015
Meridian Matters is a monthly newsletter published by the Meridian District of Mount Diablo Silverado Council. The February issue is now available.
Click on the above link to learn about various district news and upcoming events !
Friends of Scouting (FOS) Campaign
Dear Cub Scout Parent,
We hope that you and your family will join us at our Blue & Gold Banquet scheduled for February 20th at 5:45pm at the Coyote Creek MPR. We are very proud of all the boys' achievements and extremely appreciative of all the parental involvement.
During the banquet, a District representative will be showing a video and making a brief presentation of the annual Friends of Scouting (FOS) campaign and then asking for your pledges to support our Pack’s FOS effort. The FOS program helps underwrite the cost of Scouting for our district, the Mt. Diablo Silverado Council. We thought it might be beneficial to send out this letter in advance for your information, so you and your spouse can discuss the tax deductible amount your family is considering donating.
Each year, our Scout parents are asked to support some of the hidden costs of Scouting. The Mt. Diablo Silverado Council, which serves around 17,000 youths, provides numerous benefits to all of our boys and adult volunteers. A few of these benefits include subsidized Cub Day Camp and Cub Family Camps, maintaining facilities such as Camp Herms and Wolfeboro, as well as youth and leadership training.
FOS provides these benefits to our Scouts throughout the bay area. The Scouting organization annually spends about $250 per boy while the registration fee is only $24. The Council hopes that each family will give enough to offset the spending cost for each boy, but if your family cannot contribute to this extent, please know that any amount is welcome.
Participation by every family, at any level, is the goal.
If you believe that the Scouting program has had a positive impact on your family, we urge you to join us in this effort to keep the Scout program a dynamic experience for the youth in our area.
Pack 1776 Committee
Blue and Gold 2015
Date: Friday, February 20th
Time: 5:45 pm - 8:30 pm
Location: Coyote Creek MPR
Cost: None
RSVP: Evite
Dear Pack 1776 Scouts and Families,
We invite you to the Blue & Gold Banquet where we will celebrate the 105th birthday of Scouting and send off our twelve Webelos II's to Boy Scouts! We will enjoy great food and fun entertainment by Astro Wizard!
Admission is free to all scouts and their families but please RSVP by February 13th with the number of people attending and any vegetarian preference.
Schedule:
5:45 Welcome! Door Opens
6:00 Opening Flag Ceremony (Webelos II)
6:05 Greeting & Commence Dinner
6:20 Friends of Scouting
6:30 Recognition
6:40 Arrow of Light Bridging Ceremony
7:00 Closing Flag Ceremony (Webelos I)
7:05 Entertainment by Astro Wizard
8:30 Clean Up
See you at the big party!
Pack 1776 Blue and Gold Committee
New Cub Scout Program Video
If you missed the webcast on January 17th, the recording is available below. Check out some interesting Cub Scout history and preview the new program launching in June 2015:
Changes Coming to the Cub Scouting Program – January 17 Webcasts
A new Cub Scouting program that will be more fun and exciting for boys and easier to implement for unit leaders, will be launching June 1, 2015.
To ensure you are ready to make the transition, a number of webcasts will be hosted on January 17 to outline the coming changes, how to prepare, and when resources will be available.
Cubmaster Webcasts
Saturday, January 17, at 8 a.m. (Central), or
Saturday, January 17, at 3 p.m. (Central)
Den Leader Webcasts
Saturday, January 17, at 9:30 a.m. (Central), or
Saturday, January 17, at 4:30 p.m. (Central)
Although the content will be geared to the roles listed, anyone with an interest in learning about the new Cub Scouting program is welcome to attend. The sessions will be recorded for later viewing.
It’s easy to attend! Just navigate your Internet browser to www.livestream.com/bsanationalcouncil and you are ready to view the webcast!
As always, for more information on the new Cub Scouting program, please go to www.scouting.org/programupdates.
January Hike – Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
Date: Saturday, January 10, 2015
Time: 11:00 am
Location: Las Trampas Regional Wilderness
Meeting Point: Parking lot at the end of Bollinger Canyon Road
Attire: Class B
Awards: Highlander patch and/or the Las Trampas Rocker patch
Fees: None
RSVP: Evite
Contact: Hiking Chair - Siddharth Bhatia
Directions
From Highway 680: Take the Crow Canyon Road exit. Drive west on Crow Canyon for about 1 mile, then turn right (north) onto Bollinger Canyon Road. Continue about 4.5 miles to the trailhead at the end of the road. Alternatively, drive west on Bollinger till it ends at the park. About 10 miles from school on Bollinger Canyon Road.
Meet at the parking lot at the end of the road inside the park.
Trail
Bollinger Creek Loop trail. A very nice nearly flat 1.2 Mile trail. Should take less than 1 hr to complete. Easy hike for our younger scouts a nice hike to start off the new year in scouting. Since this is a short hike we can start later when it is slightly warmer.
What to bring:
- Binoculars, camera
- layers of clothing – this hike can be cold and windy
- Plenty of water and snacks
Overview
Las Trampas (Spanish for the traps) has two distinct areas, each with its own personality. Rocky Ridge, on the west side of the valley, is known for views in all directions, unusual rocks and green rolling hills lightly forested with California bays, oaks and maples. The wildflower display on the hills just off the ridgeline is an east bay favorite. The Las Trampas Ridge, to the east, is quite different, featuring a plant community dominated by chamise with other chaparral plants such as manzanitas and coyote brush.
Cancellation Policy
Cancelled if rain is forecast for the day of the hike. Look for an email from Sid on Friday evening before the hike.
