Horsemanship and orienteering were the themes as the troop spent the weekend at Cedars of Lebanon State Forest on September 7-9, 2007. After setting up the campsite on Friday night in an isolated field in the state forest, the scouts spent Saturday morning at the park stable learning about horses as they worked on their Horsemanship merit badge. The scouts received hands-on training on types of horses, as well as how to care for, saddle, bridle, and ride the animals. The reward for their hard study was a one-hour guided horseback ride on the trails of the park. After lunch, the scouts studied orienteering skills before venturing on a four mile hike deep in the cedar forest.
Saturday night, after a meal of chicken quesidillas, the scouts gathered around, they dimmed the propane lanterns and listened to a collection of cowboy poems, some scary, some funny, and some touching, read to the group by Ms. Barrett.
