Hinsdale scouts recount 11

Dec 29, 2023

Reporter

HINSDALE, N.H. — It was the trip of their young lifetimes for five Boy Scouts from Hinsdale.

For 11 days in July, the five boys took a road trip to visit a Civil War site, a coal mine, the Baseball Hall of Fame, and an amusement park with multiple roller coasters.

"They've been saving up for the last couple of years to do this trip," said Chuck Hildreth, scoutmaster for Troop 496.

The scouts have been raising money for it through various fundraisers, including selling concessions at concerts hosted by the Hinsdale Lions Club, which also donated money to the troop for the trip in honor of the troop's 50th anniversary last year. The scouts also received a donation from the Hinsdale VFW Post 4234 for their adventure.

"We might have been able to do it without the donations, but we would have been limited," said Isaiah Barker. "Because of their donations we were able to do a lot more of what we wanted to do and had a little bit of money to splurge on certain things."

The scouts spent four of the 11 days at the 2023 National Scout Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel in West Virginia, and were escorted by Hildreth and assistant scout masters Matthew Thomas and Robert Perkins, who is 91 and had never been to a national jamboree.

The scouts, who ranged in ages from 12 to 17, included Ely Saari-Rosa, who said his favorite spot was Luray Caverns in Virginia.

"I liked the idea of going underground," he said. "It was really cool."

Isaiah said the scoutmasters let them decide where they wanted to go.

"We had enough time to plan places everybody would be interested in," he said. "If one person wasn't completely interested in one place there was other places they were."

Isaiah said his favorite activity was paintball.

"I learned I am very good at paintball," interjected Ely.

"I learned I suck at paintball," said Isaiah, to which all the boys laughed.

"I learned I don't want kids," said Gabriel Barker, Isaiah' brother, to more laughter.

"They all learned patience after being stuck with each other for 11 days," said Hildreth, to groans from the scouts.

Gabriel said his favorite stop along the trip was Hersheypark, an amusement park in Pennsylvania.

"I like roller coasters and I like candy and I like buying things," he said.

Landon Butler also enjoyed visiting Hersheypark, basically for the same reasons, he said.

Chad Ellis-Dale said his favorite parts were paintball and the amusement park.

He said it was the first amusement park he has visited so far.

"It was everything I expected," said Chad, who loved the roller coasters.

The scouts also visited Gettysburg, where they learned about one of the defining battles of the Civil War and a coal mine, where they learned about how miners brought a canary down with them to monitor oxygen levels.

In Cooperstown, where the visited the Hall of Fame, they stayed at a hotel that didn't feel quite right, said Ely.

"That place was creepy," he said. "Mirrors don't fly off the wall just randomly. The hallway was like just out of the Shining."

They also participated in an escape room exercise in an old Cold War bunker.

"We had less than a minute to spare," said Isaiah, who is entering his senior year in high school and has already signed on with the U.S. Navy.

All the scouts said they enjoyed getting out of town for a while.

"I missed the people, but I enjoy traveling," said Eli.

"That was my first faraway trip from home," said Chad, who said he didn't get homesick at all.

To learn more about Troop 496, email Hildreth at [email protected].

Bob Audette can be contacted at [email protected].

Reporter