Ashbourne and Lucan Scouts reach Fairy Castle on an overnight expedition 2013
We are holding a hike for all Scouts on Sunday June 22nd. Parents should drop scouts at Larch Hill 9.45am (directions here). and collect at 4.30pm. Scouts attending the day hike should bring the items on the shorter equipment list below. The rest of this article applies to anyone who wants to do the overnight expedition on Saturday June 21st as well as the hike on Sunday.
On June 21st/22nd we will be doing an overnight expedition. This is the corner stone of the Chief Scout Award. All scouts will be invited to hike with us on the 22nd. Unfortunately, due to lack of leaders the overnight portion can only be opened to 12 participants including the Chief Scout Award candidates. These places will be awarded on a first-come-first-served basis to parents who text the Scout phone 0860432355 with “Yes to overnight”. The overnight expedition is a fantastic experience and any scout who tries it will find it well worth the effort. It is also an excellent opportunity to advance skill levels in hill walking and camping.
For Scouts hiking on the 22nd parents should drop their scouts to Larch Hill at 9.45am sharp. Scouts on the day hike should bring the items on the shorter equipment list below. The hike on the 22nd will bring us through the Massey estate and up Tibradden mountain before returning to Larch Hill. Scouts doing the overnight need not carry all of their gear for this leg of the adventure but if they opt to travel light then they must be responsible for the gear they don't bring. This means either leaving it at Larch Hill at their own risk or giving it to a parent to mind before we depart from Larch Hill at 10am. We expect to finish back at Larch Hill around 4.30pm and parents can collect from here. For Scouts doing the overnight, parents must drop their scout outside Johnny Fox's pub in Glencullen at 2pm Saturday 21st of June. We will depart from there shortly after on a route that will bring us along parts of the Dublin Mountain and Wicklow Ways into Larch Hill. Once there Scouts will pitch a light camp and cook the dinner they have brought with them. We will turn in early enough as we have a lot of ground to cover the next day but we should find some time to do a few short backwoods activities.
As with any normal hike you should refer to the standard Hike packing list (see below). This being an overnight adventure however, Scouts wishing to advance their camping skills can treat this as a lightweight camp. This means they will need to pack everything they for the overnight expedition in their backpack (see second list) below and start the hike from Johnny Fox’s with all this equipment. Scouts who don't want to treat this as a lightweight camp can have a parent deliver their equipment to Larch Hill on the evening of June 21st
Equipment/packing list
• Neckerchief
• Rain gear including leggings
• Hiking/walking boots
• Torch w/ spare batteries
• A whistle on a lanyard
• Scouting knife (if you have one)
• Day-to-day medications (inhalers, etc.) if any required.
• Re-sealable, water bottle (about 500ml)
• A watch
• Packed lunch, fruit and a snack
• High energy snacks (chocolate, dried fruit etc.)
• A bivvy bag, plastic sheet or picnic rug to sit on
• Spare socks, t-shirt, tack suit pants in a plastic bag
• Small personal first aid kit
• Compass
• Sun cream
In addition, those doing the overnight segment will need to bring the following
• Medium or Large rucksack (at least 50 litres)
• Bed roll
• Sleeping bag or blankets
• Small mosquito net (recommended to cover head)
• Dinner (we would recommend a stew or something simple to re-heat in a single pot)
• Breakfast (we would recommend quick oats or flapjacks and/or bread roll)
• Sponge bag (toothbrush, essential toiletries)
• Cutlery
• Matches
• Additional re-sealable water bottle (about 500ml)
Equipment we will supply for the scouts:
• Lightweight two man tent (divided between two scouts)
• Lightweight camp cooker (divided between two scouts)
• Fuel for cooker