On Sunday Feb 1st the Scouts returned to action with a hike in the Dublin mountains. Although very few scouts turned up for this hike those that did were really glad they made the effort...

It was a day of glorious sunshine and huge views. As we wound our way up the Wicklow Way towards Two Rock Mountain the snow and ice became an increasingly common sight. Parts of the path where there was standing water were frozen so thickly the leaders could walk on them without cracking the ice. By the time we reached the saddle between Two Rock and Tibradden the view opened out and revealed a stunning panorama of the Wicklow Mountains covered in snow, bright and sparkling under an intense blue winter sky. The scouts lost no time in having a series of epic snowball fights that turned into a running battle most of the way up to Tibradden. At the top of Tibradden we met a former scout leader who showed us the little known location of a mass rock from the penal times close to the site of the ancient passage grave at the top of the mountain. From there we headed into Cruagh wood and stopped for lunch. Damian cooked up a heap of sausages for the kids complete with ketchup. Cruagh wood was heavily covered with snow and the banks were fringed with long icicles. The paths were very slippy with compacted snow and the scouts got to work making a "snow unicorn". From the woods we followed the Dublin Mountain Way west and crossed the road to the top of Massey's Glen. It was muddy there but going was quick and we made it back to Larch Hill, tired, happy and with plenty of light to spare.

Snowball fight!

Working on the "Snownicorn"