When people hear the word Scouting, it often brings up images of outdoor activities like camping and hiking, along with qualities like leadership and teamwork. These ideas became reality this summer as Atglen Boy Scout Troop 20 took part in a High Adventure trip to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada.

Four members of the troop, which comprises students in the Pequea Valley and Octorara school districts, as well as four adult leaders, spent 10 days canoeing through the Canadian wilderness on the park's waterways. They also had to traverse portages, which involves carrying or transporting their canoes over land between two bodies of water.

"The portages are particularly difficult in the first few days due to the weight of the food and canoes that need to be carried, sometimes for more than a mile at a time, to get to the next body of water," explained Christine Zink, a member of the troop's parent committee.

According to participants, the difficult travel conditions were well worth it. "The views were breathtaking," said adult leader Steve Johnson.

Sean Lentz, an aspiring Eagle Scout, said his favorite part of the trip was seeing a moose. "We were heading downstream and on the bank we saw a giant moose - it still had the velvet on its antlers," he shared. "We were surprised to see it."

Another Scout, Jacob Donovan, remarked that he would highly recommend the trip, noting that it was necessary for the Scouts to be able to carry their packs and canoes long distances safely. "(The trip is) definitely for a certain type of people - it helps to be physically fit," Jacob added.

To prepare for the trip, the Scouts took part in several meetings to plan their route through the available 7,600 square kilometers of the park. They also had to obtain the swimming merit badge and canoeing merit badge, which many earned at Camp Rodney on the Chesapeake Bay.

"They went out and did canoeing the Chesapeake to prepare and make sure everyone's skill was up to par," Zink noted. "They talked about meal planning and what meals they would get from the outfitter, where they wanted to camp and which lakes they wanted to canoe across."

Troop 20 offers one high adventure trip each year that rotates between the canoeing trip in Algonquin Provincial Park; a hiking trip at the Philmont Scout Reservation in Cimarron, N.M.; and a sailing trip in the Bahamas. 

Scouts in the troop do various fundraisers throughout the year. One of the biggest fundraisers is a holiday fruit basket sale. Those interested in supporting the Scouts through the fruit basket fundraiser can contact any troop member or email fruit@atglenscouts.org. The sale will kick off at the beginning of November with delivery dates in December.

Boy Scout Troop 20 meets at Penningtonville Presbyterian Church, 406 Main St., Atglen, on Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Each meeting opens with the national anthem and the recitation of the Scout Oath and the Scout Law.

"In Scouting they earn different ranks, and they have to learn different skills and different merit badges. During the meetings, they work on Scout skills, like knot tying or cooking, and different merit badges, or they plan a weekend camping trip," Zink noted. "There is also a game."

Each Scout is placed in a patrol, which is led by a senior patrol leader. "Senior patrol leaders are elected, and they appoint the patrol leaders. They play team games within their patrols," Zink noted. "A troop guide is the patrol leader for the first-year kids. They focus on first-year skills to get (the Scouts) to the next rank."

"The adults don't run the meeting; they give information and give reminders," Zink added. "(The meeting) is Scout-led."

Boys who are between the ages of 11 and 17 and are interested in Scouting are welcome to visit the troop during its regular Monday meeting time.

"It's a great troop. They do at least one campout or outing every month. They have weekly meetings, and they are super busy with fun stuff," Zink said. "We would love to keep the troop going. I believe that Scouting is worthwhile."