Garry R. Crane awarded Silver Beaver   The Silver Beaver Award is bestowed on volunteers who have made outstanding contributions to Scouting and the community. Recipients are chosen by veteran scouters from across the state from individuals nominated for their distinguished record of serving Scouting in ways that benefit the whole council. This is a well deserved honor for Garry as he has given countless hours of dedicated service to our troop, our district and our council. We are grateful to have him on our team! Congratulations Garry! Eagle Scout Spaghetti Supper   Eagle Scout candidate Nate is raising funds for a new Athletic Shed to benefit the Nashua Childrens Home. A supper fundraiser held Sat Mar 23 at Pilgrim Congregational Church was a big success. Thank You to 130+ folks who came by to eat and Thank You to all who worked to support this effort. Higgins Armory    Several of our scouts and leaders took a day trip to the Higgins Armory Museum. There they took full measure of the strenght needed to wield medieval armor and weaponry. Pico Mtn Skiing   Troop 19 held its annual ski trip Mar 2-3. Scouts and parents had a great time. See below for Spencer R's report. Check back for pictures from the event. Troop19 Wins Klondike Derby!   Troop 19 did very well at the 2013 Arrowhead District Klondike. See Spencer R's updated notes below.   Congratulations to the Patriot Patrol, taking first place: Here's how Troop 19's patrols placed:    1st Place - Patriot Patrol    2nd Place - Border Patrol    4th Place - Honey Badger Patrol    8th Place - Panzer Patrol Congratulations to the winners; thanks to all the leaders and adults who staffed the stations for this event. Annual Turkey Campout   Troop 19 held its annual turkey campout and served 60+ friends and family.   Read Spencer R's write-up on the weekend and take a look at pictures from Mr. Filteau here. St. Croix River Trip   Troop 19 sailed and canoed their way through the St Croix river area. See some of the pictures below.   Check out Mr. Guertin's recounting of the trip and all the fun here. Fall Court of Honor   Recently Troop 19 held its Fall Court of Honor. We awarded badges of rank earned by our scouts over Summer and quite a number of Merit Badges earned at Summer Camps. View a picture album here. (Thanks, Mr. Filteau) CubScout Show-N-Do   Troop 19 held a get-together with Nashua's Pack 19 Cub Scouts to demonstrate skills the older scouts have learned and teach the younger scouts. It was a good opportunty for the two units to work together and make some new friends.   Click to zoom on pics below. And Thanks to Mrs. Richardson for coordinating this event. SCUBA Certification    This Spring several of our scouts and leaders took part in SCUBA certification. This included open water dives to 30m. They are preparing for a trip to BSA's Seabase in Florida, 2013.   Thanks Mr. Bisbee for organizing this class. Memorial Day Parade    On May 28th, Troop 19 joined other area Scout Troops in a unified show of respect for the Armed Service Men and Women who died serving our country. Operation DarkStar   A few years back, Troop 19 ran an unusual night-focused Camporee. It was dubbed 'Operation DarkStar' and had events themed appropriately. Here is the 2001 website to revisit the concept and provide inspiration for future events. Order of the Arrow   Congratulations to Sam G., Robert S. and Mr. Paul G. on their completion of their OA ordeal. They join with thousands of Scouts nationwide (and dozens in Troop 19) who have been elected by their peers to BSA's 'Honor Society'. OA scouts best exemplify the traditions of scouting and all they represent and strive to live them every day. Canoeing Mine Falls   We had a beautiful afternoon for a short canoe trip up the Nashua River. Over a dozen scouts and leaders paddled 7mi from Mine Falls boat ramp to Runnels Bridge (Hollis) and back. Included a demo of how to get back in your canoe after its been swamped.   Thanks Mr. Guertin and Mr. Griffith for organizing this event. Thanks Mr. Wiik, for pictures here. Cycling Martha's Vineyard   We had a sunny/windy weekend of cycling and canoe practise. Scouts split into 5 cycling crews to ride the island. Spent Sunday morning on on the water. Overnight spent at Camp Squanto, taking Ferry to Vineyard for a day of cycling.   Pics below (click to zoom). Our cycling trip to Martha's Vineyard made the Nashua Telegraph!  Pilgrim Church Clean-Up   Troop 19 Scouts and Leaders pulled together for our annual Spring Clean-up of Pilgrim Church grounds. We gathering debris, spruced up the grounds and took several loads of brush to the dump. Afterward, all enjoyed a 'thank you' cookout put on by Pilgrim Church.   Community service is an important part of Scouting. This event is one example of how scouts support their local community all year long.

Upcoming and Recent Events: May 14 - Troop Meeting Totin' Chip classes for new Scouts - bring your pocket knife. Pioneering projects to be built for upcoming cub scout Show & Do events. May 27 - Memorial Day Troop 19 to join Nashua area troops to march in the Memorial Day Parade. See Mrs. Richardson for details. Calendar of Upcoming Events! May 17-19 - OA Spring Fellowship May 23 - Troop 19 Open House May 27 - Memorial Day Parade May 31/Jun 2 - NYLT Staff Training Jun 7 - 9 - Jamboree Training Jun 14-16 - T19 Backpack Campout Jun 23-29 - NYLT Week Jul 14-20 - Camp Bell SummerCamp Jul 13-26 - National Scout Jamboree Aug 9 - Backpacking White Mtns Sep 13-15 - Wood Badge (1st half) Sep 27-29 - Wood Badge (2nd half) Merit Badge Book Donations Adam, our Troop Librarian, asks Scouts who no longer need their MB books to donate them to the troop library. Bring to any meeting. Troop 19 Photo Scribe Scouts - its a new season and there is an opportunity for one of you to be Troop Scribe or Troop Historian. A good way to let other scouts know what's cookin' is to tell 'em your self. And take pictures. We do a lot of interesting things, and the pictures help tell the tale.   Any scout interested, speak to Mr. Anthony or Mr. Guertin. And send any articles you write or pictures for the web to Mr. Rak in the Troop 19 webmaster account. Regional Jamboree Oct 7-9 at Waterville Valley. Here's a couple pix to check out. Yellowstone / Grand Tetons Trip Here's a few pictures below. Scout Sunday - Feb 10th Troop19 attended worship at Pilgrim Church in observance of Scout Sunday. This annual rite reminds us of the Scout Law charge to be Reverent. Several Scouts and Leaders of Troop19 participated in the service: call to worship, scripture readings, prayers and finally the benediction. Storer Winter Camp - 1/20-22 Winter camping - heated cabin. Ice fishing and all-night Risk? What could be better? Pics here.  Eagle Court of Honor    December 15th is an Eagle Court of Honor ceremony to formally confer the rank of Eagle on Michael Cicchetti. Mike completed the most challenging requirement for the highest rank in Boy Scouts when he wrapped up his Eagle Project to improve the grounds around his high school.   Please RSVP to the Cicchetti family ASAP if you are planning to attend.  Veteran's Day    The Nashua Veteran's Day Parade was Friday 11/11. Troop 19 joined other BSA troops from around Nashua to march in a single formation to support our veterans who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms.   It was great to see so many Troop 19 scouts participate in this event.

St Croix & Acadia Trip
This Summer, Troop 19 had a high-adventure canoeing and sailing trip. We canoed and camped our way along the St. Croix river for week in late June. Then we joined others from our Troop at Acadia National Park for camping, a Windjammer Cruise and a planned Bicycle Adventure.   Thanks to Mr. Anthony and the other attending Leaders for organizing and arranging these events. They were a blast. Thanks also to Mr. R. Wiik for the above pictures (be sure to 'click' to zoom in).   Check out Mr. Guertin's recounting of the trip and all the fun here.

Canoeing Mine Falls - Nashua, NH
In preparation for a long canoe trip planned for Acadia later this month, Troop 19 Scouts and Leaders took in a day of canoeing on the Nashua River. We put in at the city's well kept boat ramp near Stellos Stadium with 8+ canoes. It was a fine sunny day for skills practice and just being on the water.   Thanks to Mr. Guertin and Mr. Griffith for organizing this event and arranging for canoes. Thanks also to Mr. R. Wiik for the above pictures (be sure to 'click' to zoom in).

Freeze-Out & Klondike Derby
Practice Klondike - 2012 On Saturday December 15th, Troop 19 participated in the Practice Klondike at Camp Carpenter. At the Practice Klondike, Troop 19 ran the fire building station. Patrols from the troop were the Honeybadgers, The Panzer Patrol, The Border Patrol; and of course the Patriot Patrol. At the end of the day, everybody appeared to be exhausted from the Practice Klondike. Congratulations to the Patriot Patrol for winning the Practice Klondike.    - Scout reporting by Spencer R.
2013 Freeze-Out & Klondike Derby
The Klondike Derby pits patrol against patrol in a series of cold weather challenges to patrol leadership, scout muscle, skills, and spirit - the Patrol Method! Scouts pull an equipment-laden sled of their own making to as many challenges as they can before the event ends in mid-afternoon. At each challenge completed, a patrol earns points on it's performance. The patrol earning the highest total points takes home the Klondike Trophy for their troop. Troop 19 did very well in the 2013 Arrowhead District Klondike.   On Saturday, February 2nd, troop 19 participated in the Klondike Derby, an annual competition held by the local districts of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). It is held during the Winter months and it is based on the heritage of the Klondike Gold Rush. The Arrowhead District, which includes Nashua and the surrounding area, held its Klondike at Lone Pine Hunting Club in Hollis.
On Friday night, scouts had the option to sleep over at the Freeze-out prior to the actual Klondike. The Freeze-Out is outdoor camping survival style - outdoors in shelters built by the scouts. Scouts assembled at Pilgrim Church to pack up troop equipment and after a short drive to Hollis, scouts set up tents for sleeping. After that was completed, they went to the OA Café for something to eat at the Cracker Barrel. Upon returning from Cracker Barrel, scouts found their tents and eventually went to sleep. Upon waking up, they set out quickly to take down tents and pack personal gear back into the cars. After that task was completed, they went to a hot breakfast served by the OA Café. Breakfast was really delicious and motivated the scouts to do their best in the task that lay ahead of them.   After they finished their meal, Troop 19 split into its patrols and went to go get their sleds checked in, which was their first scored station. After they got to their first station, the starting gun was shot approximately 15 min afterwards. The patrols went from station to station completing the challenge that awaited them. Those stations included First Aid, Teamwork, and of course the one ran by Troop 19, Fire Building. At the end of the race, approximately 2:30 pm, patrols returned to the OA Café for the awards ceremony.
There were 22 patrols that participated in this event; and of the 22 patrols, 4 were from Troop 19. Finishing in first was the Patriot Patrol, who took home the trophy for Troop 19 which had not been done since 2009. After the Patriot Patrol, in second, was the Border Patrol who was 3 points behind. The Honeybadger Patrol finished in fourth of 22; and finally, the Panzer Patrol placed eighth. All the patrols did very well in this event. Pack 19, also from Pilgrim Church, placed first in Webelos Alley, the Cub Scout portion of the Klondike.    - Scout reporting by Spencer R.
Here are pictures of Troop 19's Firebuilding Station from the competition.

Troop 19 Ski Trip to Pico Mt - March 2-3
Pico Mtn Lodge	Indoor Games	More Games	Off the Trail
On Saturday March 2nd, to Sunday March 3rd, Troop 19 went to Pico Mountain in Vermont to ski and/or snowboard for the 2 days. After skiing for a long while on Saturday, Troop 19 retired to a small Congregational church in Bridgewater, Vermont. That evening there was pizza, soda, and games. Everybody had a great time that evening!   After waking up everyone packed up and had a breakfast sandwich prepared by a few members. Upon leaving from the church, Troop 1 headed back to Pico Mountain for another day of fun skiing. Many of the members visited the summit and had a log of fun skiing down the slopes. By the end of the day, the troop's members were tired and headed home.    - Scout reporting by Spencer R.

Troop 19 Winter Camp at Storer
First Fish	Nice One!
Warm Cabin	Cook 'em Fresh
Leaders get a Break	Taking a Risk
January we held our annual Winter Campout. This year we attended Storer Scout Reservation and camped in their warm cabin. Actvities included ice fishing, snow sports and of course late night Risk. The leaders got a chance to enjoy another Troop19 campout standby - cribbage. Thanks Mr. Wiik!

Troop19 High Adventure: Yellowstone!
Along the Cascade Trail	Along Signal Ridge
Morning Reflection at Grand Tetons	Summit of Mt. Washburn
Troop 19 has returned from another of our high adventure trips. Usually every other year we gear-up for a week or two of hiking, boating, or whatever the scouts want to work toward. This year Troop 19 returned to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. There will be many more photos and stories to share at upcoming Troop meetings, so stay tuned!

NH Jamboree
Setting up Camp	Troop 19 Station
October 7th, Troop 19 attended a regional Jamboree at Waterville Valley. Over 3000 scouts attended the event which is typically held every 3-4 years. The Jamboree had numerous activity stations manned by the various participating troops' scouts and leaders. Troop 19 had two stations: match lighting with an axe and a block-and-tackle style log lift. Both were well received.  Our scouts had plenty of adventures along the way. Be sure to ask one who went.

September: Pioneering Campout
Camp	Planning the tower
Crossbeam lashing	Tower completed
This September, Troop 19 held our Pioneering Campout at Camp Carpenter. After setting up tents and dining flies, a campfire and some sleep, its off to build a 3-platform tower. Scouts learn and use lashing and knot tying skills and handling of woodsmans' tools.  Dinner may be on a camp stove or one of our Dutch Oven meals baked in the campfire. A job well done!