Boy Scout Troop visits Gettysburg

by James Weisbeck, Troop 150 journalist
As the scouts pulled into Artillery Ridge Campground located in Gettysburg, PA they zipped up their jackets and pulled up their hoods to set up camp in forty-degree weather.
That was the warmest it would be. After setting up two pavilions and their tents, the Scouts loaded into the vehicles and headed to former President Eisenhower's farm and house. There they toured around the farm and learned about his life and accomplishments, a truly inspiring experience. Returning to the campsite feeling animated and influenced, Troop 150 explored the camp and made dinner in the cold. Going to bed was easy as the scouts were tired and ready for the next day.
After waking up, getting dressed and making breakfast the scouts were ready to start the day. First the scouts visited some battlefields to hike and learn about the battles and soldiers who fought at these sites. The scouts were also working hard answering questions to earn a medal for their uniforms. After walking into town to go to the classic Tony's Pizzeria located in central Gettysburg they walked around in some shops to get souvenirs. After a decent walk around the town the scouts got into the cars and went back to Artillery Ridge. One of the highlights of the trip was going on a ghost tour later that night where they learned about the people who were killed and stories from the Civil War. From there they hung around camp and made dinner before going to sleep to end day two.
Troop 150 woke up early to seventeen-degree temperatures and after a quick breakfast went to the Gettysburg Visitors Center. After watching a short film and touring the museum the scouts were brought into a dimly lit room which held the biggest painting in America. The scouts walked around the room admiring the piece of art that took eleven months to make by 16 people. Following that boys went on a ten-mile hike around hundreds of battlefields and monuments. The scouts were tired, sore, and hungry after the long day. To refuel, they went to none other than Gettysburg’s General Picketts which is a Civil War themed buffet that everyone loved.
Going back to camp the scouts somehow kept their eyes open long enough for a campfire before they then went to sleep. Waking up and packing up camp is always hard for scouts as they had grown to love the place of Gettysburg, PA.
Sparta Troop 150 meets at 7:00pm on Mondays at the Sparta United Methodist Church. For more information visit us at a meeting or www.spartatroop150.org or like us on Facebook at Sparta Troop 150-BSA.