Lost Creek Cave Campout

     On Friday March 23rd we left the Stake Center about 5:30 p.m. and drove to Lost Creek Cave.  We arrived at the cave around 6:30 p.m., gathered all of our equipment, and then hiked about 1/4 mile down a trail and into the cave.  We slept a couple of hundred yards into the cave on a flat area that most everybody uses.  Of course it was completely dark when we set up camp as the pictures show.  Corey Stuart cooked soft tacos for dinner with the help of Clay Hoyle.  For breakfast we had sausage and eggs and Zeb Lofits helped with that meal.  Part of the group explored through the cave well into the night.  They went to the waterfall, mud slide, and everywhere in between.  Everybody was safe and had fun but most of all they worked as a group and supported each other when it was needed.  These boys have a real talent for helping and being patient with each other.  The next morning Steven and Harrison explored deeper into the cave while everybody else hiked out and checked out the outdoor waterfall and its cave.  Thanks to everybody that provided rides and came.  I think most of the group got to try alot of things for the first time.  We arrived back at the Stake Center the next day around 12:00 noon.

 Adults that attended: Bishop Hitchcock, Hayden Pennington, Corey Stuart, Darin Payne
 Boys that attended: Bryce, Harrison, Clay, Christian, Luis, Brian, Ethan, Zeb, Chaz, Brandon, Steven, Cole

Sugar Mountain NC Ski Trip

     On Feb the 24th after school we left around 4:00 p.m. and headed up to Sparta and met with the scouts from that ward.  The drive to Johnson City went fairly quick.  Spencer Grissom, Jeff Peterson, Hayden Pennington, and Corey Stuart all drove vehicles.  When we arrived in Johnson City around 9:30 p.m. eastern time we stayed at a Motel 6 in three different rooms.  The next morning we got up, packed, and then headed to McDonalds for breakfast.  We arrived at the Sugar Mountain Ski Resort just across the NC state line around 8:30 a.m. and the slopes opened at 9:00.  The temperature was around 25* F most of the day and it actual snowed on and off all day long.  They still had the snow machines going to help.  Some of the boys already had everything they needed and went on to ski or snowboard.  The rest of the group had to rent equipment, get ski lift tickets and so on.  We had a wide range of talent throughout the group.  Bryce Caten, Hayden Pennington, Harrison Hale, Steven Laxton, & Graham Pennington all did the snowboarding while Jeff Peterson, Darin Payne, Corey Stuart, Brandon Peterson, Saylor Wilson, Grant Peterson, Clay Hoyle, & Evan Kellerman did the skiing.  Most of the skiers started out on the "bunny hill" and worked their way up until they were comfortable.  Also attending were Kade Stone, Daniel Kastello, Noah Thornton, Christian Benitez, and Eric.  These boys chose to play on the tubing hill and all said it was real fun but also regretted not skiing at the same time.  There were many laughs and wipe outs during the day but the boys & adults (especially the new skiers) were very determined and came a long way by the time it was over.  We ended the day around 4:00 p.m. and headed back home.  As a group we all decided to go eat dinner at the Golden Corral (mostly because of the wide variety and endless supply of food).  After that we drove straight back to the stake center and arrived around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday the 25th.  Everybody had a blast and more importantly nobody got hurt.  The boys were excited about the conditions and didn't regret the long trip at all.  Unfortunately everyone was so spread out over the different slopes and the snow machines were so active that pictures weren't really able to be taken.  Steven Laxton wore a helmet cam most of the time but due to the snow and condensation most of those videos didn't turn out either.  Thanks to all of the adults that helped with the trip and made it possible!