Annual Historic Trip to Boston

When and Where

When: April 10-13, 2023, 7:30 am — 6:00 pm
Nights: 3

This 4 days long trip will take place in Boston, so be sure to pack accordingly and account for the fact that weather conditions can change. 

We will also be camping in lean-tos, similar to the recent orienteering trip. It is recommended to come up with skits for the trip's campfire beforehand to not waste time doing it on the trip.

This trip is a great opportunity to get a lot of things done. Rank and Merit Badge requirements wise, there will be cooking, camping nights, fire starting, cooler management, etc. We will do a historic hike which will get you an award and we will do service which can help you with a large variety of requirements and awards of all categories.

For a more detailed plan with a preliminary timestamp, see below the section "Kind of original plan". 

What to bring

• ⧠ 3 forms: a) troop permission form from Scoutbook, b) kayak permission form, and c) new BSA Medical part A, part B and copy of medical insurance card (both sides)
• ⧠ Scouts bring school ID
• ⧠ Swimming trunks, towel, and slippers for the kayaking
• ⧠ Use a backpacking pack to get to camp on arrival and leave camp for home and use a small backpack during the days in between
• ⧠ Travel is Class A uniform, otherwise Class B with scout activity shirt and green pants or shorts
• ⧠ 4 days and 3 nights.  Bring a change of clothes, toiletries, etc.
• ⧠ Sleeping Back and mat. You won't need a tent since we'll use lean-tos.
• ⧠ Rain gear
• ⧠ Refillable waterbottle(s)
• ⧠ Headlamps/Flashlights
• ⧠ Mess kit with fork, spoon, and knife

Kind of original plan

Monday
7:30 AM Meet at OLA, Shopping
8:00 AM Departure
Our planned stops are:
REI, Milford, CT (This will serve as a resting stop)
Rhode Island State House, Providence, RI
New England Base Camp, Milton, MA  (This will be our campsite for the trip)

Tuesday
Prior to 8:00 AM Breakfast and KP
8:00 AM Leave campsite for T station
09:00 AM Start FREEDOM TRAIL hike (This is a relatively short trail, only around 2 miles, but non the less you will still get an award for completing it, which you can never have too many of)
4:00 PM Leave Boston via T
5:30 PM Return to campsite
6:30 PM Cook and eat Dinner
8:00 PM Campfire

Wednesday
Prior to 8:00 AM Breakfast and KP
8:15 AM Drive to Boston New England Aquarium (30 minutes)
9:00 AM to 2:30 PM Boston New England Aquarium
3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Community Boating Kayak
6:00 PM Return to the campsite
6:30 PM Cook and eat Dinner
8:00 Campfire

Thursday
Prior to 8:00 AM Breakfast and KP
09:00 AM Drive to Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
04:00 PM Return to OLA

Road to Boston, Monday

This is a pretty long drive. So we need to make stops to rest, regroup, stretch, and eat. To split the distance evenly, we need to make two stops. 

First stop: REI, 1587 Boston Post Rd, Milford, CT 06460 This will serve as a resting stop.

Second stop: Rhode Island State House, 82 Smith St, Providence, RI 02903
We will tour this government building. It is possible to get a requirement for the Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge here

Destination: New England Base Camp, 411 Unquity Rd, Milton, MA 02186  
This will be our campsite for the trip

Boston Freedom Trail, Tuesday

The Freedom Trail Hike and Badge/Patch Program is sponsored by The Spirit of Adventure Council, in conjunction with the Boston Chamber of Commerce.

The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile hike through two and a half centuries of America's past in downtown Boston. It begins at the Boston Commons Information Center on Tremont St. near the Park Street MBTA station which can be reached using the MBTA Red and Green lines. The trail ends at the U.S.S. Constitution in Charlestown.

View the Freedom Trail map on its site. 

In order to get the historical trail award, we need to complete the questionnaire. It consists of 16 questions, and the trail consists of 16 landmarks.  

We want to leave the campsite for T station as early as possible to finish the trail and return to the campsite before it turns dark. 

New England Base Camp

This is our location for 3 nights. 
 

It is in the beautiful Blue Hills Reservation in Milton, MA, and offers family, school group, scout troop, or corporate team exciting and challenging activities. It is a small but neat campground with 13 campsites (each can hold up to 20 people). 

The Adirondacks shelters we are staying in can hold up to 17 people and are a great way to stay over without having to put up a tent. Each Adirondack has the ability to place one tent around it. Each Adirondack has the ability to place at least one tent around it.
 

More information about the camp is on its original site. 

New England Aquarium, Wednesday

On this day we have two major activities: visiting Aquarium and going kayaking.

The Boston New England Aquarium is a nonprofit organization located in Boston, Massachusetts. The species exhibited include harbor and northern fur seals, California sea lions, African and southern rockhopper penguins, giant Pacific octopuses, weedy seadragons, and thousands of saltwater and freshwater fishes. In addition to the main aquarium building, attractions at Central Wharf include the Simons Theatre and the New England Aquarium Whale Watch. 

Boston has had multiple aquariums since the 1880s, the last before the New England Aquarium being the South Boston Aquarium at Marine Park, which closed its doors in the 1950s.

Address and phone number: 1 Central Wharf Boston MA 02110,  617-973-5200

Our plan for the aquarium visit is to tour the aquarium and watch an educational movie, and have enough time to hike to the kayaking place. 

Note: By popular vote, we will be visiting an Aquarium instead of Science Museum!

Kayaking, Wednesday

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM Community Boating Kayak. 

Address and phone number: 21 David G Mugar Way,  Boston, MA 02114, (617) 523-1038   

Right after the Aquarium, we will go Kayaking! Since this is a water activity, you will undoubtedly get wet so you HAVE to pack swimming trunks and a towel to dry yourself off, as well as waterproof slippers or slides.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Center, Thursday

What is Harriet Beecher Stowe famous for?

Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) published more than 30 books, but it was her best-selling anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin that catapulted her to international celebrity and secured her place in history. She believed her actions could make a positive difference. Her words changed the world.

During our time there we will tour one of Harriet Beecher Stowe's houses, and learn about her history and what caused her to write the books she wrote. After this, we will help the center by doing service at their establishment. This is a great opportunity to rack up service hours for rank advancement, merit badges, and awards!

Address and phone number: 77 Forest Street, Hartford, CT 06105, (860)-522-925.

Official website: Harriet Beecher Stowe Center.

Historian's notes