To finish off the year, Troop 410 headed out for a backpacking campout at Colorado Bend State Park. The focus was on learning how to pack smart, hike with gear, and camp in the backcountry.

We arrived late on Friday night in the dark and rain, which made setting up tents a real challenge—but also a good learning moment! On Saturday morning, we held a pack inspection to check for gear we didn’t really need (extra weight = bad news on long hikes!) and made sure everyone’s packs were set up the right way.

Then we hit the trail, hiking the Spicewood Canyon Trail to Lemons Ridge. The trail had lots of water crossings and steep climbs, which were tough for some Scouts who were getting used to carrying everything on their backs. But the views were awesome, and the feeling of hiking into our backcountry campsite along the river was totally worth it. It was a challenge, but we pushed through together.

That night, since fires aren’t allowed in the backcountry and we were all pretty tired from the hike, we skipped a traditional campfire. Instead, we played a few rounds of tag and cards, just hanging out and having fun under the stars.