Troop 97 spent spring break on two hiking trips. A short one for younger scouts and a longer one on the Appalachian Trail (AT) for the older scouts.

The Sipsey backpacking trip was a weekend trip in northwestern Alabama close to the Black Warrior River. This trip was a backpacking trip and it rained the whole time. We slept in tents and hiked several miles a day. I thought the trip was good preparation for the Appalachian Trail hike, but the trip was overshadowed by all the rain that fell.

The AT was a 4-day backpacking trip in the smoky mountains in North Carolina. We hiked 22 miles on the Appalachian Trail carrying a 35-pound pack. The pack contained all of our gear from food and water, to tents, to clothes, and more. We hiked 4 miles the first day 8 the 2nd, 5 the 3rd, and 3 the fourth. The weather, for the most part, was good aside from two nights of rain. After the trek, we ate at a Golden Corral before heading home.

Harrison Lowery
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