Submitted by Darrell Dinkel.
On June 28, Dylan Calvin, Jonathan Dinkel, Nick Loukotka and Christian Pegouske, four Boy Scouts from Hoover-based Troop 23, returned from a nine-day, 100-plus-mile canoe trek through the upper waters and marshlands of Manitoba, Canada. With the completion of the Northern Tier High Adventure trek in Canada, these four Scouts have earned the Grand Slam of High Adventure Award.
To earn this award, a Scout must fulfill specific requirements at all four of the Boy Scouts of America High Adventure camps. In July 2014, at the age of 13, these Scouts attended the Paul R. Christian High Adventure Base at the Summit, located near Beckley, West Virginia, where they participated in the River Trek on the New River.
The following year, in June 2015, they traveled west to Cimarron, New Mexico to attend the Philmont Scout Ranch. Their 11-day, 80-plus-mile trek (with 60-pound backpacks) took them to the 12,441-foot summit of Baldy Mountain and to the top of the famous Tooth of Time Mountain.
In June 2016, these same Scouts traveled south to the Florida Keys to attend the Florida Sea Base Brinton Environmental Center High Adventure camp located on Summerland Key, Florida. The weeklong adventure included mastering the teamwork required to sail a 45-foot sailing vessel, deep-sea fishing and snorkeling coral reefs during the day and at night, as well spending one day and night camping on Big Munson Island, a primitive mangrove island.
On June 16, 2017, these Scouts headed north on their fourth and final High Adventure trek. A floatplane airlifted them from their base camp in Bissett, Canada to Scout Lake, where they were dropped off. With maps and compass in hand, supplies and equipment packed into 65-pound backpacks, they climbed into their canoes and took off. They paddled, rode rapids, portaged through woods and swamps, carried canoes and gear over 20-foot granite rocks and even beaver dams.
Fortunately, they had time to relax a bit, catching fresh fish for dinner on a few occasions. On their 10th day, they arrived back at Scout Lake in time for the floatplane to pick them up for their return to civilization.
Approximately 15,000 Scouts attend BSA High Adventure camps annually. Of these, about 200 will complete the requirements for the Grand Slam of High Adventure Award. These four boys are the first members of Troop 23, based at Discovery United Methodist Church, and the first in the Vulcan District to have reported earning this award.
-Submitted by Darrell Dinkel.
