The 23rd Limerick would like to wish our three Scouts Andrew O’Neill, Conor Hempenstall and Michael Quigley who will be setting off on their Icelandic Adventure at the weekend. Last August the three Scouts were selected to be part of the first ever Crean Challenge Expedition which is being run alongside the Icelandic Scout Association. Only 15 Scouts from across Ireland will be taking part in the expedition.

In September they met up with the Expedition Leaders and their fellow participants for a training weekend. The Patrols hiked from Castleconnell to the National Water Activity Centre in Killaloe where they made their way out to an Island and bivied for the night. A second training weekend was held in Dublin in Decemeber. At this weekend they got to meet Guðmundur Finnbogason from  the Icelandic  Scout Association and Brendan O’Brien, grandson of Tom Crean. A final meeting for each patrol was held in January. In between the training weekends, the participants had to go on several training hikes, keep a logbook of their preparations and work on personal challenges they had agreed with the Expedition Staff.

The Troop will depart Ireland and head for the Iceland where they will be challenged by the climate and terrain. Using the physical and mental training that they have completed in preparation for this Expedition they will overcome these challenges.

The initial few days of the trip will be a learning experience to allow them to familiarise themselves with some of the equipment that they will use throughout their Expedition including, Skies, Sledges and Safety Ropes. On top of this they will be shown how to build Snow Holes, Igloos and trek in the difficult snowy terrain.

They will then take part in a Two Day Expedition trekking to basic Mountain Huts high in the Iceland Mountains, spending a night in these basic lodges and returning to base camp the next day. The end of the event will involve a review and an assessment of the individual Scouts expedition and hopefully they will be awarded the Crean Challenge Expedition Award.

We  would like to wish our 3 scouts, their fellow patrol members and the expedition staff the best of luck on their epic voyage and look forward to hearing their stories when they return.

This weekend the Scouts headed off to Dundrum Scout Centre in Tippery for the “Discovery Weekend”. Friday night was spent playing wide games in the forest. Saturday morning saw the patrols collect fire wood while Conor and Eoin cooked breakfast. This was followed by a session on camping skills. After lunch, the Scouts worked on their pioneering- building towers for a game of man hunt later that evening.

We then had a campfire and scouts own. Barry invested Daniel into the Troop and then presented the Discovery Award badges, the first stage of the Crean Awards (the new scout award scheme) and Patrol Leader and Assistant Patrol Leader Badges. After the campfire the group split in two. The Ventures lead the younger scouts on a hike along the forest track while Barry went with the 3 older scouts on a cross country night navigation excercise through the forest as training for the Crean Challenge.

The next morning everyone got up and clean the house before getting to try out the impressive zip line on the site.

Thanks to all the Scouts for their work this weekend and thanks to the ventures (Andy and Ashley) and leaders (Baz, Mike and Neil) for running the weekend. Thanks also to Charlie Sullivan, the warden of the site. Photos available here.

Venue: Dundrum Scout Centre, Tipperary
Date: 25th-27th November 2011

Gear List:
• Neckerchief
• Old Clothes & Shoes
• Uniform
• Sleeping Bag
• Ground Mat
• Rain Gear
• Torch (preferably headtorch)
• Hat & gloves
• Packed lunch for Friday night

For more on what to wear/bring please consult the “Preparing for Adventure” chapter of the Scouting Trail

Programme
Over the weekend we’ll be covering the final parts of the Discovery Award as well as elements of the Pioneering and Camping Adventure Skills badges. On Sunday we will be having the investiture of the new scouts into the troop.

Transport
Scouts to arrange their own transport to and from the event. We’re asking all Scouts to be at the centre for 8pm on Friday. Collection is at 2pm on Sunday. Directions can be found here