On Sunday, November 9 at 1:00 pm, GT8 will be hiking the Cabin John Trail for the second backpacking shakedown. This is 2 of 2 backpacking shakedowns. All Scouts planning on attending the November hike on the Appalachian Trail who did not attend the first shakedown should attend this backpacking shakedowns to get accustomed to hiking with their backpacks. If you attended the first one and can also attend this one for the extra practice, that would be great! PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR ENTRY SO THAT WE KNOW WHO TO EXPECT.

Service Opportunity: Scouting for Food, Nov 1-8:

Scouting for Food (SFF) is our council's largest annual community service project to help feed families in need by collecting non-perishable food and distributing it to local food pantries and food banks. Scouts can participate by collecting food donations from their neighbors or helping to load the donations onto the truck at Holy Redeemer on Nov 8. SSL hours are available for Scouts.

Girls Troop 8 was selected to take part in a Cavalcade Trek at Philmont Scout Reservation in July 2027! Philmont is considered the epitome of scouting and is the oldest and most highly regarded high adventure experience. The Cavalcade Trek is an 8-day trek where the scouts will travel through the reservation property on horseback rather than backpacking. The website describes the trek as follows: Philmont Cavalcades take your crew off the beaten path and into the heart of the rugged backcountry, trading boots for saddles as you ride through mountain wilderness and make memories that will last a lifetime. More information about the 2027 Philmont Cavalcade High Adventure trip can be found here: https://www.philmontscoutranch.org/treks/crew/cavalcade/

Between now and November 17 is the "pre-sale" period, which is when scouts should be focused on selling as many wreaths as they can. This email includes link to images of the six different themes available: Chanukah, Christmas, Maryland, Commanders, Patriotic and Rainbow. Each wreath costs $40. A new detail that we have not previously provided is that if we will need to ship a wreath (to out-of town buyers) an additional $10 should be charged, for a total of $50.

Mark your calendars for November 8, 2025 at Holy Redeemer Catholic Church (9705 Summit Ave, Kensington, MD 20895) —this is your chance to knock out some of Scouting's most valuable merit badges in just one day!

On Sunday, November 2 at 1:00 pm, GT8 will be hiking the Rachel Carson Greenway Trail for the first backpacking shakedown. This will be 1 of 2 backpacking shakedowns. All Scouts planning on attending the November hike on the Appalachian Trail need to attend at least one of the backpacking shakedowns to get accustomed to hiking with their backpacks. The second shakedown will be held on the afternoon of Sunday, November 9. PLEASE RSVP ON THE CALENDAR ENTRY SO THAT WE KNOW WHO TO EXPECT.