October Outing: Backpacking at Vogel State Park

405 Vogel State Park Rd, Blairsville, GA 30512

Important! Registration is over! We are all getting used to the new website and processes. If you do not see your name below,  you are not registered. If you thought you were registered, and you don’t see your name, ask your parent to contact Mr. Ballard directly at 770 841 9599.

October Outing Registrations

John Ballard – Adult
Anand Banka – Adult
Glyn Dobson – Adult
Vivek Gupta – Adult
Eric Roberts – Adult
Jason Weston – Adult
Greg Wilder – Adult

Sheehan Banka – Dragons
Jonathan Dobson – Vipers
Anish Edara – Wolves
Blake Faunce – Wolves
Luke Flores – Hawks
Syon Goel – Dragons
Josh Gordon – Hawks
Abhay Gupta – Bison
Andrew Liu – Liberty Bells
Ian Sands – Vipers
Rishi Sharma – Wolves
Aryan Shetty – Visiting From Troop 2000
Jayaditya Singh – Bison
James Henry Southern – Liberty Bells
Arin Swami – Hawks
Satvik Vanam – Bison
Andy Wang – Liberty Bells
Alex Weston – Hawks
Billy Wilder – Wolves
Jack Wilder – Dragons
David Zhao – Liberty Bells

Embark on an unforgettable backpacking adventure at Vogel State Park and work toward earning your Backpacking Merit Badge! Explore the park’s stunning trails, filled with challenging terrain and breathtaking views, while honing essential outdoor skills. Whether you’re camping overnight or completing a multi-day trek, Vogel State Park offers the perfect setting to achieve this milestone. Embrace the journey, build confidence, and immerse yourself in nature as you earn your badge in one of Georgia’s most beautiful wilderness areas.

Please be sure to review the Troop 143 Backpack Checklist. There are also some very important troop meetings for meal planning and backpack packing reviews. Please do your best to attend these exceptionally important troop meetings as we cover backpacking topics for the October outing. Grubmasters be sure to checkout the Grubmaster Section of the troop website. There are some spectacular backpacking recipes located here.  A guide to backpack cooking may be found here.

PLC is currently planning on supporting two trails. An easier trail for the younger Scouts and a more challenging one for the older Scouts. The trails being considered are Bear Hair Gap (4.1 miles, Moderate) and Vogel State Park to Blood Mountain (7.5 miles, More Difficult). We will need at least (1) additional adults/chaperones by October 7th to support two trails. Please sign up as soon as possible so we can ensure coverage for two trails.

Troop Meeting Monday, Sept 30th – Backpack Packing Demonstration

Troop Meeting Monday, October 14th – Backpack Meal Planning

Special Meeting, Wednesday, October 16th 7pm – Gear Shakedown – Johns Creek Methodist Camping Departure Area By Troop Trailers

Adult roles that must be filled before departure.

Old Goat Grubmaster – Filled Eric Roberts

Adult Medical Officer – Filled Vivek Gupta

Adult Weather Officer – Filled Walt Gordon

Last Day To Register: Monday October 7th

Departure: Johns Creek UMC Parking Lot (Northwest corner – enter off Medlock Bridge Rd) Arrive at 5:30pm (eat dinner before); Depart at 6:00 PM sharp

Return: Johns Creek UMC Parking Lot (Northwest corner – enter off Medlock Bridge Rd) Arrive at approximately 1:00pm

Cost: $29

Lead ASM: John Ballard Co-Lead: Greg Wilder

Registration: Over

Have I signed up? View The Registration List Here

Questions? John Ballard