It’s back! After a five-year absence, we’re formally reviving our Outbound program in 2023. With some old (and improved) favorites as well as some fresh adventures, these programs are sure to be a hit with your older Scouts.
Inspired by the adventures of Private John Colter after his departure from the Corps of Discovery, the trek will see your Scouts aged fourteen and older hiking and paddling as they range from Camp Meriwether to Whalen Island to the south.
Participants will join our staff to venture south across Sand Lake a little over two miles to the Sandlake Campground. There, they will jump in canoes to travel to nearby Whalen Island and explore the tidal flats and inlets of Sand Lake. After camping out overnight. The timing for this event is set based on the tides and announced at the start of each week.
This program is limited to twelve youth & up to two adults each week, and Scouts who want to participate in the program will sign up Sunday night during the merit badge lottery time after dinner. Scouts who want to participate but are arriving after Sunday dinner should email the Camp Director (contact information on the main page).
Ready for a moderately challenging hike through a stunning ancient old growth forest and spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean? Every Wednesday, we’ll lead a expedition from Camp, up the beach, out to the end of Cape Lookout, and all the way back (about twelve miles in total).
And we’re not underselling it - the forest on the cape has never been logged, growing more or less undisturbed since time immemorial. The Coastal Douglas Firs and Sitka Spruces grow to a height of almost 300ft surrounded by dense thickets of salal, sword fern, and rhododendron. If you get lucky, you may even see parts of a B-17 that crashed there in the 1950’s. You can read more about the hike here.
The group will leave every Wednesday and return between 3 & 4pm, with some flexibility based on the hiking ability of the group. Participants will make themselves a camp-provided sack lunch before departing. No sign-ups are required.
Hike to the end of Cape Lookout, a 12-mile round-trip hike through an ancient old growth forest with some spectacular views.
In partnership with Kayak Tillamook County, this Thursday morning trip gives Scouts and leaders the chance to experience the Oregon Coast’s bays and estuaries up close. Expect to meet new friends, too - seals, pelicans, and gulls all make frequent appearances. And you might even learn something about the natural history of the area and the communities that inhabit it.
The company we partner with can support a group size that will be announced each week and participants will need to arrange their own participation with their unit (in some instances, individual Scouts/adult leaders without a ride can find one with another unit). The group will leave Thursday morning - plan to arrive back to camp around 1pm. Individual groups and cars will need to get lunch in town.
Sign-ups for the event will open on Sunday night and run up until the event leaves. Each participant needs to be a BSA Swimmer and will go through a short training on kayaking. There is a $45 cost, and participants should expect to sign a waiver/release form, which can be found below. We don’t make any money from this - everything goes to support Kayak Tillamook and the local economy. We strongly recommend talking to parents ahead of time to get their approval and bringing the extra funds to participate.