Venturing Crew
Saratoga, California

Crew 566 has a program of high-adventure activities; it is open to Boy Scouts who are First Class rank or higher, from any of the Saratoga/Los Gatos/Cupertino Troops, who have been on at least two backpacking trips; and to Girl Scouts with camping/backpacking experience.

We currently have about 15 active members, plus 8 senior members (away at college), 12 associate members, and an Advisor staff of about 10 (including about 3 backpacking women).

We are chartered to Saratoga Presbyterian Church and associated with Troop 566.

Check out our past plans/events and trip reports including nice photos from our Henry Coe and other trips.

We also have posted pictures and stories from the 2001 trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, and also those from the 2002 trip to Philmont!

Next Post Meeting!

Latest issue of our TREKKER (250kB PDF) and our Adventure Selection Sheet (70kB PDF).

Winter/Snow Trips:

Snow Trek: 2- or 3-day trek on snowshoes above Alpine Lake (to Wolverine Meadow) or Badger Pass (to Glacier Point or Ostrander Lake), with towing tobbogans (Mr. W and Mr. E)

Alpine & Cross-Country Skiing: weekend trip to Tavan's cabin, for X-country skiing at Tahoe Donner on Saturday, then downhill skiing on Sunday (Mr. T)

Biking Trips:

Mountain Trails Riding: Day trips on trails in the Fremont Older Open Space Preserve and in Marin County's parks below Mt. Tamalpais (Fred Schachter)

Road Bike Riding: 3-day road trip down the coast to Monterey, or in the San Luis Obispo area, with sag wagon support

Water Trips:

Canoe Camping: 3- or 4-day trip on the Sacramento River, perhaps on Memorial Day weekend, camping on the bars or river banks.

Whitewater Rafting: 2-day rafting trip on the Tuolomne River, with overnight camping on the river banks

Backpacking Treks:

Spring Conditioning Backpack: This one is tentatively planned for the backcountry of Henry Coe State Park (150 KB) on April 21-22, where we'll camp at Mississippi Lake and fish for some of the great bass that call this spot home!

Summer Conditioning Backpack: maybe in the middle Sierra, where snow has melted, sometime in mid-June

The Canadian Rockies: Working with Troop 463, we're planning a trip in June/July to the Canadian Rockies! There'll be a mix of backpacking, camping, hiking, white-water rafting, and sightseeing.

Easy 4-day Backpack: a laid-back trek to some lakes (about 5 miles), then setting up a base camp and fishing, peak-bagging, etc.

Other Events:

Rock Climbing: "Renting the rock" at REI for some practice on various-level routes, then up to Castle Rock or Pinnacles for some of the real thing.

Fishing Instruction: For both spin-casting and fly-fishing, at the Campbell Perc Ponds, with a master fishing educator. Learn how to do it right!

Big-Boat Sailing: Out on the bay on a 34' sailboat, berthed just south of San Francisco: learn how to handle sails and lines, how to understand the winds, tides, and weather conditions, how to use the marine radio bands. (Mr. Wesling)

Come back and visit, if you're a high-adventure buff! Or contact us, to see about becoming a member (it's only $10/year to belong).

Send comments to p.wesling@ieee.org || Last updated on