The Great Girl Scout Hike 2012

Laura writes:  As we celebrated the 100^th birthday of Girl Scouts in 2012, a special anniversary event was launched:  The Great Girl Scout Hike.  The goal was to have Girl Scouts of all ages hike bits and pieces of the Appalachian Trail during 2012.  The AT,  a National Scenic Trail, wends over 2000 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine.  The Great Girl Scout Hike was inspired by Mary “Mama Boots” Sands who led hikes of sections of the AT with groups of Girl Scouts for 20 years in the 1970s and 1980s.

At Great Escape 2012, a group of us participated in the Great Girl Scout Hike.  The Appalachian Trail travels across New Hampshire north of Camp Wabasso.  One of the closest access points is about an hour’s drive away in Norwich, Vermont.  In Norwich we hiked about 7 miles round-trip to the Happy Hill Shelter, a stone and wood shelter for AT hikers built by the Dartmouth Outing Club and maintained by the Green Mountain Club.  We ate lunch at the shelter.  Although it rained lightly off and on during our hike, we had a great time.  We met several through hikers on the trail headed north and met a group hike organized by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.  They were celebrating Family Hiking Day on the AT.  We learned from them that it was a special anniversary for the Appalachian Trail as well.  2012 was the 75^th anniversary of the completion of the AT. (See a few photos from the hike at http://gsgreatescape.org/photographs/ )

Inspired by our hike last year, I will be offering a ½ day hike at Great Escape 2013,  closer to camp.  We‘ll travel to Rollins State Park in Warner and hike to the summit of Mount Kearsarge.  There are sweeping views from the rocky summit and even a fire tower.   This is a great hike for Scouts camping at Camp Wabasso.    I hope others will join me for this hike.