Girl Scout Troop earns trailblazing and primitive camper badges

Some of the Cadettes in Troop 94899 in West Milford have been working on the Trailblazing and Primitive Camper badges, which they started over spring break.

The group met three more times before the taking a final backpacking trip.

At the meetings, which included an overnight, the girls worked on outdoor skills such as using a camp saw, building a primitive emergency shelter, planning/practicing/cooking meals on a camp stove/backpacking stove/open fire, which included a dutch oven dessert, building fires, learning the principles of "Leave No Trace," pitching tents, learning/practicing three ways to purify water, reading trail signs, reading maps and compasses, planning a route, determining gear needed, using the 3-bucket method for dish washing, learning knots, doing three hikes to build endurance, researching and creating quick energy snacks, and telling a progressive story.

The final backpacking trip was 8.46 miles and the girls used the previous learned skills on the trip.

They even met an Appalachian Trail through hiker named Early Bird and invited her to eat dinner and dessert with them, which she truly appreciated.