Activity Write-Ups

Normally Klondike is a snow outing, but this year there was no snow. Since we couldn’t build snow shelters, we decided to visit the Jelly Belly factory on the way up to the Sierras. The tour was interesting and the sheer number of jelly beans was impressive. Of course, we had to get some samples to take with us.

That night we experienced the truth that tent camping can be colder than sleeping in snow shelters. Everyone was up bright and early to try their hands at Klondike events such as jumbo skis and snow shoe relay race (on the dirt).

By Pat

An amazing glimpse into the past. A time of dance cards and intricate social games. A time of restrictive yet elegant clothes. High society and grinding poverty shown in dramatically sharp contrast. Christmas music and treats, dancing and games, fencing and photography; a good time for all.

By Anne

Sounds of music filled the halls when Crew 27 brought nineteen enthusiastic singers to Brookside Skilled Nursing Facility on a cold Friday night. Accompanied by guitar and violin we moved through the halls, stopping along the way to share a mixture of sacred and secular carols with the residents and their families. Some people sang along and others were moved to tears. It was a joy to be part of such a good group of singers and players bringing holiday cheer to those who need it.

By Pat

(Sung to the tune of “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”)

It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas,
In the boy scout lot,
There’s trees all around the square
With Ventures everywhere
The sturdy crew that doesn’t mind the snow

It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas,
Trees are standing tall,
But the prettiest sight to see,
Is when one of them will be
Right on top your car

Drilling some holes and sawing the trees,
Is the wish of Christy and Kat
Moving and fluffing a whole bunch of firs,
Is the job for Cece and Matt
And Pat and Dave can hardly wait for this to start again

It’s beginning to smell a lot like Christmas,
Our song will soon be through
And the thing that’ll make us leave
Is the applause that you’ll bring
Merry Christmas from crew!

By Christy

We had a fantastic time playing Ultimate Frisbee with other crews.

By Anne

We left in the afternoon to camp overnight at New Brighton State Beach before climbing at Pacific Edge on Sunday. We had a great time taking a moonlight beach walk that night. At the climbing gym some took a beginning climbing lesson, some needed to take a belay test, while others could starting climbing right away. Many challenged themselves going up the chimney – just completeing, setting a new personal best, or setting a new crew record.

By Pat

On October 26th, the Venture Crew met at Aaron’s house to party it up all night long. Kat and Kristy were pastry chefs for the day and made chocolate-covered strawberries, chocolate cake, pie tarts, and molasses cookies. We played plenty of games and watched The Silence of the Lambs in the last couple hours of the night.

By Kat

The Venture Crew went to the Grand National Rodeo at the Cow Palace. We saw cowboys jumping on bulls and rangling steers, cowgirls doing trick riding, a remote control car being torn apart by a bull, and beautifully costumed Arabian horses and riders trotting around the arena.

By Ryan C

Dear nieces, nephews, and y’all–

Once upon a time, in a land far far away, Cece, Ryan, Annie, Holly, Sam, Matt, Pat, Mr. Frydenlund, and myself left our beloved hometown of Charleston, Virginia, to fight in the second War of Independence.

It was Octover 18th, 1863. As proud Confederate Marines, we woke early on the 19th and were issued muskets, canteens, haversacks, and all the sundry equipment needed for war. We drilled for hours, the taste of gunpowder and the sound of gunshots ringing in our ears. We said our final farewells then, separating into infantry, artillery, and medics.

Upon winning our first battle, we spent the night dancing with beautiful ladies. Spinning around to the Virginia Reel and waltzing across the dance floor, it was almost possible to forget the horrors of war. This was all brought to a halt the next day as another battle began. Fighting to a stalemate, the generals agreed to postpone the battle until that night.

Fighting at night ’twas a new bloody horror. Soldiers fell on both sides of me, screaming for their mothers. Wounded men were dragged to the hospitals, incompetent doctors hacking limbs off with little regard to cleanliness. As I lay bleeding, the newly-made widows wandered the field, ghostly wails reverberating as they found the bodies of their loved ones.

As I write this letter, I wait for my future to be decided. Despite fighting valiantly, our final battle was a sad sight. The Yankees have captured my company, and we will doubtless be shot for treason tomorrow morning, so I end my letter here.

Love,
Uncle

By Christy

We went sea a kayaking in Monterey a few weeks ago. We got to get really close to seals, otters, and jellyfish. Luckily no one was stung. Everyone remained safely in their boats without tipping. In addition the difficulty of kayaking through kelp beds was realized. Overall the trip was a great success and everyone had a great time.

By Aaron

In the morning we arrived at Fort Miley in San Francisco where we completed a high ropes course which included making our way across various taut high wires and a zipline. Afterwards we drove to Ghiradelli Square where we indulged in obscene amounts of chocolate.

By Anne

We went sailing all day starting in Berkeley and then all around the San Francisco Bay. Everyone got a chance to steer the boat and Mr. Yeh taught us about tying the ropes and setting the sail. We sailed under the Golden Gate bridge and then around Angel Island. Overall the trip was a great learning experience despite the cold and windy weather. When we got back to the harbor we went to Fentons and had a huge mint chocolate ice cream sundae.

By Emily