Submitted by Steve Denison
(August 25, 2025) — Each year, on the Saturday following Memorial Day, Labor Day and New Year’s Day, the Haddam Scout troop sets up tents, tables, and their trailers in the Higganum VFW parking lot to conduct a mass-scale collection effort that aims to help Haddam recycle and raise funds by collecting and returning sticky old cans and bottles for the bottle deposit. As cars stop by to drop off bags of old soda, beer and water bottles, Scouts and Scout Committee leaders help unload cars and sort cans and bottles of all sizes. The next collection is on September 6, 2025 at the Community Center in Higganum.
This can be a dirty, sticky job but the Scouts are equipped with rubber gloves and camaraderie with their friends in the troop. The cans and bottles are sorted into large clear bags and loaded into the Scout trailer to be transported to the redemption center where they are returned in bulk for the deposit fee. A fundraiser that earns money ten cents at a time may not sound worthwhile, but every little bit helps, and this fundraiser helps to defray troop expenses such as insurance, Troop charter fees, and even some funds left over for the annual “Spring Trip.”
This past May, nine Scouts from Troop 44, along with Scoutmaster Mark Pach and other members of the Troop Leadership Committee, headed off for a four-day “Spring Trip,” camping in the shadow of New Hampshire’s iconic Mount Washington. It started with a four-hour road trip leading to the Moose Brook State Park campgrounds where the Scouts set up tents and unloaded supplies for the weekend. Committee Chair Dan Lamoureux set up the camping kitchen where he prepared much-loved meals for the Scouts, including macaroni and cheese, barbecued chicken, BLTs, hamburgers, pancakes, and even breakfast burritos with a side of bacon.
The highlight of the trip was a ride on the Mount Washington Cog Railway. This is the world’s first mountain-climbing cog railway, utilizing a unique “rack and pinion” system to ascend the steep slopes of Mount Washington. This system allows the train to navigate grades averaging 25% and reaching nearly 38% in some sections. The railway offers both steam- and biodiesel-powered locomotives for the journey to the summit of Mount Washington, which is a treeless, windswept landscape, often described as an Arctic tundra, due to its high altitude and harsh weather conditions. It’s the highest peak in the Northeastern United States, reaching 6,288 feet. During this trip, the Scouts witnessed stunning views from the summit and a truly memorable ride to the top.
In addition to the Cog Railway, the Scouts hiked the Flume Gorge at the base of Mount Liberty in Franconia Notch State Park (photo above). The Flume Gorge is a popular natural wonder known for its towering granite walls, waterfalls, and unique geological formations. The gorge is about 800 feet long, with walls that rise 70 to 90 feet high and are 12 to 20 feet apart. A favorite part for the Scouts was the impressive waterfalls and the wooden walkways that were built right into the side of the gorge. The 2025 “Spring Trip” was a memorable time and a welcome break from school and responsibilities at home for all the Scouts and Troop Committee leaders who attended.
Haddam Scout Troop 44 is open to youth aged 11-18 and meets weekly in the basement of Haddam Congregational Church on Tuesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. any time school is in session during the school year. If you are interested in learning more about the troop, please contact Steve Denison at (860) 373-4688 or sdenison@liberty.edu or Dan Lamoureux at (860) 754-8336. We would love to tell you more about the exciting activities we have planned for this year.
Photos by Steve Denison
