The 1980’s…

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My most memorable outing during my years as a scout in Troop 108 was our Lake Fontana canoe trip in the early 1980’s. The troop had been working hard for a couple of years to raise money to buy canoes and we had finally picked them up and were about to take them on their first big trip. We put in the water at Bryson City not too far from Cherokee NC at the southern-most end of the lake. Over a period of several days we paddled and camped our way along the lake all the way to Fontana Dam. Along the way we used poles to make catamarans of the canoes and even hoisted dining flys as sails. We were amazed to find a building and along the lake with no way to get to them but by water. These used to be thriving communities that were already in place when the Tennessee Valley Authority decided to build Fontana Dam and flood the valley and the roads that led to these loacations.

Another great canoe outing was the Okefenokee Swamp trip. We camped in Stephen Foster State Park in Georgia and canoed out in the swamp with the alligators! It was a really fun trip too

~Britt Helms, Eagle Scout, former Scoutmaster of T108, current ASM of T108 and current Webmaster of T108 website.

The video below has video of both trips.

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Troop 108 made several trips to Washington DC when I was a scout. On two of those occasions I was honored to be one of four scouts selected to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery. On a trip in 1981 we were able to meet South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmand and get a picture taken with him. I’ve been able to identify all but one scout in the picture below. If anyone is able to help ID him, I would appreciate your assistance.

~Britt Helms, Eagle Scout, former Scoutmaster of T108, current ASM of T108 and current Webmaster of T108 website.