Scouts BSA Troop 520 Redmond

07/03/2025

Troop 520 Summitted Mount Baker!

Summit via Coleman Glacier Route from Heliotrope Trailhead.
Our scouts climbed Mount Baker Summit in a long slow adventure starting at Heliotrope Trailhead, Hogsback Camp for two nights while awaiting good weather, followed by 24 hours to climb to the summit and return to the cars.

Summit Climb
We started our climb from at 11:30 PM on Saturday, thinking we would arrive at the summit by sunrise. We learned that our pace on Mount St Helens in May was not a good judge of what it would take to make this steeper climb, roped up and distracted with route-finding. It was an amazing night, watching the sunset and then the shift to twilight and an amazing dance of the Milky Way, satellites, and shooting stars. We may have spent too much time gawking. The sun came up and headlamps were put away. The snow was great. With crampons, walking on the hard crust was awesome, and in areas where we broke through, we didn't sink far. Navigation wasn't too challenging with so much other traffic on the mountain. There are a lot of crevasses to avoid and we were thankful for the extensive training and preparation we had made.

The wall before the summit was a killer. There was a lot of conversation about whether to stay roped up and potentially floss everyone behind us if someone slipped. Most everyone we saw stayed roped up. There was a traffic jam near the top -- multiple rope teams were bunched up, waiting to sneak through the steep and narrow gap from the wall onto the summit plateau. Standing around on the side of the wall was brutal for tired legs. One highlight was when the sun got high enough in the sky for it to shine down on us and the wall was finally bathed in daylight. Once through the gap, the last final push was a struggle, but we eventually joined the rest of the crew and collapsed in the snow.

We started our descent pretty late. The bottle neck at the rocks to get off the summit was still a challenge. Both due to the narrow space and the challenge of climbing down, toes in, for a while before it was less steep and we could get to plunge stepping. It was a long slog out in the soft snow and made us a bit jealous of the skiers who were having the times of their lives, hooting and hollering.

Some of us were sleep-walking as we finally arrive at camp at 5:30 PM. We contemplated staying one more night, but decided it was time to pack things up and head for home. We cleaned up some of the trash (and even blue bags?) left behind by other campers, doing our good turn to leave no trace.

Weather
For us, climbing Mount Baker was all about the weather. Our plan was to go on Wednesday, but the forecast told us Thursday would be bad, so we waited. Thursday turned to Friday and we headed up. While in camp on Friday, we talked with people coming down the mountain who had not been successful in their summit attempts, due to rain and wind. We made the choice to wait one more day and go up Saturday night/Sunday morning instead. The wait was worth it -- I don't think we would have made it with worse weather.

Scouting
This was a great weekend for Scouting. Our troop of six male scouts and five adults summited, and we were surprised to meet a group of female scouts and leaders from another troop in camp and then to see them on the summit trail. We call this "High Adventure" in our programs and it was amazing to see scouts in action, completing this great challenge and getting up and down safely. We were impressed watching the other crew working their way up the mountain at their own synchronized, a little bit faster, pace.

Scout Law.
Each and every one of the scouts (and adults) showed amazing grit and determination. They performed an incredible feat of endurance of mind and body. I would say that we truly embraced the scout law. We were trustworthy as we literally put our lives in each others' hands. We were loyal as we pushed ourselves to accomplish the group objectives. Scouts were helpful in camp and on the trail. The joy of these six scouts sitting in camp showed friendliness. The way they looked after each other showed courtesy and kindness. They were obedient as required, following direction in line with their training. They overcame hardships to be cheerful with each other despite incredible strain. They were thrifty in sharing water amongst each other. They showed good trail cleanliness, even picking up some pretty gnarly waste left behind by others. And we all experienced the reverential wonder of the milky way on display, the mountain announcing its presence, and the scene from the summit.

05/27/2025

We used this outing as a chance to practice skills for a planned Mount Baker summit attempt next month. We hiked in on a beautiful day with heavy packs carrying ropes, harnesses, pickets, helmets, mountaineering boots, crampons, ice axes, and helmets.

We arrived at the parking about 11:00 AM, unloaded everything and were hiking by 11:30. The trail is mostly dry with occasional patches of snow all the way to Chocolate Falls. The falls were running strong today. We were in hiking boots or mountaineering boots, with gaiters. Some of us with microspikes most without. We set up camp just above the snow line and enjoyed an afternoon with blue skies. We practiced glissading and snow safety skills.

Knowing that weather was coming in, and that the snow was pretty soft, we began our summit attempt at 2:00 AM. Some of us in microspikes, most in mountaineering boots. We followed the rocks nearly to the monitoring station. For the last stretch, mountaineering boots added crampons. We turned off headlamps at the point, so it was probably around 5:15 sunrise. Once we arrived at the monitoring station, we set up our rope lines and began the long ascent. The snow was pretty soft, so footing was fine all the way up. Route-finding was challenging at times in the dark, but there are ample boot tracks to follow up, up, up. The morning mist turned to sleet somewhere along the way and the wind picked up. We pushed on. We had a large group and found that one group traveled faster than another, so the fast group became pretty cold waiting on the slower group. We were all fine when we were moving, but stopping on the mountain gave us a chance to realize just how soaked our gear was from the rain and time for water to work its way further in.

After we joined up with the Monitor Ridge Climbing Route, we took stock of our situation. The wind was getting stronger, there was no sign of the sun breaking out of the cloudy skies. Sustained winds, periodic gusts, and moisture blowing along with it. Having climbed 4200 feet with about 600 feet left to the crater rim, we noted some hypothermia setting in and made the hard decision to turn back.

We hiked back down the steep wall near the trail junction and then removed crampons, put away ropes and harnesses, and began the descent. After we lost about 1000 feet of elevation, the wind dropped down and everyone started to warm up. The snow was very soft which made for some fun, but wet, glissade shoots and the visibility improved almost every step of the way so we could see our runouts. We arrived at camp about 1:00 and enjoyed the skies clearing up a bit, pouring water out of our boots and changing into dry clothes. A little coffee and lunch and packing up our gear and we were hiking down by 2:30. We were back at the cars by 4:00 and ready for the long Memorial Day drive home.

04/28/2025

Do you remember when Troop 520 was joined by scouting volunteers from across the area to plant 1000 trees in Bear Creek's riparian zone 18 months ago? The tree seedlings are now 4-5 feet tall. The willow stakes we harvested and planted have turned into new rooted willow trees sprouting leaves.

07/02/2024

One minute, a new Eagle Scout is acknowledged and congratulated. The next, that Eagle Scout springs into action to help douse a fire that others in the park inadvertently started in a trash can.

06/22/2024

Troop 520 has met the requirements for recognition as a Gold unit in the Scouting Journey to Excellence. This is the highest level and signifies an excellent troop program. Thank you to the scouts who are leading the troop and our adult volunteers who make this possible.

05/22/2024

2024 Philmont Crew and part of the 2022 Philmont Crew at Mount St Helens Summit. Final training before this year's crew heads off for their Philmont Adventure.

05/13/2024

Redmond's Scout Troop 520 created an outdoor classroom for the LWSD Transition Academy. An Eagle Scout candidate led 30 volunteers to prepare the space by removing three old playground structures, a sand box and low planter. They created a covered flagstone patio, added new hardscape, and cleaned up the area.

The space is now ready for new outdoor planting furniture and supplies so young adults in this program can learn horticulture and develop job skills!

https://www.lwsd.org/schools/transition-academy

11/05/2023

Troop 520 in action!

10/23/2023

Who do you call to restore habitat in Redmond’s natural areas? How about the Scouts?

This weekend, Redmond’s Scouts BSA Troop 520 played host to nine units from Girl Scouts of Western Washington and Scouts BSA. The 153 volunteer scouts and families provided 400 hours of service.

After the City’s Washington Conservation Corps crew removed acres of blackberries and delivered 900 trees to the site, City staff trained the scouts in tool safety, plant identification, inadvertent discovery process, blackberry removal approach, proper planting technique, and quality control. Scouts also learned how to make 100 willow stakes. The scouts then explained, demonstrated, guided, and enabled volunteers to plant 1000 trees that will provided critical habitat to improve the buffer area that supports salmon runs in Bear Creek and Evans Creek. As volunteers left for the day, scouts checked plants, sorted tools, and removed trash with a great sense of accomplishment.

Thanks to Girl Scouts of Western Washington (Troops 46267, 40382, 46867, 42708, 41920, 41142) and Scouts BSA (Troop 520, Troop 591, Pack 578, Pack 591) for their commitment to conservation and partnership in improving the environment.

Girl Scouts of Western Washington
* Troop 46267 (15 volunteers, 15 hours)
* Troop 40382 (8 volunteers, 15 hours)
* Troop 46867 (15 volunteers, 63 hours)
* Troop 42708 (1 volunteer, 2 hours)
* Troop 41920 (14 volunteers, 20 hours)
* Troop 41142 (6 volunteers, 12 hours)

Scouts BSA
* Troop 520 (60 volunteers, 209 hours)
* Troop 591 (1 volunteer, 2 hours)
* Pack 591 (9 volunteers, 24 hours)
* Pack 578 (18 volunteers, 27 hours)

09/18/2023

Bear-Evans Tree Planting

Be Prepared to do a Good Turn Daily! Help address climate change! We are working to highlight scouting in our community by planting 1000 trees in the Bear-Evans Creek Natural Area in Redmond. This natural area provides habitat and buffers the streams that support prolific salmon runs. The City of Redmond is preparing the site by removing blackberries and staging the trees in the space for planting. The City is also providing shovels for digging holes, but if you have your own favorite shovel, please bring it. Scouts are also providing the muscle to get these trees into the ground in time for the fall rains.

Please comment here, or contact Troop 520 Scoutmaster, Steve Hitch, if your unit can join us. We need lots of help. You should expect to see people of all ages from across our community pitching in to help make the world a better place. Scouts and their families and friends are welcome.

Parking: Perrigo Park, 9011 196th Ave NE, Redmond, WA 98053
Dates: Friday, October 20, Saturday, October 21, Sunday, October 22
Times: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM each day
Bring: Gloves, water, snacks, adult supervision
Also Bring: A great attitude, dress for the weather, your favorite tools for planting trees

Welcome to "The Best Troop in the Known Universe!"

09/07/2023

Wishing all our Boy Scout Troop 520 Redmond scouts a fabulous school year.