ONEPU SCOUTS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 4, Issue 175, 3 November 1941, Page 5

ONEPU SCOUTS

LABOUR DAY OUTING

ASCENT OF MT. EDGECUMBE!

The day dawned perfect, when a party of twenty-five scouts and friends set out on a climb to the summit of Mt. Edgecumbe. Good progress was made until an incident occurred, which enforced our leaders to make a wide detour. "The" Pig It was the dog Mead which picked up the scent, followed closely by Pip, another well known Onepu canine. The chase was on, and we had to stay and wait patiently for the results; yes, there were results, a weaner Captain Cooker. Once more the trail was made with two of the younger fry as "head o' the gang." The trig was reached at noon, in spite of many rippings, groanings and a few scratches. Sometime during the last few months a violent storm must have raged across Mt. Edgccumbc's "bonnet" as what is known as the trig, showed signs of having been badly damaged, probably struck by lightning. After viewing the countryside, a descent made into the crater, where water was obtained from the lake at the bottom, some hundred yards in diameter; the billy boiled and all enjoying their lunch., A start for the summit once more, and then down, down, down, and still down, using mostly that which nature had provided us with, in making a rapid decline. It was just a little more than half Avay down, when one of the party discovered that he had left his belongings up near the trig. A halt Avas called, while he went back and retrieved that which had been inadvertently forgotten. A little after four in the afternoon a tired but jubilant party emerged out on to the wide open spaces, called at the "bush loco's" filling up station. We did gurgle the water down and "'oh boy," wasn't it refreshing. Tracks were then made for home, everyone feeling that it was a day well spent, in spite of probably regretting the outing on the morrow, when one would feel rather stilt' and sore.