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Blakedown Cub Scouts
Hurcott Woods Night Hike - 19th October 2009
A walk in the woods at night is a big enough thing to do for a grown up.
For a Cub Scout, without torch or lantern, bats flying over head,
strange noises in the undergrowth, so close to Halloween - It's a HUGE
thing to do!
Most of the Cub pack have been on night hikes before when we've been
camping, but this time in the middle of Hurcott Woods there were no
friendly house lights or street lamps to lighten the path. The trees
overhead blocked so much light that in places it was a case of following
the cub in front of you. It takes a good ten minutes for your eyes to
work at their best in the dark and less then a second of light to ruin
that night vision. This was why torches and lanterns were banned. The
Cubs were going to use their eyes and ears in a different way.
After walking down to the old boat house we stopped for a short while
and just listened. Closing your eyes helps you and your ears become a
bit sharper. The Cubs could hear the traffic on the A456, the reeds and
water of Hurcott pond, a dog barking far away, the leaves of the trees
rustling in the breeze and branches rubbing together. They were
surprised at how far off sounds travelled at night. After that we
carried on along the path, sometimes stumbling over roots and hidden
holes. No, it was not meant to be easy, it was a challenge that all of
the Cubs met, faced and won. For some it was a bigger challenge then
others and so it was a bigger victory in overcoming their fears. At the
bridge we stopped again and used our eyes to see what could be seen. The
colours had for the most part gone. Everything was in shades of grey or
black, there was no moon that night. Only light pollution in the night
sky gave a slight orange glow to the tree tops. If someone stood still,
they faded into the background and movements on the edge of your eye was
only half seen. Scary.
At the end of the path we stopped for a short while and listened to the
bats on a bat monitor. The Cubs were sure that they could hear the bats
without the monitor, but Akela's ears are too old to hear them now –
even though he's a bit batty. At the top of the hill the Cubs
encountered some strange creatures known as 'Bewdley Scout Fellowship'
who had glowing eyes and sharp teeth – well that's what one of the Cubs
said.
We all had a rest at what we call the Giant's Chairs and Table. Raksha
told us all about Cecil and Akela messed up a recital of the Jaberwocky.
Time was against us now, so gone were the plans of making a trail across
the darkest, deepest part of the woods. A fast march was needed, back
along the way we had came. We made it safely back to the car park
without losing anyone – this time...
We hope to visit Hurcott Woods again in each of it's seasons. Maybe snow
in winter will show us animal tracks? Hopefully in Spring we'll see new
growth from the earth and perhaps we'll spend a long evening in the
summer exploring all of the woods, playing games. Then in the autumn,
we'll return once more to compare how the paths have moved in the dark
and hear the trees talk to each other in the night breeze.
Akela
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