Sewickley's Boy Scout Troop 243 completes 'High Adventure Bike Trip'

Scouts of Troop 243 in Sewickley are back from a week-long bike trip dubbed the “High Adventure Bike Trip.”

From June 20-26, 14 scouts and nine adults traveled 187 miles along the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal trail from Cumberland, Md., to Washington, D.C., which took about five days.

During the trip, scouts were able to see a lot of history, including visiting the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial statue, the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson monuments, and the Smithsonian Museums. At the end of the trip, the scouts took an Amtrak train back to Pittsburgh. A trailer hauled all 21 bikes for the trip back home.

The bike ride is part of a tradition known as “Bike Shakedowns.” Scoutmaster Oliver Wiehe said the Boy Scout organization as a whole has done it since the late ‘90s. Scouts ages 11 to 17 participated in the bike ride. There are three “High Adventure Bike Trips” three times throughout the summer.

“By the end of the week, the boys are different people,” Wiehe said.

During the trip, Wiehe said scouts learn how to cook and prepare meals, camping skills, group collaboration and financial responsibility. Bike riding teaches resilience and how to prepare for situations like biking through the cold or rain.

“It’s a great experience with the guys,” he said.

Spencer Wiehe, a scout, said the scouts did bike through rain and encountered fallen trees.

“That was the worst since it rained for a few hours,” Spencer said.

Bradley Semonik, another scout, said during the ride, breaks were taken every few miles for drinks and stops are also planned in advance. His favorite part of the trip was staying at the KOA Campgrounds in Harpers Ferry, W.Va.

“The breakfast was really good, and it was the best campground,” Semonik said.

This would not be the first trip the scouts would do this year.

Local residents may have seen the scouts biking through Sewickley and the Little Sewickley Creek area in mid-April.

The scouts also did a bike ride in early May along the Montour Trail for an estimated 30-mile trip. From May 14-16, 20 scouts and leaders traveled about 22 miles round trip along the Youghiogheny River Trail. They camped at Ohiopyle State Park. Next summer, the scouts will canoe the Allegheny River from the Kinzua Dam to Emlenton, Pa.

Oliver Wiehe encourages scouts to do the trip because it is affordable and easy to do.

“It’s really incredible to watch them grow up during the trip. They’ve gone on an experience they can talk about forever,” he said.