FOR DAISIES AND BROWNIES
Tanasi Council Leaders' Guide For Scout Event:
Scavenger Hike Adventures/Introduction to Hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Scavenger Hike Adventures and Mountain Journal
By Kat and John LaFevre/Tanasi Council Partners
Daisies and Brownies will go on a Scavenger Hike Adventure on Sugarlands Valley Nature Trail, an easy one-half mile loop trail (wheelchair accessible). The Scout leader will divide the troop into smaller groups and a leader/parent will read the clues as the scouts search for hidden natural, historic and cultural treasures. It works best if only the leader(s) carry the book as scouts search along the trail. Start the second group five minutes after the first group. Each girl will tally the points attained, check/mark the treasures found in her book and complete the certificate of achievement at the end of the hike. Each scout will earn a certificate (included in the book) as a "City Slicker", "Pioneer Scout", or the elite "Frontier Explorer."
The book will serve as the "guide" for this activity. Scouts will search for a huge rock with a "baby face" (treasure #1), an ancient Cherokee Indian path (treasure #10), remains of a cabin (treasure #6), bear tracks that were left in concrete before it had even dried (treasure #13), a tree that looks like it is wearing a shoe(treasure #9)….and much more. The trail is paved and winds around a beautiful mountain stream. (One treasure is a sourwood tree (#15) known for the special honey that bees make from the sourwood flower. You might want to purchase a jar of sourwood honey and let the scouts dip small shredded wheat bits into it as a rest stop/snack at the point where they find that very special tree.) The hike turns into a memory-filled fun and exciting adventure as the scouts search for and find the treasures.
To round out the activity we suggest touring the museum in the Sugarlands Visitor Center and watching the 18 minute movie that is shown on the hour and half-hour. The awesome Chimneys Picnic Area is a great lunch spot and is located 5 miles south (towards Cherokee) from the trail. If you are coming from Knoxville, you can also picnic on your way home at beautiful Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area which is on Little River Road heading back towards Townsend.
Questions? Guidance? E-mail Kat & John or click on special girl scout page.
Explore the Smokies
"Don't Just Take A Hike…Take A Scavenger Hike Adventure!!!"