At 6:30 am on September 19^th, the Boy Scouts of Troop 07 boarded a bus on the first leg of their journey to Johor, Malaysia. It was the first of several forms of transport we would take that day to get to the rainforests of Endau-Rompin State Park. The adventure continued when we arrived in Johor to awaiting 4WD vehicles ready to take us on a rough 52km off road journey to a boat launch where we then boarded longboats for a 10km ride up the Jasin river to Kuala Jasin. Unfortunately, as we were boating up the river to camp, a huge downpour erupted and soaked us, our gear, as well as our campsite! We had to make the best of it so, when the rain stopped, we set up our tents, dried out the best we could then prepared sumptuous meals of mac ‘n’ cheese and spaghetti. It was a long day so after clean-up everyone headed off to their tents for a good night’s sleep.

At first light, everyone was up preparing a big breakfast to get energized for the activities ahead. Led by the State Park Guides and our Assistant Scout Master Brennan prepared for a hike up to Upeh Guling waterfalls to enjoy a day in the Blue Lagoon. The jungle was very dense and we waded across several rivers until we finally arrived at the Blue Lagoon where we all got to swim and finally relax in the cool waters. Hiking the dense jungle was quite an experience, because for many of us, it was our first experience with leeches!! Even though they were annoying and they sucked blood, they were harmless and easily removed. Conquering the trails and feeling the cool, rushing waters as we waded across the rivers made us forget all the difficulties we endured getting to this paradise. The cold but refreshing waters of the Blue Lagoon was our reward for our long hike. After returning to camp that afternoon, we worked on scouting advancement skills while the park guides showed us jungle survival skills like how to use a blow gun.

On departure day, we ate a quick breakfast, packed up all of our stuff, and boarded rafts for our journey down river and back to the waiting jeeps. It was a scenic trip as we rafted down the calm river while often jumping in to get refreshed. A ride out of the jungle in the 4WD vehicles to the comforts of our bus seemed to take forever but we were soon back in civilization and looking back on this great experience.

Want to learn more about BSA Troop 07? Come check us out at our Troop Meetings every Tuseday at the Singapore American School Room H301 at 6:15 pm

By Jared Broadman, First Class Scout