Upper Greenwood Lake Troop 146, chartered by the Upper Greenwood Lake Fire Department, recently toured the nation’s capitol over the November school break. During the four-day trip, the troop visited Fort McHenry on their way to Washington, D.C., where they learned of the events that inspired Francis Scott key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The troop camped at Greenbelt National Park and commuted into Washington, D.C. via the Metro. Many of the boys had never been on any type of train or subway before and found this to be a fascinating experience. The boys and their leaders had a mission: to complete the President’s Trail. The trail, an 11-mile hike through the capitol area, is a way to understand more about those who forged and defended the Constitution through more than two centuries of freedom. The trail is setup so that many historic sites are visited during the walk and at each location specific there are questions to be answered a scavenger hunt through history. The troop was lucky to have a private tour of the capitol arranged though the capitol police. The tour included many locations not normally on the standard visitor’s tour. The trip was planned over the Veterans Day weekend so that the Scouts could pay their respects at Arlington Cemetery and witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There were lots of activities that weekend in Washington as a result of Veterans Day, and the boys saw many veterans at both the WW II and Vietnam Memorials. At the Vietnam Memorial the boys listened to the reading of the names on the wall which had been going on for days. The goal of Troop 146 is to teach Scouts life skills and about the world around them. Those interested in joining Troop 146 may contact Scoutmaster Glenn Morris, at 973-853-2478 or Assistant Scoutmaster Jim Harrington, at 973-853-3016; or visit the Troop’s Web site at http://t146.clubspaces.com/default_cs.