Entry from Troop log and Church Magazine
​
22nd February 1963
The following notice appeared in the “Greenock Telegraph”
SCOUT NOTES
70th Renfrewshire (Finnart Troop). Be prepared for a snow hike, 730 to 11:30 PM., Friday. Longs should be worn. Patrol Leaders note - Each patrol should bring a size 12 core shovel
and below I have copied a great longer irrelevant choice, juicy ramble written by Bob for the Finnart Church Mag.
Ah well, here goes – I hope it’s impresses you more than it did me.
Signed Wiffy (Billy Phillips) Second Falcon
A Winter Expedition
“ ‘70th Renfrewshire (Finnart Troop). Be prepared for a snow hike, 730 to 11:30 PM., Friday. Longs should be worn. Patrol Leaders note - Each patrol should bring a size 12 core shovel.’
The above paragraph in Scout Notes was the advanced notice given to the troop that a snow expedition had been planned. After some acrimonious discussion as to when a shovel is a shovel and not a spade, the party set out in patrols for a rendezvous above the Cut. The route was via Craigs Top and the Helter-Skelter, at the foot of which the first deep snow was encountered. During the climb up to the Cut and beyond, all of us felt that we had gained some little insight into the hardships endured and the energy expended by the conquerors of Everest. The snow lay up to two feet deep, the top 6 inches been frozen hard – hard enough to support some of the party most of the time.
The reason for the number 12 coal shovel? We were going to be Eskimos building our igloos in the frozen Arctic wastes. Everyone willing set to work and soon the igloos began to take shape. However, most of the Eskimos succumbed to the temptations of snowballing, using their partly constructive igloos as defensive positions; this resulted in most of this Eskimo village been razed to the ground. Luckily, one igloo standing apart from the others went unmolested and was soon completed in true Eskimo fashion with a tunnel entrance. The igloo held a maximum of three and everyone took a turn of crowding inside to sample life within an ice dome.
After sustenance, the expedition made its way homewards, tired but happy. Another link had been forged in the chain of Scouting.”
I do not own this and did not write it. Signed Wiffil (Falcon’s Second)
Additional note:
‘Guilty!’ R.K. Miller S.M.
Recollections from Robin Crawford
During 1963, there was a hard winter where Loch Lomond froze over and it was possible to walk over to the islands.
We left at 7:30 PM and reached the back of Greenock by 8.40 p.m. The snow was about 3 to 4 feet deep. We spent about three hours building the igloos. The patrol only had one wee shovel and a 12 inch ??? We were actually working on a reservoir. The igloos was built by blocks of snow and the arch was the big problem as it needed big blocks and the Scouts could not cut big enough blocks.