Mariners Troop 7010

Mariner's Excursion to Bald Head Island was a SUCCESS! ⚓🐚🚲🌊

This weekend’s Mariners adventure included:
🐚 Barefoot “pedicures” in the sand with waves rippling over our feet
🦀 Hermit crabs + a LIVE conch shell encounter
🚲 Bicycle navigation through the maritime forest
🗺️ Mariner scouts taking turns leading the group using a paper map
⚓ Learning channel markers and maritime navigation aboard the passenger ferry
🍦 Ice cream rewards, lighthouse views, waterfront dining, and bountiful smiles

One of the coolest parts of the adventure was traveling to the island by ferry instead of by car — a fun and memorable way to experience coastal North Carolina and maritime travel. ⚓
Mariner scouts loved the independence of exploring the island by bicycle and deciding where to go and how to get there. Sometimes that meant choosing to turn right instead of left just to see where the road led.

That independence is intentional.

Leadership is learned by doing: becoming more observant, making decisions, taking turns leading, learning from mistakes, and growing confidence in a safe and supportive environment.

We also watched a sailboat underway with its mainsail and jib full of wind — inspiration for our own future sailing adventures ahead!

⛵ This summer, Mariners will continue building sailing skills on Sunfish at Kerr Lake and Camp Graham as we work toward bigger sailing adventures on larger boats.

Most importantly, Mariner scouts practiced independence, leadership, teamwork, navigation, and decision-making while having an amazing day together.

This is what Mariners is all about:
Sailing • Adventure • Leadership

If you missed this one… don’t miss the next adventure. 🌊⚓

Mariners — Chart Your Course

🌟 Special Interest Quest 🌟

Try something new • Meet troop leaders • Explore what’s possible

Looking for a fun, hands‑on way for girls to explore new interests and discover what Girl Scouts has to offer beyond their home troop? 👀💚

Join us for Special Interest Quest — a Saturday afternoon full of discovery, creativity, and adventure!

📅 Saturday, August 29
⏰ Noon – 5:00 PM
📍 Camp Graham
👧 For Girl Scout Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors & Ambassadors
(4th grade and up)

✨ What is Special Interest Quest?
It’s an interactive event where girls rotate through hands‑on workshops, meet leaders from different Special Interest Troops, and try out activities they focus on during the year — all in a supportive, girl‑led environment.

🤝 Attend solo or together!
Girls register individually, but are absolutely welcome to attend as a troop experience.

💡 Why Special Interest Troops?

🚀 Dive deeper into interests like outdoor adventure, STEM, travel, sailing, and more
🧭 Build leadership, independence, and confidence
🤝 Connect with other girls who share similar passions
🌱 Stay engaged and inspired as girls grow in Girl Scouts
✨ Girls can join a Special Interest Troop and stay active with their home troop.
These experiences enhance — not replace — their current troop journey.

🎟️ Cost & Registration:
Scouts: $15
Adults: $5 or $10
✅ Register here:
👉 https://my.cheddarup.com/c/special-interest-quest
🧵 Custom event patch included when you register by June 1!

🛠️ Sample workshops may include:
🚣 Paddling
🏹 Archery
🪓 Axe Throwing
⛵ Sailing
🤖 Robotics
🎨 Outdoor Art
…and more!

📣 Leaders & families:
Please share this opportunity widely — in your troops, service unit pages, and with friends who may be interested.
👉 Feel free to repost and share!

We can’t wait to explore what sparks your girl’s curiosity! ✨

The Mariners Creek Week clean-up paddle was a success—and quickly turned into something much bigger.

We found ourselves carrying boats over fallen trees, walking across sandbars, and filling bags one piece of trash at a time—without anyone losing interest. The girls were all in from start to finish.

At the end, we weighed it all:
184 pounds of trash.
More than any one of us.

Mariners devoted 4.5 hours to cleaning up Ellerbee Creek where it joins Falls Lake. While Ellerbee Creek runs through Durham, it’s part of the Falls Lake watershed that provides drinking water to much of Wake County.

But what made it even more meaningful is that this wasn’t just our effort. As part of Durham Creek Week with Keep Durham Beautiful—and a broader statewide effort to protect our waterways—341 volunteers in Durham alone have already removed over 10,000 pounds of trash from local creeks, streams, and rivers.

What felt like a few hours of adventure became part of something much larger. The girls earned 4.5 hours toward their service bar—but more than that, they built confidence, strengthened friendships, practiced leadership, applied real-world math and science, and continued developing their paddling skills… all while spending time in the beauty of the forest.

As next steps in their water explorations, we’ll be learning more about how lake water becomes clean drinking water, what happens to sewer and stormwater, and where the items we collected—like tires and bags of trash—ultimately go.

Huge kudos to the Mariners and the parents who made this day possible. And a big thank you to Keep Durham Beautiful for providing the supplies—trash bags, gloves, grabbers, safety vests, and the watershed map—that made this experience possible and got us out on the water in March.

From a creek in Durham to drinking water for Wake County…
This matters.
Mariners Troop 7010

Mariners is leading a Creek Week clean-up of Ellerbe Creek at Falls Lake by canoe/kayak and along the trail on Saturday afternoon. This should be a fun and fulling afternoon. Thank you to Keep Durham Beautiful for leading the charge and providing trash bags, trash grabbers, vest and more.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=918671724053291&set=gm.1244090614338279