Hear what are current venturers have to say! (More to come)


Why did you join venture crew?

I joined Venture Crew back in 2018 when I was 14. I didn’t intend to join initially, but I was cleaning the upstairs storage room with Mark Hovermale when he found an old Venture Crew uniform inside an old box. He then asked if I was old enough to join and when I told him I had just turned 14, he threw it at me and said “You are now a part of Venture Crew 2.” I wore that uniform till it eventually grew too small for me, and I still have it hanging in my closet next to all of my other uniforms.


What is your favorite thing about it?

Some of my favorite trips have been through the Venture Crew, but I think what made it so special was something entirely different. Pre-2019, girls weren’t allowed in the Boy Scouts which was quite tragic. Venture Crew however allowed boys and girls to be a part of the same crew and go on the same trips well before girls were allowed into Scouting. Several of my friends were able to go camping with us because of this and I met so many really awesome people because Venturing was open to more people.


What is something fun that you learned?

I learned how to flip and bail all sorts of watercraft (safely)! Through Scouts and Venture Crew, I was able to go canoeing, kayaking, pack rafting, and small boats sailing. Naturally I had to learn how to safely use all of these and bail out. Although —and I’m quite proud of this— I have never flipped in a canoe or pack raft during my time as a Scout and over a combined total of ~15 days on whitewater rapids. The same cannot be said for small boat sailing however, as I can confidently say that I am well versed with how to right a boat that has turtled.


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I joined venture crew a couple years ago after being referred by my scoutmaster, Mark Hovermale.  I wanted to join for an opportunity to participate in more high  adventure activities.  Some of my favorite outings having been rafting down the Klamath river and going on Philmont Cavalcade. 

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I joined Venture Crew because I saw it as a way to go on awesome new adventures. I talked with the head of VC, Mark Hovermale about joining once I was thirteen. Venture crew has been a awesome experience and I truly see it as the next level of scouting. We've gone on some truly awesome trips, like the lost coast trail or seabase. For the events I schedule, I always make sure some fishing is involved because that is what I love to do, but the beauty about VC is that you can tailor the experience to YOUR interests. That, in my opinion, is the best part about Venture crew.

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I'm Mark Hovermale, Advisor for Alameda Venture Crew 2 since 2011. As a scout in Winchester Virginia's Troop 3 during the 1960s, I heard about Philmont Scout Ranch but never experienced high adventure backpacking myself - our troop focused on car camping.  After high school, using the basic scout skills I learned in Troop 3, I was able to start backpacking. I explored Yosemite's major trails, the Desolation Wilderness, and Kings Canyon. My most advanced trek was a two-week, 200-mile solo on the John Muir Trail from Yosemite to Mt. Whitney.


I rejoined Scouting when my son turned eleven and joined Alameda Troop 2. The Scoutmaster asked me to advise Venture Crew 2 which gave me the chance to share high adventures with my son and other scouts. Crew 2's first trek was a fifty-miler at Philmont, the first ever Philmont expedition from Alameda.


Since then, Crew 2 has completed numerous adventures: the demanding 73-mile High Sierra Trail four times, Northern California treks including the Ohlone Trail, Skyline to Sea, Lost Coast, and Marble Mountain.  We have experienced seven one-week whitewater trips on the Klamath River. After partnering with the Sierra Club, we've conducted annual snow camping trips since 2011. We've also sailed at Sea Base in the Florida Keys and Bahamas.  In 2023, we summer camped with our German sibling troop and afterwards toured Germany and Europe. 


Beyond experiencing adventure, Crew 2 teaches youth to plan their own expeditions.  My greatest compliment came from a mother who thanked me after her son—using skills learned in Crew 2—planned and completed his own 50-mile High Sierra trek with other Venturers after graduating from high school. 


If you are interested in the opportunity for High Adventure, planning, and leadership consider joining Alameda Venture Crew 2.