The cotton thing: others have cautioned against it, I'm sure more will, and the advice to stay away from cotton clothing has been repeated literally thousands of times on these forums. I actually think cotton has a legitimate place in backpacking/camping, but not so much in the conditions you describe. At least try to get long underwear (next-to-skin layer) that's synthetic.

You're going to have at least one car, and who knows what else in terms of safety resources, but you should take care. Wet with highs in the 40's F is the classic scenario for risk of hypothermia. When things get colder, it's actually easier to manage in many ways because the precipitation is frozen and you don't, say, get all your heavy cotton clothing soaked.

Have a great time and enjoy your trip. I hope you don't mind, though, if I ask: Is someone besides you giving advice to the scouts about how to prepare? This is pretty basic stuff that the scouts should learn.



Oh...and one other thing. You mentioned an alcohol stove. It's going to be a tedious exercise at best to bring a tiny little cup of water to a boil in those conditions. Buy or borrow a real stove (canister, white gas, or propane).