Patch Trading Central

Campout went well. Weather was cold with snow on the ground, so Thursday night had a quick powwow with the parents to ensure all were willing and prepared for it.    Last den meeting the boys planned the menu. As expected, hot dogs, PB&J, were the main items.   First night, boys put up their tents. We had a quick meeting about expectations for the weekend and told them staying dry was key to the weekend. They also made a fire without matches. Last year they all got fire starters and learned how to use lint to start a fire, so this was a good opportunity for them to use that skill again. Clear skies, so we did astronomy. They identified multiple constellations and learned how to find the North Star. Didn't take a laser pointer, but one kid had a flashlight that was pretty much a spotlight. Worked well for pointing out individual stars and drawing the line from the Big Dipper to the North Star. Earned 10 frost points over night.   Saturday morning, boys made pancakes and sausage and did clean-up. We then did a flag ceremony before they made their lunches and cleaned up. Went on a hike. Patrol leader learned why the question is "is anybody not ready?" instead of "everyone ready?" Our navigator almost lead us astray before I encouraged him to check the map instead of his gut. Had they been in a Troop, I'd let them go the wrong way, but Cub Scouts still need that direct intervention. Was supposed to be longer, but with snow and mud, ended up shorter. 3.25 miles, with a lunch break. Used the Philmont Grace before meals. I'll say a line and have them repeat. Someday they will learn it! Boys also learned why I stressed the importance of staying dry. They all had dry shoes at camp, but learned that cold wet feet are not happy feet. We were looking at going around a lake, but I said I didn't think we could cross the stream. They wanted to show they could and ended up in knee deep snow melt. Lesson learned! While on the trail we went over LNT and Outdoor Code. They are still working on keeping the 4 Cs and the 7 LNT principles separate. Also worked on Into the Woods. Returning to camp we got dry socks and shoes on then played ladder ball before they went to build a snow fort. Supper they roasted their hotdogs and I showed them how to use a dutch oven and made a cobbler. Conducted a flag retirement ceremony during campfire. They then created a game where someone would bring a block of snow and they'd guess how many minutes it would last on the grate above the fire. 14 frost points.   Sunday morning they made taquitos, broke camp, and we headed home.    Ensuring everyone had proper gear was essential. I brought extras, including hand warmers. Lots of blankets to form insulation under their sleeping bags. And dry socks and shoes!    Also made an adaptation from Thorns and Roses. Figured the thorn for all would be the hike, so had them all say what they enjoyed most from the weekend. They weren't interested in my "mindfulness scavenger hunt" while hiking, but this helped create some mindfulness and focus on the positives. 

This is what I use.  I can get two cots down each side and plenty of room the middle for stuff.  Plus, I can stand straight up and get dressed.  Usually I just use it for me.  Have to have a Hiker Direct account for the price in the photo, but they sell good stuff, so its worth it. https://alpsmountaineering.com/camp-creek-4-person.html

I've used it once in the rain and another time in some light snow, and I didn't experience much of an issue beyond the usual when entering/exiting. I generally give my tents a spritz of waterproofing before I use them for the first time and each spring (heat bakes the waterproofing right out, and I figure these things have been in hot cargo containers or trucks before they end up in my possession). 

Oh yeah 🤦🏼‍♀️ I was thinking about both family trips and scout trips, but forgot that we can't share a tent at scouting events after a few years. In that case it definitely doesn't make sense to buy a big tent because the hordes of squirrelly cub scouts visiting use case expires pretty soon.

Remember that when your Scout finishes Cubs you will be camping separate from them (because of the risk you present, according to the G2SS), so as pointed out, do you need it in a couple of years? I have a huge dogtrot that I still get out once in a while, but I tend to nestle in my two-man (i.e., one-man plus my stuff) on most camping trips with Scouts BSA.