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Showing content with the highest reputation on 08/13/19 in Posts

  1. ust back from trek 12. No dry camps and finished with a climb of Mt. Baldy. This was the first trek for all of us, but one of our adults, a 21 year old who went through our troop to Eagle did NAYLE training there. We had a young crew of 14 and 15 year olds. Two just turned 14 prior to the trek. This was the most physically demanding thing I’ve ever done. I’m very glad I’ve been hitting the gym several times per week for the past few years. I saw guys there who clearly did not meet the height/weight requirements. I saw a few on trail who were slowing their crews down. The b
    4 points
  2. I think the weight and bulk of food and water was mentioned when you were preparing for the trek, or maybe someone else trek. But, it never seems to get discussed enough when talking about packs and packing. It's A LOT! Philmont food is magic in that it never seems to dwindle down. Everyone morning everyone stares at the pile of food as they pack in hopes their share is smaller and lighter, but it never is. It's magic. Reminds me of the big sack of raw potatoes the outfitter gave us for our Northern Tier trip, it was always there in the morning to pack. Still, those potatoes are one of my
    3 points
  3. That is the response we should all have expected from the merit badge folks. The "requirements cannot be added to or subtracted from " statement is in my earlier reference book (1911). my experience is that councils have no clue on this. BSA should have pulled all these blast cars and taken the wording off them.
    2 points
  4. Our crew found it interesting that they sort of encourage the crews to build fires not (in approved rings etc etc). Seems line a good idea to have the 20,000 Scouts going through each night to scour the ground for loose burnable debris. When I first went in the 70's we had to cook on fires, so as you came to a camp you started picking up wood about 1/2 mile out. Went in the 80's and backpacking stoves were a thing so we built no fires, same for other treks. On the Baldy climb, I have told all the crews I've been that the climb up the tailings / loose rocks seems close, but will be
    1 point
  5. Not an untrue observation Many Scouters take on District or Council positions at the request of a friend and then enjoy the camaraderie that may bring. As friendships change or people move on, you may turn around and then you may not really have a lot in common with the team you are working with. Lack of friendships and common experience can impact the "fun" you may have had in the past doing whatever for the District or Council. Becomes more of job. With the troop you go in knowing the main focus of your efforts (the Scouts) will in fact grow-up and age out, that is sort of the o
    1 point
  6. Hey there, I received back some information that I suppose helps clear this up. First, I did hear back from my council on this and they basically said that if it's an official BSA "kit" then it can be used for the requirement it says it is allowed to be used for. However, that was not as cut and dry as what the National Merit Badge Subcommittee wrote back: So, the official word on this says that merit badge requirements need to be followed as they are written. If it says "no kits" then that means no kits. Hope this is helpful.
    1 point
  7. My district holds them on the same weekend at the same location, but the courses are run totally separately. The advantage of this method is that we have a lot of specialized instructors (like our games guy, song guy, cooking guy, outdoor ethics guy, flag etiquette guy, etc. We plan and stagger the two training schedules so that each trainer teaches the BALOO group and then immediately teaches the IOLS group. That way each instructor only needs to show up for one weekend for a few hours rather than on two separate weekends.
    1 point
  8. We love it, actually! My husband convinced me to get the 10-person one. It's too heavy for hauling very far, so we accepted the provided canvas-on-wood-frame tent at Cub camp this weekend, but we really enjoyed the roominess on a family campout with the Pack.
    1 point
  9. I think this is one of the reasons. All my adult leader friends who brought a smile when they showed up have moved on. I still have many friends, but it is not like it was. And I must admit ... this last month, I've done a lot of yard work and home projects that I have put off for a decade. It's sort of nice working my ticket back into my home life.
    1 point
  10. Yes, however every rank includes show scout spirit. If we (BSA) took that seriously then just like all other requirements which require demonstration/knowledge of increased competency, showing scout spirit could (should?) have an ever increasing threshold for advancement purposes. Unfortunately for most it is just an automatic sign-off devoid of any metric whatsoever. So while I agree with your distinction, it doesn't have to be that way. The method(s) should directly impact the aims. If advancement does not further the aims, then it really isn't a functional method.
    1 point
  11. We just returned from Camp Baldwin. Two thumbs up!
    1 point
  12. Have you ever read mythology? Zeus would never be compliant with YP. He is constantly taking strange forms and sexually molesting young people as they sleep. Zeus is the perfect example of what BSA is trying to keep out of scouting.
    1 point
  13. Yes. The sensationalism in all this is pretty apparent. I think part of the strategy for the plaintiff lawyers is to score a lot of points in the court-of-public-opinion in order to influence the outcomes of their cases. Financially, I'm fairly positive that BSA will get over the hurdle somehow, but there will be a taint on the reputation that will take a lot of time and work to overcome.
    1 point
  14. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.
    1 point
  15. The main problem with most Troops is they don't hand the keys over to the scouts. Why would older scouts be bored if they are busy running the program. Now I know that is an idealistic response. Some scouts don't want to have responsibilities, and some scouts just want adventure. But, the solutions to those scouts dilemmas can actually improve the troop program. I've said it many times here, the quality of a troop should be measured by the performance of the older scouts, not the younger ones. Self satisfaction comes from personal involvement and responsibilities. If the older scouts are
    1 point
  16. When I was getting long in the tooth as a Boy Scout our Troop Committee suggested forming a Venture Patrol for the older Scouts. We still came to Troop meetings (occasionally) but we were more focused on doing more "grown-up" things. At this time Venturing wasn't around yet as a stand-alone program. The benefit of having a Venture Patrol in a Troop is the older Scouts still have skin in the game and can be steered toward giving back--to the younger Scouts---what they received at that age. One of the major issues I see nationally, is that very few people actually understand what Venturing
    1 point
  17. I have earned my Triple Crown. Been a participant of Philmont, Sea Base (twice) and Northern Tier. Son has been a participant of Northern Tier and Philmont. His patrol took scuba lessons locally and planned a week long dive adventure to the Bahamas. Dived minimum 3 times a day plus night dives. Did not earn the Triple Crown because they planned a trip outside of Sea Base. He doesn't care he doesn't have the triple crown patch. He just remembers the fun of the adventure. The rest of his life he can tell stories about diving for a week in the Bahamas. Think anyone will ask or care
    1 point
  18. "High Adventure" doesn't require paying someone to plan, organize and guide. If the scouts (patrols or crews) have been doing scouting adventure by planning and organizing, then doing so for the next level of high adventure is the next logical step. It saddens me that scouting has moved from scouts making their own gear, finding places to camp, and organizing their own adventures to needing to raise money to pay for expensive hi-tech stuff, and extra gadgets and paying for expensive camps and guides. Sad when an eagle scout doesn't know how to plan and organize a basic camping trip without pay
    1 point
  19. who cares what district or council thinks??? Especially with the way they have treated you. there was a district that had all the SM's write on a white board where they were going to summer camp.......When it was a council owned camp there was applause and attaboys. out of council was met with boos and hisses....... Our troop never goes to in council camps. cheaper and better program elsewhere.
    1 point
  20. Been there, wasn't happy either. https://www.theleafchronicle.com/story/news/2019/07/12/eagle-scout-project-destroyed-dunbar-cave-state-park/1698007001/
    0 points
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