Eagle732

If it cuts, burns, or shoots they love it! I'm not opposed to breaking a few silly rules as long as common sense prevails. Certainly having some Cubs build and light a campfire under the watchful eye of the CM or WDL is a good thing. It's when the 2nd Class Scout gets the lawnmower gas can out of the shed to "help" get the damp firewood going and no one is watching, that's when we have problems! Don't ask me how I know this!(This message has been edited by Eagle732)

With backpacking it's all about weight. Two things about good backpacking gear, its expensive and it's not Scout proof. Scouts can expect to spend serious money on a good quality down bag and lightweight tent. Deals can be found through Campmor and REI. Consider tents; you can buy a 7 lb tent like a Eureka Timberline or a 3 lb REI Hubba tent. Guarantee the Hubba will not last near as long, it's lighter because it made from thinner material and uses smaller zippers. They will tear and zippers will break with Scout use. So how do you get a troop started with backpacking? First if your troop is in MA you get some cold weather, cold weather gear is heavier and more expensive. Consider backpacking only during the warmer months like May through October.That gives you a half of year for backpacking. Now your looking at more reasonably priced gear. A cheaper 20 degree bag that's really only good to 40 like the Campmor Down 20 for $110. For tents you can use tarps, there relatively light and inexpensive, plus the boys have to tie knots to pitch them! If you want tents I would recommend each boy buy his own 1 man tent. Packs are an individual thing that needs to be fitted, send the boys to a good outfitter like REI. If you catch a sale you can get a nice house brand pack for under $100. Stoves, consider the MSR Whisperlight. It uses white gas and the bottle can be filled as needed. Like any other stove the boys need to learn how to use it safely. Lots of discussion on stoves hear and on my favorite non-scout forum Whiteblaze.net. Do a search. Rain Gear, I recommend Frogg Toggs for about $35, durable and light weight. Much of the other gear can be made, borrowed from home or is common items already in a troops gear shed. For more info review some of the articles at Backpackinglight.com found here: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/boy_scout_gear_list.html Ryan Jordan, the site owner is a Scouter. Hope this helps.

We use to do parking at the local fair but they serve alcohol. Parking cars with just a few people drinking don't mix so we stopped doing it for safety reasons.

No, not yet. This should whip me into shape for Philmont though!(This message has been edited by Eagle732)

Yea, those pesky contracts that they want to get out of. Those contracts that they can renegotiate every year. I gave up a job paying twice what I started as a firefighter. I wanted to do the job and never expected to get rich doing it. After 27 years of faithful service I do expect the county to live up to there end of the agreement and pay my pension. What the Republican governors of Ohio and Wisconsin are doing is to ensure the re-election of Pres. Obama. They should have took the concessions they wanted and got, and left collective bargaining alone. Change happens slowly, if you want to make big changes in short time you're gonna get resistance, health care or collective bargaining.

I think I will name my trek "My Journey to Excellence"

Thanks. Yes, Harper's Ferry Hostel on Sandy Hook Rd., Knoxville, MD. The trick is getting across the railroad tracks to get there. My troop has done the hike from Gathland S.P. to Harper's Ferry. Friday stay at Maple Tree Campground near Gathland in Crampton Gap, then hike 10 miles south to the C&O Canal tenting at HF Hostel, then Sunday hike to HF. Nice little hike.

Ha, yea a few probably never come out Injuries, illness, emergencies at home all take their toll. The biggest reason people drop out is "it wasn't what I expected". Consider that for 5 months you wake up, pack your stuff and walk north rain or shine, day after day after day. On the other hand every day you see something new, meet new people and visit different places. And the best part is you don't have to go to work!

Had my last troop meeting for a while last night. I leave this week for an attempt to do a thru-hike on the Appalachian Trail starting in Georgia and ending in Maine, hopefully by August. This is something I've always wanted to do since the first time I set foot on the trail in '69 during my first Scout backpacking trip. Recently my Scouts have enjoyed the AT trips we've been on and even met a few thru-hikers during these trips. It's said that less than 10% of those that start ever finish. After making the announcement to the Scouts (the adult leaders have known for months and are prepared to temporarily take over while I'm gone) I issued a challenge to anyone who wanted to to pledge a penny per mile for each mile I hike on the AT, up to the complete 2,181 miles. All money will go to the troop. Most thought I will make it and complete the entire trail, I'm not so sure even though I've hiked over 900 miles, week at at time over several vacations. My son will plot on a trail map my progress week by week and I'm doing an online journal so they will be able to follow my adventure. It should be fun and I'm looking forward to the challenge. Next year Philmont!(This message has been edited by Eagle732)

I think loosing Scouts on occasion is normal, families have a lot going on, priorities change, and sometime they just loose interest. If you see a trend or a group leaving or considering leaving then you might have an internal problem that needs to be addressed. Other than that, just do the best you can for the ones who stay. Don't take it personally.

Well I've been after my patrols to camp on their own for years now without success. I guess I can quit trying. When I was a Scout back in the 60's and 70's we didn't do patrol only camping but some of my scout buddies and I would go out on weekends on our own without adult supervision. During the summer we would camp maybe 6 or 8 days a month. This is where we really learned responsibility and teamwork. Everyone survived.

No, but I will.

Some of you guys had some pretty sad first rides! Axemans's GTO gets my vote for the coolest car so far.

Same as NJCubScouter. No ceremony or candles. SPL calls the Scout up, SM hands badge to SPL, SPL presents badge and shakes Scout's hand, SM shakes Scout's hand, everyone applauds.

This was the first time I had to call National. I was very surprised that I got to talk to a real person who actually helped me. Unfortunately I have not had the same experience with our council where you call and leave a message and maybe someone gets back to you a few weeks later.

SeaEagleDad, You're either from my council or there are more than one of these jokers out there. The Peter Principle in action! Very bad for Scouting! I was recently asked if I wanted to apply for a District job. No thanks, I know what goes on and it's not good. This is the stuff that keeps the best people from working for BSA.(This message has been edited by Eagle732)

My son had his ECOH last month. Several people asked when they RSVP'd if a gift was in order. I said no it was not necessary but still many people brought gifts, mostly money. It's up to you if you feel you want to buy a gift, if not a congratulations card would be nice.

I called National yesterday to obtain a large print Boy Scout handbook for one of my new Scouts who is legally blind but can see with very thick glasses. The Disabilities Awareness MB book lists National as a source for this book. After informing the receptionist of what I was looking for she transferred me to Janice Overton who took my request and said the book would be in the mail the next day. Today I received an email stating the book was in the mail! I know one Scout who will be very happy. Thanks National for supporting us!

My first ride was a '49 Ford F-1 truck, flat head 6 cylinder engine, 4 speed manual transmission with a 5:14 rear. I totally restored it to all original except for the 8 track tape player in the glove box. With I had it today!

Twocubdad, to answer your question as to how long we should allow long term visitation my answer would be the minimum needed to get the boy legal to join, either by completing AOL or the completion of 5th grade. I wouldn't think that this should exceed 3 months.

"June 1 is the de facto date that scouts complete the grade in SCOUTNET." Good to know in case we can't get it done before then. Interesting note: The WDL for one of the boys (the one with nothing signed in his book) called me when he found out he had been working with us on AOL and was almost done. He made some comment about it cheapening the accomplishments of all the other boys. I explained that; 1. I had the approval of the packs's CC and CM to help this boy and they will submit the advancement to council. 2. It was his job to make sure all Webs are ready to cross, including AOL. 3. The pack's policy is that parents can sign off on advancements, which they did for the Web badge although the boy never received it, and your ACM is signing off on the AOL requirements. 4. Feel free to complain to anyone who will listen!

Scoutfish makes a good point about technology today. I have my Grandfathers 1923 Boy Scout diary. In it he writes "sent a letter to Mr. Murphy to request an appointment for Cooking Merit Badge" The a few weeks later "Took the trolley across town to meet with Mr. Murphy, passed Cooking Merit Badge". When I was earning Eagle I would pick up the phone and dial (rotary dial type) up the MBC and make an appointment, then Mom or Dad would drive me over to meet him. Sometimes I would get on my bike and ride to the appointment by myself (pre YPT days). My project was not a "Leadership" project but just a service project. The approval process was no where near as detailed or in depth as it is today. My son just earned Eagle, some of his MB work was done by email. He scheduled his project review with district by email. For his project he texted all his buddies to help. I thought he should have been scheduling help a week in advance but a text message the day before seemed to work better. Just kept sending texts until he got the help he needed for the next work day, it usually took him only an hour to get 5 or 6 boys lined up. He figured if he asked too early the boys seemed to forget and not show. His project write up was done on the computer where corrections are easily made. And digital pictures and graphics helped him to put together a great Eagle workbook. Things certainly have changed over the years but I don't know it has made things easier or not.

Yep, school ends mid June around here, maybe even later this year with the snow days adding up!

All good points but I guess I need to clarify. Chai: First Web is a special needs (hearing and sight) Scout and it seems as though there was little support from the WDL. Many requirements were done, but never signed off on. Not one thing signed off in his book. I had never seen a handbook for sight impaired Scouts, it's 8 1/2" by 11" spiral bound. As a side note of 8 Webs in his den he is the only one coming to us even though we usually get most of the boys from this pack, they stayed as a group and went to another troop. His parents say they felt ostracized for deciding early on they were coming to us. The pack's ACM (and my MC) reviewed and signed off on these. Some of the other requirements he needed to complete such as the oath, law etc., he did that for me flawlessly. Scoutnut: It is the job of the WDL and ultimately the CM to make sure the boys are prepared for and in fact cross into Boy Scouts. I'm just picking up the slack. AOL should be completed b the time the boys cross but in these two cases from different packs these boys were left behind for whatever reason. The second boy I feel lost interest and didn't finish but now realizes that if he doesn't have AOL he has to wait 6 months before he can be a Boy Scout. Since he's close to finishing he and his parents now see the advantage of finishing. AKdenldr: Your probably right on all points and you can add pack politics too. Eagle92: All the other Webs are crossing this weekend. We'll treat them as visitors until they have met their AOL requirements which should be by or second meeting in March which would be their first troop meeting anyway. Hawkrod: These are Webs wanting to join our troop but because they have not completed AOL and are not age 11 they don't meet the joining requirements. They have both been in Cubs since Tigers (I believe) and both have earned the Webelos badge.

It's Blue and Gold time and the Webs are crossing over to Boy Scouts. This year we have a new challenge, two of our new candidates have not earned the AOL and are not 11 years old. I'm thinking that if I were to tell them to come back after their 11th birthday we will loose them. I'd rather work it out so they can earn the AOL and then join the troop. One boy started coming to meetings a few weeks ago and I had one of my committee members who is also the boys ACM work with him during the meetings. He has completed all the requirements for AOL and will be able to join the troop this week at his B&G. The other Web from a different pack is crossing this Thursday and I just found out tonight that he wants to join our troop, He will not turn 11 until July but is apparently only a few requirements away from AOL. I wish I would have known a few weeks ago them we could have been working with him too. So I guess we go to the B&G and go through the ceremony but don't run the paperwork through until after he completes the AOL requirements. Sure would have made things a lot easier if the boys were prepared for joining a troop. If anyone has a better solution I'd like to hear it. I did 4 years as a CM and I always felt it was my job to work with the WDLs to make sure all the Webs were ready to cross.