Eagle74

On a related note, as I've been watching the Olympics, the 19 year old Flying Tomato (Shaun White, half-pipe snowboarder) was the only one I've noticed placing his hand over his heart during the National Anthem. Way to go Shaun!

Don't get me wrong, I don't recommend cotton socks to anybody else. The other leaders always shake their heads and can't believe I wear them and don't have problems. They just seem to work fine for me 90% of the time. Have worn them under every conceivable condition - these are high quality cotton socks, not blue-light specials; and not 100% cotton. They are 65%-75% cotton - maybe it's somewhat misleading to say I wear cotton socks. In deep winter, especially in snow, I switch over to Carhartt cold-weather boot socks which are a blend of acrylic, nylon and wool. Inexpensive, but does the job.

For me, Eagledad is right on the mark, but for you he may not be. Hiking shoes are a very personal piece of equipment that needs to suit your feet (soft/tough, dry/sweaty, etc), your physique (feet/ankles size, shape, strength, flexibility), and the type of terrain or use they will see. Part of this will come from experience - years of experience and trying various shoes are an advantage. As the contrarian here, I have never spent more than $80 for a pair of hiking shoes/boots, I rarely wear anything other than a single pair of cotton socks, and function fine with either low cut shoes o

Define the term "hiking boot". That term now includes anything from below the ankle cut to 10" tall. And not many provide any real ankle support. If one is looking for true ankle support it needs to be something that the boot is specifically designed to do. Personnally, I prefer an over-the-ankle boot for long hikes in the backwoods or over terrain simply because I like to have protection for my ankles; ankle support is not an issue for me.

The "life statement" is actually ". . . a statement of your ambitions and life purpose . . ." It is part of the application submission for the Eagle rank. It also includes a listing of positions held in any organizations in which the scout has demonstrated leadership skills and a listing of any honors or awards the scout has earned. The statement is to be attached to the application for Eagle Scout recognition. The final part of the requirements is to take part in a Scoutmaster's conference and a Board of Review. BSAMustang asked why the life statement is allowed to be late.

Update 2: Candidate handed in all paperwork (without life statement) less than three hours before deadline. Advancement Chair advised him that his Board cannot be scheduled until the life statement is received - the longer he waits, the more it eats into the 90 days during which the Board of Review must take place. Gasp! Gasp! :

Would I dump my dishwater on my neighbor's lawn? No way, why waste it on his when I can use it on mine! - If you wash dishes by hand, don't let the water run constantly. Instead, fill up big pots of water to wash in. Afterwards, you can use the dishwater to water your garden (make sure the soap you use is plant-friendly). Mother Earth News - Using gray water actually provides a number of benefits. For instance, you can reduce your potable water usage--and your water bill--since you're not using tap water on your plants. And because the waste-water you're using on your garden isn't getting

The troop I serve has modified the 3-dishpan method to a 4-dishpan method. The first pan now is the "gross decon" pan - nothing more than cold water. We found that even when the scouts wipe out their dishes (which at times doesn't happen) the spaghetti sauce, chili sauce, food remains, etc. make a mess of the soap pan quickly sometimes. If nothing else that red soap water is ugly. The "gross decon" pan is used to get the major mess off the dishes and can be changed out quickly. This subsequently leaves the soap water and rinse water cleaner longer.

Update: Troop Advancement Chair indicates that scout must complete all requirements, complete workbook with sign-offs, and complete application (with the exception of the "life statement") prior to 18th b'day. District Advancement Chair and his primary assistant agree with that position. Interesting though is that during a recent University of Scouting session the Council Advancement Chair made a comment that all requirements, project, and project workbook must be completed by 18th b'day, but the application does not.

Thanks everyone for the input; additional posts would still be appreciated. Yes, this is another "death-bed" Eagle situation. Scout just finished physical work on project and has only a week til 18th birthday. Although a sufficiently motivated candidate should be able to finish the paperwork with a little time to spare - so to speak - and the SM would accomodate the "urgent" need for a conference within the remaining final days/hours, there is some doubt that the candidate will make it. So the question has arisen whether or not the workbook itself must be complete or can be handed in

"All requirements for Eagle Scout must be completed before a candidate's 18th birthday. The Eagle Scout board of review can be held after the candidate's 18th birthday."* further "All the work on the project must be done while the candidate is a Life Scout and before the candidate's 18th birthday"* Question: Must the final paperwork for the Eagle project be complete prior to the 18th birthday? In other words must the workbook be complete and signed? Specifically the hour tally, material tally, statement of project changes, photos of completed project, etc. part of the Eagle Project Workb

Good discussion with good info all around. Did however want to clear up the air regarding air mattresses; there is an impression left that it's the air itself in the air mattress that results in poor insulative properties and that's not the case. Air is a good insulator and it's what you want in your sleeping bag, your clothing, etc. - just not wide open air space. Basics (not intended to insult anyone's intelligence here) - Heat transfer occurs by conduction, convection, and radiation. Let's apply these to the air mattress. The air mattress is a good insulator in relation to condu

I'm one of the cot users, too. Use it year-round. Mine is a little different than those described above, though. It is a Byer Allagash cot; sits only about 6 inches above the ground and folds up as small as a typical collapsible outdoor chair. In winter I use it with a 3/4" closed cell foam pad on it, "0-degree" bag, wear fresh polypro long underwear and dry socks with a thin fleece sweatshirt and stocking cap. To fill the airspace under the cot (like ScoutNut) I stuff my coat and clothes worn that day under part of it and my clothes for the next day under the rest. Toasty all night

OK, I'll bite . . . I'll be the contrarian. If this is a change-up from the typical way of doing things (full patrols), a "let's try it this way for once", or if there is indeed an underlying reason, why not? As a scout (dinosaur ages) and in the troop(s) I serve, there have been opportunities for full patrol (mostly), small(er) group, pair, and individual experiences. Each brings its own ways, methods, and learning experiences.

49 Eagles in 40 years.

From Guide to Safe Scouting (some wording abridged here to save space). See GTSS for complete info. Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts are permitted to participate in shooting activities outlined in the Cub Scout standards and in the standards listed. Boy Scouts are permitted to fire bows and arrows, BB guns, .22-caliber bolt-action, single-shot rifles, air rifles, shotguns, and muzzle-loading long guns under the direction of a certified instructor, 21 years of age or older, within the standards outlined in current Scouting literature and bulletins. BSA policy does not permit the use of handguns

The NAA/BSA certification is not intended to be an archery course - you would be correct that it does not qualify one to be an Archery MB counselor. It's intent is to cover the basics (how to introduce basic archery to the neophyte), safety practices and procedures to manage the range. The merit badge counselor application states " . . . to qualify as a merit badge counselor you must . . . be proficient in the merit badge subject by vocation, avocation, or special training." and further indicates that one explains that experience on the back side. A combination of the two would qualify on

Being the old conservative fart that I am, I still have the BSA tie. Haven't worn it for about five or six years though; currently our troop leaders do the casual route with no neckwear. I still like it for formal occassions such as COH, Eagle COH, etc. The shirt collar is not real good for a tie, though.

We have at present, 16 committee members and 6 ASMs.

JM: welcome to the forum. I enjoy your perspectives from another country and a different way of doing things all within the world brotherhood of scouting. Looking forward to more.

Allow me to put this another way. I ask scouts working toward Eagle "Are you doing this for the badge, or for what the badge represents?" The same can be applied to Woodbadge. "Are you doing it for the beads or what the beads represent?" I would also offer that there's a reason it's called a "commencement" and not a "conclusion".

I'm curious about the above statement. Do you mean to suggest that if a long-time committee member who has steadfastly (ignored/dodged/weasled out of) training suddenly sees the light, goes to training and successfully completes woodbadge, that their WB beads are somehow less worthy than those of the volunteer who gets trained early on for their position and continues steadily on through woodbadge? No, I do not mean to suggest that the person that has such a change of heart/attitude or "sees the light" is any less worthy. I do mean to suggest that the person that sees that training as a was

True . . . for the most part. Partly an internal issue; listed committee members who function primarily as ASMs, but use the committee position title so that it's not necessary to go through the SM/ASM training track. The other part is a take-off on my post above. Committee members who suddenly discover the wonders of Woodbadge after many years in scouting, then arrange or "abbreviated" specially arranged training classes to qualify for Woodbadge ("Damn the torpedoes . . .", let's jump straight to the top-tier leadership stuff). Youth protection? Essentials? Position-specific? Not unt

Back to a possible overemphasis on leadership. I tend to agree, but maybe it's a function of the times - the tendency to jump straight to the top, never building or touching anything below. The problem is you might be able to build the house without a foundation, but the foundation will always be missing; and sooner or later it won't be a pretty picture. Becoming an Eagle Scout (scouting's ultimate badge of leadership) - isn't that what it's all about? How fast can I get there and with the least amount of output. Woodbadge - who needs any of that other stuff like Essentials, Outdoor Le

Look at it as a total package. The methods include leadership development, outdoor programs and advancement (skills). The explanatory material after each method paints a pretty good picture. In the total package perspective, (scouting) skills are an adjunct to character and leadership development. First, the lad develops a skill set and one that has transferable applications (part of the later situational leadership game). The lad learns, conceptualizes, and successfully completes a set of basic skills. Many of these basic skills progress in difficulty - knots start with a basic squa