eagle90

Our meetings last 1.5 hours:

15 minutes opening, attendance, announcements

40 minutes Scouting related activity (planned by PLC)

30 minute game (We meet in a school gym)

5 minute closing

Buy them a copy of How to S**T is the Woods by Kathleen Meyer, copyright 1989. Among the chapters:

Anatomy of a Crap

Digging the Hole

When you Can't Dig a Hole

Trekker's Trots

For Women Only - How not to pee in your boots

What? No TP?

I understand there is a Volume 2 also, but it is not in my Scouting library (yet!)

Dale

I was at Jamboree in 1997 and we did not have a problem with the port-a-potties being dirty or vandalized. We did have a row of potties right adjacent to our campsite, and the only problem we had was that every morning, just as we sat down to breakfast, the honey wagon would appear to do its thing. YUM! There goes the appetite!

Our troop is in the process of investigating insurance for equipment stored in our trailer, which is kept on the CO's property in a gated, locked courtyard. Anyone will write a policy for us, but we have been unable to find anyone willing to write the policy for replacement value. Rather they want to insure us for depreciated value. So our 20 year old Eureka's which are in excellent condition would bring us about $25 if they are stolen. Check out what you are being offered carefully. Any suggestions from the insurance people on the forum?

AMEN! I would never go to a dining hall camp. Seeing a patrol come together and improve over the course of the week is one of my highlights at Summer Camp. And to me, the meals are BETTER!

Right Spiney?

Well said, as usual, Eamonn

Sounds like your council is doing a great job. In our council when someone leaves, they always leave the BSA for "other opportunities".

Cub Scout leaders tend to schedule every minute of every day. One of the hardest transitions a Cub Scout parent makes is that on a Boy scout campout there is actually FREE TIME.

On our campouts we normally have a themed activity in the morning, advancement in the afternoon, and then from about 3:00 until dinner preparation, about 5:00, is free time. The kids will play ball, dam up a stream with sticks, explore, find the camp store, read, do homework (!?), nap, or whatever.

In doing SM Conferences with new scouts they always say the free time on campouts is their favorite part. "We get to do what we want!"

Don't over schedule, They get enough of that at home!

Dale

We had 53 scouts in camp. We had 5 scouts and one adult do the mile swim last week.

The car is packed and it's time to hit the road for Lefeber Northwoods Camp with 53 scouts. See ya in a week!

Dale & Spiney Norman

Check out the Chisholm Trail Adventure at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch in Bridgeport Texas, run by Lone Star Council. It is a regular Summer Camp with Dining Hall and a self contained High adventure program. We did it about 5 years ago and are contemplating going back next summer.

You KNOW one of those golf carts would have ended upon the swimming raft and another perched in a tree!

If I am paying top dollar, I expect top product in return, whether it is a restaurant, car dealership, or trek provider.

I'm sure the troop didn't get a choice of the top notch trip or the slightly reduced trip with expired food.

This is one of the reasons our troop uses private outfitters for many of our trips when available. They tend to have better equipment, better food, and treat you like they want you to return, which we have. My apologies upfront to the BSA loyalists.

Dale

We are in full summer uniform for breakfast and dinner at Summer Camp, a patrol cooking camp. We are also in the vast minority doing this. Our scouts do take pride in being the best looking troop in camp.

I won't check the inside of their tents if they don't check the inside of mine!

Dale

We finished our year with 9 weekend (2 night) campouts, ten one day/evening activities, 7 night Summer Camp, a week at Sea Base, and 35 troop meetings. We meet at a school, so do not have regular troop meetings during summer months.

We have 62 registered scouts. I would say 60 of them are active. We are taking 53 to Summer Camp next month ( 2 more of our scouts are on staff). We don't have any size limits, as we have never been this big before!

Dale

I just bought a stack of 100 cards last week. No restrictions whatsoever. This was from a national shop.

Dale

Green Bar Bill spoke at our council's annual banquet a number of years ago and I did get his autograph on the program with the two green bars. He had to be in his upper 80's at the time and our banquet is in January in the upper midwest, and there he was in his shorts! He mesmerized us for 1 1/2 hours with songs, stories, and his experiences, and we wanted him to continue. What an inspiring figure!

"Our troop uses troop owned tents (Eureka Timberline 4xt ... moving to the Timberline SQ 4xt model). They cost $250 to $270 each. 40 scouts. 20 tents. Seven nights at camp? We would have at least one damaged beyond repair; two or three significantly damanged and all experiencing signficant wear."

I think your troop has bigger problems than economics if in one week of camping the above occurs. We have some Eurekas that are over 20 years old and are used twelve times a year PLUS a week at summer camp, and we only have a few zipper problems once in a while. How about some responsibility on the part of your scouts. That is just destructive behavior. I would send a bill to the scouts who damage a tent beyond repair or significantly damage it in one week.

We have a large troop of 62 Scouts.

A few weeks before election, we announce that scouts interested in running for SPL let me (the SM) know they would like to run.

We normally insist they be 1st class, have attended our Troop Leader Training class, and have served as a PL or ASPL.

The day of the election each candidate can give a "campaign speech" of a few minutes in length. We then vote. This year we had two excellent candidates, and the vote was very close. It would have worked out either way the vote went, I think.

DUTCH OVEN

We have had to add a $25 gas surcharge to our Summer Camp fee this year. The camp is about 325 miles from home. We figured the original cost last fall when gas was at $2.50. We haven't had to do this for about four years. I think the parents realize the problem and we won't get too many complaints. Of course, if a family just cannot afford it, all they have to do is tell us and we'll waive the extra fee. We won't let a scout stay home because of that.

Our trailer is titled by the state in the troop's name. The troop pays for insurance and license plates and all maintenance.

Aye, Laddie, A Scot discount!!