Eagledad

I was lucky, in both my youth experience, and as a leader, our scouts had the freedom to screw up. Oh, I cringed as I watched the guardian adults stand next to their youth leaders during their activities in other Troops, youth leadership courses, AND OA. I have passion and their ignorance of what they were doing hurt a lot. Many of these adults are friends, and I didn't know how to change them. This is a romantic article of what scouting can be for boys growing into young adults. I do struggle a little on how the adults are still credited with the nobility of allowing the scouts to learn. Oh, I shouldn't be that way, I know we adults struggle a lot with how far is too far. But, I remember reading a Boys Life article a long time ago from a middle aged author reflecting back on the Beaver patrol of his youth. While a SM was probably implied somewhere, he wasn't given any credit, directly. The Beaver patrol had to scurry up any gear they used for camp outs and figure out how acquire food. They weren't poor, they just had to figure it out because that was how it was. The article talked of surviving the rainiest backpacking hikes and cooking in the hardest conditions. The article didn't say it specifically, but because the Beaver Patrol watched other patrols at a very rainy Camporee, they realized that the hardest conditions might not had been so hard for them in a different troop. And that made the Beaver Patrol all the more proud of being a Boy Scouts in their troop with their Scoutmaster. I know, the Scoutmaster wasn't mentioned directly, but, well, you know. It's a good article. Thanks. Barry

True, but layers are layers and are better than just the pad. As thicker pads work better than thinner pads, so will your clothes. Not all your clothes, just the ones you are wearing that day. Barry

Does kindness need a uniform these days. Barry

I laid my clothing between the bag and ground pad for a little extra loft and comfort. Barry

National's reputation with polls and surveys precedes them. Barry

I work in the research field and, more then than not, polls and survey results are often interpreted to support a pre-desired vision. Barry

The advantage of sheet over a liner is sleeping on the top of the bag when it's hot. Liners are to confining. And as you stated, sheets make a 30 degree bag into a 25 degree, or even more with the right choice of a Walmart liner. And not just winter, it is an early summer advantage in the Rockies where the common temps are still in the 30s. Barry

I haven't camped in the wilderness for a while, but I agree, my down bag is a much preferred when take care of properly. The bad side of down is that it dries slower, so they need extra care in protecting them from moisture. We set up camp in the rain more often than not, so I developed the habit of unpacking my down bag last when I knew it the tent was dry. One other trick I learned with any sleeping bag is use a sheet. Even cotton sheets are a good barrier to absorb most of the dirt. Sheets don't weigh much, dry quickly and are can make hot summer night more comfortable next to a tent mate when the sleeping bag is too hot. Noncotton sheets are common today. Barry

Boy! You sure stoked a lot of memories. Fires are where scouts, boys, men, gathered for the important lessons of life. Jokes, stories of school, cars, airplanes, movies, and girls (for the older scouts) were the typical subjects of the patrol campfire. I knew all the words to the movie "Patton" before I saw it a few years later. "Patton" means something different to me than most of other people who have watched it. And while we imagine ourselves sitting around the red and orange natural combustion, more often than not we stood next to it, as if the smoke and the heat bonded us all that much closer. We stood as close as the nerves in our shins would allow, taking a quick break to quiet the nerves, then back again. The boots back were mostly leather and took a real beating. Oh, we knew the smell of smoke saturated every inch of our bodies and clothes, but we didn't think about until our moms reminded us when we got home. More often than not I took my camping clothes off in the garage. We also tested our curious nature by burning the different wrappers and debris found on the ground in camp. The different plastics where especially colorful and interesting in their molted shapes. There were two scouts in our patrol (Flaming Arrows) who always got up first every morning to get the fire going before revielle. Nothing was said, that was the way it was. I was appreciative of their sacrifice because there is nothing like a warm fire to start the morning. There is an art to fires, covering up the bed of coals at night before with a little dirt would save just enough embers to get the fire going again the next cool morning without matches. I know that the sun rose on plenty of warm Oklahoma mornings, but I only remember the cool ones. The ones where scouts popped out of their tents walking strait to the fire in long johns and a sleeping bag wrapped around them. An unexpected cold front drove through one morning bringing six inches of snow on one camp out. I'll never forget the SM walking through camp 5:00 am yelling "don't eat the yellow snow!". I was still young and didn't have a clue what he was talking about. I found myself repeating the same words some 30 years later as a SM. We were a pretty hardy troop, but since the front was not predicted and the highs were in the 70s the day before, most of our scouts weren't prepared for the 25 degree weather. We got up and broke camp. I can't remember if the two scouts had the fire going or not. Probably not, I remember my feet were numb. Propane stoves changed the way boys grow into men in the woods. Propane took some of the natural out of building character. The fire is the center of the universe for curious boys growing into a men. It was a beacon that pulled us together when the program activities were done. It heated the food that filled our bellies, it kept us warm, even on the warm days. It centered the patrol and kept us always facing each other. It was the hand of mother nature that guided our differences into one. If those memories sound nostalgic and innocent, I should add the romantic stories around the patrol campfire was the seed for my passion of aviation today. Still, as great as flying is in reality, it has never been as good as we dreamed around the patrol campfire. Barry

It will get worse. Gays and transgenders have preferences and biological urges as well. The cultural warriors have been in such a hurry to force inclusiveness that very little thought was allowed to consequences for sexual accountability. Even now the Supreme Court is in the process of interpreting the law of sexuality that could change the future of sports. Should biological males be allowed compete against biological females if the biological males claim they are females? Family scouting may turn out to be the only way youth can go on scouting camp outs within the law. Barry

We usually opened a box of the microwave popcorn to sell individual packs for a $1. Many folks want to support the cause and willingly dig into the deep scary bowels of a purse for a dollars worth of coins. Country Meats is a great idea. Barry

This is a really good idea. I'm not sure there is a more more pure outdoor adventure on this earth than fishing. One of the committee members of our pack suggested we do a fishing breakfast for Tiger age families thinking of joining scouts. So we set up a cook stove on the shore of a neighborhood pond and handed poles to dads and sons as they showed up that early cool fall Saturday morning. There wasn't any order to how we were doing things, we were just making it up as we went along and handed plates of pancakes, coffee and orange juice to dads and sons between casting and baiting. Oh we talked about the program a little, but we found ourselves quietly standing back and enjoying the excited moments of most of these tigers first fishing trip with dad. I don't remember how many of those families joined in 1993, but I will never forget the smiles on the backdrop of the early morning sun. There are some days you've just gotta love this scouting stuff. Barry

I'm told that I'm surprised by the news these days because I wasn't raised in their way of thinking. Not too long ago, I was relaxing with my dog on the patio of coffee shop. Between a couple of sips of Americana and petting Sophie, I overheard two young men who were counselors of a Baptist youth camp. They were planning for the next group of church youth, but sadly the discussion turned serious in dealing the rumor of a few bragging youth sneaking pot into camp. As a Christian, I was guided early in life that to truly understand God, we must live life to the fullest. And to understand life, we must live God to the fullest. As I struggle hearing about a personal life struggles, I pray that they are only halfway in the search for balance. Barry

I even taught in SM basic that every scoutmaster is different and would have to find their own formula for reaching scouts when the scouts weren't asking to be reached. I then followed with a story of one scout who told me that one SM minute I told some years ago changed the kind of person he was going to be. Wow, I'm not sure my ego needed that, but he helped me realize how important the effort should be for every single SM minute even if only one scout was changed in all those years. Two minutes, five minutes, whatever it takes. Barry

That is a good point. I found that my best scoutmaster minutes for scout age boys were less than two minutes long and laced with humor. Barry