JoeBob

 

But the OP was about mapping where the unit has been for posterity as much as using gps on the trail.

 

I get the sense that most regulars here don't use them thar modern tools.

 

A wall of topo maps with pins and highlighted trails is a beautiful thing.  Agree that tops are cumbersome in the field.  And why do many of our trips seem cover the edges of 2 or 3 sections?

With a topo, you can usually figure out where you are by terrain.

There are occasions when old farts know that GPS is better than a map, like in the swamp.  For our October paddling trip into the Okefenokee I used Google Maps on my phone to verify our positions.  Some of the lesser trails aren't marked all that well, and you can search a long while before finding a canal if you get out in the pines.  I did pre-fetch the maps and save them on my phone.  No cell service, but plenty of open sky.  

Two war canoes will float a VW Beetle.

Sorry, Mr. Cox...

Topo Maps!

You get the feel for the terrain, creeks and old logging roads that you just can't see using Google Earth.

When the Chinese use their 'super weapon' to shut down all our satellites, where you gonna be?

@@Eagle94-A1 , For bears, the khukuri has weight for chopping.  And it's short enough to deploy from your tent.  Made me think.

But I still want the distance from claws that is afforded by a long Enfield on a long Ithaca.  The lug on the Enfield is big enough to fit a 12 gauge.  The armorer at A-2-75 informed me that the shotgun was not for shooting, it's to help detach the bayonet when it gets stuck in bone.  Pull the trigger to free the blade.

A pocket knife is far to small to effectively dispatch a bear. You need long blade to get enough penetration, needs to be robust as the bear will not hold still while you try to skewer vital organs. 

 

I like an Enfield bayonet; firmly attached to the end of an Ithaca 12 gauge pump.

http://www.kapesni-noze.cz/inshop/obchod/enfield-m-1917-bayonet+id-MRP803131.html

http://wstrainingacademy.com/files/Ithaca-37.jpg

Read my signature line below V

So, you really want me to start a Confederate Flag thread so we can re-fight the War of Northern Aggression?

Without paperwork that must be perfect, how would a pro justify breathing?

There are several substitute swear words that I call the boys on, too. Freaking, flippin' fracking, etc.  I ask them to define what that word means as used in the context that they said it, or do push-ups.  Building some good shoulders!

http://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/joke/watch_for_bears-606.asp

Listen to your own words.

You explained, they planned, and they agreed.  

It didn't work out.

The challenge was more difficult than anticipated.

Was there a non-disclosure agreement?

Any goodhearted Scouter who had an epic failure with a boy should be obliged to warn his fellow leaders to plan better than he did.

Your feelings are hurt, you still have a challenging son, and you want to vent.  Good.  Use this forum for that.

But I advise you to adjust the way you approach your next troop or risk another failure.

Good luck.

 Each scout got one shot, then they had to re-load.  One bb at a time!

 

Boy, were they excited.  I do not think any of them will be going back to Day Camp next year.

Yep.  We're trying to teach aim and control.  One shot, one kill.  Aim small, miss small.

'Spray and pray', as taught on TV and video games, is what gets innocent bystanders killed.

Heck, my deer rifle is a single shot (Ruger #1 in .270).  But I don't miss.

The whole thing is revenue driven.  I'm embarrassed.  Could this have been set up in any way to make it more expensive?

Youth caught swearing: Youth leader (or any scout) assigns 5 push-ups.  Then and there.

Adults swearing 10 push-ups 1st violation.  20 for the 2nd violation.  Prohibited from contact with youth if it doesn't stop.

A Scout is clean.

Hmmmmm.  Lemme think about this.

G2SS vs a string of Black Cats to run the bears off.

Decision: The G2SS makes good fire tinder.

From my experience bear-hunting (Bow - High Level, Alberta), bears LIKE the most rotten smell you can make.  They'd walk right by a barrel of only slightly spoiled ham and beef to attack a horrible smelling beaver carcass hung on a tree.  Every time.

The guides would hang the beaver with a cable noose and slide it up the tree each time it was hit to determine the size of the bear.

When bowhunting deer in September, we use baking soda as a deodorant. It keeps the bacteria from growing that produce pit fragrance.  Don't use too much, though, or the coarse crystals will chafe.  Works well as toothpaste.

Of course pit fragrance might be a bear repellent... 

You may want to get 5 or 6 of your mates to go around visiting other troops with you.  Don't hide it from your current troop's adults that y'all are looking.  Share your impressions of other troops with all the scouts in your current troop.  If the situation still doesn't improve; then walk, knowing that you gave them every chance.

You forgot this example, "Scoutmaster Jones lives with Cubmaster Smith. They like to walk down the street holding hands and have dinner together at the local bistro."

There goes YPT.  

Two men grooming a youth meets Two Deep Leadership standards, and makes for a stronger sales pitch.

Three Deep Leadership, anyone?

I'm with the majority on this.  Do not tolerate bad behavior or you'll wind up with more bad behavior.  6 of our new scouts are a mob that feeds off of their own bad behavior.  They try to outdo each other.  2 of them had 'Come to Jesus' meetings during our recent camp.

Scout A would not stop yelling in his raft.  He was disrupting the wilderness experience for the whole troop.  ASPL assigned him extra KP when he didn't quiet down.  Later he flat out refused to do the KP.  In a meeting with SPL, ASPL, and SM he was informed that he MUST obey instructions from the older boys in PORs or we could not be responsible for his safety in High Adventure activities.  His parents would probably be irate at having to drive several hours to come and get him, but we would not have an uncontrollable boy in our care.  Obedience ensued once he realized that we were not joking or yelling with no consequence; like at home.

Scout B is a master back-talker and disruptive joker.  He's accustomed to getting away with bad behavior with a cute smile.  At the Cataloochee Group Camp, a heavy bear area, we discussed what to do if one saw a bear.  Everyone yells "Bear!" and comes out of your tents with arms raised to be big.  A twinkle was observed in his eyes that foretold of a prank opportunity.  He was already slated for an SMC about talking back to adults and guides, so we turned it into an official warning that he would be banished for 6 months if he committed another disruptive act.  He also learned that his Scout Spirit was in question for his next rank advancement.  He was good for the rest of the trip.

The other trouble makers settled down once it was demonstrated that our troop is a team.  They can play with us, but they'll lose if they play against us.

One of my Scouts came to me with a filled blue card for cooking MB done with another troop.  I had no prior knowledge that he was planning to do this.  He wanted me to sign off on the badge; but I had absolutely no idea that any of the work was done or who any of the signatures were.  I told him to have the SM eMail or call me, and I'd happily sign it.  Never heard anything.

The mother was a big fan of MB days and speedy advancement, so I was a little suspicious.  

That Scout transferred to the the other troop, while his big brother stayed with us.

 

Next time let me know that you're going and I might join you. 

Wilco.  As long you promise to be a bad influence on my boys.

 

Section III,  I'm guessing you guys put in at Sandy Ford?

Yep.

 

The day after my first trip in my brand new Old Town canoe with no flotation and a wooden paddle back in 1972.

My first trip down Section III was in '75 in an aluminum Ouachita with inner tubes for flotation.  Bull Sluice got me.  The diagonal ledge at the top drop poured water over my right rear gunnel before I headed down the tongue with about 4 inches in the bottom.  All the water raced downhill to the front, under the inner tube, and buried my nose into the wave at the bottom.  The nose didn't buoy at all; just headed straight to the bottom like a hydraulic hammer.  I grabbed the thwart in front of me and tried to frog kick back to surface.  I felt the impact in my hands when the nose hit whatever rock is down there.  There's a photo of me swimming away as my boat stood up in the water when the wave pushed the back over the front.  Sheared the attachment ring off the front and kinked the nose up about 6 inches.  That was a snobby looking canoe after that.

 

Maybe I'll hike it and go for an occasional swim.

There's a good trail on the Georgia side from the top of Section II to the 76 bridge.  85% of the time you don't see the river.  The troop hiked it last year. 

Do NOT attempt to hike Section IV.  Around '80 Bonehead JoeBob hiked the SC side based on all the paths that run up and down along the major rapids.  The thickets between rapids and all the ledges turned our leisurely wilderness stroll into a major 2 day slog.  I deserved every bit of scorn heaped upon me by the 2 girls we suckered into going with us.

 

Section II is a great float fishing trip!  Crawdad and frog Rapalas get hit almost every cast.  And the bream are the brightest colors ever.  I once landed 3 smallies on the same lure at the same time; thought I had a big one...

Chattooga, Ocoee, Nantahala?

Rainey Mountain offers a day trip to the Nantahala.

We were there Monday and did the ropes course in the morning and the river after the air warmed a bit.

Our troop returned Friday from our 6 river trek across the Southeast.  Polled the boys to learn which rivers they liked the best.  Results:

1- Section IV Chattooga  (Only boys 13 and older.  Highest rated rapids of the trip.)

2- Section III Chattooga  (Low water, technical.  'Troll Bridge' game was a hit.)

3- Nolichucky  (Low water, very technical, small boats; but just damned beautiful!  Good guides from NOC)

4- Ocoee

5- Nantahala  (Cold, but self-guided; so they had lots of fun.)

6- Pigeon  (Continuous class 3 rapids.  8 in a boat.  But a real circus with 18 outfitters pouring clients into the river.)

@Badwolf :

Let us know when you get this all distilled and are ready to start the petition drive.

https://www.change.org/start-a-petition?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=GST_USER_GEOT2_SCHT1_online_petition

Boys and girls, reading the last couple of pages has made a light bulb come on.

The variety of specialized information needed to cover every type of HA that we want to expose our boys to is not readily available in all communities.  But the internet is.

Video tutorials for almost everything are online.  Want to replace the ABS sensor in a 1999 Volvo V70r?  Google it.

BSA should sponsor a set of multi-media training for the different types of HA and another set for basic scout skills.

Photos, concise text, and short video snippets could do a good job of communicating the subtle, but crucial, information needed for success.  Treat it like a Wiki and have another expert update the info every few years.  Have a returning troop add photos.  And have it linked to important BSA pages so that leaders and youth can find it.

I think that many volunteers join scouting expecting to learn and/or improve their skills.  I know that I expected to pick up advanced techniques for some of my skills and learn new things from being an SM.  The training is just not there.  I have learned how to train myself.

These interesting and informative tutorials could even serve as a tool to coax troops to do things that otherwise they would hesitate to attempt.  Adventure sells scouting.

There definitely needs to be some evaluation of the trainers.  Sure, they follow a syllabus but some really suck.

Generic PowerPoints make the lawyers happy. "You were told so-and-so..."

They also make any idiot a 'trainer'.  BSA training is so damn dry that many repeat trainees just plan to nap and get signed off.

At least training that is outsourced usually gets a real expert who can answer questions and keep you mentally engaged,

 

There needs to be some re certification training every few years.

As long as you have a test-out option.  Repeat CYA training that just takes up time drives away good people.  How many of the YPT slides can you draw from memory?

 

I think that non direct contact leaders need to be re certified as well.

Why?

 

I think it would be beneficial to have different "tiers" of training.  (Basic first aide a requirement before wilderness first aide. etc)

As long as there's more to it than lengthier PowerPoints.

 

Only very basic courses should be available online.

With interactive training so advanced, why not offer the test for re-cert first?  If you meet a set percentage up front, you get signed off and don't have to sit 20 extra minutes.

 

There are troops that I have heard of that have no trained leaders (except YP), either the leaders don't think it is important enough to do or they don't know it is available. 

Hopefully those leaders are legitimate outdoors-men who can teach BSA what is wrong with their camping methods.  The more competent a person is, the higher value they place on their time.

 

We need to recruit better leaders who are willing to take the time to do what is best for the scouts.

You could make a good start by not wasting volunteer's time with useless 'training' and CYA re-training.