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kenk

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Everything posted by kenk

  1. My hats off to ANYONE who steps up to be a Scoutmaster - wether male or female. You have my respect. I grew up with a twin sister, and my parents instilled in us that she could do anything a young boy could do. I'm raising my young 8 year old daughter the same way. Gender should not be a barrier to sharing the joy of teaching our fine young boys to become even better young men. BTW, I'd be more than happy to be a Girl Scout leader if called upon to do so. Fortunately my daughter's troop has a fine fine leader.
  2. Are you talking about sealing the seams? or about repairing worn fabric coating?
  3. Please teach the young ladies the delights of the outdoors instead of scaring the heck out of them emphasizing (over-emphasizing?) the dangers. My daughter's Girl Scout troop is horrified at the thought of camping outdoors in tents. They learned this from their parents and other girls. Their first camping experience was on a stormy rainy weekend in very old poorly kept canvas tents with no insect screening. Now they simply will not camp. My daughter has camped with my family and, when possible, with Cub Scouts and absolutely LOVES the outdoors and can't wait until she's old enough to joi
  4. When I was a youth in Scouting I LIVED Frostline. My mother was a home economic teacher and taught me how to sew. I assembled and sewed: -2 daypacks (one as a gift for my buddy) -down vest -60/40 cloth shell parka (mountain parka) -very thick down coat (tundra parka) -foam pad (sewed the shell) -gaters -down sleeping bag (big horn) -two-man tent (kodiak) -backpack (fit on my Scout frame) -a bunch of nylon ditty bags Most of the stuff is too small to wear and hanging in a closet or long disappeared into the shadows of time. The poly coating on the tent started to deg
  5. kenk

    Topo. Maps

    The US Geological Survey topographic maps can be ordered on-line at http://store.usgs.gov/ . As much as I like computers, there is nothing like the "real" paper map in your hands. Click on the Enter USGS Store link and then click on the Map Locator (the map graphic). Click on the map to zoom into your area of the country. As you zoom into your area you'll see the topo map names shown in green type and green lines that distinguish the edges of the 7.5" maps. Click on a green map name and you'll see more detailed info and a tiny view of the map. Click on the icon to place the map into your
  6. I took another route, but not on purpose. Our den was working on practicing the Oath and Law, when all of a sudden my 3rd grade daughter recites them both dead nuts on. I was shocked. It seems that she "absorbed it" when I was reciting it to my son at home and in the car while on the way to school. The boys were embarassed that a 3rd grade girl knew it and they didn't. At the next den meeting all but one of the six boys knew it by heart. Funny thing.
  7. A common source of paraffin is from a store that sells food canning supplies. In my area this includes some Ace Hardware stores.
  8. Amen! I just "crossed over" from WDL to ASM, and during our first outing in Wisconsin I couldn't help but notice that in addition to their regular packs or duffels the boys in my new Troop all carried daypacks containing the outdoor essentials, BUT during the day when they were out exploring the Scout camp we were at those daypacks were neatly tucked under their bunks in the cabin. When I asked about this one of the other leaders commented it might be more important if we were in the deep wilderness, but nothing much could happen a few miles north of Janesville, WI. (Sigh) If scouter
  9. Beavah, You've absolutely made my day!! Today my son crossed over to Boy Scouts and after 5 years as a den leader (including two years as Cubmaster as well) I officially started my new position as an Assistant Scoutmaster. I think I'm going to have lots of fun in our new troop. Yesterday I took the SM/ASM training (the 8+ hour classroom course), and I spent most of the time smiling knowing I don't have to take care of all the details and paperwork, but I do get to enjoy activities with the young men and a great group of adult leaders.
  10. I read the Grump Patrol Manual a while back and really REALLY liked it. Nice job! Right now I'm a brand new assistant Scoutmaster so I'm trying to stay a bit quiet regarding changes/improvements in our small troop, but I do think the Grump Patrol Manual would be a great help to my our troop. If we generate our own version of the Grump Patrol Manual I'll make sure your troop gets the credit it deserves. Last weekend was our first campout (in a cabin) and I was doing my best to be a leader - not a parent, though it was a bit hard at times. When my son (or any other boy) would ask me if
  11. It is kind of funny that you ask that. I actually had one more paragraph in my post explaining where I get my orange trash bags, but I deleted it just before posting because I feared it might look like spam. I got my orange trash bags from http://www.spectrumbagsonline.com . They have: -33 gallon 2 mil orange bags, 33"x39" -55 gallon 2 mil orange bags, 36"x56" (my 8 year old daughter is 56" tall) They also have 1.5 mil bags. I can't remember if the 33 gallon bags I bought were 1.5 mil or 2 mil. If I bought now I'd probably buy the 55 gallon 2 mil bags. Be careful you d
  12. I enjoyed reading this month's (March, 2006) Boy's Life article by Peter Kummerfeldt about survival. To those who haven't seen it, here is the "outline": #1 Tell someone where you're going. #2 Build a survival kit: 1 heavy-duty 4mil orange plastic bag, approx. 38"x65", 1 metal match with scraper, cotton balls soaked in petroleum jelly, 1 plastic whistle, and 1 glass signal mirror. #3 Stop moving around. #4 Think about what needs to be done. #5 Observe your surroundings. #6 Plan a course of action and implement it. #7 Stay warm. #8 Hydrate or die. #9 Start a fire. Be carefu
  13. As I mentioned before, I am very leary of having young boys handle pots with large volumes of boiling water. It is EXTREMELY dangerous and can kill. For dishwashing, there is simply no need to be using extremely hot water. When handling boiling water for dishwater preparation or cooking, I would prefer this be done by older boys or adults ... or use a smaller container to dip hot water out of a large pot. Also make sure that the pot is stable on the stove burner. Very large pots should never be placed on small backpacking stoves. Ken K.
  14. The Boy Scout Handbook matches what I recommended: Here is what it says on page 282 of the Boy Scout Handbook: DISHWASHING Whether you cook with a stove or over an open fire, put on a pot of water before you serve a meal. That way you'll have hot dishwater by the time you finish eating. Begin cleanup by setting out three pots: >Wash pot - contains hot water with a few drops of biodegradeable soap >Hot-rinse pot - clear, hot water >Cold-rinse pot - cold waer with a sanitizing tablet or a few drops of bleach to kill bacteria Each Scout can wash hi
  15. The Scoutmaster Handbooks says: "A Scout wanting to complete an advancement requirement must demonstrate to his leader that he has fully mastered a skill at the level expected. In a new-Scout patrol, that leader might be the assistant Scoutmaster or the troop guide assigned to the patrol. Scouts in regular patrols and Venture patrols might be tested by adult troop leaders or by their own patrol leaders, troop guides, or another junior leader, provided that the boy leader has already earned the rank the Scout is aiming for."
  16. Proper sanitation is critical to keeping youth AND leaders healthy. Those who think that proper cleaning of eating and cooking utensils is hogwash are fine doing whatever they wish with their own utensils, but should not risk others' health with their misguidance. I've done a bunch of research on this, looking at Scout recommendations and health department recomendations. Plus I own a pool, and good pool owners get to understand chlorine sanitation chemistry pretty well. The idea is to wash, rinse, sanitize, and then air-dry. Sanitations options are chlorine solution, quaternary solution
  17. Take a look at http://www.equipped.org . They have tons of information on preparing for, prevention of, and dealing with all sorts of unforseen issues. When they say "human hazards" I tend to think of injury, illness, loss of gear/food/water, getting really lost, etc... These are all too common problem. When they say "environmental hazards" I think of unexpectedly severe weather mostly. By the way, the folks at equipped.org have designed some great gear too: Personal Survival Pak (highly recommended (great gear for price!), fantastic folding knives, etc... Since they are n
  18. When I first started as a Tiger Cub Den Leader I was having real problems remembering the boy's names, so I went to the local office supply place and bought supplies to make cheap pin-on name badges. For the first few meetings I'd hand out the badges at the start of the meeting and then collect them at the end. After a few meetings I finally figured out all their names. As a Cubmaster I guess I didn't worry too much about not knowing most of the names in the other dens at den meetings. I got along fine not knowing. I don't see any harm in boys wearing name badges.
  19. Quite a few years back someone made the bridge our Pack uses. The local Girl Scout troops also use our bridge for their "bridging" ceremonies (turned around so the BSA emblems don't show). They built it with pretty bold arc about 1-1/2 feet high and about 4 feet long, and the railing are purely for asthetics. The kids do fine going up the bridge, but they can slip when coming off - especially the young ladies wearing dress shoes. The arc is just too steep. I like the flat bridge plan from Scouting magazine. I could see using wider 2x8 "trusses" and then setting it on four wooden
  20. Great advice!! From what I saw on some TV show that followed a supposedly well-known snake-bite doctor, the only thing I can add is the doctor did often ask witnesses to give a description of the snake, so if in the area, try to get a good look, but DO NOT try to catch or kill it! Also, from what that show and others, it is apparently quite common for some snakes to not release venom during a strike. Apparently venom takes a time/resources to produce and so defensive strikes are often dry. Also many are have allergic reactions to anti-veom, so for those two reasons the doctor may wai
  21. Propane IS a chemical fuel and is covered by the same GTSS section as Coleman-type fuel. Propane, also called LP, or Liquid Propane, is actually both a compressed- and a liquid-fuel. It vaporizes at -44F and generates a natural vapor pressure, which is what drives the propane gas through the hoses to stoves & lanterns. The pressure is highest at warmer temperatures, which is why propane stoves don't perform so well in very cold weather. Propane DOES involve the transfer of liquid fuel, but not by the boys. Cylinders are typcially filled by specially trained LP dealers. Also, pro
  22. We usually run it during the May pack meeting and combine it with the Tiger Cub graduation. Bike, Bike Guest, Graduation. Of course the graduation isn't as interesting as it used to be now that they're already wearing blue shirts.
  23. Our bike rodeos have always been done without BS participation, not that it wouldn't help. In the past we've invited experts (bike shop owners, bike-patrol police) to help us setup a safety check follwed by a riding course using cones, and/or a talk on bicycle riding safety. The kids REALLY enjoyed the police officer. I heard somewhere that State Farm insurance has a bike safety program too. Ken K.
  24. What DO boys use to cook on when patrol camping (without an adult)? Hmmmm ... I suppose there are ways to cook on wood or charcoal that leave no trace. Most of the cooking I did as a boy in Scouts was on charcoal stoves homemade out of metal 5-gallon buckets. Personally I think liguid-gas is no less safe then propane. Let too much liquid-gas out before lighting and you get a big flare up. Let too much propane out before lighting and you get an explosion! I've seen both, but never heard of anyone severly hurt by either - mostly singed eyebrows, arms, and pride. We teach our children r
  25. There is NOTHING in the Guide to Safe Scouting that forbids or even discourages use of liquid gas stoves or lanterns. As a matter of fact, the Winter Camping Safety section, under XIII Winter Activities, even recommends their use: "Small liquid-fuel stoves are much better for cooking in winter than fires, which are difficult to build with wet wood." The VII Fuels and Fire Prevention section give excellent requirements for safely handling both compressed- (liquid propane and similar) and liquid-gas (Coleman fuel, white gas, and similar) stoves & lanterns: 1. Under adult supervisio
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