le Voyageur

No matter how tight you snug a PFD up, over time, they will loosen. The solution is for manufacturers to add crotch straps to prevent ride up....

The problem with the concept of safety, is that it infers that a program is free from harm. The truth is, is that no program is free from harm. Therefore, the better tack is to reduce unsafe behaviors through risk management. As such, every outdoor program has two areas of risk, one is objective, and the other is subjective. And from my own experience, it is the subjective risks (examples...no training, outdated training, under trained, no experience for the activity, egos, self deception on ablities, etc) that gets us into the deep kemchi very quickly. From my perspective, BSA National needs to do a better job in this area, and consider creating training courses in Wilderness Risk Management for Adult Leaders....this way, when a unit sits down to plan a wilderness trek, or a run on a whitewater river, the first item on the agenda won't be the menu....

Yesterday (Sunday) was a great day spent walking the beach with my wife, who, over the past few months has been burdened with the care of her grandmother. Just don't get to see her as much as I like, so these small moments mean a lot. Needless to say, we couldn't stay long. She back to her grandmother, and for me the long drive back home. Later that evening, watching the local news the current story was about a 15 year drowning victim. Needless to say, we walked by that family, who's son drowned shortly after we left the area. Dispite thier best effort, they couldn't save him... I keep thinking, had my wife and I walked a little slower, or left a little later, I could of helped, and maybe this family would still have their son....fate is the only thing that comes to mind as I reflect on this...

Yes, I know it's the wrong title for the current badge, but I'm one of those old school geezers....but, since some of you will be working on your Rifle MB at summer camp, here's a trick to improve your score. Which is, get in shape, actually cardio vascular shape. With a low heart rate your score can go up simply by listing to your heart, and shooting between the beats...so, walk, run, jog, or cycle and get that ticker in shape....hey

I stand corrected on the helmets....looks like Petzls...for what they are wearing, it looks like an orange safety vest... To see the correct gear, go here.... http://www.northwater.com/html/rescue_pfd.html

on edit (again) Studying the photo leaves me wondering just how well this trek was planned... The person in the water has no helmet, no PFD. Why? Rescuers - those two rescuers are not trained in swift water rescues. No Class 3/5 PFD's with quick releases. One is wearing an orange vest, and the other guy, nothing, and lacking a helmet. The gear they are using seems minimal, and the traditional rigging for a low head wall dam rescue isn't there...

I posted on the other thread concerning the recent drowning death of a scout.... I thought for a minute that the scout had been trapped by an undercut, and if the current is powerful enough, it'll suck off the PFD... Wasn't the case, the problem was a lowhead wall dam in which it dosen't matter one whit if you have a PFD on, or not... My own read, and had I been guiding the trek, I would of flagged a manditory take out point a half mile before the dam, and used an assisted portage to get the crew below the dam....geezs, how sad

On edit... here's the story.. Chase Hathenbruck, 15, of Farmington, drowned after being tossed from a raft caught in an undertow in the Animas River northeast of Farmington. At least three other boys and a Scout leader were pulled to safety by rescuers. We did everything by the numbers to make this a safe activity, said Jan Gamar, senior district executive for the Boy Scouts of America in Farmington. We are looking at it at this point as a freak accident. This young man was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. We are heartbroken over the whole thing. Gamar said all members of Farmington Varsity Team 313 were wearing life jackets as they set off down the river near Cedar Hills, north of Aztec, for an overnight camping trip. Link - http://www.daily-times.com/ The worst possible of all swift water rescues - low head wall dams. We call it being Maytagged, these dams create powerful hydralics that spin, and dis-orientate it's victims, and a PFD won't save you when you get in one....

Geezs, what a sad report... I would need to know the make/type of PFD the scout was using. Just hope that it wasn't one of those el cheapo's found at Wal Marts, and summer camps.. Before commenting further, I need to find more information...but, I have my suspicions...

Been reflecting a bit on this thread... Consider that when I was about 10, my parents had no problem with my solo wanderings in the Arizona backcountry (Mt. Baldy, Salt River Canyon area) for days at a time with a few provisions, and a 22, and by age 12 the 22 was replaced with a 30/30 carbine ...today, that would just not happen....which leaves me wondering what it is in our society that has changed that makes the outdoors more perilous not only for LDS youth, but all of our youths?

Some possible solutions are these... - First, SM's and other adult leaders are appointed to their position by their Wards. Better would be to find those persons who are truly interested in the job, and want to serve in those positions. - Second, Adult training programs that don't conflict with the LDS's Sunday travel ban....a tuff nut to crack since the majority of training courses occur on the weekends. - Third, and the most drastic would be for the LDS Church to stop using the BSA program, and create their own Youth Program akin to the Royal Rangers....overall, this would be the best approach since it would allow them to tailor thier programs to thier unique belief system....

I took no offence....maybe what threw you off was the all caps used for SCOTUS (Supreme Court of the United States)....kinda hard not to use caps for that acronym...

No, not Gitmo...the recent SCOTUS land grab ruling

From my own experience and observations as a high adventure director having worked with LDS units on both the east and west coasts, I see the problem being adult leadership, and supervision. Been many times where, as a guide, I had to directly supervise these Scouts while their adult leaders shirked this responsiblity. And, there's has been a few times where I have terminated the program, and returned all back to camp for their own safety. As far as I'm concern, I hope that I will never have to take another LDS unit into the backcountry again, three seasons was enough..

The problem is, is that the color purple is used by the gay community, and thus a purple ribbon would send the wrong message. The stonger voice of protest is the course that I suggested, and I am fully aware of flag protocol, my flag will fly upside down on the 4th. Remember, the function of a protest is to draw attention to a cause, and at times rules and laws will be broken (had our ancestors obeyed gun laws on Lexington Green we would still be sipping tea today). Additionally, by sending out emails, and letters to the Editors of local newspapers not only gets the message out, but serves as a means to get other like minded folks to join in this protest. Again, those who find the SCOTUS ruling wrong are being asked to only fly the flag upside down and nothing else....this is America, and you're free to do as wish on the 4th. I plan to protest....

I very rarely post in this section since it's very easy for me to cover topics that conflag into flame wars. However, I hope that this won't happen for this topic... In my own way, I plan to protest the current SCOTUS land grab ruling on the 4th of July by flying my flag upside down....those who feel that the SCOTUS ruling is horrific, are welcomed to join me in this protest...

I've been thinking about adding a small bottle of lotion DEET, but would need slightly bigger fanny packs for that. Make Deet wipes by using 2x2 or 4x4 gauze pads. Store in a zip-lock.....

I'm all for bringing back the old Pathfinding Merit badge, updated of course. Too many suburbia/city kids are hooked on high tech doo dads, and clueless in outdoor basics.

Be aware of sun angles, and star patterns from different locations in your camp....know how to calculate, and use solar noon for directon finding...

Due to circumstances beyound my control this year, I'm not working a summercamp staff position, the first time in nearly 12 seasons. Needless to say, I'm now experiencing withdrawal symptons, and in need of a good 12 step program.....well, back to whacking the grass, painting the house, weeding the garden and wishing I was on the river...

hmmmm....when I'm in the outdoors I really like having these portable devices with me.... map and compass fishing pole canoe binoculars a book on birds, or plants, or trees, etc. However, if I was sightseeing in DC, it would be out of place for me to be portaging a canoe. Guess it comes down to common sense......hey

Check with either your local YMCA, or Jr. College and see if they are offering any training... Also, I've a post down on the High Adventure Board titled Paddling Big Lakes that you're free to use anyway you want. And, a good book to read is River Rescue by Bechdel and Ray ISBN 1-878239-55-4. It'll get you started on how to read a river if you're doing C 1's (strainers, undercuts, V's, eddies, etc.)

Farley Mowat has some great stuff, here's three of my favorites.... - Walk Well My Brother - Never Cry Wolf - Lost in the Barrens note: the first one on the list is a three hankie tear jerker... And, I can't remember the author...but, the Sand Pebbles makes for a good read too, as well as Herman Hesse's Siddharta....

No....fraid not. However, if interested in attending, a unit could make arangements to camp at Tidewater Council's Pipsico Scout Reservation...

Okay......here's a MacGyver you'll need the following - an innertube (I like the small ones used for boat trailer tyres) - a 3/4" thick plywood baseboard (cut square, a few inches bigger than the inner tube) - a piece of glass, about the size of the baseboard - a piepan - a smallpot with lid that fits inside the tube, but not flush. Paint one side of the base board, the outside of the pot/lid, and the piepan flatblack. Center the piepan on the base board and fasten with screws. To use....add rice pilaf, soup, stew, etc to the pot. Under a hot sun, place the inflated innertube on the baseboard, the pot on the pietin, and the glass over the tube to form a seal.....the meal will cook in a few hours....