le Voyageur

Maine High Adventure Base

Just completed the BSA Health Form, DoT Medical Card, and YPT. The problem with the YPT was, is that our library limits internet time to 15 minutes. Was able to get it done in under 8...thus, do understand the frustration ... and the cost in time, money and those unforseen road blocks. Hang in there, and keep their feet to the fire....

Suggest the bride and groom tie the knot six feet off the deck on a rock face with each belaying the other with a top rope belay ....

I've a collection of hardback Merit Badge booklets from the 1950's liberally stamped on the insides with "**** County Negro Library". They serve for me as a reminder of how far we've come, but still how far we've yet to go to be more open and inclusive ....so no,as I've been with the program starting as a Bobcat in 57, and plan to stay the course as a provocateur, and burr under BSA's saddle to drag them out of the 19th century.

For the past few weeks been working on infusing more dynamics into our Camp's paint ball program... per BSA rules "Pointing any type of firearm or simulated firearm at any individual is unauthorized. Scout units may plan or participate in paintball, laser tag or similar events where participants shoot at targets that are neither living nor human representations...." Therefore, following these rules, I'm considering three ranges to cycle participants through. Here's where I'm at... Range 1 will be a static range. Will be used to cover the fundamentals along with some basic firing practice. Range 2 will be based on an 18th century long hunt. An inverted U course with each leg being around 500 to 800 meters long. Targets will be a mix of steel plate animal silhouettes, and plastic round target. Will require scouts to use trail signs, and basic stalking techniques to move from target to target. Range 3 will be a tactical range teaching mid 18th century forest warfare. Scouts will function as a militia unit on the frontier, and be presented with a problem that they'll have to solve and execute as a team. Thoughts and suggestions will be welcomed

Well Pack.... I gotta bail out from this thread. It's allowed me to to ponder one of the Council's summer camp programs that needed an infusion of new thought in my own obtuse way, and now I've got to get it on paper... more then likely it'll be another program that National will "steal". Well, keep the kiddies in line, and en roulant

Mike, if I may - I'll have to disagree as you're comparing an established religion with over 350 million followers, one that is older then Christianity with a UFO cult that has a membership of less then 60 000! Other then Tom Cruise, can you cite anything of merit that Scientology has contributed on the world state? Pack - sorry, I've always been a rule breaker. Maybe I should report to the Hokey Pokey Center and turn myself around, hey....

Theological and historical nonsense ??? Well, the clues are in plain sight.....some being more obvious then other...

As Buddhists we don't pray to any god or gods. Buddhism is unique amongst the religions of the world because it does not have any place for God in its soteriology. Indeed most Asian religions (with the possible exception of some extremely devotional forms of Hinduism) are essentially non-theistic, in that God does not occupy the central place that is accorded to him in monotheistic religious traditions. But Buddhism goes beyond most of these other religions in that it is positively anti-theistic because the very notion of God conflicts with some principles which are fundamental to the Buddhist view of the world and the role of humans in it. However Buddhism is not atheistic in the sense that modern secularism, rationalism, humanism, etc. could be regarded to be atheistic (although it has much in common with them). Buddhism is not concerned primarily with refuting the notion of God. It is principally concerned with developing a method of transcending from the worldly ills. This involves undertaking a method of mental discipline and a code of conduct which is sufficient to satisfy the most demanding of spiritual requirements. Indeed only very little of the Buddha's voluminous discourses deal directly with the question of God. He was more interested in expounding a way to personal salvation, and to improve the weal of mankind both in this world and in the worlds to come. Consider also that Jesus was teaching a variation of Buddhism, not Judaism. As such, Buddhism dovetails very well with pre Pauline Christianity. Agree - however, it seems BSA is intent on taking the program down this rabbit hole.

No, sadly it's reality ... BSA has played the game of religious openness very well, and it's unofficial religion has always been and will always remain conservative christianity. Those of us who are outside of this box are forced to breathe this second hand smoke of religious indifference at nearly every BSA function we attend... Round Tables, District Committee meetings, Summer Camps, NCS, Council Dinners...in short, we get no choice. It's forced on us.....

So far .... I'll have to say your "experiment" has failed. I've yet to see atheists posting (could it be that they're shut out of the program) to explain their positions. Same goes for the Agnostic, Jews and the Buddhists. All I seen here is how Christians have figured out a way to massage their religion into faux religious programs to prove that they are open minded, and accepting of others beliefs. It's a pointless thread ......

Agree .... let the girls in. On a number of camp staffs, I've seen them run COPE and Climbing Courses as well as swiftwater. They have served as Camp Directors as well as Program Directors. They've also served as back country guides in Maine's North woods having skill sets that would put an Eagle Scout as well as a number of adult leaders to shame ....yet, they are shut out of the advancement side of the program....

As I see it, we are all born into the world as atheists where the functions of parents and culture is to derail us from rational thinking into the absurdities of magical thinking and sky daddies. My own observations suggest that the religious find the atheist/agnostic a threat to this programming, the wolves that circle their status quo heard, that at the primal level is the fear they've been hoodwinked. So, why not allow the atheist into the ranks exposing Scouts to a far richer environment of thought?... Eventually Scouts do grow up and exit out of the program and into the real world.

Suggest you keep shopping for another Unit. If possible, one that isn't LDS. However, since you are running an LDS Webelos pack you may be well stuck with what their Bishop orders as to what Troop they can attend. Sucks, but that's the way it is with the LDS.....

Got my beads back in the early 70's. Back in those days it was old school, and a week long course. Not busted up over several weekends. As I see it, today's Wood Badge has abandoned the outdoors as the classroom of Scouting. It's an okay course for new leaders, or paper pushers. But, for those wanting to run their Unit per BP's vision, Wood Badge isn't it...

Have to agree here ... the DE job can be boiled down to two key elements which is fund raising, and recruiting. In our District here which is rural and poor, DE's come and go like the change of the season because they fail to reach their goals of bringing in the bucks and bodies. Do think twice before leaving a good job....

Let me rephrase....11 000 acres is a sufficient amount of land, regardless of location in the world for the development of about 50 miles of hiking trails depending on terrain.. However, the powers that be at Philmount will follow what is stipulated within their contract which may well set fixed limits, or forbid the development of trails within those 11 000 acres..

11 000 acres = about 50 extra miles of backpacking trails, plus supporting outpost programs ...

A few thoughts..... create a Base team of adults who serve as an overwatch for those in the backcountry. IMHO, the Orienteering merit badge is overrated, an okay MB for jocks who like to run through the woods with a compass.. Land navigation training is the better choice (GPS which includes Lat/Lons and UTM's, map and compass, celestial, DR). Orienteering is to checkers, as Land Navigation is to chess. Take the time to read Laurence Gonzales's Deep Survival. Create protocols for risk management, know when to execute a Guide Override when scouts reach a level of risk that is beyond their experience level, and judgment. Also, I see nothing regarding a basic knowledge of weather ...

Don't put the cart before the horse. Do your homework first to see just what are the group size limits for the area you're interested in visiting. Then develop a plan that meet those limits....from experience, large groups don't work well in the back country. Logistics, added risk, a wide range of physical abilities, egos and group dynamics (clicks) will negatively impact the adventure

I've two....my Nashwaak otter tail canoe paddle (one piece cherry), and the Garman Dakota 20 GPS......

The Skill Set you're requesting is NCS's Trek Leader course which has been part of the NCS program nearing about 5 or so years which covers those topics....over a year ago the program was split into a dry and wet side as a pilot course to separate backpacking and canoeing as the two didn't mix well. As such we instructed the first Trek Leader - Swift Water course providing the student with instructions such as reading water, running rapids, two days of ACA level 1 fast water rescue training, and etc.... For the 2014 NCS training season there are only, as I recall, 3 Trek Leader training courses being offered this year.....

Already on the market, have one, good for 25 gallons..... but, for High Adventure, it's impossible to backpack a week's supply of water, and not staying hydrated will quickly become a major issue...