le Voyageur

A better word than homosexual for a male adult that preys on underage males in this case would be the prison and/or street slang tag of Chicken Hawk. Needless to say, when he gets to the cross bar hotel they'll have to keep him out of general population since he's at the bottom of the pecking order...guess he'll soon be on his way to becoming a bad man's girl friend, wonder what his thoughts will be when he becomes a rape victim...

Even though this topic is not covered in the GtSS and is "not forbidden" per se, ask yourself these questions.. First, will this 17 year old be covered by the owner's vehicle insurance policy? Second, how much driving experience does he have. Third, how much driving experience does he have pulling a trailer. Does he know how to manage one in heavy traffic, hills and mountains. Does he know how to handle emergencies....just a few things to think about...

Thanks for the tips John...got any recipies you'd like to share. With Thanksgiving around the corner it'll be kinda neat to break out a few jars of goodies for friends and family...

DS Since you answered yes to those questions, then by all means go, and go now, as this journey you're longing for seems more for the soul no matter the risk. Bon chance, and remember that the best place in the world is always where one's heart calls home...

Thanks for your posting PS about the safety concerns, and I would like to echo the same advice as yours...if you're new to canning start small, be careful.... On a side note, wouldn't it be great if the schools would teach some of these old skills....

Been avoiding this thread, but I guess I"ll put my two cents worth in.... Here's the two major questions that I ask folks who are considering traveling to unstable third world countries... One, do you have an emergency exit plan other than running to the embassy.. and now the tuff one, do you have the capacity to kill another human being should it become necessary... if you answer no to either, than I would suggest rethinking the trip...

Met a lady today who told me how to bake cakes and short breads in a mason jars....by lidding it after it has baked, the cooling down process will create a vacuum sealing the cake allowing it to stay fresh for up to year....first thing tomorrow there's going to be a batch of something in the oven, and hopefully some goodies in the pantry for later...

For our marquee tents, which are much larger than your 10 x 20, we store the poles in large diameter pvc pipes...adding two handles at each end allows for 4 "volunteers" to make the carry....

Now that Isabell is history, and we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (no pun intended), it was fairly amazing to see how unprepared the general public was for this storm...so, let's share some insights and post ideals on how to be better prepared for the future...here's a start 1. A 72 hour kit is too lean, 2 weeks is better, (my kit is geared for two months unsupported). 2. Tarps, at least 2, size large. Should your roof peel away, you'll need them. 3. DC to AC inverter - at least 400 watts. Allows one to run a TV, or 120v medical devices from one's auto. 4. Heater Meals http://www.heatermeals.com 5. Maps - should you need to evac 6. Water containers. Use 4 or 5 30 gallon totes (Wal Mart). 7. Solar powered battery charger 8. Flood water, creek, stream, or river water can be used for flushing toilets. Use cat litter/quick lime for bucket latrines. 9. PFD's for areas prone to heavy flooding. 10. Spare clothing stored in dry bags .....

Sctldr, Good to hear that you made it okay, power is slowly starting to return here, but it'll be awhile before this county will be at 100 per cent. At least we've got a little power at the library to read e mails, and etc. Overall, we did fine, no loss of lives down here, but lots of downed trees and power lines. Talked to D.D. the other day and he relayed the same info that you did concerning Pipsico...looks like a beaver day is in the works. But, if the camp is anything like this county we'll all need to be very careful....

Here's a thought seen on a bumper sticker.... Don't re elect Gore for 04.... LOL

Being not far from the Outer Banks we're now on the cusp of the storm...gray skies, no winds (yet) and a gentle rain (for the now)... Best of luck, and be safe for those of you in Isabell's path...

hmmmmmmm, wonder if my Official Scout trousers are "Official" ...instead of zip offs, mine are now knickers. IMHO, they are kinda dashing in an old fashion way...

For Southern California, two treks come to mind, both on the Pacific Crest Trail.... starting at Julian (this town is off trail, but a great place to start), and ending at Idyllwild. or, starting at Idyllwild and ending at Big Bear...

It'll have to have a jump rock at least 20 feet high that overlooks crystal clear water. A good river along side, with some easy III's. Should also be useable for Venture crews to run a Long Hunter program for muzzle loading season....vension roasting over a campfire, three sister pottage and some fry bread, or biscuts, just add some cobbler and the world is sweet...

In a way, yes. There's a yoke at the canoe's center of gravity that splits the weight of the canoe a bit. This yoke settles the load a bit below the nape of the neck, and across the back on a line to the shoulders. The way you see on a portage is to tip the bow up a bit, not much, just enough to see the trail ahead while not dragging the stern in the dirt...you do this by holding the forward thwart to control the balance. This training rig isn't 100 per cent correct as there is no yoke...however,it's purpose is to build up the muscle groups used in a portage, as well as for one to learn the correct to get the canoe up for the carry....for the novice,the rig is a bit more forgiving than, say learning how to toss up an 85 pound Old Town 175 for the first time.

Aye, that may be true...however, when I explain what I'm doing and why, most folks tend to change their attitude and become supportive...

If there is one area where most canoest agree on, is that they hate to portage... Here's a technique that'll help get one in shape, and will help to take a little drudgery out of this task... Build yourself a ladder like frame, about 10 to 12 feet long that'll rest on your shoulders. Pad the center of gravity very well for comfort. Now, at each end of the frame you can screw, or nail a 3/4 inch piece of plywood with a center hole to the frame to support the weights that you'll be using. Add eye bolts to attach painters to. Now at Wal Mart, you can buy free weights, the round cookie kind that has a hole in the center. These can be bolted to the frame, and by starting light you can work your way up as you gain strength. Once assembled, all you gotta do is toss it up on your shoulders, and go for a walk....

Twocubdad Your solution was the same as mine...and actually, I do have a Rx for a gill of wine, reason, can't handle the statin base drugs. As stated before, it all comes down to using common sense when we hit the grey areas. Just as smokers are ask not to smoke in the presence of scouts, there's no problem in applying the same standard here...

Twocubdad.... Yes, I know the differance , the intention was to split hairs a wee bit and wade off into a gray murky area. Consider, that once upon a time sherry was used medicinially. And it now appears that redwine is making a medicinaially comeback also. Now lets really jump on the slippery slope...here's a for instance that may eventually happen. Setting the stage....consider your self the Camp Director for you Council's summer camp. In comes your health lodge officer with a copy of a SM's health form where a doctor has prescribed a glass of wine to be takened at bedtime....do you allow the SM to follow his doctor's order, or do you supercede to BSA guidelines??

Here's a thought that'll add a wee bit more confusion to this topic. Consider this, there is more alcohol in a small bottle of cough syrup (25%) than in a pint of cooking sherry (between 1.5% up to 6%)...now, should we leave the cough syrup out of the first aid kit because the rules say no alcohol???

Dang, never seen a thread get hijacked like this one has Lets see, some of my favorites are quite simple....strong black coffee, and a big slice of Pecan pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Sourdough pancakes with real maple syrup...plus a side of Canadian bacon... For sitting around a campfire on a cool evening (non scouting), a little ginger, or black berry brandy with ginger snaps...and a good book of poetry..

Depending on time of year, the lower Calorado is okay for canoeing, I've done the section from Palo Verde, Ca. to Yuma in the early spring, and had a fairly good time. However, I doubt if I would run it during the summer unless there was a lot of swim breaks. For California rivers, maybe the American or Russian (near Sacramento). Not recommended unless you've got floatation and a lot of skill, would be the Touolome(spelling), Stanislaus, or the Kern...these are snow fed rivers that can be fairly tuff in some sections...

I did an internet search also, and came up with nothing as you did SctLdr. I'm hoping that there may be some local scouters in that area that would know. For the return leg, I'm also looking for information about freighters, cruise ships, etc. leaving out of Toronto, or someplace close by that will make port in Chicago. Here's the basic plan in it's rough stage... Cycle to Tinnerman for a week of canoeing on the French River A boat ride on the Great Lakes to Chicago AmTrak to Flagstaff, to hike the Grand Canyon (rim to rim to rim). Cycle through Oak Creek Canyon, and into the Mogollon Rim country, spending a week at Camp Geronimo as a camper. Cycle into Phoenix to where the bike will be shipped home. Then off to Lone Pine, Ca., to backpack the John Muir Trail with a visit to the summit of Mt. Whitney. After that...homeward bound

After more than a decade serving on summer camp staffs, decided to take a sabbatical and relax as a "camper" for next year. The plan is a week at Tinnerman,getting there by bike. Since my route(NC, Va., Maryland, Penn, NY) will take me up near the Niagra area, was wondering if there was a ferry service that crossed over to Toronto?