le Voyageur

For me, niether. With LNT becoming more and more the norm there are much much better ways to prepare firewood than with either an ax or hachet. Overall I tend to think that it would be better for the Totem Chip to go away, but with a transfer of some of the requirements over into the either the Tenderfoot, or Second Class ranks to enhance a scout's outdoor skills.

Having seldom used any of these items I can't really provide an objective opinion. But a warning is in order as I've seen both adults and scouts wear these systems over their PFD's on the river. With most Class 3 PFD rated for 15 pounds of floation, six pounds of water on your back could put the wearer in jeopardy. Better to strap it to a twart....

...headed to NCS soon, won't be posting much until the camp season is over. Do take care all, may you and your scouts have one great summer....en roulant P.S. Our trek is featured in the May issue of Boys' Life...

An excellant source on whitewater safety is River Rescue by Bechdel and Ray ISBN 1-878239-55-4

Here's a link that I've found, it's not the best, but it'll give you an ideal of what the Millpond is like... http://www.wildriveroutfitters.com/events/trips/merchant.htm The Millpond is located in Gates County, NC, below Suffolk, best time for canoeing is autum and spring. For myself I enjoy paddling into an area of the Millpond called Lassiter's Swamp to enjoy a place called the Enchanted Forest, a grove of Cypress estimated being around a 1,000 years old. Neat Place! I'm now exploring nearby Sarem Creek, which is fairly wild and pristine. If I can fine suitable campsites, I would have no problem guiding a very small group (6 to 8) into the area. And yes, I on the staff at Blue Ridge, won't be hard to find, look for an old geezer wearing a bright red tuque with a pom pom. and an assumption sash....LOL,we don't blend in with the rest of the staff..

sst3rd I see that you're up in the Richmond area, if you ever tempted to bring your unit down this way to play on either Merchant Millpond, or Bennett's Creek, or ???.... shoot me an E,...

Some misc. thoughts before my ISP disconnects.... In crossing wide lakes, bays or rivers consider an early morning put in. The cool air will be more stable with less wind and chop on the water than later in the afternoon. Begin inching more shoreward as the afternoon wears on so as not to get caught out in the middle of someplace you'd rather not be should a T storm pop up. On waterways with ship traffic be aware that these big guys will generate both a bow wake, and a sternwake, along with screw trubulance astern. Keep your distance, and yield the right of way (common on the lower James, and the Chesapeke).

E., looks like we posted about the same time, just know that I agree with you concering the Coleman's. Useable for ponds, and small lakes. But worthless for serious river running. But, with the new seats, the proper kneeling is even more impossible for the bowman, forcing that person way to forward.... Better to spend the bucks and get a good boat (Old Town, Mohawk, etc.). Even if the boat is used, it'll still be better than a new Coleman

In canoeing it is the rule that someone will eventually flip their boat... Use buddy pairs, buddy boats, and buddy groups for safety. When crossing large open expansives of water keep your boats within the radius of your throwing lines. Wind, swells, and current can distance a person from their boat fairly quickly. A small, bright red, orange, or yellow nylon stuff sack can also be stored in a PFD's pocket, and can be used as a boot over the paddle's blade, making it easier to be spotted should this happen. Just remember not to let go of the paddle as you go overboard..... For order of rescue in flatwater use, people, boat, gear as the rule. For swift water, the rule is people, gear, boat. For T rescues (or boat over boat), brace the assisting boat with another In cold weather on cold water have an emergency rewarming plan ready to go. For summer, don't forget sun block, and sun blocking clothing as canoes can turn into reflector ovens

Yep! E. is doing an outstanding job...good, solid info. Just a few minor details to touch on... PFD's - consider Class III's for comfort. They also offer a bit more protection for the torso in the event of the spill. Consider outfitting each PFD in the group with a simple CPR face shield [mine is equipped with, besides the CPR shield, a set of airways, latex gloves, EMT shears, knife, folding handsaw, flashlight, cyalume, 2 carabiners, marine flare/smoke bomb, small airhorn, a short range twoway radio, and a cell phone with a list of key phone numbers]. Paddles - consider the grip, and how it fits your hand. Look/feel for fricton spots. For flatwater the best paddle length is one that keeps you from lifting your grip hand higher than your shoulders. Bent blades, beavertails, and narrow deepwater ottertails are great for flatwater, but do little for control in swift water. A broad blade, straight shaft with a t-handle grip works better overall. The length of the paddle should allow for highbraces with steep lean angles. Would like to stress what E. said about punchos, please keep them off of the river. In swift water they are a death trap... Again, E., a great posts, an extra helping of cobbler your way...

Great post eisley....solid advice [got ISP problems - gotta go before I get disconnected again. Back soon]

Yes. How can I help?

Yarrow When at camp, take a momemt with either the Program Director and/or the Scoutcraft director and go over any requirments of the Camping MB your Scouts have completed prior to camp. (some Camp Commissioners will do this as an automatic and pass the information on to the various directors, so also consider the CC as a troop resource while at camp)

Baker tents can be bought new at Track of the Wolf, Inc http://www.trackofthewolf.com Lean-To-8-W 8x8 water repellent 165.00 Lean-To-8-M 8x8 marine finshed 195.00 Lean-T--8-F 8x8 flame resistant 235.00 These shelters are 8 feet wide, by 8 feet deep with a 2 ft. high back wall, and 6 ft. at the ridge. You'll need to cut your own poles

Sounds like great fun, but how about a little more imformation on your hike. I'm figuring maybe 10 or so miles in wooded and hilly terrain (Georgia). The best that I can suggest is maybe a Cateye hike to mark the trail, plus way stations every few miles that hikers must check into for a head count... Since you're dealing with a fairly large group of scouts, I would suggest that instead of a mass start, that crews be staggered out a bit, else the jackrabbits in the back will eventually run over the slower ones up front.....

OGE, if I can get the District's blessings on this, you and your unit would be more than welcomed. With the District's May meeting about 2 weeks away I'm starting to put together some ideas for a presentation. So, anybody got any ideals that they would like to pass along. As a side note for those folks who have done no re enacting, re enacting involves more than just representing military units. For example, couer de bois, merchants, traders, smiths, coopers, wheelwrights, scouts, buck skinners, voyageurs (of course). Basically, any and all of the elements that make up the societal fabrics of a past era. One of the best that I've seen was a young girl who's persona was that of an Irish washer woman during the Rev. War. Natural red hair, green eyes, frekles, and a lith with no modern idoms, in correct period clothing. Nothing Hollywood. But, remember, we're dealing with Scouts who have no experience with re enacting. So the big ticket is to keep it simple. The overall goal is to intoduce them to living history, and make it fun. So feel free to voice opinions and ideals that you would like to see, or take part in if you were a scout at this camporee. Thanks, LV

Fall camporee is still a bit of a ways down the road. But, the problem is that our District Camporees are getting a wee bit stale with the same themes being recycled year after year. Here's me thoughts that I'm thinking about presenting to the District; a camporee akin to the Fiest of the Hunter's Moon rendezvous (a major gathering of re-enactors in October) using the American Hertiage, Indian Lore, and Pioneering merit badges as the primary guide, with units free to re enact any period of American history from 1585 to 1900 that they would be interested in. Thoughts, yea or nay..........

buffalo2 Contact time would be a lot shorter if we had to deal only with bacteria. Cyst like organisms such as Giardia require time for their cell walls to break down before they can be rendered harmless. The other tuff guys out there are the viruses which can be far harder to kill. A good referance source is Microbiology, 2ed, 1973 ISBN 06-140683-x

Thinks for the update Mike, didn't know that Pur cease making the purifiers. Strange that that information was not passed along by Pur, as I was researching the medical contraindications. Can understand their reason, since contact time is very important, especially when pumping snow melt runoff. As for freezing the cartridge, it prevents mold and algi build up is all. It was a problem that I was having due to the high humidity here in the southeast...

Cleaning one's water filter after returning from an outing is a good habit to get into. A few more tips... The best ratio of bleach to water is 1:10 with a contact time around 30 to 45 minutes for all parts. Also, after the final rinse, and a bit of drying, the cartridge element can be stored in the freezer. For those who use a Camelback or a similar hydration system just remove the mouthpiece, and plug it directly into the Pur Hiker when pumping water. On a safety note since the Pur Hiker can be easily upgraded to a purifier that those with seafood/iodine allergies can't use them....

sst3rd, The Voyageur Trek is based out of Powhattan, so stop by and say howdy (we're there for Sunday check-in, and back in on Friday).

If you're a Reserveration Director, or a Camp Director planning to buy for the first time, or replacing old kayaks take a look at Perception's Swiftys. These boats are great for the beginner, lightweight (easy to portage), very stable, and trac with little effort. Cost? Not too bad, you can buy 2 for the price of one Old Town 175 canoe, and still have a few dollars left over (they sell at a discount to schools and youth groups). Also, these boats are great creek runners that are able to handle tech CII's for those with more experiance (beyound this, they tend to swamp out due to the large cockpit). The only modifications that is needed is simply drilling a few drainage holes in the seat. Additionally, they can be stacked on end in the back of a pickup, thus precluding the need to buy a boat trailer to haul them to the put in.

Bob I agree 100 per cent with what you're saying. However, here's the problem. The Venture/Older Boy programs are the BSA's promises of opportunities to Scouts to be involved in high adventure activities. We need the infastructure to deliver that promise not only to our youth, but also, as a means to support the unit and crew leaders that are trying to deliver that promise. That's the soap box I'm standing on...do we keep our word, or do we pay lip service to the concept, and wonder why older boy retention in Scouting is a problem...

Somewhere between, 18 to 25 pounds for a five day trek in warm weather (includes food and water).

The problem with BSA High Adventure from my perspective is this... In the rush to create the Venture program National forgot the finer details. What is needed is the development for a new section in the Guide for Safe Scouting that deals with directly with High Adventure. This would include key elements in the guidelines used by C.O.P.E., Climbing, Aquatics, and Shooting Sports Directors. The creation at the Council and District level, High Adventure Committees that supports Venture Crews, and Units with older boy programs. A minimum level of Trek Leader training for Unit Leaders. Reformatting the BSA Lifeguard program into three different levels (Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced). Basic would be as is with few changes, Intermediate would deal more with waterfronts and openwater, and Advance would cover moving and swift water. At the National level, bifurcating DE's into two seperate career paths, Admin (those that deal with money and bodies, ie. the traditional DE), and Program, who's training, until BSA can catch up, would be, or akin to NOLS. And who's primary responsibilty would be to direct a council's High Adventure program. Any other thoughts????