Mike F

Kenk,

Good question!

For the younger guys, I always recommend going with the cheaper fabric boots. There's just no sense in spending a lot of money on boots they're going to outgrow in a year. I did some fantastic training with the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) in Wyoming last year and spent some time talking with their Equipment Manager about boots. He was even more negative about Gortex lining - says that's not the best application of Gortex because the friction and pressure tends to just press the water through. On the plus side, it will dry out faster than a leather liner, but it's not going to keep water out to begin with.

Another bonus of the fabric boots -- they break in much quicker.

On the downside, they don't provide quite as much protection and support. Also don't last as long, but that's not important while the feet are growing.

Have them get the fabric boots. Wear them around to get feet used to them (breaking in the feet is just as important as breaking in the boot). Give them a good coating of waterproofing silicone spray just before the hikes. And bring a couple of extra pairs of socks. Especially for beginning hikers, I will make them change socks during lunch break. A little foot powder isn't a bad idea about then, either.

Speaking of socks, I highly recommend some thick, wool or synthetic socks with a polypropylene (sp?) liner. Wear the liner next to skin - it wicks moisture away and provides a friction layer. Don't wear cotton! Cotton takes 4-5 times longer to dry out once it gets wet.

Boot fit is very important. Be sure the boys spend some time walking around the store for at least 15 minutes before they buy. Give them a "kick test" as follows: First, wear the socks they will wear with the boots for hiking. Second, lace them up good and wear them around. (There should be a little gap between the heel and the back of the boot and they should feel their heel slip a little when walking.) Finally, find a solid surface and kick it a couple of times with their toe. When they do this, their toes shouldn't slide forward and hit the front of the boot. If it does, downhill hiking is going to cause significant problems.

Happy hiking!

-mike

I've seen it and am not in favor, either, although I'm glad it worked for CA_Scouter. I've seen too many scouts that pushed through with min effort to get the badge just to check off the square to get the reward and bail out of the program.

At times during my #1 son's rebellious years (13-14), I mentioned things like withholding driver's license or paying cash for rank. He made it clear the license would be a test of wills -- we really wanted and needed him to start driving to support family logistics. He told me flat out that he wouldn't take my money - that's not what Eagle is all about.

I agree if they are really trying, you give them all the help/coaching they can stand and give them the benefit of the doubt. Lynda and Eamonn both gave examples of scouts that were trying, maybe even doing their best, but struggled. I agree that scouts in this situation have successfully completed their terms of leadership because they learned and grew in the process. Most cases of leadership problems fall into this category. The discussion which follows would be one of the exceptions Eamonn mentions.

I have occasionally run into a different situation where the scout was in the position because he needed it for his next rank advancement, but he didnt want to do anything except wear the patch for 6 months so he could fill the square and be awarded his next rank. These lads wont learn more by working things out for themselves because they arent working period. In these situations the patrol and troop suffer from his inaction and it sets a bad example if you let him remain in position for the entire term, then reward his disrespect for the program by awarding him his next rank. We have had numerous discussions in these forums about how to handle a scout who in the leaders opinions hasnt satisfactorily met the requirements while holding a position of responsibility. Without thrashing through the sordid details again, if the scout holds the position for the entire term but his performance is deemed unsatisfactory, there is a Pandoras Box of appeals through the District Advancement Chair that are usually ruled in the scouts favor. If a scout refuses to put forth any effort, he needs to be removed before his term is up and taught an early lesson in accountability hes obviously not ready for the lessons in leadership.

-mike

CA,

You're right on track with the in-house leader training! Good luck!!

Eammon,

I really enjoy your posts and always learn something new, but I gotta agree with KS on this one about removing a scout from a position (as a last resort - when all the coaching and training has failed).

I will agree that if a scout wants the job and is giving it his best with the training and support of his SM (and others), it's not likely that he could do much significant damage. Others will generally understand.

But if after all the training, coaching, etc., you should consider removing the scout from his position if any one or more of the following become evident:

a. He refuses to take any action to fulfill the responsibilities of his job,

b. Other commitments consume so much of his time that he can't effectively accomplish the requirements of this job at this time (football season, etc.), and/or

c. He has a persistent bad attitude that affects others around him. (I don't mean just a bit of complaining - this one refers to persistent un-Scout-like actions, bullying, etc.)

Being removed from a job for lack of performance is hardly a military thing. How long will a successful business owner tolerate a manager who refuses to do his job? This is an early lesson in the real world. Better to learn it as a Patrol Leader than later as a Branch Chief.

CA,

Dug brings up several very good points. (Sorry for length)

First - how he came to be PL if he's so immature. Too often, I've witnessed PL elections and heard the guys discussing "whose turn it was" to be PL. We need to continually emphasize that they should elect the best available leader for the job. There are no term limits in BSA.

Second what position of responsibility did he use to earn Star? Was it the Den Chief job that he was removed from? SM has a definite say in which scouts are allowed to represent the troop in Den Chief jobs. If a scout has maturity problems, he should not be allowed to undertake this position. At the very least, its not fair to the Den Leader. Theres a detail in the position of responsibility (POR) process thats often missed: In order to get a job, a scout must either be elected to SPL or PL, or be appointed by the SPL (for one of the other staff jobs ASPL, QM, Historian etc.). The only jobs the SM has a direct voice in are Den Chief and Troop Guide. Of course, the SM can also assigned the scout to accomplish a project in order to meet the requirement for Star and Life (not Eagle). In short, a scout gets a job only by being elected or by appointment by SPL or SM. (Note that parents dont have a say. More on that later.) If a scout has serious issues, it will probably be hard for him to get elected and SPL/SM have the option to not select him as the best available for other jobs. We do not have a responsibility to make sure a scout gets a job just because he needs it for his next rank. He has to earn that job.

Third some scouts simply do take longer to be ready for these positions. A lot of factors come into it: maturity, confidence, knowledge, etc. The scout and other scouts usually know whos ready and whos not. Some have a lot of natural ability while others take more time to learn and grow. As part of their growth, we need to look for small ways to give them experience. Asst PL can be a great opportunity, if its done right. PL and Asst should work together to run the patrol. Asst should be ready to step up to the plate when PL misses a meeting or campout. It doesnt count for rank advancement, but its great experience. Patrol Quartermaster or Grubmaster can be a real growth experience, too. The scout gains experience and the other scouts see him in action. As Eagledad/Barry put it so well, find some kind of success experience to give him a positive stepping-stone toward his next opportunity.

(Related side story: We recently visited an Air National Guard fighter wing. The Vice-Wing Commander told us a wonderful story about earning your stripes in that tough environment. When he arrived at his first flying job out of pilot training all full of himself at being a new fighter pilot he was given the job as Squadron Snack Officer. No joke he was in charge of keeping their snack bar stocked with goodies and coffee while the more senior officers were developing F-16 tactics, overseeing maintenance, planning deployments, etc. It was a blow to his ego, but he realized that this was his first opportunity to show his skills in the most menial of tasks, so he made the most of it. Today the former Snack-O is helping lead his F-16 Wing back to Iraq for a second tour.)

Forth parents are all too frequently the root of problems here. While the boys may be content to grow at their own pace, parents who are in a rush to Eagle arent being fair to their sons or anyone else involved when they push them into a situation they arent ready for. We really want the boys to be successful in their attempts to fulfill a leadership role. When theyre pushed in before they are ready, Ive seen scouts come out of it with their confidence in shambles.

Finally after too much rambling Ill get to your request for methods to motivate and encourage this boy in his current job as PL.

#1. In the best interest of her son, encourage mom to calm down and let her son enjoy the program at his own pace.

#2. At the same time, look for ways to help him gain experience and enjoy small victories. Ive heard it said that, as leaders, all we can do is guarantee a program what will allow a scout the opportunity to make First Class. After that, its up to him. When hes ready

#3. I wouldnt recommend JLTC to solve this problem. He needs more training at the troop level first preferably from combination of adults and SPL. Use the PL Handbook as the basis of the training. Make expectations very clear and preferably in writing so he can put them in a notebook. (And so parents can have a copy.) Include some specific small steps that he can use to get started and so that his performance can be measured. Things like plan and lead a patrol activity separate from a troop meeting within the next month. If they dont already have it, include making a patrol flag, yell, etc. Be sure to include things that the scout must do himself where well-intentioned mom wont be able to help too much. If he is unwilling or unable to meet specific, reasonable expectations within the next couple of months, it may be time for another patrol leader election. Or the next thing you know, mom is going to be on your back about getting him his leadership position for Eagle

#4. Assign an older scout or adult to work closely with the scout as a coach/mentor. Someone who can watch carefully and quietly give him feedback and guidance on a continuing basis. Help him plan his first patrol meeting, then sit in the back or around the corner while he executes it. Work with him until he understands the importance of his job and how much the rest of his patrol and troop are counting on him. Give him specific ideas about how to take charge.

Good luck!

-mike f

(This message has been edited by Mike F)

Cyndi,

Wow - what a mess.

Problem mom is also Scoutmaster (SM).

As if that wasn't sticky enough, her dad is Committee Chairman (CC).

Yes - this is going to be difficult to untangle, but necessary.

(Some other acronyms we've tossed out are Charter Organization (CO) and Charter Org Representative (COR) - these are the troop's sponsor and main point of contact.)

Please quietly follow up. With a couple of phone calls, you can find the leader of the OA Unit Elections team. (Your other SM buddy will know.) Quietly tell the OA Unit Elections leader what you have told us with intent of putting vicious rumors to rest or correcting a problem.

You didn't ask - and I almost never offer unsolicited advice - but I'd start thinking about other prospective troops to visit.

My $0.02

I've always used cast iron, but have been advised by friends in this forum that cast aluminum is a viable alternative. They won't melt when using coals for cooking - just don't set them on the fire to burn out old crusty stuff. That said, I'm sticking with cast iron.

After smoking up the house seasoning my DOs a few times, I've started using gas grill outside. Just wipe it down with cooking oil, turn upside down on the grill, close grill top, set flames on high for 20-30 minutes, then off to cool in place.

-mike

Sorry, but I don't agree with the thought that this should be allowed to stand -- I believe too much in the integrity of the vote. If there were a suspicion of wrongdoing, I would contact the OA election representative who ran the unit elections usually from the local OA Chapter or Lodge. (Units are not allowed to run and report on their own elections precisely to avoid this type of thing from happening.)

But you dont have to approach it in an accusatory tone merely as trying to correct a potential mistake. Talk to the OA representative (from outside the troop) about the election. The OA rep should have a copy of the forms that were filled out at the election. Tell him/her that there might have been some confusion at the time of callouts and ask for confirmation on the names of the boys elected. You can say that there has been a rumor floating around that youre trying to resolve for the good of all involved.

If the OA rep admits to being influenced by anyone in reporting the results, he/she should be admonished and the issue needs to be elevated immediately to the SM and CC. If SM (or anyone) is guilty of violating the integrity of a vote for the benefit of her own son (or anyone else), there needs to be a serious discussion about the need for leaders to maintain the highest of standards in modeling the basics of the Scout Oath and Law. I would personally consider this grounds for removal.

If it is determined the scout should not have been called out at this time, someone needs to have a conference with him to explain there was a regrettable mistake and this wasnt his time, but hang in there because hell have many more opportunities.

-mike

Welcome back, BW!

-mike

Beav - you got it about perfect! The only nuance I'd throw in is that the Committee does more than support program - the committee works with the Charter Org to define the program they want to have, and then to support it (through training, resources, etc.). Like you said, the SM and his/her staff are in charge of program.

jd - As I recall, troops cannot establish rules (such as males-only on campouts) at the troop level. But the Charter Organization may establish exclusionary rules such as this one for troops they sponsor.

On the other hand, troops may decide in individual situations when a to keep someone out of a specific activity. I saw this happen a couple of years ago when a parent insisted on participating in a very strenuous high-adventure activity, but was totally unfit physically, emotionally, and mentally. It was a wilderness situation with no easy way to let someone out early. When efforts to disuade the eager leader were unsuccessful, the contingent leader won the support of the SM and CC in banning the adult from the trip. There were threats of lawsuits and it was tough to look the parent in the face and say "you can't come because...". But the banned parent thanked us for preventing what they knew would have been a miserable experience after they learned from son just how tough it had been.

Come to think of it, maybe that's why troops (or COs) establish these rules -- to avoid the pain of working to train and resolve problems or looking people with chronic problems in the eye and giving it to them straight. Not everybody in a catagory is going to have problems, but blanket treatment minimizes hassle.

Thanks, Nutz!

You made my day!!

-mike

Hi, Nutz!

Welcome to the "campfire!"

I did some rooting around - you can find a ton of info on Emergency Prep MB at the following sites:

http://www.meritbadge.com/files/mb-pdfs/EmergencyPreparedness.pdf

http://www.meritbadge.com/mb/006.htm

http://www.relia.net/%7Ethedane/passports.html

http://www.relia.net/~thedane/emergency_preparedness_passport.pdf

A word of caution - your topic says "Merit Badge University."

Please be careful if someone is encouraging you to put on a class for a group of scouts and expect them all to be done with this merit badge at the end of the day. It just can't be done.

You can have a lot of fun (and keep them awake) by doing a lot of demonstrations. One example would be to take an old frying pan outside on a concrete pad, put a greasy paper towel in it, and light it. Demonstrate how easy it is to extinguish by simply putting the lid in place. (Give this a try at home before going prime time. Consider gloves, long sleeve shirt, and safety glasses.)

For another, start a small fire (to demonstrate fire in garage, etc.) and use a fire extinguisher to put it out. Most scouts have probably never seen a fire extinguisher in action.

Other things come to mind (like why you shouldn't use water on a gasoline fire), but I'd probably get a volunteer from the local fire department involved - this one's not for the novice.

Definitely demonstrations and hands on as much as possible. They won't remember much if it's all talk.

Again - you can have a lot of fun with demos for a group class so they'll remember, but they really need to be matched up with a personal counselor for the actual sign-off one at a time. This MB is too important to just mass group demo, talk, and sign. Some day in the future, many of these scouts will be face-to-face with an emergency and this MB may be the only training that makes the difference between life and death.

Good luck!

-mike

Before I start please I have no intent to convince, only share observations.

My two Boy Scout sons are in different troops, so I have the opportunity to serve, compare and contrast two very different programs (in terms of size, camping emphasis, program emphasis, etc.).

The smaller troop makes it very clear from the first visit that only males are invited to go camping, with the exception of annual family campout. Moms are involved on the troop committee and with other behind-the-scenes stuff - they just dont go camping. I had reservations, but after pushing my eldest sons troop hard and visiting about four other troops before this one, my 2nd son was adamant this was one he wanted to join.

I dont know how the troop policy came to be this way. When we first visited about 3 years ago, we were told point blank about the troop policy and it was noted that this was different from the other dozen troops in the area, so there are choices. The troop has been around for 12 years and seems to be doing fine.

Ive heard some suggest the guys-only troops must be participating in some heinous activities theyd be ashamed to have ladies witness. I havent seen any signs of this. Humor, discussion topics, and casual wear around the campfire (no loincloths) are pretty much the same in both. As an insider, I have never seen any overt signs of them being an unenlightened, anti-women He-man Women-Haters Club. Its never discussed and never an issue with the scouts not that its hidden or forbidden just never comes up.

The scouts and families in the troop seem to be satisfied with the status quo. The moms (including a couple of single moms) are vocally appreciative of the men who will consistently step up to the plate to help provide the opportunity for their sons and most are relieved at not feeling pressure to come along. Mind you, this applies to the families that have joined the troop. The reaction of visitors is very mixed ranging from Interesting tell me more, through Youre kidding, right? to a string of un-lady-like expletives and My lawyer will call you as they hit the exit door. (I am not making this up.) A few are offended, but at least the troop leaders are up-front from the day you first visit, so there are no shifting requirements and other frustrating games later.

The Charter Org is happy and within its rights within BSA policy to set this requirement. My son is happy. The troop delivers a good program. Nobody is stuck there are plenty of local options. I regret this offends some, but it really seems like a non-issue.

Now Ill scamper off to hide in my cave and chew on some manly mammoth jerky

-mike

I've written about this in other threads, but here goes again.

To my amazement last summer at Philmont, on our first evening on the trail, after all the chores were done, the skinniest kid on our crew whips out a big bag of poker chips and a game of Texas Hold 'Em broke out.

My first impulse was to close them down and send the chips out with our Ranger, but I decided to watch closely to see how it was handled. And I was glad I did - they had a blast.

Crew Leader made sure the games didn't get in the way of other activities. Games sure made the time hunkered down under rain fly go quicker. Games after evening chow/cleanup became a ritual - gathering members of other crews who came over for the nightly tournaments. Our campsite became a gathering place - especially at trail camps without evening programs. The guys were having fun and making new friends while the advisors wandered off in search of an Advisors Coffee.

No money changed hands - chips used to keep score.

Without a word, the games have never made a re-appearance on monthly campouts since Philmont.

Now, mind you, this is not how I would have chosen to spend my precious few free hours out in God's Country - the Philmont outback - where most of them will never again tread. They didn't have exactly the kind of experience I had imagined, but we never skipped any program - including trail Bible study - and there was also plenty of time for Frisbee games, etc.

This was an older crew - all 16 or 17. I might have felt differently if they were younger. And I don't think I'd ever condone it as an activity on a regular troop campout. One of the beauties of Philmont (to me) is hitting the trail early so you can (usually) beat the afternoon rains and have some free time at your next camp. Weekend troop campouts are just too busy - there's almost always something else that they ought to be doing. And younger scouts don't have the maturity to know when something is appropriate or not.

In short - poker - no for monthly troop campouts. Maybe yes for activities with just the older guys.

-mike

BSAChaplain,

Yes - I did mean to say that the new scouts could be intentionally excluded.

The recommendation to do so was given to me several years ago by one of our Lodge Elections Advisors. This occurred after our second or third year in a row of having a very poor election percentage apparently due to brand new scouts (within their first month of joining and before their first campout with troop) who didnt know the eligible candidates, but submitted ballots anyway.

Im not saying this is generally the best answer. The OA Guide to Inductions (http://www.oa-bsa.org/resources/pubs/gti/GuideToInductions.pdf) makes the following point in numerous places: In you are new in the troop and do not know the candidates well enough to vote wisely, you may abstain by not turning in a ballot at all, and this will not affect the final result. P.66

But in practice, its hard to put a ballot into a brand new scouts hands, and then suggest he not turn it in.

If a new scout is in his first few weeks in a troop, I dont think hell miss much by not being there for the first of more to come. If done well, it keeps him out of an awkward situation and gives him and his other First Year buddies more time to work on some fun skill stuff.

Note: I cant find anything in the guide that says all registered members of a troop must be allowed to vote, but there is a requirement that at least 50% of the troops registered membership participate in the election for the election to be valid. If slipping the new guys out back will take you below this number, its not an option.

For the record, we now schedule our elections between recharter and the mass influx in March to avoid this issue completely.

-mike

I've been through Sommers, too, but used NCCO in 2003 at Eagle90's recommendation and had a great experience!

Early August - got very lucky - no black flies and minimal skeeters until the last couple of evenings. Caught fish every day.

The biggest difference to me was the exhilaration of pushing away, heading into adventure, with just our crew - no professional guide, interpreter, etc. Our scout Crew Leader and his team did a great job figuring things out and came away with an incredible sense of accomplishment. Adults paddled at the rear to stay out of their way and had a great time.

In case of emergency, we did rent a satellite phone. Kinda pricey, but cheap if you really need to call in help.

-mike

Good golly!

My crews called me ugly names concerning our prep for Philmont 2004 and it was nothing like this. Hope you've found ways to make it fun.

A number of these are called "required." What do you do if someone misses one?

-mike

ps,

Yes - having a GPS with trail waypoints marked would help sometimes, but not all the time. Philmont rotates its trails - periodically they'll shut one down and route you via another trail to give the old one a chance to recover from the abuse of 1000s of boots every summer. They'll also have conservation crews working to repair and prevent erosion on the closed trail. The point here is the trails change some, so you'll have a hard time getting precise waypoints for all trails. If you depend solely on GPS, it will let you down sometimes.

Philmont maps also aren't as precise as your GPS, so don't be surprised if they disagree.

One of our Boundary Waters crews in 2003 took a nice GPS loaded with maps of the area. They found it to be very useful and almost didn't even take a compass. But were glad they did when they dropped the pricey GPS unit into Lake Agnes.

I'm old school and prefer map & compass, but one of our adults brought a GPS to Philmont last summer. We wouldn't let the boys use it, but kept it on while we were hiking to keep a digital log of our hiking miles. Eventually the boys got smart and asked us about elevation - very useful in sorting out one of those confusion clouded times.

For me, GPS falls in the category of "nice to have" items that I think hard about before tossing in the pack. Given the choice, I'd rather carry a big bag of Snickers bars to share when we reached the top of Mt. Baldy. Or maybe a little camcorder to capture the memories. But that's just my opinion.

Happy hiking!

-mike

ps,

Lots more good advice above.

We live at sea level and I knew altitude adaptation would be an issue, so we stayed in Colorado Springs for two nights before heading down to Philmont. Toured the Air Force Academy and did some fairly strenuous day hiking - guys loved it! Spending a couple of extra nights at high altitude helped a lot - we had no problems with altitude by the time we were on the trail.

Map & Compass skills are essential, but not too difficult. Hardest part is getting the guys to use them and do the required thinking along the way. You can do about 90% of the navigating by just looking at a map and looking for trail signs, but there will be times when trails arent clearly marked, signs are down (or, worse, rotated on post), or when a phantom rabbit trail leads you off in the generally correct direction, but peters out leaving your crew searching through the brush for the trail. Make the guys use discipline in their daily planning. The navigator (or naviguesser) should study the maps and give a short briefing on the days trail before you strap on the packs. (Our Crew Leader and Naviguesser would huddle to study the maps every evening to get ready for next day.) He should know how far, how much elevation change, rough distance between trail changes, etc.

Try to get them to make a quick map & compass check before taking any trail. (You wont always be successful, but after having to backtrack a time or two, theyll learn that your recommendation is a good one!) Looking ahead for opportunities to fill up on water is crucial. You dont want to carry an extra 2 liters of water if theres more available in the next few miles only take what you need (plus some). And you darned sure dont want to miss your last water stop before heading into a dry camp.

As an advisor, I always had a map and compass out, following our progress, from the back of the crew. But I let the Crew Leader and Naviguesser make all the decisions and I intentionally let them take the wrong trail without comment. After a couple of miles, Id ask for a map check time for the Crew Leader and Naviguesser to show us where we were on the map. This didnt involve just pointing to the map. They needed to get it oriented, show trail was heading the correct direction, and point out landmarks (peaks, ridge lines, valleys, etc.) that all matched the map. When these didnt all match up and a cloud of confusion descended, Id ask if this picture (what we see here) didnt look more like some place on this other trail on the map (the wrong one which I was pretty sure we were on). After a few episodes like this, they got the point and paid a lot more attention to detail. BTW I didnt just call for a map check when I thought we were lost I did it other times to keep them on their toes and to build confidence when they could prove we were on the right trail. And at least once the guys were able to show me they were right and we werent on the wrong trail after all.

Its hard to be an advisor at the back, watching the boys make mistakes you could prevent by stepping in to take charge. But they learn and grow a lot from taking the responsibility, making decisions, facing the consequences of bad decisions, and learning to prevent them from occurring again. Its well worth a few extra miles on these old legs.

One more thought about map & compass before I move on. I strongly recommend buying one of those higher-end compasses that allow you to set the magnetic variation for your hiking area. Philmonts is about 10-deg, meaning when the compass says something is at a magnetic bearing of North (360 or 000), its really at a true bearing of 010. Since maps are oriented to true north, this difference must be accounted for. You can learn to do the math in your head, but it can lead to confusion when trying to triangulate position, etc. The better compasses where you can dial in and forget Mag Var are worth the money.

Now onto other stuff.

We also used the bag method for food. Had different colors for breakfast, lunch, and dinners. Each of the meal bags has a number (Lunch #5, etc.). We kept them grouped together in storage bags so it was easy to find all the Lunch #5s when it was time to eat. The bags were very useful in keeping things together and made it easy to reach into packs to pull out all the food when we got to camp.

Every hiker also had his own bag for his personal "smellables." These all went up into the bear bags at night and kept the sorting and confusion to a minimum. In addition to marking your crews bear bags with some identifying tape or tag, we had a separate color tag to identify the personal smellables and we used a separate rope to hang it. Almost every night we would be out there with a flashlight to pull down the smellables bag because someone forgot to stow his toothbrush, needed some medication, etc.

One piece of personal gear I would highly recommend for adults is one of those Crazy Creek chairs. You still sit on the ground, but the support for the old back is wonderful after humping a pack all day. If there's room in your pack, put it right against your back to cushion against odd shaped things like stoves that want to dig in. At night, open it up flat and put it under your sleeping pad under your torso. Won't cushion your entire body, but keeps rocks/roots from digging into your shoulders and hips where it really counts.

Weight is at a premium, but consider making sure your crew has a few things for recreation. My last crew brought a few Frisbees that served as dinner plates and hours of fun playing tag, long-throw contests, etc. The guys might never do this at home, but they get creative when they're in the boonies without TV, Nintardo, etc. To my astonishment our first night on the trail last summer, my guys also pulled out a bag of poker chips and a few decks of cards. I had mixed feelings about this, but they had a lot of fun and crews would come over from nearby campsites to join the evening tournaments while us advisors shared coffee. (No real money changed hands.)

Speaking of coffee - two things to consider:

1. If you're a coffee addict like me, you might well run into a conflict in the mornings. Most of the breakfasts are non-cook. This is good in that you can get on the trail quicker, but the downside is that there's no reason to fire up the stoves - except for meeting the addict's craving. Since the other adults on my crew last summer weren't similarly afflicted, I was alone in insisting on a hot cuppa joe on morning #1. And the crew had to wait on me - impatiently. From then on, I stirred the crystals into a cup of cold water, winced, and quickly met my need. Consider different options; a) coffee drinkers get up 1/2 hour early (but this is kinda counterproductive if you think about it), b) slam it cold, or c) taper way back before you get there so you're functional in the morning without a fix.

2. Most staff camps have an advisors coffee in the evening. This is a great time to have some good (by trail standards) coffee, meet other advisors to share stories/ideas, usually get a snack. Trail camps, however, have no staff so nobody to provide coffee. Since about half of our camps were trail camps, we brought a stash of coffees, cocoa, teas, sugar, etc. and had our own Advisors Coffees at the trail camps. We had a great time visiting with some of our sister crews (crews that were on the same itinerary as us) and took turns hosting. Things really brightened up when someone pulled out a stash of goodies to share. (Wish I had thought of that. Next time!)

I wish I was going back this year, but thatll have to wait. Already have plans for a visit in 2006.

-mike

jam,

Very good question and I'm glad you asked. I've seen this foul up a troop's election. As others have said, a blank ballot turned in is really a vote "against" all eligible candidates. It's perfectly acceptable to have brand new scouts who don't know the candidates abstain from the election.

The easiest way to handle the new guys is simply to plan an alternate activity for them while the rest of the troop participates in the OA election. A good one would be for them to be in another room or outside working on their Scout or Tenderfoot advancement or having fun with some basic skills to get them ready for their first campout. You can have your Troop Guides (or other scouts working with First Year Scouts) quickly fill out their ballots before slipping out with the new guys.

Good luck!

-mike

rour,

This is going to be long - sorry - I've been down this treacherous path several times.

I'll assume the BOR members have an issue with the way he accomplished his position of responsibility (POR). If the BOR is the first to tell scout he didn't serve adequately in his POR, then a lot of other folks weren't doing their job.

But that doesn't mean you have to just pass him off and send him on his way. There are alternatives, but lots of pitfalls, so step carefully.

Don't just tell the scout he didn't do the job adequately and send him away. These situations have turned into ugly appeals starting at District and sometimes going all the way to National.

First of all, you need to find out exactly what guidance, training, coaching, and feedback he got during his tour of duty. Did he have a written job description? Was he trained to the point where he understood everything required? Was someone working with him to help him be successful - giving him guidance and feedback along the way?

If he was trained, guided, coached, and received explicit feedback on areas that needed improvement and still failed to meet clear expectations, this is fairly easy and won't be a surprise to the scout.

If the troop let him down and didn't make sure he had everything he needed to be successful, then you have a mess on your hands. (More on that later.)

First of all, it's too bad the SM didn't step up during SM conference to explain that scout hasn't really benefited enough from his leadership growth opportunity. Ive seen it done successfully at this step usually with a SM-assigned leadership project to help the scout develop areas hes missed so far. At this point it can be done quietly without embarrassing the scout. Also best to let the parents know whats going on. The real point to make is that the scouting program is about developing leadership in stages and its not in the scouts best interest for him to advance to a rank when he hasnt really benefited from the growth opportunities at that stage. If he is advanced when he and the other scouts question it, his self-confidence and status in the group are diminished.

This all gets harder at BOR with more people and more publicity. Consider having BOR members meet with SM to express concern (without scout present) and see if they can all agree on a recovery plan, then have the SM and a board member discuss it with scout and his parents.

NOTE: The sticky issue is whether or not the scout held the position for the full term. Its always better to remove a scout from a position within a few months if he has been trained, coached, and counseled - and still doesnt perform. Two reasons for this: 1) The troop needs all leaders to be doing their job for the troop to run, and 2) Theres no arguing later about whether or not he should get rank advancement credit if he was removed from the job.

Now, for the worst scenario: Scout not fully trained, not adequately coached, received little/no guidance or feedback, held the title for full term (in this case, at least 6 months), but clearly did not perform adequately. (Its no surprise he didnt do a good job the troop let him down.) You want him to benefit from a good leadership experience so he has the chance to grow into the Life rank.

It can be done, but you need to do two things:

1) Admit we let him down by not properly training and coaching him, but we want to support his growth with the following opportunity. Then present a get-well plan. (SM assigned leadership project, other POR, etc.) Involve scout and parents in this.

2) Tell the scout and his parents that if they disagree and want to appeal your decision to hold up his rank advancement a bit, they can contact the District Advancement Chair to start an appeal.

Heads up if the scout (or really, the parents) wants to make an issue of it and the troop didnt document training, position responsibilities, evidence of couching, etc., then the troop will usually not win a vigorous appeal. But I still recommend you take this approach of holding him off its in the scouts best interest to grow the proper amount at each step. Youre not punishing him by holding him up youre offering him the time and help to improve.

Finally - work is not over. It's time to have a program review with the SM to determine how you got here in the first place. One of the troop committees jobs is to review the troop program and to work together to make sure the troop is delivering the promise of scouting. Take a good look at training program, make sure every leader gets the coaching he needs to grow and be successful, put feedback points in place to correct problems early, consider documenting decisions and discussions so a record exists in event of issue or confusion (more important if youre a big troop with a lot of leaders its easy to forget who youve talked to). With an understanding of the pitfalls and a little up-front effort, its really not too hard to avoid this kind of thing. Leadership development is one of our most important jobs.

Good luck!

-mike f

Waking the sleepy head...

We had problem with one scout on Boundary Waters trip a couple of summers ago - wouldn't budge when dripping tent was dropped on him and didn't change after advisor dad forcefully dragged him out.

The scout Crew Leader (who had the only alarm clock and was responsible for wake-up calls) came up with solution: Breakfast would be served 30 minutes after wakeup call. Nobody was allowed to eat until their personal gear was all packed and ready to load. If you were late and chow was gone, you were out of luck.

The first morning was not pleasant, but the Crew Leader calmly explained that the only thing that "wasn't fair" was making the rest of the crew wait for an hour or longer on someone who refused to get up and move at the time they all agreed upon the night before. End of problem. With adequate motivation, our sleepy head jumped up every morning. Breakfast much more enjoyable for the rest of the trip.

SemperParatus,

I haven't been able to tap in much lately, but I'm very thankful I caught your story tonight. Wow -- thanks for sharing! I have a feeling you are going to get many more opportunities to tell this story and more -- you have a gift!!

-mike

Dale,

How could I have left off Laguna Station!?!?! (http://www.lagunastation.org/)

That's my old home council - Rio Grande Council.

I haven't taken a crew there, yet, but recent reports from 4 other local troops were all very positive. We'll be getting down there in the next year or two.

-mike

KirkGinn,

Welcome to Houston!

Unfortunately, you're going to have to travel for the really good stuff.

We had a crew raft the Rio Grande in Big Bend a few years ago. They used a private outfitter and had a great time.

If you don't want to travel so far, there's also some pretty good white water canoeing to be had on the Guadalupe River upstream of Canyon Lake, but check into the local SHAC requirements - leaders must have completed approved flat water and white water canoe training. You can go through training offered through Strake or check out Goose Creek Canoe Clinic at http://www.canoeclinic.com/.

See you round the campfire sometime!

-mike