red feather

Thanks for all the replies. So far the forum is split pretty much on the lines of the troop that I serve. After discussions we are leaning pretty heavy on the the real world adage...'the job ain't done until the paper work is done'. Kinda real world sort of thing. The young man is a Eagle with or without the patch. The patch is, imho, just a recognition of an organization that he has earned it. Not that he is one. thanks again, going to summer camp this Sunday with the troop. yahoo!! yis Red feather

When can an Eagle Patch be worn? Have a young scout that wishes to purchase an Eagle Patch to wear on uniform to camp. EBOR was last Sunday, camp starts this Sunday. Final paperwork submitted, no response from national yet. Can he purchase a patch and wear it? yis red feather

Been using an external frame for almost 20 years. Not sure you can find this one anymore, CampTrails Omega. At the time the only one I could find to fit me. 6'6". On second frame, (first passed on a 70' fall that I was not attached to. Snagging branches and such depends on how much bushwacking you intend to do. At my height it does not matter much. Personally I like the frame at times to back into the trail and let the frame and pack take the hits. Look around, surf the backpacking sites. I spent 2 hours in the store, different weights, different weight loads and configura

Been awhile. Sorry for the soap box. The use of uniforms in scouting is a tool. Scouts do not care what the requirements are, scouters even less at the start. National puts out a guideline that is hopefully folowed. How the tool of uniform is used depends on each Troops situation, doesn't it? I have been active the troop that I serve for 18 plus years (Eagle'68, ASM 10 years or so, MC 3 years and SM 6 yrs, now ASM, working with a Scout led troop) and as an adult scouter the uniform that I wear plays in two ways. One of course is to try to impress the scouts in that if I can wear

Interesting how flags keep coming up over time. One of the issues that the troop that I serve is that we are receiving more nylon/poly flags over the last couple years. Seems that the timeline for 911 flags for retirement is getting close or here now. The troop that I serve retire flags every year at our yearly family overnight. No cutting of flags, grommets recovered and treated with respect, scouts and family members, if they wish, involved with the retirement. Quiet, respectful, honoring. The issue that we are having to deal with is the nylon/poly flags. When retired by burn

Have done it both ways, last time 81 or so, fuzz stick would not take spark so I beat it with a rock, it got the idea, then held the spark/fire. Usually by the time you make a fuzz stick you could have used powers of observation and found enough good tinder and have your fire started. Besides I carry a good birds nest tender bag in my pack. Be Prepared. yis red feather

Kinda interesting, especially going back to the original with the RT eagles demo of the fuzz stick. Brought back memories of my youth. Was taught the fuzz stick back in the late 60s. One overnight all the scouts spent time carving/shaving a fuzz stick. If memory serves me right spent a half hour or more doing it. I remember being pretty proud of the hard work with a knife to create a fuzz stick. We tried to use our sticks to start a fire and the silly things would not take hold. One of the dads came over and took a look at the fuzz sticks and told us that we had done a good jo

This is something I should know. But a combination of a senior moment(s) and being on the road without my books I have a question. What is the daily limit for driving? 600 miles? 10 hours? or a combination? yis red feather

I apologize for not providing a link to news articles concerning this, but you can Google Joplin boyscouts to access the information available. Over 1000 scouts and scouters from around the country converged on Joplin MO this weekend to help in the recovery. I have no first hand knowledge of what the other groups did, but the group of 100 plus scouts and scouters that I was honored to work with did clean up saturday in the debris field at the destroyed Irving Elementary School within sight of the destroyed St.Johns Hospital. Removing and sorting debris from around the building to facili

There are ticket punch Eagles. There are Eagles that soar and Eagles that flap. There are Eagles who just don't get it. That is life. That said, it is not the rank of Eagle that is important but what the scout was exposed to in the earning of the rank. Many of these exposures may not come to fruition for a number of years if at all. Even those who soar as young Eagles will make choices that are not 'up to the standard' and some who flap will live 'up to the standard' it is what they have been taught as scouts that will be the determining factor in how they respond to life. Took me a num

Might consider adding a line: Scouts, get ready for a really fun adventure!!! yis red feather

Thanks Info, that is what I remembered but could not find. KC9, the PLC has established preliminary guidelines and wished to look at what other units had developed. They feel that they do not have enough knowledge/experience to do an E chit program from scratch and requested that I try to find programs either in use or in development as I spend time in various forums. This has been in the works for almost 4 months and they have worked pretty hard and have had discussions at every PLC meeting for 4 months and has gathered input from each patrol. yis red feather

The PLC is looking for a method of instruction to scouts in the troop as to the proper usage of electronic devices in the scouting venue. Not my words but the SPL and the PLC. Not sure what you mean by "in the long run or something else." They are looking for input into how to layout a structured program that will allow the proper use of electronics in scouting. By asking for input from this forum it should/may give the SPL information from outside of the troop to create the method that will be accepted by the scouts. This is their gig, they want to set the standard, not have i

Got a call from the SPL requesting that I ask this forum if any troop has developed an E-Chit(p) (Electronic communication and use) program to allow the troop to establish guidlines on proper use of electronics. He is working up a program to teach proper use of electronics in the scouting venue and is looking for ideas and provide a method similar to Totin Chip to monitor it. thanks in advance yis red feather

In light of the destruction in Joplin, the troop that I serve contacted the Joplin Council office. The scouting response to help in Joplin has caused the council to try to put together a "mini-jamboree" type of weekend set up. Please read the following from the Ozark Trails Council that we recieved in response of our request to travel to Joplin as a troop and assist in the clean up. For what it is worth, idea came from the PLC. Begin: Joplin Scout Relief Update - June 7, 2011 The Ozark Trails Council sincerely thanks you and your scouts for their offer of support for those a

I agree with basement, learn the troop culture/traditions. Study the Troop Committee. They may be such that they need only continuation or tweeking or major overhaul. Is the troop that you will serve adult led? boy led? scout led? There is a difference between boy led and scout led. The troop that I serve was adult led intially and now 6 years later we are scout led and working the patrol method. Takes time and patience. Remember you only have to be 2-3 pages ahead in the scout handbook. Remember you will be leading 'young gentlemen' and if you treat them as such they will respond. S

Frequency won't change, locations already have. Working towards more backpacking style camping and the committee is looking into a smaller trailer. yis red feather

In the troop that I serve, personal responsibility and trustworthy are key. Had a young gentleman tell ne something that I knew was not so. As a scout his word is good enough as his word is Trustworthy as a scout, even though I knew that what he told me was not correct. Very little time passes and the young gentleman owns up to the lack of trustworthiness and corrects the issue in question. Life lesson learned, personal Happiness for both of us. yis red feather

Probably have too many bags but I do a lot of demos on bag types, combinations, uses and cold weather camping. I have a bivy sack, a 60, 40, 20 and 0 degree bags. Coldest been out in is minus 15, windchill minus 25, tarp tenting. Used the 0 inside the 60 inside the bivy and was toasty. Of course with the proper insulation underneath. Recently got my hands on the military 3 bag system and looking forward to testing it next winter. yis red feather

Some Eagles soar, some flap. Some are ticket punchers and some go wrong. It happens. A young scout who earns his Eagle at 14-18 yrs of age really has no real clue what it CAN mean. Lifes experienes will define it. If the scouting experience as a youth can translate into real meaning as they continue the Trail to Eagle then it will have more and more meaning as they travel the Trail of Eagle. The Trail to Eagle is what we are all about, whether they earn it or not does not really matter. It is what they have learned on the trail that is important. Eagle rank and what it means does give a youn

Mine are on the left pocket flap, left side. The Eagles who presented them to me thanked me for wearing them as they are they ones who pinned them on, the wearing was important to them (and me). I do know which one belongs to which Eagle. yis red feather

Google rest step for a definition of what the rest step is. Been using it for 15 + yrs. Not used much in the flat lands where I live but is useful walking the loess bluffs. (and as the hills get steeper as I get more wisdom (older? naw..) yis red feather

83, thanks for the OP and the bump. Imho, this forum is like a campfire. You can pull up a log and have a cup of joe if you like. No issues either way. Sometimes, just like at a campfire that you join, you can have opinions and have them accepted, discussed or trashed. No issue either way. It is just sometimes people at the campfire have to be put on opposite sides of the campfire and told that they do not have to get each other a refill ( unless they are really bad ). Kinda like a real campfire on an overnight. (Billy you sit there, Sam you sit there and you both get to listen.)

Thanks for the link, informative and interesting. Got a bit of rambling, tired from experiencing the outing in Scouting this weekend. Sematics is a wonderful tool isn't it? Couple of words in the CSE's talk caught my attention. Produced and customer. 50,000 Eagles were produced and the scouts and scouts and scouters were mentioned as customers. I agree with a much that was said but isn't Eagle earned? In the troop that I serve Eagle is not a commodity but a honor and is earned, not bought with just time spent in scouting. Not produced!! Production refers to something that is

The PLC should have input into the bylaws. It is after all their troop. Learning moment is when they try to change BSA requirements and learn that they cannot. All part of the program. yis red feather