belayer_StLouis

The knee socks are a left-over from the style of the Brits (but we never went for the kilts), they really are good protection from brush wacking your legs on the trails in camp. After seeing many ugly legs of adults with the short socks, both genders, I sort of wish more folks wore knee socks. Permethrin use: I've been using the stuff on my clothing for 30+ years, several brands of this insecticide available. Even the BSA catalog now sells the stuff. I spray a couple of sets of my summer hiking underwear, the entire sock, cuffs, waist and even the fly of all my pants. I spray my summer hiki

I would imagine that the national office has the operational plans for this since so many councils have been doing it since it first started in '84 or '85. Our council has been doing it every year since then. You can contact me off line and I can give you the contact info for our council. WE are a 2 state council and food goes to a central food bank and several local community food banks. Some of them claim that we supply them with 25% of their annual canned food needs. Even if we wanted to stop doing the Scouting for Food program we couldn't, the communities expect us to do it and its a great

I agree with John-in-KC, not very often but this time I agree about young women in Venturing. Our full summer Venture base has some great Venture women staff members who contribute greatly to the outdoor program. I wish the OA would recognize their contributions to the outdoor programs and their sevice to the BSA.

I've done the Buffalo from Ponca, too much whitewater for kids and too early in the season. After the first couple of days, great sites, we were unimpressed. The Shawnee Nat. Forest is in our council, I don't think it has enough to do. You could do a float on the Current or Eleven Point in S. Missouri. Sierra Club has done one of their national trips on the Eleven Point. One to two week floats available, clear water, both are National Park rivers.

I've seen that pin, would be nice. I think the BSA has enough (understatement) stuff for Eagle Scout recognition in the way of crystal and such and there are enough NESA items. The simple oval Eagle Scout hat pin seems like a good idea, I noticed an OA hat pin in the on-line catalog.

I don't know how the kids in St. Louis dropped the ball. They've had this Fall Fun Rally since the 70's, didn't see any national type event on the horizon and they got Nat. office to designate as a Nat. Venturing event. Again, sponsor an event for your area. I don't think anyone really expects kids to come from across the county for a weekend but I don't see anyone else stepping up to kick off or promote a national event. Go for it if the Ventures in your area can pull it off.

I don't think Nat. had any great national Venturing type event planned and again I think it was pretty neat that kids drove this event to happen. I would bet other councils could sponsor "national venturing" events for the Centennial since local type events are being pushed to help celebrate, not just events by the Nat. office.

John, the active Venture members are in high school, not college. Some of the leadership kids might be in college but I would bet they will show for this event. This Fall Fun Rally has been the same weekend for lots of years, college football kind of ain't important to the high school kids. I also suspect that there will be many more national Venturing events in 2010 scattered around the country and by calling them national events they really are trying to gin up publicity. Don't think National could pull off a national jamboree type event for Ventures. I am impressed that kids are behind this

The compression (tight fit) would be good as the first or wicking layer next to the skin. Some of their looser fitting models, and other brands, would be good as the second layer. Lots of good advice out there about layering, I know backpacker.com has some good basic info besides all the other sources.

Eagle92, I guess some generational differences are showing, my camp staff days were in the 60's. Sure can't remember the price then or how what I had for lunch yesterday. In our area red jackets were worn by lots of folks, the Phimont bull and the lodge back patch were and still are prominent but going to Philmont wasn't the reason to wear them. Many Scouters and lots of older kids wore them. Never have seen the purple intl. version. The red windbreaker never seemed to be a big deal here, its either a hot/muggy 90 something or cold so the wool jacket was a great uniform coat. What do you think

Green fleece jackets would be cool, missed the Venturing fleece jacket, never saw it. My main idea is to make an official jacket affordable to the customer - kid's parents. At $100, plus any dry cleaning cost, the red wool jacket is pretty pricy and no wonder we don't see them on kids.

Red wool jackets have been discussed many times and great length on this forum, usually the discussions are where to find them cheaper. I think Nat. Supply should ditch the wool jacket and adopt a red FLEECE jacket. I'm in a council that is heavy into the full uniform but you see very few red wool jackets. Back in my camp staff days, the 60's, many of us had the red wool jackets but I don't see that anymore. I think a fleece jacket would be very acceptable to scouts, cheaper by far and much easier to care for. Fleece vests/jackets are popular at Nat. Camp School and the OA has several versions

What a country! I'm a US Army vet, Eagle Scout, and all that kind of stuff that comes from being a 40 year Scouter and I'm happy that I live in a country that allows folks to dissent. The dad might not be a citizen but even if he was I respect his right to not make the pledge. I think that as long as the dad does not become rude during the pledge and shows respect to other folks beliefs we should respect his beliefs. I agree with some of the others that this could lead to some pretty serious discussions with the kids. They may be a bit too young to understand respecting those we disagree with

Abel, If you tell me your council name I might be able to help. I'll find out a lot from their website. I worked for the BSA and other non-profs, I know how to read their annual reports. I have served on national task forces for the BSA and serve in the regional camping program process. Terry Pogue terrencepogue@yahoo.com

Abel, COR's vote on council officers and some other duties but don't think for a minute that they can rise up, vote and change your camp situation. Don't mean to denigrate the VP of Venturing but: spend your efforts with the council pres and camping chairman. Evidently butts in the cot (love that expression) isn't part of your scout executive and program director's critical achievements or whatever they now call the review process. I'm on the camping comm. of a major metro council (means big)and was a DE and camp director. If our camps only had 25% attendance the board would go crazy and so wo

Abel, I would attempt to address the summer camp program from a sales approach, not an advancement approach. If 25% of your troops attend your local camp (75% ain't buying the product) then the Camping Comm, a board member as Chair, should address the problem. Does your Camp Comm. talk to the customers (scout troop leadership)? If the council's camp and board leadership don't pay attention then you might have a problem that is solved by going elsewhere. I would guess that the council staff isn't large enough to have a Director of Camping or Program if the camp director has such influence. If t

I am an active member of the Council Camping Comm. of the Greater St. Louis Area Council and a past lodge chief of Shawnee Lodge (in the dim ages, long ago). There are 2 lodges in our council because of a merger of 3 councils. If we had just one lodge I think we would deprive many young men an opportunity to be active lodge leaders. The population center of the council is centered around the St. Louis metro area but the council includes SE MO and Southern Illinois. Its a long haul for our southern guys to the metro area. I think asking young men to go to Lodge Exec meetings in a geographical c

4 to 6 scouts is the answer to your question - it doesn't work. Be ready to receive tons of advice but your question has been answered and you really are an adult patrol leader, 6 kids isn't a troop.

Brent, I've been using the Permethrin treatment for years, since about '85. The stuff is GREAT!!! The best example of its effectiveness is that we sprayed clothes (long pants, underwear, socks, t-shirts) marked a trail thru chest high tall, river bottom grass in southern Missouri on a hot August day. When we got back to car our white painter pants, t-shirts and socks were red with dead chiggers. I spray the whole sock since the chiggers seem to migrate thru the wool combo socks. Not one tick bite, we also used DEET spray on exposed skin. I know folks who spray it on zipper openings on tents. D

Enclosed is the website for the Swift Base on the S bar F Scout Ranch near Farmington, Missouri. It is a Venture Base operated by the Greater St Louis Area Council. It was established as the Swift Explorer Base in 1966 when the Ranch opened. It is not a "retooled scout camp". Great camp for Ventures, hard working staff and great programs! http://stlbsa.org/Camping/Summer+Camps/Venturing/?WBCMODE=PreJoinUsDetailsJoinUsDetailsJoinUsDetailsJoinUsDetailsJoinUsDetailsJoinUsDetailsJoinUsDetails

I just did a search of "population center of the United States" The center of the US population last located in Virginia was 1850. It is now in Missouri. Don't think that area has the needed piece of property but it is located along I-44 and within the parameters of major airlines. Summers in Missouri can easily rival the heat and humidity of Virginia and we certainly don't have any hills/mountains that get cool in the evening. I too wish they had settled on a more Western location - don't think the population center will be moving north and east for some time.

You might also visit alpsmountaineering.com. Great daypacks with solid #10 zippers (the big ones). Price range of $89.

Visit campmor.com and look at Kelty's Redwing. The pack has been around for a long time and has a removable waist belt and sternum strap. One of the versions of this pack is now on sale for $61. It is a little bigger than a regular day pack and is sometimes called a day and half pack because if you are an ultra-light packer you could get everything for a weekend into it. My son has a North Face Recon pack, used daily, and loves it but I didn't see it for sale at Campmor's website.

Here is the entire list of all National Camp Schools in the country this year, its on the Southern Region website, this is the link: http://www.srbsa.org/public/services/program/camping/2009/2009-ncs-schedule-all-regions.pdf

ACA is the American Camping Association. They accredit all kinds of camps, private and otherwise. They are a "trade type" peer group that sets standards so that parents and folks know that someone outside of that camp is looking at health and safety issues. I am a BSA inspector, on the council camping comm., used to be a DE and a camp director. I know that our camps in the Greater St. Louis Area Council have been certified by the ACA. I don't ever remember hearing any buzz about them and if we are currently certified, we really only pay real attention to the BSA Visitation process. I haven't v