scottmphoto

The troop that I'm involved with is chartered to an LDS church. We encourage the boys to get a uniform, but it is not required. We generally go on one outing a month, usually a camping trip but sometimes just a day hike. We generally have the boys eat dinner before they arrive at the church on the day we head out, but that is the only cost to the boys. The church covers everything else. The LDS church adopted the Boy Scouts as part of their Young Men's Program just a few years after the BSA got started so they cover almost all the cost involved with very minimal cost passed on to the

I teach some wilderness survival and would love to see the MB pamphlet revised. It leaves some things out that I think needs to be there. If you'd send a copy to scottmphoto@yahoo.com , I'll read through it and make my suggestions.

It's funny that you can get the Official Boy Scout dutch oven made by Lodge from the Scout catalog cheaper than you can get the same size without the Scout symbol from the Lodge website.

I'm usually up between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. I stoke up the fire and get my coffee started (I also enjoy the peace and quiet before everyone else gets up). Then, I usually make sure the SPL is up around 6:45. He usually gets up by himself then wakes the rest of the troop.

PACK15NISSAN, If you want to do Woodbadge and not miss church, check into an LDS-friendly Woodbadge course (no Sunday's). Most councils offer them now because the LDS usually can't do camping or even travel on the Sabbath. I'm a non-church member Scoutmaster for an LDS troop, I run into this subject every month during our monthly camping trip.

Our troop always does some version of flashlight wars or capture the flag after the campfire and evening meals.

Last summer at camp, we had the cell phone problem, but I was only a parent teaching a merit badge and not in the troop leadership at the time. The leadership made a BIG deal out of the Scouts not bringing any electronics but every adult there (except me, because I turned my phone off and locked it in the car for the week) virtually had a cell phone glued to their ear. I took a few of them aside at different times and made a few observations and commented about the example that the adults were setting for the Scouts. Needless to say, it didn't do much good. This summer, I am Sco

It's been many years since I have had the chance to attend Camp Orr. I was a second generation Camp Orr Scout as my dad was in one of the canoes that came down the river when they chose the site and he helped build the camp. I spent much time there going to camp, working on staff, troop and OA functions. It is (or at least was) one of the best camps that I've ever been to. Because of life (wife, kids, military...regular job) I got away from Scouts for a long while. I was looking forward to the time when my son was old enough to go. I've been a Scoutmaster since last July and had been push

Until a year ago, I was a staff-photographer for my local daily newspaper. I currently own a small photography studio. I do weddings, portraits, seniors, pets...etc. I specialize in nature, wildlife and adventure photography. My dad owns a tree farm and I do a lot of work around there. I always have my camera with me and I get a few photos now and then of some of the local wildlife and some beautiful landscapes. I just love being outdoors.

Every once in a while, I enjoy a good, imported, hand-made cigar when I'm out in the woods. I always make it a point to "take my nightly walk" well AWAY from camp and any Scouts. I don't even think any of the boys know that I smoke because none of them have ever seen me do it.

I rarely carry matches anymore. I use flint and steel and have been doing so for years. For tinder, I make my own charcloth. If you're interested in this method, just Google it. There are several YouTube videos on it as well.

My mother-in-law has a 1-ton 15-passenger van. I use it sometimes to haul the boys on a trip. Most times, it is the only way that I can get the boys there as most of the parents won't (or can't) help. It'll carry 11 people plus a bunch of gear comfortably. I'm looking for a small trailer to pull behind so that I can carry more gear there and more boys inside.

So far, since I became Scoutmaster, the coldest that I've been able to get the boys out into is the mid-30's, but it doesn't really get that cold in Arkansas. Like was said earlier, it's too cold when the boys parents won't let them go and attendance starts falling, but then...my son and I just make it a father-son campout and we go anyway. As long as the boys and leaders are prepared for the cooler temps, then there really is no problem. I know that when I was in the army, I froze my rear-end off in 30-below temps in Germany...not to mention the wind chill. I wasn't comfortable and I h

I agree that $190 is "cheap" for summer camp, but we have a lot of lower-income Scouts that can't afford it and we're not allowed to do fundraisers. I know that right now, I might not be able to afford the $75 cost for an adult leader to attend myself. A LONG TIME AGO, when I was a Scout (my first year at Camp Orr in Arkansas was 1982), it cost $60 per Scout. The only way that I could afford to go was that my grandmother paid for it and I worked it off doing jobs around her house. I understand that the cost of everything has gone up but some people just can't afford it. I LOVE going

Because of rising costs at our local camp and lack of funds in our budget, we took our troop on our own "summer camp" last summer. We got to camp for free (well, almost, we had to collect some rocks to help the landowner build a wall). Our younger Scouts stayed in camp and worked o merit badges and our older Scouts went on a canoe trip and went on a guided cave trip. Everybody got together in the evening for the usual campfire stuff. The cost of our local camp was $175 last year, that would have been @ $3450.00 for the week, that's for 18 boys and 4 adults. Our camp cost @ $682 (includin