SSScout

It was new, and different. It is a high adventure base. It has 10600 acres. It was a 90 minute hike from A camp to the Barrels or Ropes. It was a 90 minute hike from F camp to the Garden Ground, thru A camp. It was a 20 plus minute drive (departing!) from A camp to the rt. 19 gate. It is a big up and down property. Even 100 feet vertical is alot of hiking, (more than once! Not just up and down and done...) and yes, it was no doubt more than a 100 feet difference between all the camps and activities. It will be tough to plan for railroad arrival, if not impossible, (bridge into Thurmond, closest Amtrak station, is too small for busses) so OtR busses will always be the transport of choice. Airports are many miles away. Old map has a spot labeled "President's Helipad", south of the LowGear trails. Hire Ospreys from the Marines?? Feeding 35,000 folks was/is/will be a challenge. Lots of old hands could not come and flesh out the staff, so the staff there often did double duty . The "Voice from the Sky" announcing "WARNING< THIS... IS A LIGHTNING... ALERT" ("puny earthlings!!,,, surrender, resistance is futile!!") was ... interesting.... The swaying Consol Bridge was exciting in the wrong way.... The thousands of smiling boys was some reward (as my wife would say, "how can you pay to volunteer??") . I really can't think of any other place where I will ever again use that duffle . Got a bag of patches and pins and maybe 150 pics on my camera memory.. Got a friend, now, in Gettysburg who will give us a personal tour of the battlefield and museums. Hey, I'll be 70 in 2017...

I offer the following as an example of "planning ahead" and "multitasking" (eating and washing at the same time).... "Courageous Cookery" by John Echo* Once the convert backpacker or cycle camper has accepted the subtle gustatory nuances associated with sustained operations beyond the chrome, he should try the advantages of ultra fringe living so that he will realize what he is paying for his nested pots and pretty pans carried so diligently and brought home so dirty after every "wilderness experience". The following system works. It is dependable and functional. It works on the big rock. It even works when the weather has gone to hell, you are wet and cold and the wind is blowing down the back of your hairy neck. It is not for the timid. It consists of a stove, a six inch sauce pan, a plastic cup and a soup spoon. If you insist on a metal cup, you must never fail to mutter "I'm having fun, I'm having fun", every time you spill the soup on your sleeping bag. Breakfast: Instant wheat cereal-- sugar and powdered milk added-- ready two minutes after water boils. Eat from pot. Do not wash pot. Add water, boil, and add powdered eggs and ham. You'll never taste the cereal anyway. In three minutes, eat eggs. Do not wash pot. Add water or snow and boil for tea. Do not wash pot. Most of the residue eggs will come off in the tea water. Make it strong and add sugar. Tastes like tea. Do not wash pot. With reasonable technique, it should be clean. Pack pot in rucksack and enjoy last cup of tea while others are dirtying entire series of nested cookware. Lunch: Boil pot of tea. Have snack of rye bread, cheese and dried beef Continue journey in 10 minutes if necessary. Dinner: Boil pot of water, add Wylers dried vegetable soup and beef bar. Eat from pot. Do not wash pot. Add water and potatoes from dry potatoe powder. Add gravy mix to taste. Eat potatoes from pot. Do not wash pot. Add water and boil for tea. Fortuitous fish or meat can be cooked easily. You do not need oil or fat. Put half inch of water in pot. Add cleaned and salted fish. Do not let water boil away. Eat from pot when done. Process can be done rapidly. Fish can even be browned somewhat by a masterful hand. Do not change menu. Variation only recedes from the optimum. Beginners may be allowed to wash pot once a day for three consecutive days only. It is obvious that burning or sticking food destroys the beauty of the technique. If you insist on carrying a heavier pack, make up the weight you save with extra food. Stay three days longer. * *(( The true author of this article is unknown. It is here copied from the COME HOSTELING newsletter, Sept. 1980, of the Potomac Area Council of the American Youth Hostels, who received it from Dick Schwanke, Senior PAC Staff Trainer, who read it in the APPALACHIAN HIKER by Ed Garvey, who got it from the Potomac Appalachian Trail Conference Bulletin, which quoted it from THE RAMBLER of the Wasatch Mountain Club of Salt Lake City, which reportedly cribbed it from the I.A.C. News of Idaho Falls, which reported it from the 1966 PEAKS & TRAILS.

If the boy is from another country, (if anyone is from another country) why would we expect him to recite a promise/make an oath concerning his loyalty to the US of A? If the PoA is appropriate to your expression of your love of the US of A, then go for it. If the PoA is seen as an unnecessary oath, or an expression bordering on idolatry (promising to be loyal to a piece of cloth?) , as some religions see it. then as a Scout, I must be respectful and understanding of that belief. And, where does it "say" that a boy of another nationality cannot join the BS of A? He is indeed fortunate to have obtained such a new, loving family. Wish more boys had such opportunities. I say give him the neckerchief and take him on the trail. In a years time, he can certainly earn First Class and proudly take it back to his home with some satisfaction and good memories and new friendships. And where is the harm in that? There is none. Only good can come of such , and after all, bridges between people are what is needed, not more walls.

Weeeelllll..... there are TWO Chinas, remember. Might be the Taiwan China, not the Mainland China. There is a member of WOSM listed in the Republic of China (Taiwan).

In my council, the camp training appears to be cumulative. One can take BALOO. If you take OWL, then you have credit for BALOO and OWL. If you take IOLS, with an extra hour or so of discussion, you have IOLS,and OWL, and BALOO credit. There is a Cub Scout program section that has to be done, but the IOLS covers a multitude of, er, sins.

The "requirement" (pg. 8 of my Eaglesons BSHandbook) to repeat the PoA is only that. Repeat it. Once, to show that he knows it. If he is a citizen of another country, he is under no obligation to repeat a promise he honestly has no need to fulfill. Likewise, there is no legal obligation for ANYONE to repeat the PoA if to do so would violate their religious beliefs (another issue, dealt with elsewhere in this forum). And, there is no requirement to be a citizen of the United States to join the Boy Scouts of America. Or to be of a certain faith or religion ( just to have one. Again, another issue, another thread). Look at the BSA Scout promise and law. They make no mention for WHICH country the boy is promising to do his duty . The Scout Law can apply to anyone of any nationality who chooses to adopt it as his ideal, and THAT is , I hope we can all agree, what we here are ultimately about. Therefore: Let the boy join in the fun of American Scouting and, if he can, take that example back to his homeland. He and the world will be a little better for it.

My good friend Ted has two kids. Daughter Katie is, I think, now 12, son Will is now about 7.. When Katie turned 6, Ted became the leader for her new Daisey Troop and he took them on hikes and stream crawls and crawfish hunts.. The female leader of the group (not Teds wife) evidently said "go for it!" much to the local councils shagrin. He had as happy a bunch of kindergartners as you've ever seen. Unfortunately,(fortunately?) Teds wife was offered a six figure job and they moved. He said that the new Brownie leader was not as open to such jaunts, but let the new troop go and now he has a bunch of outdoorsy Juniors. Last I spoke to him, he may be forming a Venture Crew. Will is a Cub now.

Oops "popular"... Here's the curriculum I pass out. There are many others on the web... Whitlin’ Chip Curriculum Suggestions for Scouts and Scouters instructing Cubs for Whitlin’ Chip. ** The watch words here are: **Ask, Require, Watch, Practice, Correct** (EDGE version: Educate, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable) ****NEVER let a Cub within your sight handle a sharp implement incorrectly or unsafely. Gently correct them and ALLOW them the pride of good tool useage.**** **Bear, Webelos Cub Scouts. (see Bear achievement #19) **Folding pocket knife use only. No ‘sheath’ knives. No axe or hatchet. No saw. But their safe use can be mentioned. As a Boy Scout, ‘Totin’ Chip’ badge will cover these other sharp implements. **Whitlin’ Chip and parent permission allows a Cub Scout to carry and use a folding pocket knife in a safe manner at Cub Scout events. If the Cub willfully fails to follow safe techniques, he may be asked to give up his Whitlin’ Chip rights, hand over his Whitlin’ Chip card and his pocket knife may be taken from him. The card and knife should be given to his parents and the situation explained. The Cub may later re-earn the Whitlin’ chip. Explain all this to the Cub. (“serious business!â€Â) 1. “Tool not a toyâ€Â. Respect the tool. Do not use it for that which it was not intended. Respect the edge. Cut wood, string, rope, paper, not metal or wire. Do not dig in the dirt. Do not cut living wood (trees, shrubs, etc.) needlessly. It’s a knife, not a screwdriver or can opener. Place knife down on safe surface, or fold up and place in pocket. Keep the knife clean, oiled, and sharp. A dull edge is more dangerous than a sharp one. 2. Parts of the Knife: Show and discuss the parts: the handle, blade, back of blade, edge, face of blade, point, case or box, hinge, spring, hanger. Talk about the different types of steel: stainless, high carbon, alloys; how some will rust easier than others, some will take and hold a sharp edge better than others, some are harder, some are softer, some more brittle. This knowledge comes with experience, the Cub needs to know safe handling and good care, not metallurgy. . 3. Handling: IT IS SHARP. IT CAN HURT YOU OR OTHERS. Demonstrate how to open and close the knife. Close with FLAT of hand, fingers away from the box opening. No ‘fists’. (“What’s wrong with this picture?â€Â) Note that some ‘clasp’ knives have a lock (‘lock back’), and show the lock catch. Close and open carefully. No one-handed leg closing! Or ‘whip’ opening. These will hurt someone. Will it be you? Passing a knife: Close it, and pass it to the other person closed. When he has hold of the knife, he will say “THANK YOUâ€Â. This is not just polite, it means he has a safe hold of the tool and will not drop it. DO NOT LET GO UNTIL YOU HEAR “Thank Youâ€Â’. Tell him “YOUâ€ÂRE WELCOMEâ€Â. This is a good rule for any passing of any implement. Steel workers use it in foundries. Mechanics use it in garages. Practice this. Why is it important the other person not drop the knife? If it is an open or straight knife (like your mom’s kitchen knife), hold it in your hand by the blade, edge away from your palm, handle toward the recipient. He grasps the handle carefully, says “thank youâ€Â, and you say “you’re welcome†and let go. Why this method? Practice this. Place the knife down on a safe surface. Surface is flat, not slippery or wet, don’t ‘stab’ the knife into something to hold it. Fold it up when not in use. 4. Sharpening: Show different stones: Dry, Oil, Show hones, ‘steel’, ceramic, etc. Demonstrate holding edge to the light to see reflection of condition. Rotate edge to see reflection of edges, etc. One or two drops of oil on the oil stone. Hold blade flat to stone, raise up about 7-8 degrees. Rub lightly in a circular motion, move blade up to do the curved area too. Do other side the same. Listen for the change in sound as the blade gets sharp, the ‘whistle’. Show honing to a razor edge on diamond hone and ‘steel’. Clean debris off blade with rag or paper towel. Feel edge carefully with thumb, sideways. 5. Using the knife: demonstrate and help the Cubs determine the “blood circle†(“safe circleâ€Â). Even at a table. Carve away from the body. Use thumb on BACK of blade to push. Use both hands. Make sure you have a safe area to carve. Hold work piece on table, NOT in lap. Beware the soft hinge that will bend if the blade gets stuck. Work carefully and slowly. Be patient. Give Cubs soap bars and let them make something. Go around. Help them. 5. When YOU are satisfied that the Cub has learned what you can teach them (ask, require, watch, practice, correct), fillout the W/C slip and hand it to the Cub. **Remind him: >>that he must arrange with his Scout Leader to demonstrate his new skill and they will sign the Whittlin’ Chip card and make the award; >>that this is a privilege he has earned, and if he is not true to this trust, the privilege can be removed; >>that it is only good for Cub Scout events and he should never take his knife to school or other places without his parents’ permission. Indeed, a knife in a student’s possession on school grounds is nowadays generally automatic grounds for suspension. Shake his hand and wish him well.

Whitlin' Chip is always opular. Talked my Troop into doing a W/C booth at the Webelos Weekend. I trained four senior Scouts, they did the booth. I think they had 60 plus Webes go thru their course. Knife safety, care and feeding of the knife (maintenance), and then everybody got to borrow a pocket knife and whittle something out of a bar of soap! I was very proud when I saw one of the Scouts realize that one of his students was actually scared to handle a sharp thing like a knife, so the Scout went out in the woods, found a suitable stick, and created a wooden "knife" for this Cub to handle until he was ready to pick up a real metal blade. I saved this "practice" blade and exhibit it to my IOLS Totin' Chip class. The Webes got a small certificate attesting that they had been thru "Troop xyz's Whitttlin Chip course, and they should demonstrate their skills to their Cub Master, who will award the Whittlin' Chip". That way, it is not the Scout awarding the badge, it is the Cub Leader.. I like the way others have said it. Supervise the Wolf, make sure they have the hand skill necessary.

Limit announcements... (our church does "silent announcements" as a printed bulletin)...Topic breakouts... Cookies... Never thought about intros, might do that... Thanks for all the input...... Any more????

BSA Gary: Welcome to the forums. I hope your sojourn at our virtual crackerbarrel is pleasant . Danbrew has the most of it. In the BSA franchise system, the CO owns the Scout unit, hence the unit's equipment. 99% of all COs just let the Scout Unit do what it will with whatever equipment the SU buys for its use. SOME COs take a more pro-active position; the SU is an extension of their childrens ministry, for instance, If the SU is dissolved (the CO has no use for it, all the Scouts age out and there is no more Scouts, the Council revokes the units charter for whatever reason, etc.) then the CO at ITS descretion, may do whatever it likes with the units equipment and useful property. Sell it? Donate it to a charity, pass it on to another Scout Unit? Lock it up in a closet and ignore the pleas of the units use-to-be leaders? It is possible. If your Troop is "self chartered", ie., Friends of Troop XYZ, that can be a whole different kettle of wormy fish. Check with your District Executive for the specific legalities in your area. Look at your Councils website for names and numbers.

As a nascent Boy Scout Roundtable Commisher, I'd be interested to hear how YOUR Scout Roundtable runs? Is there a regular agenda? Is it up to the whim of the RTC? Do you ask for suggestions of discussion topics? Demos? Guest presenters? Do folks come expecting to be "wowed" or expecting to be slumberfied? Ummmmm?

Ultimately, it doesn't matter what WE say, but what THEY say. By not understanding the correct order of things (wrong advice? No advice? Wrong assumptions?), S2BE has gotten himself in a time crunch. As they say, "go ask your Patrol Leader", only here, he should have been told "go read the Trail to Eagle guidebook (oops, the Eagle Project Book), or "go ask your SM or Troop Advancement Chair".... We hope S2BE has not taken on the wrong nom de scouter.net.... AND...We hope his next posting here is not titled " Eagle Candidate Appeal Process Please".

As a Unit Commish, when I visit my Pack, I always make mention of the boys that are well uniformed. If a Den is in good uniform, I will publicly congratulate them for their "Scout Spirit". I never downplay or castigate a Cub for his lack of uniform. I will, however, comment to the parent if his patches are out of place or such. Now , if the shirt needs tucking in, I will sometimes lean down as I pass the Cub in the hall before the meeting and whisper "tuck your shirt in, Scout" and watch the Cub look up at me in surprise and quickly tuck it in! I too shake my head at the new necker and hat each year, and last year my Pack decided the yellow necker and "Bear" hat was all they needed for all four years.

Looks like a Scout Troop to me.... Making their own rope, putting together a sample tower... Leaders drinking coffee, letting the Scouts be Scouts...

And for the observant Jew or the old order Amish or Mennonite or Quaker or SIkh or Muslim who remain covered as an indication of their faith? How would the Vet deal with that? If the vet would approach me that way, I know I would respond "thank you for your service friend, but no" and then perhaps we would have a discussion about who (or what) we owe first alligiance to. Google

Rumors.... Things I ""heard"""...... Scouts sent home for vulgar language.... Entire Troop quarantined for a flu outbreak... AT&T VIPs given priority on the Big Zip....Certain glow in the dark patches are radioactive and will give you cancer (and are thus more desirable)....bunch of Scouts sent home for showing porn on their schmart phones in the shower house.... a certain political candidate predicted that the Jambo was going to be used for Emergency Mass Evacuation training....there is no poison ivy in West Virginia....there is a 60% chance of rain this afternoon (bright sunshine ).... Look at that radar, the lightning is going to the north of us..... they are going to combine the Pet Care and Cooking merit badges...

Extra $500... Tents, signs, cots, biiiig duffle you can use again, three days of really great entertainment (no fooling, Mark Rivera was great) ( and Third Door Down was pretty good too) (and the King of Sweden and Mike Rowe were no slouches either), Showers... well, scratch that..... various (volunteer staffed) exhibits and activities, hikes in the woods, a really grand fireworks display, time away from the usual stuff, lots of Scouts to smile at and to have smile back at you, (depending on your "duty") rewarding and new challenging solutions to find, camping out (even on such a grand scale), a bag of patches and pins to take home to remind you of all the mud and rain and ....

National Holocaust Museum in Washington DC was created by the US Congress, the National Park Service, President Jimmy Carter and more than $200million in PRIVATE donations... http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005782 It does deal with the "final solution" and mentions other genocidal episodes, but the Nazi death camps are its primary focus and a trip thru it's exhibits often brings visitors to tears, even if you don't read Hebrew or German. If Ohio wishes to aid in "Never Forgetting" , perhaps it is appropriate. But we should REMEMBER the others, too.

The article makes a clear constitutional case against the memorials design.The six pointed star can have other meanings, but if one surveyed people, I would predict the overwhelming majority would associate the six point star with the jewish faith. But perhaps that is not the problem. Perhaps the memorial is of too narrow a focus and needs to broaden its scope. Perhaps it should include ALL genocidal and holocaust episodes: Armenia and the Turks. Serbia and Bosnia. The Khemer Rouge in Cambodia. Argentina. Darfur. Rwanda. Nanking and Suchow in WW2. The evil that created Auschwitz and Dachau was not and never has been limited to Nazi Germany and the Jewish people. Propose a memorial like that, and you will have my support..

In some parts of the world, the necker IS the uniform. The shirts and shorts and such may not be possible or affordable, but if one is a Scout, the necker is worn. It is , perhaps, the only constant among all the Scout brotherhood. Come February, I sponsor a neckerchief slide ("woggle") contest. I collect prizes from local ice cream, burger and donut shops: coupons for free ice cream cones and such. They are eager to support Scouting that way. Our Troop CCh writes thank you notes to them. The slides are judged on artistry, utility and originality. The contest is held at the CoH, and is judged by a local art teacher. It gives me a chance to display my woggle collection and talk a bit about the Scout Necker and its history. Our Troop now has a necker that is larger than the one they had in the YSL uni days, so maybe I have had an an effect that way. Signal flags and arm slings anyone?

His death was mentioned at our worship sunday morning by one of his Venture Scout staffers. He was well respected and loved and will be missed.

Oh, it was an experiment for sure, and one that went surprisingly well, I thought. It was meant to be more of a CAMP and less of a SHOW. Hence the duffles to carry ones gear to the Troop campsite, and the denial of BIG camp gateways. Made a real difference. A Troop could realistically unload their bus, hike to their assigned site, and with their Commissioners guidance be set up and cooking lunch (or dinner) in an hour or two. max. And it was aerobic, for sure. From A camp to the Barrels (shooting ranges)1.5 hours walk the first time. Uphill. Both ways. Garden Ground: from D camp, similar time, hiking THRU A camp. Canopy Tour, 30 minutes from A camp, thru B camp. Food: I just got the email staff survey to fill out, and it makes no mention of basecamp subcamp staff eating with troops, I had to insert that in my comments. Survey assumed (I think) all staff lived in Ecamp and ate in the BIIIIG mess tent. The food there was surprisingly good and hot and plentiful. In conversation with the messtent folks, the professionals worked well with all the foodie volunteers. It was the take along lunches that most folks found fault with. At breakfast, you made up a bag of "shelf stable" packets of gummy bears and trail mix granola, the banana chips and pineapple chips and "etc.". When they had the bumblebee tuna or BBQ chicken cans those were appreciated. Crystal lite mix to tasty up your water bottle. Any left over perishables were tossed. Back in A4 camp, I helped sort out the left overs for food pantry donations. Never saw so many big bags of cornflakes and "crispy rice". And surprise! Dozens of bottles of catsup. Pantry picked up every other day. When the busses were being loaded on the last day , we parceled out the left over snack food. Being sympathetic to the bus driver, I eliminated the gooey, messy stuff (peanut butter, jelly packets) .The Scouts took every cracker, cookie, apple pie, and fruit strip but pointedly left the trailmix bags. They had had enough of them! Camp A4 donated three boxes (the Summit Boxes) of trailmix granola. packets.

From Wheeling West bygod Virginia.. .http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/587799/Farnsworth-Honored-At-National-Scout-Jamboree.html?nav=515

As a staffer in A4, I can vouch for the wastage. five pound boxes (two each Troop) of potatoe salad and mac salad were often never opened. Staff ate with the Troops, and often brought stuff back to our fridge (only one in 8,000 Scout camp) for later snacking. It seemed the meals were calorically planned for a Scout on a winter camping trip, not for one in 110% humidity and 90 degree days. As for the "shelf stable " lunch, I agree. More protein and less gummy bears would have been welcome. The Bumble Bee canned chicken and tuna lunch packs were a favorite. Many Troops were given 2 half gallons of 2% milk a day , and brought back 5 h/gallons a week. The Scouts just didn't drink it. Same for the orange, grape juice. But if the bottle was not opened, it got donated. I helped sort the food pantry donations, and a pickup was made at least every other day. Bags and bags of corn flakes, crispy rice, oatyohs. 40 bottles of catsup. on and on... And many Troops brought canned goods to donate on their arrival. Much appreciated. Come departure day, I sorted out many boxes of snack food and the Troops took it with them for their trips home. One Troop said they had a 15 hour trip straight through to Michigan. Passed out every left over cherry and apple pie, pinapple, banana chips, apples, many oranges, crackers, cookies, power bars, The boxes of trail mix salty nut stuff went begging, they had had enough of that. Having a sympathetic feeling for the bus driver, I did not pass out the squeezy cheese or peanut butter or jelly packs. They went to the food pantries. As an aside, after the Scouts were departed, and we staff rode the shuttle bus around to E camp for dinner, we enjoyed the sight of deer, ground hog and wild turkey (!) coming out of the woods to reclaim the tent sites. Rumors of bear sighted were rife. And I heard great horned owl back in the woods around A camp. 7 hours later, I was home. Now, I gotta vacuum the living room rug......