SSScout

Triple A (AAA) provides excellent maps. On paper. But one must join, I do not think one can walk in a buy a map in their office, BUT one does not know until one tries, does one?

Cubs or ScoutsBSA? Demonstration camp, offer to lead a flag opening ceremony, check if your Council has a portable climbing wall ("Scouter Horn"), they make a really neat Scout activity, but you must be trained to operate it safely! Pioneering demo (build a short signal tower), Monkey Bridge (rope bridge) for folks to cross "The Mighty Piranha Enfested Amazon !". Charcoal fire, Dutch oven brownies....

And too, my favorite GPS thing..... NASCAR GPS: "turn left, NOW. turn left, NOW. turn left, NOW. turn left, NOW....."

HA ! Knew it all along. True story: Hawaiian vacation. Locals all say we HAVE to visit Waimea Falls. Scenic, historic, wildlife, might go swimming, Waimea Falls.... Got in rentacar, me driving , wife in right seat, Scoutson in back with AAA guidebook and map. Wife sez, "Smartphone sez turn right, turn left turn right...." pretty soon, we are in a suburban subdivision, coulda been at home except for the palm trees. Eventually, we are on a gravel road, facing a LOCKED chain link fence gate. I say, "this CAN'T be right". Wife points to Smart phone and shrugs. Then we see it. A handpainted sign on the fence that reads: "NOT WAIMEA FALLS." Scoutson takes the photo. Scoutson pulls out map, we are at Waimea falls in about 20 minutes.....

The trip you have outlined looks very nice. For paddlers with SOME experience. Do not (DO NOT) do this without several break in trips. Ask around, there are sure to be some flat water rivers or big ponds nearby to practice on. You need some experience to build on. Learn emergency stuff. Paddle skills come in practice. J stroke wasn't made in a day. Find your local Canoe Cruisers Club, a national loose amalgamation of paddlers, enlist them as Canoe Merit Badge Counselors (!). Fall trip could work after summer camp Canoe MB earners. Are your boats to be rented or owned locally so you can use whenever? The CCC can help with this. Maybe your local Scout Camp has boats to borrow, cartop racks, trailer for holding 8 at a time? ""Is it so nice as all that?" asked the mole, shyly... "Nice? It's the only thing," said the Water Rat Solemnly, as he leaned forward for his stroke. "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing -- absolutely nothing -- half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." "Simply messing...about in boats -- or with boats... In or out of 'em it doesn't matter. Nothing seems to matter, that's the charm of it. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not.""

Buy the LARGE sash. It can be "taken in" by tacking up the top shoulder area. Then, as the MBs proliferate and the Scout enlarges, it can be let out. I have also seen extra fabric added in (buy another sash and cut it up for extra material?)

"Political advocacy" for me implies arguing for an ideal or a particular candidate. Maybe that includes policy about material use and reuse and trash disposal (trash being whatever a person/society no longer wants. A Van Gogh painting might be considered trash by someone....) I would counsel a Scout to work for a project that, as has been mentioned, leads and manages a group and works for the creation of something of lasting value. Arguing before the City Council? Maybe not. Creating a volunteer recycling center that continues after the Scout "ages out".... That sounds more like it. The Scout in this question sounded like an active activist, of which we need more, but merely arguing a project's acceptance by the city council ("The Committee To Encourage The Elimination Of Unnecessary Plastic and It's Elimination From The World's Oceans") might not be the best fulfilling of the Eagle Service Project template.

I always encourage Scouts to play the "what if" game: when packing for a trip, planning an Eagle project, waking your dog.... Like BP when he was asked, "prepared for what?" and he responded, "why, for any old thing...." I recently watched a fascinating documentary film from about 1922 that showed how the Phiilips Company of Holland made light bulbs, radios, radio vacuum tubes ("Fessenden valves"), loud speakers (Bakelite !), phonographs.... and it struck me, reading thru this thread about safety standards.... One of the reasons OSHA exists is because we procreate so many fewer people . The fewer people created, the more valuable they are and the more they need to be protected? Was life "cheaper" back then? Workmen wearing neck ties while the operate machinery, glass blowing without glasses, no eyeshields before metal lathes, bare handed handling of raw materials, no "hard hats".... the best I saw was a full body suit ( helmit with faceplate, overalls, air tube trailing behind) in a painting booth. The women were delegated to "fine" work, threading wire, soldering connections (not to much ventilation apparent), etc. War, desease, accidents,,,, The new car you buy will soon make it VERY difficult to have an accident. Lane change monitor, front/rear radar, auto braking, auto headlamp lighting, speed monitoring and reminding, flat tire pressure alarm, consciousness (!) recognition..... You kind of get the same feeling watching the building of the Grand Coulee Dam, Boulder Dam, the Golden Gate Bridge and other constructions of the past. The men (and women!) had skills and bravery and accepting of risks beyond what many would accept nowadays. And coal mining. Watch October Sky, and How Green Was My Valley sometime. When I attended the 2013 NatJam, the camps were lettered (A,B,C, etc. ) and named after "famous" coalmines. The coalmine names didn't catch on, and I wondered why the Labor Merit Badge wasn't represented by the AFL/CIO.... And that realization about the "value" of life comes after the Great War, the Spanish Flu, World War 2, and various other conflicts. Or was it a matter of the LACK of concern of the "Bosses" involved? Enough rambling. I just got back from a wonderful vacation, and wouldn't cha know, I start on a free association about safety, population, Scouts and labor unionization..... Pass the pie, please.....

I have known Scouts who did not want a full blown special ECoH. I have known Scouts that settled for an elongated "normal" Troop CoH. I have known Scouts that relished the notoriety of the hotel catered dinner with speech from the State Senator. I have known Scouts that "went thru" the CoH for their parents and were never seen again at any Scout event. My favorite was a pair of brothers. The older waited for his younger to pass his EBoR and then they planned a campout on their grandparents' farm. Everything and everyone had to hike in to the site about 500 yards. Tables set up, campfire, candles, bring your own campchair, SM and other speeches (short !). Campfood, stew, brownies, coffee and cold water and ice tea. . Very moving as the sun went down and the shadows lengthened. At the close of the ceremony, all the civilians(!) packed up and went home. The Scouts stayed and the visiting (so I am told) went long into the night.

In any emergency (ANY emergency) there are three possible responses: 1) Panic, cower, freeze because one cannot think what to do. 2) Stay calm, consider the situation, consider the tools and possibilities at hand, think creatively as to what one might do and do it. 3) Do what has been taught and practiced for just this type of occurrence, because somebody thought "what if..." before hand. Scouting is all about number three, IMHO. The more our Scouts have been led to consider the "what ifs", no matter how terrible the situation, the better they can deal with and help others out of THAT situation. Car accidents, earthquakes, fires, splinters in the finger, a math test not studied for, active shooter, somebody forgot the matches, a girl joins my Troop, dead tree falls on the tent, flash flood, "oh THAT's what poison ivy looks like....", electrocution at the Jamboree..... We need to remember what has been said before.... "... why for any old thing."

Do or do not. There is no try. = Yoda To do is to be. = Socrates To be, or not to be. = Hamlet Do be do be do. = Sinatra

Here's a sticky point. Scout units may not ask for "donations", only the National or Local Councils may solicit outright donations. Scouts are specifically required (?) to EARN their way, thru selling products or work. That has been my understanding for a long time. Am I wrong? Now, if the donee gives something without being asked, if the need (watercraft?) is somehow sensed...….

IMHO, this is an issue that deserves a wider audience. As I suggested, take it directly to the SE, and to your COR. The COR is officially your rep to the Council. Talk to your RoundTable, to your District Leadership. Compare notes with other Units. Conflict with popcorn sales is not a valid reason to NOT fundraise somehow for your Unit. The only "discipline" the Council can do is pull your Unit Charter. That, and rescind everyone's membership in BSA. Those are the only things the Council thru the SE can do. I seriously doubt they would go that route, but ya never can tell. Thus the need for lots of back up, make the issue not just yours, but the rest of Scout Worlds....

Directly ask the Scout Executive "why?" and go from there. If your Fund Raising Application was fully filled out, answering all questions (how, where , what, etc. ) you should be able to get an answer as to "why". Be politely persistent . A Scout is Courteous, Loyal, Obedient, etc.

Thank you for the correction/notation. But Webelos still became a two year program rather than "just another Cub Rank".... And then Lion became the youngest rank , rather than the next to oldest,,,,, Ah me.... I once put up a display of my Scout memorabilia. I glued my old badges to a board. After the night, I discovered the Lion patch had been peeled off. When I mentioned this at another Scout event, I had a wonderful old Scouter GIVE me a Lion patch to complete my collection.

Mash, your Scout should definitely raise his hand and say "OVER HERE, HEY, I'm GOING THERE TOO... I LIKE CHOCO-PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES<<< ! ! "" The more the merrier....

I hope there are SOME Scouts left in the rest of the world.... I am missing the WSJ because at least some of that time I will be in Belgium and Netherlands with LW while she pursues her muse. As a late awakened talent painter ( nice sense of color) wife Margo has discovered Van Gogh. I will (among other things) be looking for Scouty things along the way while she indulges in painting classes and touring Van Gogh sites. Fair weather, Summit.

It would seem that your Cubmaster, Scoutmaster and Venture Crew Advisor are worth $25. per hour. Sez so right here: https://independentsector.org/news-post/new-value-volunteer-time-2019/ MAYBE for Commissioners or Den Leaders or Committee Chairs. Can't say.... 😉

Jeep's 8 Scouter Rules....1) It's a Scout led program. 2) Never do anything a Scout can do for themselves. 3) The Troop Leader is the Senior Patrol Leader. 4) The Patrol Method works ! 5) It is a game with a purpose. 6) Fail to plan and you plan to fail. 7) A Scout is Taught, Tested, Reviewed and Recognized. 8. The trail to Eagle is a trail, not a destination….

It will be hot, even if up in the mountains. Be comfortable. If I was attending (which I cannot, mores the pity)I would wear my usual "activity" shirt and BSA shorts and wool socks and comfy hiking boots. Scouty hat, sun glasses . And many extra neckers to trade..... It is up and down, and spread out. Oh, and a canteen of some sort. Hydrate, hydrate.... Maybe a rain jacket in my daypack, just in case....

There is a bridge on a historic trail nearby. It has steel frame and wood slat deck. The deck can be slick in rain, but it has a slight curve and dries quickly. I think the type of wood , the chemical used in it's treatment, has a great deal with it's slickness when wet. That's like saying the muddy trail should be marked "slippery when wet". Duh. That said, any surface can be slick when wet. This was a sad occurrence. The State authorities could have contacted the Scout, they knew who he was.....

"It depends" . . . It is done, just depends on how structured. Way back in the day, while I worked on my "Eohippus Husbandry Merit Badge", our Troop of four Patrols (Eagle, Moose, Beaver, Cougar) had a Patrol Competition thru the year. There was a chart on the wall. points were awarded for uniform inspection, attendance , advancement, service projects, all sorts of Scouty things as I remember. The prize was a "all expense paid" camping trip to Assateague Island on the shore. Back then, that was a big thing ! No bridge yet, ferry boat ride, rough road thru the dunes, trek over the dunes with water cans (bury them in the sand for cooling), tents and cooksets. The Scout dads footed the bill and catered (!) the meals. Us Scouts only had to help schlep the gear out to the beach. Deer flies were an understood problem.... Each year the Patrols fairly drooled over the chance. Eagles did win one year.... So if the winning Den is judged by SELLING record, that may work, but realize some folks can sell icebergs to Inuit. Is there a way to "make it fair"? That is the question.

Whoa thar pardner, T2Eagle has part of the answer, but you , as CM should not be the one who opens a bank account. Check with your Committee Chair and Charter Org. Do you have a Unit Treasurer named? Your CO may have a recommendation or requirement to consider, too. Where money is involved, even piddlin' amounts from popcorn sales (did I say piddlin'? ), folks need transparency and open handedness. My CM friend, do NOT cover the Pack checking account by yourself. Do. Not. Procedures. Signature cards. Tax ID's. * A Scout is Trustworthy and Thrifty and.....

Jealousy, pure jealousy... "gee, why didn't I think of that?" Rugs, skeeter netting, cots, camp chests, lanterns, where's the Welcome Mat? Obviously, these Scouts have been to Scout Camp before. My buddy Don and I once got an award for the "amenities" with which we had embellished our campsite at an OA "Salamagundi". I still have the medal in my box... Reminds me of the electrical outlet a Scoutmaster strapped to a tree. He plugged in his battery powered cordless shaver each morning, and the Scouts went "wowwww".

Home made canoes.... Yes, I agree that a lengthy shakedown cruise on a smaller body of water was in order. "Mythbusters" has often built rafts, canoes out of duct tape and PVC pipe and cardboard. Motor boats out of sawdust impregnated ice blocks, with varying success, and enviro-suits, PFDs and LOTS of rescue all around them. Many moon ago, a wonderful former Navy CPO founded a Scout Ship. They built a raft out of 2x4s and fifty gallon oil drums and floated down the Potomac and into the Chesapeake. Eventually, that SSShip had to fold due to lack of Scouts, but not before the local Councils named the regional Sea Scout Regatta after Henry Nygard. And there is this: