SSScout

What Malraux said. RTC would earn the Commish Arrow, etc. I have not heard of a Scouter Training Award for RTC or RTCStaff either.

Wow, just getting caught up with my 'net stuff. We just had our combo IOLS/BALOO course up near Harpers Ferry, this past 17-18 May also ! Well attended, rained on, campfire was both outdoor and under cover.... All good reviews. The BALOOvians came away with the BALOO cert (they all had the online stuff done !) AND the SMS stuff , so when the time comes, they will not need to take IOLS again ! Only the indoor SMS material. Every Council/District training committee needs to consider, the BALOO and IOLS curriculum are VERY similar. Almost identical. Why not combine them , with some Cub philosophy sections as necessary. It works for us.... I only wish "they" had approved the idea of the SMS folks receiving the BALOO cert too. Why couldn't a ASM accompany a Cub Pack camping?

The three words no Scoutmaster wants to hear: "HEY ! WATCH THIS ! ! " The three words we hope to hear: " I'm a Scout."

Oh, it is possible. Take the calendar and mark the days necessary, scheduling is a real skill inherent in getting things done. Once upon a time, there was a fairly new Scout Troop that was very active, hiking, camping, going places. The Scouts made rank along the way, but they were more concerned with DOING Scouting, altho the Scouts didn't call it that at the time, rather than passing requirements. That sort of happened automatically. The dads all helped, Merit Badges? Oh yeah, those.... A new kid joined. His dad was "regular" Navy, an officer. The new kid announced, publically (!), that he would be Eagle by a certain date, he had done the math, and added some time for "adjustments" and there it was.... The older Scouts soon realized, he could then become the first Eagle of the Troop . How is this possible? The older Scouts got together and started finding MBCounselors, planning events to help satisfy the upper rank requirements. The "new" kid, now an active Scout, found that often (as we all know), "life happens after you make plans". He eventually became the THIRD Eagle Scout of the Troop.....

Yep. Times change. I was my Patrol's treasurer for a time. I had a Tobacco pouch (zippered, leather, rubber lined, perfect for the task) to keep our money in. I collected money for camp food, camp fees, Scout dues (!) which I had to pass on to the Troop Treasurer. At age 12-13, 14, I had a book where I wrote all this down, and had to report to my Patrol, at our weekly meetings (!) as to who had paid what to whom. I might have anywhere from $5. to almost $100. in that pouch at any given time.... Any time we have an App, a Computer connection, a pass thru, a non-paper transaction (yeah, even Scouter.com) somebody somewhere is skimming some fee off the top and gaining some monetary emolument. Ya wanna know why your medical treatments are so high? Ask your Medical Care Provider (not necessarily a doctor!) how many staff are in that office. How many computers. Certainly, MRI's and EEGs and Sonigrams save lives, all well and wonderful, but how has your life been improved with all the rest? We do pay for the "convenience". My parent's pediatrician (for me) had ONE nurse. Just the Doc and the Nurse. Paper files and notes. Our lives depend on ENIAC, Colossus, Mr. Gates and company. I am reminded that you can make a million dollars by selling 20,000,000 pencils for a nickel a piece, or ONE pencil for $1,000,000. Depends on your selling ability. "Office Space" comes to mind....

Case one: When I coached my daughter's soccer team (4th 5th graders), we always had water available on the side lines. I soon (after the second game!) realized the girls were NOT availing themselves of the water, even in the mandatory time outs our league required. So I required: Before the first and every other kick off, EVERYONE sat down and drank one cup of water. Then I gave'm the coach's peptalk and technique talk. Then they ran out and played. I noticed an immediate increase in hustle and we even started winning a few. Case two: At the NatJam in 2005, it was hot and dry in A.P.Hill . As Chaplains, we were supposed to be sensitive to Scout discomfort, heat prostration being a very real possibility. I was doing duty in our Chaplain Desk Tent, with another Chaplain. Some Scouts came up and asked for some water, my partner chastised them for not carrying their own canteen and was about to turn them away. I spoke up and said, yeah , but A Scout is Kind, come on in, and pointed to our orange Igloo water barrel. My partner looked askance at my interruption, but held his tongue. We turned away no one else during our shift. Case three: Way back when.... My Scout buddy and I took off from our troop campout to scale Maryland Heights above Harpers Ferry. We came "prepared", I had my "standard issue" AL. BSA two quart canteen , my buddy Paul had a one quart, both started out full, and some snacks. Our Troop leaders (Mssrs. Leaman and Atwell) knew where we were going and we had a map. "be back in time for dinner clean up !" It would be about 7 miles round trip as I recall (boy, could an unescorted pair of Scouts do that today? ). Our canteens were empty when we returned, I remember being very thirsty when we regained the camp. Case five: Cub Scout Day Camp. We actually had a Cub REFUSE to drink water that was not FLAVORED or SWEET! My CSDCDirector wife had to send for the Cub's parents to come and pick up their urchin after he refused to drink any ordinary water. Coke? Gator Aid? Sprite? The parents said that was OKAY with them, but since the Camp would not provide the sugary drink, it was stipulated the Parent either had to be there with the Cub to provide same, or the Cub could not attend. Guess which happened?

Now that is a very good reason to my mind.

Rickmay: Welcome to the virtual campfire. Rollover an e-log and set a spell. Woodbadge should be a desire, for sure, but get some "regular" Scout time and training under your shoulder straps first. I really like PPj's list. It is more specific than I have seen before. When you get to WB, they will ask you to design some projects to accomplish, using the training and ideas you have garnered. You should have the time and experience behind you to see what can and needs to be done. Therefore, get your "Leader Specific" training completed, whatever you see your role in Scouting to be. In the mean time, any excuse to go camping, eh? See you on the trail.

Scout brought NO Scout uniform to Scout camp. He brought a junior Marine BDU suit, thinking he would wear this all week. He was slated to be the SPL for the week! His dad was ex-Marine nd obviously the kid adored his dad. We had a long sitdown with him, was he a Scout or a Marine? We managed to borrow enough Scout uniform parts for him and he came to understand the difference between between being a Scout and being a Marine.... He came to be a very able SPL. When his dad found out he was very surprised, disappointed and proud, all at the same time.

Thanks for the agreement. Problem is, a Trailer has many more of the troubles you allude to. Ownership: A private person, long term "loan" of use? CO ownership? Some sort of Troop Association ownership? Who pays/owns the tags and insurance? Maintenance, new tires brakes, etc.? A shed just SITS there. Repair/replace the roof every ten, twenty years. Coat of paint to match (Scout service project !) . When I was a Scout, each Patrol had their own gear, there was NO "Troop" gear. The Patrol Quartermaster had charge of the Patrol Gear (his basement, garage corner...). How things have changed.....

Well, you should remember, the GS used to bake the cookies themselves. Corporate come down, health department lean on, bureaucratic bust, and here we are: GSCookies sell off knock off copy of. Dutch Oven Brownies? Now there's a cookie name....

I might suggest investing in a SHED rather than a trailer. I read and agree, the trailer size seems to drive the gear collection. This is known as a corollary to the Peter Principle, viz, "The stuff collected will increase to fill the space available." With a shed, properly shelved, your gear can be easily organized, cleaned, inventoried and collected AS NEEDED (!) for a trip/hike/expedition. Cars/vans/SUVs/station wagons(remember those?) can be loaded as required and unloaded when returned. The QM need not worry about who has what, because he/she sees it being reshelved. Sheds are harder (if not impossible) to steal. They can be heavily locked. Made weatherproof. No large insurance. No need for title or tags. Bought once, set up and admired. No worry about whose driveway can we use. Of course, you do need a spot , hopefully the CO can afford to let the Pack/Troop set it up on the back of the parking lot, out of the way....

Pish posh. The last time I went shopping for rain gear, about 8 years ago now, (I wanted an over the pack poncho), all I could find were dark green, black, dark blue. I reasoned, in the rain, cloudy day gloom, I wanted bright , cheery colors, if only so folks could see me coming ! Even if I couldn't see them (because of their dark, gloomy colors). Nope. None to be had. I kept looking. I found a bright yellow rain coat, over the hips length, and bought that, AND a dark blue extra large poncho. When I was a motorcycle rider, I went to a boating shop and bought a full rain suit, bright yellow. Helly Hansen. I wanted to be SEEN on my cycle. Some years ago, our local county police changed their uniforms from a nice light brown to BLACK. Even their raincoats are BLACK. When they are on traffic duty, they have to put on a reflective vest. They used to have BRIGHT orange rain coats, easily visible, with reflective stripes on them. I asked my cop friend , why the change? And he said the higher ups gave various reasons: They didn't want the police to be confused with the State Troopers (also light brown) , they didn't like the comparison with the Nazi Brown Shirts (??), they saw the black as more "authoritative", they thought it was more "Tac" as in "tactical". More invisible at night when they are chasing the bad guys.... Few officers I spoke to liked the black at first. I do not know the present opinion. Scouts can blend in, be less ostentatious, sure, but the necker needs to stand out so one can find his buds in the crowd.

First, one needs an appetite. Hike, row, canoe some class threes and fours . . . Leave someone in camp to cook the meal for you, because when you get back from the climb up Mt. Sugarloaf, you may not feel up to cooking the repast Cambridge is thinking of here. Good hardwood, burned down to a thick layer of coals. Dutch Oven Brownies, include the chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. Hamburgers, held in a grill basket, not on a frying pan, hold over the coals. Carrot sticks, celery sticks, potatoes rolled up in Aluminium sheets, laid on the coals and turned about every 15 minutes so they cook evenly. Butter for the veggies. Please note, I did not put the hamburger in the foil. The "patties" therefore need to be very firm. The smoke and burnt edges are desired. Ice tea, ice coffee. If you can get ice. TANG, if you can find it..... Please note I mentioned the titular dessert first. Most important. Exact recipes on line available. Oh, if it is especially meant to be an "American" forth of July picnic, you need Watermelon, preferably a "Gator Melon", which is long , cylindrical, not spherical, with SEEDS. Potato Salad, too, is called for. Cut up Idaho Russett Potatoes into 1" cubes, about, boil until not quite done. Run lots of cold water over them to stop the cooking, and cool them. Sliver some carrots and a bit of onion and celery (ratio Potato 10, carrot 1/2, celery 1/4, onion 1/4) , mix with hands, then glob in real Mayonaise until you like the way it looks. Let sit in your 'fridge over night for best taste. Let me know when dinner is scheduled, so I can book my flight....

Best Scout theme, Best Movie theme, Most realistic model, Most Likely to Be Copied By Others Next Year,,,,

See? You are implying that Scouting should be limited to ONLY those kids who can do the whole outdoor thing ! Yes, some kids will self select themselves to not be Scouts. That's OK, we do that all the time. Not everyone is going to run a 4 minute mile. But we should not stop them from trying.... Should the ADHD kid keep the rest f the Troop from their Northern Tier trip? certainly not. Should the rest of the Troop help the ADHD kid overcome his limitations elsewhere? I say yes, and the other Scouts will be the better for it. Will you be the one to tell the child he/she cannot try that trail just because they are on crutches? I sometimes serve as a guide on an Historic Trail, and one afternoon as I was doing a survey hike , pre-season, I came upon a man in a power chair with a woman accompanying. We spoke, he was a disabled vet, and was traveling over our trail "just to see if I could". Since the trail was certainly not "ADA " accessible, I told him of the difficult parts ahead. He thanked me, his wife (the woman) smiled at me, and he continued. We walked and talked some more as he proceeded. His power chair became a mini 4 wheeler. Sometimes he would get out and push alittle. When I motioned to help, his wife motioned me to not. To my surprise and delight, he completed the trail. We shook hands and parted company. Now, of course, this was a grown man, with no small amount of experience behind him , but should we , us "temporarily abled" , not allow any kid the right to TRY? Perhaps with our help, but without it, if they want? That is what I mean, and what I react to in your comments. Perhaps I read you wrong? Honey or sugar? Milk?

Oh, come on, mrkstvns, we can adapt and help each other. Of course it's an outdoor program, predominantly. But Would you deny the kid in the wheel chair Scouting just because he/she might not be able to climb Mt. Baldy ? Pollen masks are not a reason to deny a kid Scouting. Food allergies are not. Poison Ivy allergy (!) is not. Fear of water is not. I have watched a Scout without arms tie knots. What exactly is the "heart and soul" of Scouting? Maybe Philmont should be one's goal. Maybe earning Bobcat is a beginning, Maybe the Scout overcoming his mom's fear of bugs is a goal. I think B-P might say that the "outdoors" is the class room where the lessons are taught. The "outdoors" are not the lessons themselves. The Cub that won't button his uniform shirt because (so his mother says) "it's uncomfortable" definitely has problems we may not be able to deal with as Scouters, but being outdoors isn't one of them. Perhaps (perhaps?) we can help with those problems, perhaps not. But denying the kid a chance because he/she has an "outdoor " problem should never happen. "Safe Adventure " should be our goal, yes? Will that be Earl Grey or Colombiano? I think we have some peach cobbler over here...

Yep, very sad. Let's just agree to hold to our Scout Law and Promise and move on down the trail... All Scouting is local. When the people lead, the leaders must follow.... PinkP, perchance more coffee? What kind of pie is THAT one... ?

"Oh, the humanity...." http://www.tournamenttroop.org/ https://www.facebook.com/TournamentTroop/

I did not see anything on page 26 about BSA fraternization, either pro or con AND on page 27, it states "" Respect the mission of Girl Scouts of West Central Florida (GSWCF)."" which makes this sound like a "council" document, not the National policy? Did I miss something? But in any event, "all Scouting is local".... I have spoken to some GS leaders who told me they want to have their members (girls ! ) participate in a training we are holding, even after I told them that anyone participating had to "join" the BSA to participate ! Application and dues and all !

I am saddened to see the way the necker has fallen from favor. World wide, it is the recognized symbol of the Scout, whatever gender. In the less fortunate areas, the Scout may have a special t-shirt and neckerchief, that's his uniform, but he will have the neckerchief. The Troop of my yoooth had designed it's own neckerchief, a big one, 30" on a side, bright red, with a custom patch that read "Troop 759 Always On The Go ! " with a pair of disembodied boots kicking up a cloud of dust. Us Scouts and our parents made sure of the truth of that motto. That necker is much faded now, with some holes and mended rips from being used in signal flag (wig wag?) and first aid practice, it is brought out to show at CoH's and such. The ESL necker of the 70's was a mistake, relegating it to the duty of fashion statement rather than proud symbol and practical emergency tool. I once found a Troop necker on the side of the road, discarded by a passing car, I believed, from it's location, not by accident. I took it home , cleaned it up and added it to my collection. Since it was a "Standard" issue BSA Scoutshop item, there was no way to trace it's source. I once worked at our church camp as the Handyman. I once came back to my cabin to find a Scout necker draped on the doorknob, "Troop 1, Lewes Delaware" on the peak. When I researched it, I could not find such a Troop. Another addition to my collection. People give me such things, items of curiousity . "It's dorky, it's uncomfortable, no one wears them, why do I have to, what's it for, I keep losing the slide, can I just leave it home,, , , , " is that what we hear? Or perhaps, thru the woods, we can hear the waving of wig wag Morse code?

Amicus Curiae anyone?

Now there is a really good Idea !

Just came upon this thread. Allergies and asthma are very personal and troublesome. Medical science can help the sufferer only so much. When I was very young, (1950's) my folks moved us into a new old house. Presto ! we could now have a pet dog or cat ! Presto, when the puppy arrived, I couldn't breath. Several doctors and tests later, I was shown to be allergic (to one degree or another) to ANYTHING that had feathers, fur (hair!) or pollen. I underwent a desensitasation regimen of shots for three years. I went on the Cub Scout hay ride in the cab of the truck. This did help lead my mom to quit smoking (she had a two pack a day habit) as I was allergic to that too. When the cat (from my grandmother's dirt basement, it had never seen a grass lawn) arrived, I was able to pet it and we got along fine so long as it lived outside. Wood smoke? yep, some affect. By the time I became a Scout, I was able to sit around the campfire and cook and tell jokes with the best of the kids. Dust mask is recommended. It will help. I am convinced there is some psychosomatic effect, but this can never be proven. Kids will, however , react to what mom/dad react to. If mom/dad are calm, Scout will be calmer, that sort of thing. When loving wife asked for a "kitty", I reminded her of my allergies and insisted that the house would need to be vacuumed regularly and well. It helps, but I was always glad to go to work in the mornings. Yes, clean clothing, wash face (and for me, beard !) to be rid of dust and pollen and dander. I am much better now than when a child, but the allergies are still there to some degree. Will your Scout "grow out of it?" Maybe. But not 100%. A complete allergen testing is to my mind recommended. Your Scout will none the less, find his way in Scouting, I have no doubt. See you on the trail.

Thor's Hammer pin ? https://www.etsy.com/market/thor's_hammer_pin Marvel or True Rune ? The mythology inherent in the Norwegian/Scandinavian Valhalla is an interesting study, but not really appropriate in the religious sense, else we would have Scouts of Egyptian heritage espousing Ra and Thoth. I had a Scout at summer camp who had to be reminded of the importance of his Scout Uniform, because he didn't bring one! He had brought a junior size Marine BDU camo suit. He had expected to be able to wear it thru camp ("it's just like my dad's") , but we had to say no. Was he a Marine or a Scout? When he was old enough to join and be a Marine, wear the appropriate uniform. We ended up borrowing enough Scout "Field Uniform" parts from elsewhere to outfit him for the week. When his dad (who indeed had been a Marine, but was no longer) found out, he was surprised, disappointed and proud . The Scout later became a well uniformed SPL a few months later.