Tampa Turtle

Our rule of thumb even if he is absent it is still his responsibility to get it done. And we have had guys who had big conflicts and were the QM come in at odd times to clean, sort, and refurbish gear; help get the trailer loaded even on campouts they weren't going on, delegate certain jobs and follow up. It can be done.

I got nothing against an on-fire boy who is blasting through his requirements BUT dad needs to back off and be directed in another direction, His son will feel more accomplished when he does it on his own. The lad needs to work with other adults

OH-OHH. I think that is hazing! The next step to doing the little teapot song for lost gear...

So YOU Got him!!!

Gee whiz its a mentor pin... I 've seen a few Scouters that have a collection pin them on a scrap of leather and wear it on their pocket or hang it off their belt...

Pot Lot worked for us. Our Pack did one or two meals (usually lunch--hotdogs and chips). Dens did their own thing. I found Pot Luck worked since the Vegans would make sure they had something they could eat and the carnivores the same. Usually resulted in more food than boys could eat...

Gee whiz lets not over complicate things, Any YPT adult could have escorted two Tigers to the bathroom if they were worried about them getting lost/hurt and once safely delivered stay outside the bathroom at a discreet distance and in plain sight. And yes a Dad can go with his son but I wouldn't if other boys were there...

We have one, an Eagle who was a (military transfer) to the Troop. He did a good job running some meetings for the SM but the ambiguity of the position visa vie other adults is a bit problematic. But he is an exceptional lad...

Yeah I'd contact camp staff. I had to deal with a hyperventilating boy who cried for days and eventually got so upset he vomited on my class A's (at which point I thought 'I am spending a week of vacation on this'.) But he was a first year (and apparently his mother bribed him as well). Eventually we paired him with an older boy who made the MAJOR mistake of letting him call home on Father's Day. DO NOT let him call home unless Mom is prepared to pick him up. Any time I have seen someone give in on that one it always seems to blow up on you. We have had some luck just running the boy

Speaking as an ASM that has worked closely with four SM's it looks like a hard as hell job. Thus so I don't get picked next I back up the HELL the SM as much as I can (and my wife will allow). I think the ASM's should be committing to at least 2-3 campouts a year, On the other hand an ASM who only shows up at meetings still can be useful. I would consider leaning harder on some of the Dad's not going and consider opening up to the Mom's. I'd also consider going up one on one to ask people for help. We have a pretty big Troop but do not have enough new help in the pipeline. So we are

Welcome aboard. Did you get the ASM 3% raise last january?

Since you are talking Backpacking then you are talking lightweight. I too have a Eureka Apex 2 man but even splitting it across two people find it a little too heavy. I also use a Hennessy Hammock and on a recent AT trip I got rid of all but the tarp at a resupply point. It was nice to see out the sides but the bugs were pretty slight. Did have the odd mouse/chipmunk run across my feet! If I had to do it again I would either get a ultralight tarp that you use with trekking poles (with an occasional bug screen addition).

IMHO Family Life when done right is and should be a lot of work for the boy and his family. I think it is best done when the boys get a little older and start to understand the responsibilities of being part of a family. Of course some boys are more mature than others. In our Troop we hold the boys feet to the fire a bit more for Family Life, Personal Fitness, and Personal Management. We tend to have a large pow wow to kick off these merit badges at the start of summer and go over a few concepts with the counselors. We might schedule time for boys once a month to meet with the MBC to go o

Been thinking about this some. I think I would have responded by doing the clean up and handing out the water (for free) as others suggested. And then afterwards withdrawing participation from future events.

Got one for the wife; she wears it all the time.

I would have asked the youth what they wanted to do...

I just did a 61 mile Scout trip on the AT with my 2 boys and the going up and down the Roan Mountain Area kicked my butt. Cannot agree enough about training, training, training. Lunges, strength training for the back, etc. I had to use poles on the uneven terrain or I couldn't have made it. Research online--there is lots of Philmont advice. Every pound you can eliminate, both fat on you and unnecessary or heavy gear will pay off big time. Bone up on Wilderness First Aid just in case. If my crippled 52 year old carcass could do it most likely you can too. Of course my 15 year old

I believe you may have what was known as a 'shelter half''. Here is a link to how to set one up (mid page) http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/Prep_For_Basic_Training/Prep_for_basic_equipment/bivouac-equipment.shtml

We mixed in the Citizenship requirements with some of the other ones; you don't have to do them one at a time. The best thing we did was switch over to the same schedule as the nearby Boy Scout Troops: Once a week except when school is out. Normally about 90 minutes. We hit the flag ceremony stuff hard since it gave them something to do. I'd leave the partials to the parents.

Yes the 15 passengers are the max without a commercial drivers license, correct? So they tend to be overloaded a bit and roll over easy. Ours seems to ride better loaded down and pulling our trailer. Our Troop has use of our CO 15 passenger van augmented with personal vehicles for most trips--which may have 25-45 boys plus adults. We have a coffin trailer, a bigger trailer, and a 8 slot canoe trailer so we usually are happy for new parents with a truck and a hitch. If at all possible we will just take the coffin trailer. For car camping type trips we will enforce a 12 gallon tub rul

There is a new restaurant in the Tampa are called WTF! (for "Wow That's Fresh") They already had a chain of chicken stripped places called PDQ ("People Dedicated to Quality"). My scout son said "Hey, where they gonna stop for the next one!".

I LOVED Peanuts as a kid and the melancholic Schultz really called to me. That said IMHO it is best not to base one's beliefs on what a celebrity believes or doesn't.

I'd hope you'd pay attention--he's been dead --Good Grief--14 years!

LOL--My son's teacher did this...I thought she was being rather cheeky.