Hedgehog

Well, for two of our APLs they are pretty much doing all the work... the other two, well, I had to ask my son who they are. Additionally, your criticism could similarly be applied to the ASPL.

So if the Patrol is the basic operating structure of scouting, why is the Assistant Patrol Leader not a position of responsibility? As for that, why aren't any patrol leadership positions other that Patrol Leader positions of responsibility? This leads to the silliness of having our Assistant Patrol Leaders being designated as Troop Guides and our Patrol Quartermasters being designated as Troop Quartmasters. We should just get over the idea of the title ("serve" in a "position of responsibility") and reward scouts by changing the requirement to "Show leadership and/or responsibiity

Of course Stosh. I would love to see everyone in life folllow the Scout Oath and Law. I never had the opportunity to be a scout as a youth but I'm often asked if I was an Eagle. My parents raised me with values that are seemless with the Scout Oath and Law. Maybe it was because my parents were born in the late 1920s and the Scout Oath and Law reflects the beliefs of their generation or maybe it was because my Dad was an Eagle Scout. I'm trying to raise my son the same way. My comment wasn't meant to convey that only Eagles can live by the Oath and Law. It was to convey my wish that s

I see any discussions at the campfire by the youth as a teaching moment. I have very strong political and religious views BUT I have the understanding of the values, motivation and beliefs of people who believe differently than me. Maybe it was the experience of being on the debate team in college, but I understand that there are two sides to every issue and that each side has valid points. I actually get along very will with people across the political spectrum - why? Because I understand the issues rather than just adopt the glib slogans that pass for political discourse. One of

I often tell my son that earning Eagle is not about the title, but about what he learns along the way. As Adult Leaders we can influence what the boys learn on their path to Eagle. By learning, I'm not talking about requirements and merit badges, but I'm talking about what the Oath and Law mean. They truly are words to live by. Eagles are more than the accumulation of the requirements - it is how meeting those requirements changes who you are.

To paraphrase Forest Gump, "An Eagle is as an Eagle Does." My goal is that the Eagles from our troop will act in a way that people will know there is something different about them.

I vote for a revolution. Not an open rebellion (those always fail) but a quite one done behind the scenes. You get a lot more traction with scouts than adults when it comes to boy-led. The idea is almost intoxicating to youth. Talk to the boys, train them about what boy-led means and what it means to be a leader. Then, go to the PLC meetings. Bring up your questions or ideas there or better yet, have scouts bring up your suggestions. It is a lot more difficult for an SM or ASM to overrule the PLC. All you need to say is "well, aren't we supposed to be boy-led, i don't see any harm

From what I understand, our troop was a lot like that before I joined. The old guard did two backpacking trips and one cabin camping trip each year. Backpacking trips were every scout for themselves for cooking and the other trips were Troop (i.e. adult) cooking. As others have said, what your troop has is not the optimal BSA outdoor program. From reading the other posts, I can see that there are the old scouts and the new scouts and the old scouts control the agenda to the exclusion of the new scouts. Simply put, if the troop continues this way it will fold because the new boys will

Let me channel Stosh with what has become my favorite phrase about leadership... "tell the PLs to make sure they take care of their boys."

We've done segments in PA, NJ and NY - great trail. The sections we do are pretty highly travelled -- especially on weekends. There are a lot of backpacking trails across the country -- we've done some short ones - Pinchot Trail in PA (around 20 miles) and some long ones like Monadnock-Sunapee Greenway (around 54 miles). This summer we are doing the West Rim Trail of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon (around 30 miles). I've challenged my son to do the Maine 100 Mile Wiilderness on the AT or the Tahoe Rim Trail in three years and then do Patagonia with me and his best friend before leaving for

I still prefer Potasium Permaginate and Glycerin. If you get the right Scouter, the conversation could turn into a long conversation where both of you demonstrate the different ways of tying different knots. If you really want to have fun, track down Karl Fulves book "Self-Working Rope Magic." Get the book and you can have hours of fun with a simple rope. As I always tell my scouts, if it is wet on the outside, it is still dry on the inside. Typically, I only get out the first part of the sentence before they complete it. In my humble opinion, that is why you should hav

Our Troop functions similarly with ad hoc patrols for campouts. Typically, the patrol leaders or assistant patrol leaders end up leading the patrols, but their members are shuffled. We have around 50 guys but pull around 20 for campouts. Before I arrived, the troop was very much adult led and troop method. Started by having each patrol cook for itself. Then having them pack their own gear. Then having them decide on their own activities on outings. At the same time, we took the adults and put them in the next campsite. That's taken three years. What folks have said about the older

I've hiked around 6 miles on the AT with some Teva sandals -https://www.rei.com/product/830289/teva-tanza-leather-sandals-mens. They were comfortable and I only stubbed my toe a couple of times and my feet really weren't that dirty at the end of the day. In all seriousness, they were really comfortable, but not practical. I tend to wear them everywhere except hiking.

OK, I have no idea what the difference is since I've only tried the Gold. I like to drink Sumatra, French Roast and Starbucks' Verona coffees. I actually bring Starbucks coffee with me on campouts, use a French Press and serve it with raw sugar and half and half. This isn't quite as strong as a French Roast or Sumatra, but it is really good. Based on the information in the reviews, there seems to be a way to control the sugar (it seems to fall to the bottom of the packet, so if you don't pour it all out it would have less sugar). For me, the amount of cream and sugar is perfect.

1, Failing to use a dutch oven to cook at least once on a campout. 2. Asking "are we there yet?" on a hike. 3. Washing cast iron with soap. 4. Wearing anything cotton. 5. Leaving their hiking boots to close to where others are sleeping and having a scout pass out due to asphyxiation. 6. Visiting the adult campsite when it isn't an emergency. 7. Taking more than one match to light a campfire 8. Forgetting to flush the latrine or leaving the seat up. 9. Eating off a paper towel because they forgot their mess kit. 10. Using squirt guns instead of hydrostatic propulsion devices

Our Troop follows the same bear safety protocols no matter where we are camping: 1) cooking and dishes are done away from our tents; 2) food is stored in bear safe containers and in a bear bag or bear can when in the back country; and 3) no food is permitted in tents. We encourage the boys to sleep in different clothes than they wore during the day but that rule isn't strongly enforced. They know that if you see a bear, the first thing you look for is cubs. If you see cubs, don't get between the momma and the cubs. I agree that there are more problems in state parks where others don't

I guess that explains why I don't stand out. I was never in Boy Scouts. Dad was an Eagle, older brothers had a bad experience, I never got the opportunity. Not sure where that puts me. Honestly I'll be too busy camping four of the next six weekends (WFA training, two troop campouts and OA ordeal) to care. I guess the dads who are Eagles in our units can figure it out for me in their free time when they are at home over all of those weekends.

My loyalty is to the Program and to the boys. This situation is neither following the program or helping the boys. From one furry barrister to another, I think that asking that rules be applied to check the overreach of authority is not being defiant and that pursuing what is right to the highest arbitrer to get the correct answer is what we would expect of an Eagle.

Yet, from the sounds of it, the adults in the unit are being (and has been) disloyal and NOT helpful to the scout. You don't add requirements at the last minute to screw someone who has done everything required and deny them something they have worked for over the last 6 to 7 years.

A knife with a CAN OPENER? First off, the patrol cook boxes have can openers and nobody packs for a backcountry trip bringing cans of food. Secondly, knives that have can openers are usually non-locking folders which are more dangerous (IMHO) than sheath knives because they can fold back on the scout's fingers when they are using them. I regularly tell scouts and parents not to get the Swiss Army type knives because the blades aren't as sharp and you are carrying a lot more weight than you need to for all the gadgets. We recently went to a scout camp. After checking in, my son asked th

Nice. My base weight before food and water is 25 (but that includes a 2 pound medical kit). I've written up a couple page "article" on lightweight backpacking. If anyone is interested, send me a PM with your e-mail address and I'll send it along. How about a JetBoil and a Starbucks Via packet? Actually, I found a really good Korean instant coffee that has the cream and sugar in it already for a fraction of the price of Starbucks here: http://www.amazon.com/Maxim-Mocha-Gold-Korean-Instant/dp/B003VCULUS Check out the packs by Dueter and Granite Gear also. A 65 to 70 l

Despite what others said, you can make a difference. The first key is you have to start with the boys. The second key is you have to use the the programs view of itself to force the change. Let me explain. Find small areas where the boys can lead. Talk to them about "it would be great if you guys could do...." Attend the PLC meeting. Make suggestions. "Would one of the patrol leaders be able to do that?" When the boys ask you a question, tell them it is their decision because the troop is boy led -- and then let them make the deciision. Then talk the talk with the other leader

How about some one liners to use? "Some scouts need scouting more than scouting needs them." "I don't view any Cub Scout as being expendable." "Our character is judged best not by what we do when things are easy, but how we act when things are difficult." "A scout is kind." "Children learn most from our example, if we view learning and following the rules with contempt, we can expect no different from our scouts." "A scout is obedient.." "Every scout deserves a trained leader."

Have the scouts who are interested in running come to you and ask to be on the ballot. Tell them that they need to make the case why they deserve this honor. That should limit I to those who value camping.

Was talking to my son who is a Den Chief for upcoming the Webelos 2 Den in the Pack about Castaway Adventure. No better way for him to master it then to teach it. Also, if he brings his buddies along, it really could be the start of the transition of that Den to begin boy-led.