Hedgehog

At the West Point Camporee they had a DJ with the massive bonfire - played pretty much pop music with one or two songs from the late 80s. I guess that is the difference with the Cadets doing the planning rather than the Scouters. Most of the boys stayed at least for a while. Our rule was that it was up to each scout if they stayed or left - as long as they were with a buddy.

Exit 7, 8A or 8 - depending on traffic... The better directions are to take the Delaware River south and hang a left where Washington crossed the river.

For backpacking, go lightweight. Check out Tarptent, Bear Paw and Big Agnes: http://www.tarptent.com/index.html http://www.bearpawwd.com/index.html https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/ProductFinder/Tent/filters/20 Also, for going solo, definitely check out a hammock - they are really comfortable and generally lightweight.

Put two of your ASMs in charge of the Outdoor Program. They can work with the boys to come up with the events, handle the paperwork (tour plans, reservations, etc.) and be responsible for making sure there are enough adults to drive and attend. If your current ASMs can't or won't, find a couple of new ASMs. I you do that, they now have a stake in the success of the program and you have several less responsibilities.

Didn't get the 3% in January, but I did get a 50% increase in salary going from a Cubmaster to an ASM .

I've enjoyed reading the topics in the forum and decided to join the conversation. I'm an ASM in a mid sized (around 50 boys) Troop in New Jersey. I'm a strong advocate of a boy lead troop (along with the other leaders in the Troop) and a strong believer that Scouting is outing. I have a love of the outdoors that I share with the scouts. I'm a MB counselor for what I consider the Big 4 - Camping, Hiking, Backpacking and Cooking (as well as a couple of others) and enjoy working with the boys to help them develop real skills in those areas. I'm an advocate of lightweight (on the verge of ultralight) backpacking and believe that any scout can do a backpacking trek if they have the right gear and if the do the right preparation (i.e. warm up hikes and shakedown hikes). Looking forward to being part of the conversation.