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Think that I'd be careful not to overlook the simplest answer - this young man might just be spouting off in front of his buddies...

Forgive the misleading title please, but recently got asked what Venturers favorite activities were. I rattled off a few of the old standbys like rock climbing and rappelling, bike trips, canoeing and kayaking, caving, shooting sports... What is big with your Crew? Thanks

Ky Eagle - you've got the right idea!

Welcome brother The ride has just begun!

I'd like to think that your First-Year camper program is working along the lines of exposing these new Scouts to the First Class advancement requirements and not sending the boys home thinking that they've done everything and 'where are my badges' Lots of this material is better covered in a Scouts home Troop over time than by just plugging them into a program and spitting them out the other end. There may be a few that disagree with this viewpoint...

We've seen it above, but worth reiterating that a skill attached to a usage will sink in and stick far better than just teaching the skill for its own sake - especially seems to apply for something as hands-on as knots! Lashing a flagpole as a game is a pretty good application (among several others) but how about reaching a box of cookies out of a tree? Or rethread a broken halyard on a flagpole? Several good lessons there perhaps? Remember that it's a game with a purpose...

If you're anywhere near Western Virginia, you might check out the Blue Ridge Council's High Knoll program - search for Camp Powhatan and go from there. Imagine a mini-Philmont outpost type trek, enough altitude to make the summers comfortable but not 10,000'+ You'd have to work to make it a 50-miler but priced right...

Has anyone got any data on Weblos - Scout crossovers? Now there's something concrete to work on...

Folks - Got an opportunity to present a session on 'Starting a Venture Crew' Looking at the VLSC material as a beginning point and have some ideas of my own, but would ask for the group's input on what else you'd consider important? Or might anyone have a presentation to consider sharing? Thanks in adavance

Mike you pretty well summed it up; particularly the importance of putting your hands on one and load some weight in it. This isn'ta bad looking pack if you have to go internal frame; got external pockets and separated lower compartment and fanny pack built in. Can't tell what how access to the water bladder compartment is; when you're refilling that thing 2 or 3 times in a day with your pack full it becomes an issue! The only thing that I might add for Hops to consider is now that you have a basic construction and size in mind, see what else might satisfy these requirement and what additio

Zahnada While not able to agree with all of your assumptions, must agree that this childish foolishness really should go away. We've all got better things to do (or perhaps should find something)

Cheffy I liked the idea of a tag for last-minute items as much as I didn't like the 'adult inspection team'. The place for adults in this process is to turn their packs out for inspection first, and then stand by to take questions. Let your older Scouts do this after their gear is inspected (by each other) Might not be a bad time to invite parents in to see what some of this stuff looks like (although that might make a reasonable static display at a Court of Honor) Lots of the gear problems that younger Scouts have can be attributed to miscommunication with their parents... And don't for

Mark - Thanks for that 'wall of your life' perspective

yarrow: Lets take that process and try to get across to these guys that they have made it to a threshold but that there's one more step. Acknowledge where they've been and how ready they are to take on the push to Eagle; your point of capabilities v/s organization is well made.

This is a great thread Rooster and if I could make a crude attempt at generalization I'd have to say 'Slow down and enjoy where things are at right now. Have faith in yourself and in your unique set of skills and in your ability to learn and grow and develop. Don't worry too much if the world isn't quite ready to acknowledge your wonderfulness for you' And would something off-topic that I heard somewhere and can't get out of my mind 'This might be Heaven - right here and right now' Makes you realize how good we've got it... Thanks again for bringing this up

Thank you Campfire Fairy

Hi GT: Not knowing where you're located or what you do in the winter, but I'd have to think twice about buying something rated below 0 - are you sure you're going to be out there? Would tend to stay away from down; don't know for certain but it seems like too much of a special-purpose unit and somewhat fragile. Recently have seen some pretty good deals in the Campmor catalog on Slumberjack and a couple of others, much less expensive than I would have imagined. Recently acquired an inexpensive fleece liner that makes all the difference as well, although would appreciate it being longer than

You make a valid point KS, and I'm really not sure which side of that I come down on. As an ASM I keep a little closer to the trenches in an effort to keep our SM freed up and observe some of this from a distance. Not so sure I like the idea of a BOR turning a Scout away without a pretty good reason; offering a firm standard and a clear-cut path for correction. But I do like the idea of (someone) asking the Scout what he has done to adhere to our ideals - and believe that the most important part of that is having him recognize where and how he might have done better. Too often these boys

Eammon: Sounds like you're on a good course to improve an otherwise ugly situation. And certainly appreciate the position of supporting the program overall - even when the immediate situation isn't to one's liking. This is a concept that we all face from time to time and some important ideas are surfacing. I fervently hope that we can see this discussion continue instead of watching it spiral downwards into off-topic childish behavior and background noise.

I hereby nominate KoreaScouter as our honorary Safety Director!

Thank you Eagle - the kids were starting to get restless. Remember folks that those rules cut both ways and the simpler that we can keep things the happier we probably all are in the long run. Kneejerk reactions and the endless creation of rules and regulations often serve only a few

Pam - (please try to get past the asinine and childish wrangling that appears in the midst of far too many of these discussions) I think that your Troop Guidelines are going a little too deep into the particulars of operating the Troop - and has your PLC reviewed it lately BTW? I'm inclined to think that we're able to stay closer to the original ideals with less formalized interpretation from a specific group. Granted some rules are necessary but remember who we're dealing with and what we're trying to accomplish

Break it up children - this was threatening to be an interesting discussion for a while there...

Sounds like someone needs something to do...

Thanks KS