69RoadRunner

Bud, Miller, Coors or any mass produced, low taste beer is better than Iron City. IC Light is drinkable. And IPAs are garbage. I'm starting to think I took us off topic, but no regrets. I think I have some Mad Elf left...

That's awful. I mean Iron City is dredged from the bottom of the Monongahela River.

I've had several events where I've struggled to get 2 adults, period. The moms don't come camping. There is zero chance I'd get any to do Philmont. Take a look at summer camps. What percentage of adult leaders there are women? It's very small. I've asked. I'm not in any way opposed, but I only have 1 that's ever come. Another stayed 1 night when we were desperate.

It would likely end most troops.

If that's the reasoning, then an adult female should be required for all events, not just when a girl is present.

I suspect most of the people who come up with these rules are not affected by them. I just don't think they give any consideration to the fact that we are VOLUNTEERS. I strongly support most of the YPT rules and follow them all. This rule and the one where 2 female adult leaders can be in charge of a group of boys but 2 male adult leaders cannot be in charge of a group that includes even 1 girl bug me. Frankly, that's insulting and I'd like to have some strong words with those who came up with it. I really feel like no consideration is ever given to those of us who have to abide by these rules from those who create them.

Thinking about copying most of this: http://www.troop1128.org/2017/09/2017-dolly-sod-5-day-backpacking-trip-report/

Both of my parents went to Pitt and we'd drive by The O every time they took me to the library. Hmmmmm. Dolly Sods is something to consider.

Fantastic ideas! And I grew up (allegedly) in Pittsburgh. Pierogis and Primanti's are on @qwazse

Yeah, I've found that both the Adirondacks and Smokies have permits, group limits and even restrict to specific campsites, which would all be a problem. As far as other activities, I'm just beginning the process. I want to first find what is logistically possible, then present ideas to the scouts. Fishing and maybe a day trip at the beginning/end to do rafting would likely be popular.

We're looking to roll our own in 2023 and do a 5-7 day backpacking trip instead of the national HA camps we've been doing. It's both for change of pace and to save some money. We're in Northern Virginia and looking to get out of the area, but within a day's drive. I know there are many options out there, I'm wondering if any of you have actually done something and can give some advice. One idea is backpack in the Smokies and maybe a day in Dollywood. Or maybe drive north to the Poconos or Adirondaks. Thanks!

Sorry I missed your question. We started on the High Trail trailhead near the Mammoth ski resort. Then we went off trail. I've been asked not to share specifics of the trek as it's part of why you pay Skurka for the trip.

Awesome! This is one I'm trying to sell to our troop.

Hahaha. It was a good adventure. Skurka is the king of backpacking and he gets the best guides. They also teach proper lightweight backpacking. I sometimes see scouters who look like they're on some month-long expidition or have a Dutch oven in their packs. It certainly pushed my limits, but never worried I was going to die. Such a beautiful place.

Well, that one wasn't my pic, of course, since I'm in it.

I went with a Skurka Adventures group for a 5 day mostly off trail backpacking trip in Inyo National Forest. It was touch and go as smoke from a fire over 100 miles away threatened the trip, but we only had a little smoke parts of 2 days. We climbed a glacier, slid on our butts down a permanent snow field and had a great time. Some of this trip was beyond what would be appropriate for scouts. It was an amazing time and very physically challenging.

Yeah, I don't know why it didn't like uploading the original files. I had uploaded the originals to Instagram. When you do that, it saves a reduced copy on your phone. I tried uploading those copies and that's what failed. They failed from my phone and laptop. They failed doing file upload or opening them in photos and doing ctrl-a, ctrl-c, and then in the body, ctrl-v. By using Snip and Sketch on those photos creating yet another version, I was able to paste from Snit and Sketch into the body of the posting. So maybe Instagram adds something to the EXIF data in the file that this site's software rejects? The original images are over 31mb, so I know I can't upload them.

In Snip and Sketch, I did ctrl-A, ctrl-C. Then in the body of the post I was trying to make, I did ctrl-V. Not upload file. Is there some filter on EXIF data? Here's a pic of my ugly mug hiking with my EVH pack that it did let me upload.

It failed on my phone (Samsung) and on my Windows laptop using Chrome. I could only paste photos from doing a screen capture with Snip and Sketch.

When I opened the pictures in Photos and tried copy and paste. It failed. When I used Snip and Sketch to do a screenprint of the images and did copy and paste, it worked.

He completed his Eagle project yesterday. Well, Miss Utility didn't come on Friday to mark any utility lines, so planting a couple of trees will wait or not be done. His high school recently was renamed from Robert E. Lee to John R Lewis High School. The crew built a decorative bridge to symbolize the march on Selma. The grass was removed and leveled. Weed barrier was installed as was river rock. It ended up being a bit more work than expected.

So I can copy and paste, but not upload.

.jpg

I'm trying to post something and attach some pictures. The file sizes are under 1mb, but I get upload failed every time.

Well said! I have a hard time convincing some people about trail runners. Some people just refuse to believe things they were taught are wrong. Most thru hikers on the AT, PCT, etc. wear trail runners. Boots do NOT provide any additional protection from rolling your ankle, they weigh more and are more blister prone. https://www.cleverhiker.com/blog/ditch-boots No kidding on morale. It's tough. We had a very young crew last time. One had a bit of a breakdown and wanted to quit. Two days later he wanted to come back as a ranger. You can make suggestions to your crew leader. Getting early starts is one of the best. Smartwater bottles are better than Nalgenes. Lighter, cheaper and you can fit 2 in a side pocket. We never needed a wide mouthed bottle to get water. I have a rain kilt and rain pants. Rain kilt is best in hot weather. If the weather for your trek can be cold and/or lots of rain, rain pants are better. Cooked breakfast is a horrible waste of time. Trade out for no cook.