69RoadRunner

That video production is far better. But you guys cheated and did a shuttle boat.

I finally figured out how to combine GPX files from the rowing activities I tracked on my Garmin watch. So this is the route we did.

Thanks. I actually didn't keep track of that. I perhaps tried a little too hard to just be along for the ride and let the scouts/interpreter run the show.

My editing skills aren't the greatest, but I put this together of our NT trip. I wish I'd captured more, but this gives a good idea of what it's like. There are a few stills, particularly at the start, but it's mostly GoPro videos from the camera on a headstrap.

The cold showers were one of the very few things our troop noted as a negative when they went for the first time this year. Lack of shade and the extreme distance between activities were the others. They very much want to go back next year.

We only had a half hour in the store, and I got there later than the rest of the group as I had to take care of something. I wasn't looking for those types of items, just hats and shirts. I don't recall anything like that, but that doesn't mean they weren't there.

If you're looking for exercises to do, here's what I'd suggest. Obviously getting out in a canoe is great, but most people can't do this multiple times per week. The rowing machine is good cardio. It doesn't exactly mimic canoe paddling, but it is good. Shoulder press. You'll be lifting heavy stuff and carrying heavy stuff. Weighted walking lunges. Sometimes we had 2 people carry the (mostly) empty canoes on short portages. This will get you used to holding heavy weights and strengthen the legs. Core exercises benefit most activity. Planks, crunches, etc. If you're at a gym, use the row machine. I'm not talking about the cardio row machine, I mean the weights. You can also do bent over rows with dumbbells or a barbell, but keep good form. Lose weight. I failed this during the pandemic. Fortunately, I wasn't overweight much to start. This isn't a trip if you have back issues. With 3 gray whales, equipment bag, food bag and 3 canoes, you can't put all the burden on the scouts, even with a full crew.

We were only given a 30 minute window to shop in the store. We wanted to take our interpreter out for dinner when we returned but we were told if we left we could not come back in.

There are canister stoves that simmer well. Our remote canister stoves do. We did make the desserts (pudding, brownies, cake) with varying degrees of success. We had the dromedary bags. The tablets at Philmont were better than the Polar Pure at NT. You can backflush the Sawyer Squeeze. People take them on through hikes of the Appalachian Trail, so they should be good for a week. True, take the pants, particularly if the weather will be cold and rainy.

I'll add thoughts as they return to my brain. If you get to a campsite, and there's no grumper or fire grate, you're in Canada. DAMHIK My Railriders Eco Mesh pants worked very well. They don't zip off into shorts but have a long zipper along each leg that when unzipped has mesh that keeps bugs out but allows air in and water to drain out. They also come treated with Insect Shield. Fozzils Bowlz are great for both Philmont and NT. We bought them as crew gear. They're light, cheap, compact and when you unsnap them, easy to lick clean. We found for bsoth Philmont and NT, treating both bowls and spoons as crew gear makes it easy to keep track of them. No waiting for scouts to pull them out of their packs. They get cleaned as crew gear anyway. You'll be wet most of the day. There really isn't time to re-apply sunscreen, so long sleeve sun protection shirts, light long pants and a wide brim hat are important. Paddling gloves protect from sun and blisters. If you didn't slip on rocks while getting out of your canoe at least once, did you really go to Northern Tier?

Thanks! During the day, no problem at all. First and second nights not bad. Third and Fourth nights they came out to feast for about 1.5 - 2 hours.

Sunset and then sunrise view from my hammock.

First, we had a fantastic time. Really, it couldn't have been better. Second, I'll post the route we did later. I intentionally let the scouts and interpreter deal with that. We left Springfield, VA, flew from Reagan National Airport direct to MSP. We rented a 15 passenger van for our crew of 8 and gear and drove 4 hours to Virginia, MN. Not sure why we did that to just end up in Virginia again. Virginia is the closest town with national hotel chains. We stayed at the AmericInn with a great view of the railroad tracks. Well, my room did. Get the front of the hotel to be away from that noise. The hotel was fine for our needs. Next morning we drove to NT. We got lunch at a gourmet grilled cheese place in Ely called Gator's Grilled Cheese Emporium. I got a grilled cheese sandwich and the lobster mac and cheese. Great stuff! Staff checked out temps when we arrived. MN made masks mandatory and we wore them any time we were not at our cabin. Unfortunately, not all scouts and scouters complied. It should have been clear you wear a mask or you leave. Our crew was assigned our own shower/bathroom at the bathhouse (2 on our return). Our interpreter is a Navy Academy midshipman and was fantastic. It helped that our crew was really good, too. He showed them what to do the first day and really we just fished or relaxed while the scouts made/cleaned dinner. Scouts had plenty of time to do their own swimming and having fun. Some random thoughts/advice. 1. White gas stoves are ancient technology compared to canister stoves. I took a tiny backpacking canister stove for our coffee (they have a percolator in the equipment if you don't). 2. I took a Warbonnet Eldorado hammock and Warbonnet tarp. It was my first time camping with a hammock. It was OK. I was glad to have my own place to sleep. I hate sharing a tent. The interpreter had a hammock, too, but no underquilt. He was cold at night. If your whole crew brings hammocks you'd struggle to find workable trees for all at most of the campsites we used. 3. The walk from the parking lot to your cabin is rather long. Not sure why they set things up like that. 4. White gas stoves are like carburetors and canister stoves are electronic fuel injection. No tune ups and quick to start. 5. While they provide 1 drink mix packet per day, take some extra. The Polar Pure iodine water treatment tastes bad. 6. Better yet, take a Katadyn BeFree or Sawyer Squeeze filter and skip the Polar Pure. Don't take those big, bulky, heavy pump filters. 7. You can't spill canister fuel. 8. I went in wanting to minimize portages thinking those would be killer. Well, they are. What's worse is no portages. The reason is when you portage you rest the rowing muscles and instead kill your shoulders and legs on the portages. On the big lakes with a long time before a portage, your rowing muscles turn to rubber. So you need the portages. 9. The portage where we stood in a waterfall was awesome! 10. The food is better than Philmont, although the desserts often were pudding, even when not intentionally pudding. The food is crazy heavy, too. 11. I loved Philmont, but this was better. Philmont felt like there was too little down time. At NT, we arrived at the campsite between 2-4 and just had to set up and eat. We all loved this. We swam, fished, chilled. It was really nice. Plan your route so you arrive at a campsite around this time. You'll enjoy your time more. 12. People who prefer canister stoves are scientifically proven to be better looking than those who prefer white gas. I saw it on the internet somewhere. 13. A beaver dam blocked our way and made for a less than joyful portage. 14. Pack light. 15. We had rain the first hour on water and never again. I never used my rain jacket. Leave the rain pants at home. 16. White gas stoves are like a Soviet Lada and canister stoves are like a Mercedes-AMG GT. 17. First 2 nights, bugs were not really an issue. Last 2 nights, they feasted for about 1.5 hours. No real issues during the day. 18. One of our 2 NT white gas stoves stopped working and couldn't be repaired. There's nothing to maintain on a canister stove. We used remote canister stoves at Philmont. 19. Take your own PFD with pockets if you want a GoPro or fishing gear easily accessible. Getting into the grey whale while on the water is annoying. 20. Altama OTB Maritime Assault boots work very well. 21. Get the Kevlar boats. Portaging with something heavier would not be joyful. 22. Get a backless seat pad that straps on to the canoe seat. 23. Take Tears of the Sun hot sauce. It's Trans-Siberian Orchestra guitarist Chris Caffery's recipe. 24. Several of us think we had weird dreams because of the Polar Pure iodine. This might be true. 25. We were all very fortunate to be able to go.

Our troop went to Summit Merit Badge Camp June 18 - July 4. I don't know if anyone got tested, but we're required to report back to Summit if anyone gets sick. We have no reports. There were only 270 people there that week with 700 the following week. There were no reported illnesses during the week our troop was there. WV recently reinstated some restrictions. Some sound like if they were applied to Summit, then Summit would have to close. I've seen no updates on Summit's site since June, so I assume they're still operating. I've been searching for news stories, and I'm not seeing anything indicating Summit has to close. They did just postpone the 2021 Jamboree. https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2020/07/14/bsa-postpones-2021-national-jamboree-because-of-covid-19-pandemic/

OK, show of hands. How many people take flares out into the wilderness? Maybe that's how some scouters have 75 pound packs at Philmont (I assumed it was dutch ovens). To me, the MB should be based on stuff you'd typically take as part of the 10 essentials. Stuff a scout would likely have.

The merit badge is Wilderness Survival. You're not going to have flares or a flare gun in the wilderness.

While it technically meets the requirement, I think it would be better to steer the scout toward something they are more likely to have on them in the woods. Not sure if the Guide to Safe Scouting covers shooting flare guns, but I'm going to say probably not a good idea.

Until this year, I only got the Mile Swim patch. During pandemic, I managed to get the Social Distancing, Toilet Paper Gathering, Mask Wearing and Weight Gain merit badges.

Thank you! That is close to what I needed to do. I had to go to My Dashboard and then Administration to get the rest of the way. Oddly, Scoutbook insists on giving me the mobile version of the site even on my laptop. Like you, none of the counselors in my troop, including me, are in the report.

I'm still not seeing where to find the MB Counselor list in Scoutbook.

It's My Profile, then My Positions. I'm listed as a Scoutmaster and Merit Badge Counselor, but none of my merit badges are listed. I guess they didn't add them.

Miracle Max: Beat it or I'll call the brute squad! Fezzik: I'm on the brute squad. Miracle Max: You ARE the brute squad. I am the Scoutmaster. I'll check with our CC. She knows everything.

We only recently switched to Scoutbook, and I can only assume it was designed by sadists. It is the most unintuitive pile o' poop I've used in a long time. And yes, I tempered that to be more scoutlike. My actual thoughts are much harsher. Where can I go to get a list of the merit badges BSA currently says I'm a counselor for? I've poked around my.scouting.org and scoutbook, and I can't find anything. Supposedly, I can find counselors in my area on Scoutbook, too, but that's a mystery as well. I'd appreciate some help. Thanks!

I've had several scouts, including my own son, who were much more afraid of open water than a swimming pool. It's tough when you can't see beyond the surface. Doing a test under pressure can have the same result, I'm sure. I try to tell them this isn't like a school test. You can keep trying until you succeed. There's no penalty for not succeeding the first time. We just want you to be capable in the water so you're safe.

I'm told "ambient" if there were native polar bears in the area.