cliffgolden

I believe the program in St Louis is probably a Learning for Life program. Learning for Life is a wholly owned subsidiary of the BSA. Here is their website... http://www.learning-for-life.org/lfl/ I think the BSA has tried to be inclusive and better serve a changing society by creating a new program called Learning for Life (LFL). This program has inclusive membership so atheists and avowed homosexuals can be members as well. Their traditional programs of Cubs Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venturing still maintain the past membership policies. The BSA works with sponsors such

I tell the boys they need to use the official bsa provided patrol patches. No one has ever challenged me on that. They can call their patrol whatever they wish (within good taste) but they need to choose a bsa patrol patch that can be purchased at the local Scout shop. When the "Leprichaun" patrol decided non of the bsa patches matched their patrol name, they changed their name to the "Invisible Leprichaun" patrol so they could use the blank patrol patch. The "Man-eating Coatamundi Plant" patrol used the pine tree patrol patch. The "Road Kill" patrol wore the Racoon patrol p

Our troop was included in an article in the January-February 2004 issue of Scouting Magazine, "Skating on Slivers of Steel". It was an article about ice boating on Lake Geneva in Wisconsin. We didn't do anything special, except make a copy to post on our troop bulletin board. It's nice for the parents to read about their sons and it's a thrill for the boys to be featured in photos. One of our boys was in a two page photo spread. We joked with him about being a centerfold. We were also in the summer edition of American Scouting Digest, "Postcards From the Edge" It's alway

Camporees are alive and well in our area. We have a fall and spring camporee, with a Klondike Derby in the winter, and most troops also participate as staff in the Cuboree in late spring. Our council runs a council-wide Camporall every 3 years. In October we had over 5,000 camp together for a weekend of fun and fellowship at DeKalb County's Sandwich Fairgrounds. We have different troops take turn sponsoring our district camporees. Our troop website has camporee program links at: http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/9857/links.htm#camporee Our troop has also sponsored a coupl

>>>>>>>> The weight limit for horses is 200lbs if I am not mistaken. >>>>>>>> Actually the weight limit for riders is 200lbs. The weight limit for horses is much higher. Most of the horses I've riden have been well over 1,000 pounds. Seriously though, I wonder how much the height/weight requirements imposed by Philmont for backcountry hikers is a risk management issue linked to their insurance costs? Ancient anecdote. On my first Philmont trip as a Scout many many years ago, Philmont doctors didn't want to let my

As others have said, I would be very relunctant to camp overnight in a cave, unless it was a show cave that offered an organized program for cave camping. I know of three options for commercial cave camping, one of which is in your area just to the north. Blue Springs Caverns has an overnight program. http://www.bluespringcaverns.com/Overnight.html Cumberland Caverns in Tennessee has an overnight program. http://www.cumberlandcaverns.com/Overnight%20Spelunking%20Tours.htm Eagle Cave in Wisconsin has an overnight program. http://www.eagle-cave.net/eagle%20cave%20web/pa

Hi Myles, I've never done a long trip down the Mississippi River. I can't really say that I have any great desire to do so either. We have paddled from DeKalb, Illinois to Davenport, Iowa crossing the Mississippi River. Thats a 200 mile canoe route we did in 8 days, using the Kishwaukee and Rock Rivers. We averaged 25 miles/day paddling. We then switched to bicycles and continued 325 miles over 6 days to St Louis biking along the mighty Miss. We have also done shorter trips on the Mississippi river around Prairie du Chein, Wisconsin. We've paddled on the Missouri River

I enjoyed competing in sports during high school and college. I also did Scouting during those years as well. We all set priorities for how we spend our time. As a Scoutmaster I don't worry about competing with sports. I think we're on the same side. Both Scouting and sports are positive influences upon a boy. I'm here for the positive development of boys so I support their involvement in sports, band, theater, and the rest. It helps them become well rounded. What Scouting is competing against is gangs, drugs, illiteracy, crime, violence, etc., etc. Scouting is an all-year

Thankfully my troop never made Scouts sing for lost items and as long as I'm Scoutmaster it never will. I don't see anything positive in doing so. There's plenty of other things we can do for fun that's not done at anyone's expense. If an item is lost, we return to the person who lost it. It's just something Scouts do. That's a very long standing tradition in Scouting. When William D. Boyce became lost in a London fog, that unknown Scout didn't make him sing to be rescued. He did a good deed without reward, and the rest is history. I think that's how anything lost should be tre

The chin-be-gota.org website has a blog, so when everything is up and running, hopefully there will be many stories. I heard somewhere that Brian is an IT director with a company out in Arizona. It is good to hear that he is doing well. YIS, Cliff Golden Scoutmaster Troop 33 DeKalb, Illinois

There is a website under development at www.chin-be-gota.org John Bland worked as Program Director. He had a deep loud voice and a robust and distinctive laugh. He ran the campfire programs. If you met John, you'd definately remember him. I reported John's death on Scouts-L at... http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:ovugPQ3MKC8J:listserv.tcu.edu/listserv/cgi-bin/wa.exe%3FA2%3Dind0403%26L%3Dscouts-l%26F%3D%26S%3D%26P%3D45434+chin-be-gota&hl=en Troop 16 of Sycamore is still active and going strong. They just went to Alaska this summer. Brian Bernhardt I definate

One of my former Scouts told me about these posts on Chin-Be-Gota. I attended Chin-Be-Gota as a Scout in 1968, 1970, and 1971. I worked there as a staff member (Field Sports Director) in 1976 and 1977. I took Scouts there as a Scoutmaster in 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, and 1986. The camp closed after the 1986 camp season along with it's sister camp, Chief Shabbona Wilderness Camp near Lakewood, Wisconsin. A group of former staff members recently got together at a funeral for a CBG staffer, John Bland. It was nice to talk of old days. John had served on staff in the late 60

We did a half day rafting trip on the Ocoee River back in 1996 on our way to the Florida Keys. 1996 was the year of the Olympics in Atlanta, and since the Ocoee was the location for Olympic whitewater events, it was extra exciting for the boys (and Parents) to hear the river mentioned on the news. We used USA Raft as an outfitter; www.usaraft.com They did a good job and were very reasonably priced. We used the same company for rafting the New River gorge in West Virginia as well. They say 1 in 9 will end up in the river during the course of a trip. We ended up with 3 for 9

We don't have a written policy. We have general guidelines and apply them on an individual basis as needed. Guests need to be eligible for membership for insurance purposes. We don't allow guests at district sponsored events like Klondike Derby or Camporee, or council sponsored programs like Camporall or summer camp, nor on troop long term camp or high adventure. Generally our guests don't attend overnight activities; just day activities. We do make exceptions to that. When the activity is limited to availability of equipment, space, transportation, etc., we don't have g

Our troop has a uniform bank. Anyone in need of a uniform can have anything there free of charge. We ask that when they outgrow it, they donate it back for another boy to use. We also have a former parent from our troop who sponsors a uniform exchange at her business. That way items are available to all units in the local communities to borrow or donate uniform parts. No money is exchanged. It's good PR for her business and increases the foot traffic in her store. Then I have my network of people that pick up cheap uniform parts at garage or yard sales. Seasoned uniforms usual

We include the Eagle presentation as the highlight of a troop COH. We start the Eagle presentation with a few words about the Eagle traditions within our troop, followed by lighting a candle for each Eagle presented dating from 1930. The Eagle's name and year is announced as each candle is lit. If present, they stand as their name is called. All those flickering candles look pretty impressive. We ask any other Eagles present to stand. I talk about Eagle as being always; it's never you WERE an Eagle Scout, you will always be an Eagle Scout. The Eagle candidate is escorted to

We're heading for a short 3 1/2 trip today to do some dog sledding and snowshoeing around Lake Superior, though I don't count it as a high adventure, it's a taste of high adventure and we'll have a lot of younger boys along. #1 Over spring break we'll do some houseboating in Missouri and either canoeing the Buffalo river or some backpacking on the Ozark trail. The boys will be finalizing the details very soon. #2 This summer we have a trip to the Rocky Mountains for backpacking, rafting, and mountain biking. Late July. #3 We also have a trip to Hawaii planned for June.

***** johnsned QUOTE***** Cliff, sorry for dragging you in on this. I never thought that posting an amusing story would cause such brouhaha. Someone I met a Philmont posted your story on a yahoo groups and I thought people on this forum would enjoy the story, so I took, the liberty of posting it here. I had no idea that I would be causing such a controversy. *****END QUOTE***** johnsned, No problem. I was surprised to see it here. Sometimes I find things I've written here and there on the Internet. In Scouting I just figure we share whatever we have. I don't mind. I

Bob White, You said "please allow me to answer the questions you posed to me". Actually Bob, you didn't. Not all of them. You said, "the philosophy of the BSA is that in order to be effective in teaching the lessons of the Law and Oath you need to use the other 7 methods. All of them. Completely". I said I agreed with using all 8 methods of Scouting. The problem is defining what is completely? I followed that with a string of quick examples. No Bob, my real question was how do you define using the 8 methods COMPLETELY? You skipped that one. YIS, Cliff Golden Sc

****Fscouter quote***** Why do you feel a need to lash out against correct uniforming, and defend improper uniforming practices? *****end quote***** Have I lashed out at correct uniforming? Go through my posts and quote where I've lashed out. I don't recall that. I may have lashed out at those who are preoccupied with the uniform. That's a totally different thing. Uniforming is a method of Scouting. I jokingly lashed out at the "Uniform Police" in my original post, and that was in a joking manner. Why is it you feel so terribly offended by that? This week

Hey Bob White, I tried to engage you in discussion over the purposes of the Scouting uniform. You referred me to resources not wanting to enter that discussion. OK. I was surprised you referenced Venturing materials. I am both a Venturing Advisor and a Scoutmaster. Uniform is not a method of Venturing. Venturing has seven Methods LEADERSHIP - GROUP ACTIVITIES - ADULT ASSOCIATION - RECOGNITION - THE IDEALS - HIGH ADVENTURE - TEACHING OTHERS. For the sake of brevity, I'll quote the first sentence in the BSA's Online Venturing Fast Start Training section athttp://www.scouting.

*****quote Fscouter***** cliffgolden - you make a pretty convincing case for ditching the uniform. Excuse me if I continue to wear it and encourge others to wear it. The subject seems to be a hot button for you. I'd suggest you donate those several field uniforms you have in the closet to an inner city troop where they would be appreciated. "Me thinks thou doth protest too much." *****end quote***** Hello Fscouter, I don't make any case for ditching the uniform; it's one of the 8 methods. You don't need to be excused; you have my blessings for wearing the uniform properly an

*****FOG quote***** BTW, there are many reasons that the survey that you referenced is flawed but one reason leaps off the page, no unit may require a uniform. *****end quote***** Hey FOG, I agree, there are several reasons the survey is flawed. The person wasn't attempting a scientific survey, just an informal one. "No unit may require a uniform" is absolutely correct. Most units out there don't understand that though. The only method I require is Ideals, the other 7 methods I try to encourage in my troop. I am more successful with some boys than others, and with s

Hey FOG, Your "big picture person" is actually a "no picture person". If they're only in it for their kid to make Eagle, blow off the rules, and don't get the Methods, they probably don't even realize there's a picture at all. Now your "little picture person" is actually a "big picture person". They see the mosaic. You see, "little picture people" can't see the mosaic. You keep working on those picture people terms though, you'll get it eventually. You must have missed the optional "Picture People Term Workshop" at 21st Century Woodbadge. YIS, Cliff Golden Scout

Hey Fscouter, The survey I referenced had the majority of the troops wearing partial uniforms. I believe that's different from not wearing any uniform. They are using the Uniform Method, just not as well as some other troops. Perhaps the purpose of the survey is to examine the levels of various troops in accomplishing the Uniform Method. It's not my survey, so I'm only speculating. If it were a camping survey instead, and some troops only camped during half the year, would they be accused of not using the Outdoor Method? So would car camping be equivalent to a partial unifor