Alabama Scouter

Heat up a can of chili, or make your own DO full, and ladle a large spoonful into an opened (individual size) bag of Frito's corn chips.

Handful of cheese if you like. Spoon to eat with. Good meal, and the boys love it.

Add the cheese as they come out of the pot. Otherwise it liquifies.

I'm tired of these, as we've done these for years.

Use a freezer bag, they are heavier duty. Keep it off the edges of the pot or the bag may melt.

Get as much of the air out as possible or they bounce on the water. Use a sharpie to write your name on the bag.

Really lazy? Chop all the ingredients at home and keep them in a quart bag on ice until needed.

Salsa, onions, green peppers, chilies, olives, use you imagination.

Roll it out on a flour tortilla for a plate free way to eat it.

And they always need salt.

I just make a boiled egg in a bag now.

Agree, Silver, Gold, Bronze for J2E would have been a great opportunity to expose many others to the traditions of the Boy Scouts. Opportunity lost, however. Sad to see 100 year old traditions get the heave ho.

I had a similar situation a few years ago. Wherever there was trouble, this boy was close by. And there was trouble often.

Dissension between patrols and divisiveness was becoming more present. We were on a bad road

with nothing good to come of it. Parents were coming to me with unfortunate regularity with concerns.

I finally after 10 months of research and investigation had to boot the scout. Almost within a month, our problems started to dissipate. As important as working with one troubled youth is, and it is, I was unwilling to place 24 at risk because of one.

This still troubles me, but in retrospect was the correct decision.(This message has been edited by Alabama Scouter)

Welcome.

And just how did you hand over the SM patch? Just wondering.

"As are sending in corrections to National and hoping they will change things."

In discussion of MBC's, a forumer stated the above, sending corrections to National.

I've wondered, as I've sent in a number of suggestions, a complaint or two, and have never received a reply of any kind.

Has anyone here every received a reply from National?

I had a question as to why in the new J2E, GOLD is the highest award, not SILVER. Did the fellow or committee that wrote this up not know ANY scouting history? Really? I don't get it.

Why not have some training at summer camp? The camp I attend has the waterfront director do Safe Swim and Safety afloat. Not kids don't swim because he teaches a 1.5 hour class once a week.

The climbing instructor does the same for Clime on Safely.

Do I or the other adults need to follow our scouts around all day? Do they want us to?

I think not. The idea is to be visible, be where problems are most likely to pop up (think bath house) to keep them from occurring, and sure, get some training.

It's the perfect time and place. And it costs me $$ to attend camp.

I have been on the District's merit badge list for 4 years. I have yet to have a non troop related scout approach me about being his counselor. Not once.

The amount of work required for CC,CN,CW now is much less than it has been in the past. CN at one time was one of the harder badges. Now it's done in 3 hours at a "college". It used to require actually writing a letter, now an email will suffice. It used to expect a reply to the letter, now, proof that the email was sent is enough. What quality?

If an involved adult, degreed or not, doesn't have the knowledge or interest in a variety of hobbies and vocational work to proctor 50-75 of the merit badges, I'd be surprised. Most adults won't sign up for fear they'll be asked! But most could easily handle the knowledge requirement for most of these badges, just by making it to 45 years old.

Who here as a unit bus? Mini bus, full size bus?

Pros and cons?

Annual cost? Insurance costs? DOT inspections, CDL licenses?

Would you do it again?

We're starting the process to determine if we should buy a bus. Purchase cost is not the issue,

but annual cost is.

(This message has been edited by Alabama Scouter)

This is why I favor large patrols, of 10 or 12. Yes, unwieldy at meetings, but we're working on

the camping event as the primary thing being the best. So with 70% attendence, that's 8

scouts, and a workable patrol.

We've tried this to good success: If two patrols are low in number, we'd make an adhoc patrol.

They didn't like this, so we suggested the low number patrols go backpack style, paired up.

Light weight, hiker food, etc, and they like it. We're in discussion now moving the whole troop

in this direction.

I am against punishment for a scout's limited participation. A scout with 40% camping ratio is

better than a kid with ZERO participation. You'll have no impact on that boy.

During your training, ask around for the popcorn guy. You'll find him. Get with him/her and

work up a plan-figure out what gear you need, what monthly trip costs will be, etc., in other

words, come up with a budget, then you can determine how much popcorn you'd like to sell

to get you where you need to be. You can fund your entire program with it, I promise!!!

Good luck to you. Lots of good advise here.

Welcome!

I think you'll find this portal a nice place to anchor for a spell.

As I recall, the TG is a non voting member of the PLC, there to assist the new scout patrol leader.

There is a reason very few, (less than 200?) of these have been awarded.

There is a website that has a good run down on what needs to be done, when, and what resources you are expected to engage.

The "typical" Hornaday project is about the equivalent of 5 Eagle projects. That is the level of effort needed.

In my opinion, you need to have two advisors, a technical advisor, and a scouter/mentor advisor to help navigate the process. You should not expect your technical advisor to do this,

You should do everything in writing. Make notes of your meetings and have each advisor sign off on the meeting. This may very well be a process of multiple years, and memories fade. Take pictures, before during and after of your efforts.

Good luck.

This is sort of on topic-I have a helicopter mom that is a great asset to the troop. Non uniform, but a great lady. Her son was voted into OA, and she was all in a lather about the Ordeal.

I told her that if she trusted me to take him on a 3 day 2 nighter, she should trust me when I said it would be a good experience for him. She lightened up on me and let him go.

Fast forward a few years. Another (uniformed) leader had her son voted in. She hounded me for weeks to know what went on. For weeks. She finally found out from another person, and told her son. Who told ALL the other Ordeal members. Great, huh?

Had a scout show up for a hiking weekend in Crocs. No shoes, no boots, nada. Mama had to run home.

There is a reason my truck bed is full of excess gear; at the end of the day, I'm responsible.

Train, teach, show, lists, e-mails, we do it all, and still have some show up with inadequate gear. Keeps us old farts on our toes.

Brain cramp: You don't need to use the bowl for anything other than heating water.

I use the bowl for dessert, which consists of hydrated trail

mix, oats, chocolate chips, etc. Just a goo of hot sweet stuff.

Sorry for the confusion. This is best used for tent mate camping, not patrol camping, as stated.

The idea is to keep the pots and plates clean, so you don't have to "clean up" in the traditional sense.

First rule, don't get it dirty.

We use zip loc bags. We carry meals in them, we cook in them, we eat in/on them, we use them for garbage bags, we do it all in Zip Loc freezer bags. Don't use the cheap sandwich bags unless you want to wear dinner.

A dinner might consist of a quart freezer bag with 3/4 cup of Stouffers stuffing mix, a can of chicken, placed inside a gallon bag. A packet or two of salt and pepper, two folded paper napkins, your drink mix of choice, a wet wipe if you're really into it, go into a sandwich bag, which goes in the gallon bag. Your fork and spoon go with your plate and bowl and stove.

When it's time to cook, dump it all out. Turn the gallon bag inside out, put your plate in it. Take the napkins out of the small bag, turn it inside out and place your bowl in this (after you heat your water in this bowl, if it's your boiling bowl).

Heat your water, pour it into your stuffing mix, dump in the chicken, and wrap in your hat until it's done. About 3 minutes. Pour it out onto your plate. When done, remove the plate, turn the bag inside out, and roll it flat, and seal up. Fold and put it inside the other bag with your used napkin and other trash.

Pack it out.

You can use FoodSaver vacuum bags to make home made trail food that you can cook in as well, and it will last a season unopened.

Clean if necessary with boiling water. No three pot method, no soap. Water is scarce in the back country.

Got any other ideas?(This message has been edited by Alabama Scouter)

This is being done now in Switzerland and other portions of the EU.

And you thought the OnStar system was a nice freebie from Chevy.

Just as they can disable a stolen car, the day isn't far away when they disable it because

the smog in SOCAL is bad today.

Wondering, has anyone thought about the vented back causing skin indentations due to a back pack? (Due to the thicker edges and doubled seams)

In WWII, the A-2 jacket back panel was a one piece section of cow or goat hide, because the seam was uncomfortable leaning against the armored seat.

I've held off buying one of these, and with these not so nice reports, won't be, either.

Yes, the opportunity for lots of micro trash is here, but when used properly, I can see it.

A friend of mine from Ky. has a leather belt sheath for his Tobasco. He hikes with it.

Check out this web site. It has travel and individual sizes for everything you might need to make a hiking trip more comfortable. Some of the condiments along with your store bought semi -home made lightweight backpacking meals will make for a great campout.

http://www.minimus.biz/default.aspx

Who has some other favorite items and places to buy them for making "roughing it" not so rough?

Point those two gents to this thread. I'll bet they won't do it again.

Everything that needs to be said has been said. If this non-camping/false credit matter isn't

fixed within short order, I'd find my son a new troop and talk to the parents of his friends

at this troop about joining him in the transfer.

There must be an underlying issue that has caused this situation. Are the current leaders new

in the job? Do they not like to camp? Don't know the program? Don't have the personal gear?

Something is seriously wrong. Talk to the SM and CC, and find out if they're in over their

head and need help!

Changing troops is traumatic for scouts and should only be done at a last resort; that being

said, give your son the best program you can find!

Good luck! If you have gear like stoves, LP bottles, tents, shelves made to fit the gear would be handy.

If you have loose types of gear, consider using plastic footlockers, with labels on the ends, and racks for the footlockers to fit into.

A battery system for lights might be handy. You will want a set of chocks, a tongue lock, and a breakdown safety kit (reflective triangles, lights or flares, jack, spare tire).

Make sure the turn signal and brake lights work.

Good luck!