AlamanceScouter

We have a Sea Scout Ship in my district.  Really impressed with its commitment, the leaders, and its youth. 

I will just that I was a Range Officer for Cubs for about 3 years once.  It is a very important role but one I don't want to do again. It was so stressful and mentally exhausting for me.

Thanks for all the advice. Boys decided on Camp Raven Knob, NC and will take the train from Tampa to Raleigh (the camp said that was preferable than a closer location) and a bus to camp the last 2 hours. We looked at Camp Boddie was a close runner up but it looked a lot like here in the summer and the boys wanted mountains.

 

It was not easy to look for the 'big' camps. Eventually I downloaded all the regional camp maps from the BSA website 'stitched' them together and overlaid them on a scanned Amtrak map. Then I could at least winnow out the camps near Amtrak stations, contact the local camps, Districts, and Councils for contacts and ask for help in getting from the train station to camp. Then I turned over the semi-digested info to the PLC and they debated the issues.

 

I wish there was a one stop Summer Camp site; the lack of one makes it so difficult. 

 

The boys are still working out the new logistics (one backpack per boy, travel light, minimal Troop gear, best food to pack for early arrival) and have come up with some good (enough) ideas. We looked at the Campsite reservation table and it looks like we are the only Florida unit there this summer--so it should be a nice change from Woodruff and Daniel Boone. A lot of excitement about doing something new.

I hope your boys have a great time at CRN. It should be an exciting trip.

The Cherokee Scout Resevation is about 30 miles from the Burlington, NC Amtrak station.

Just wanted to post to say thank you for this thread and the great responses. My son did not get tapped out last night and he was crushed...I mean...it surprised me how crushed he was. This thread has helped me to think about ways to positively handle this with him when I pick him up from camp tomorrow. Of course, by tomorrow he probably will not even remember how he felt last night.....lol.

Any ideas on where/how own can watch it?

Check your council's website regularly and pass along and plan to attended special events. Work really hard at helping your DL's the plan great/fun den meetings. Build a solid relationship with your CO's Boy Scout troop if it has one. Thank you for your service!

Only when summer camp is not in session.

Heh' date=' heh, I had a Baptist minister once inform me that there are so many Baptist churches and flavors of Baptist because they can't agree on much - every little spat caused another split and a new flavor. I really liked that guy.[/quote'] As a lifelong Baptist I can assure you that sentiment is correct.

Pan fried walleye....oh my....gosh that sounds good. All went well. He cooked tacos in a bag and black beans last night. Pancakes and bacon this morning. Fixed ham and turkey sandwiches for lunch. He says it all went well....he was in a good mood about. Going to try to get a little more info later. Only found one tick attached to him.....have no idea how it got there.

I hear you Stosh...I should have clarified that this was his first time as the "cook".

Sitting here wondering how it turned out for him. Dude was stressed about it as I took him to meet the group before they left for the camp...guess he has seen some older boys who were not happy about food being late, not enough, etc. in past camp outs. Years ago I never thought I would worry about my son "cooking". Lol!

Wonderful! Thank you for sharing.

Elections? How about begging somebody....anybody....to step up to fill a position on the committee?

My son picked his troop and it was different for the one associated with his Pack. That was tough for me because I was a den leader for 4 years and developed friendship with many of the Pack leaders/parents. At the end of the day I think he made the right choice for him.....I am proud of him. Best of luck to you and your son......and your Scouting career does not need to end now.

Here is a great article about one of the best high school running back's in the country who just earned the Eagle Scout rank. He has been in Scouts since the 1st grade. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/12/14/4540101/charlotte-catholic-all-american.html#.UrAqUTK9KSM

Yeah...I know the feeling. Most of the boys in the den that I lead for 4 years crossed over to Scouts and I think they are doing well. My son chose to go to a different troop than where most of the other boys went so I don't get to see them as often. My "super scout" 's mom posted on Facebook last week that he had just earned 2nd class.....he is on his way and I am proud to have played a part in his trail.

If you have a good job that you are happy doing and it provides the standard of living that you are looking for, I would urge you look deeply and think seriously before leaving it to be a DE. It is a very difficult job that, IMO, is going to get even more difficult....even impossible. Schools are cutting the scouts out from doing Cub Scout recruiting and United Ways are cutting the scouts out from their allocations. Bad press is hurting the scouts ability to get an audience with new potential givers. In short, the job is not one that most sane people would want.

I just caught this movie on my local PBS station. The movie is a guy documenting he and his friends hiking the John Muir Trail. There is a brief mention of the guys being in Scouts together when they were growing up. Really enjoyed it. http://www.amazon.com/High-Sierra-Journey-Trail-Blu-ray/dp/B007QTL2PK

My district's former DE is your Director of Development (think that is his title). He was a great pro for us.....your council is lucky to have him.

Welcome to the forum and best of luck to you!

Well....he had a GREAT week! He participated in the first year camper program and worked on the Swimming Merit Badge and the Indian Lore Merit Badge. He made lots of new friends and.....seemed to "grow up" some during the week. So proud and happy that he is part of the BSA and that there are so many leaders who work to make the lives of our kids as good as they can be.

Hey Coldnote, have you found a Pack yet?

RS and Q, thanks so much for the replies! Q, yes, I do want to remain trained and involved to some extent.....I am going to try to ease I to the area that will fit me and what the troop might need. Getting in shape really hits home with me. I am in my late 40's and have let myself get out of shape and over weight. We were on the North Carolina coast this past week for our vacation and we went to the Cape Lookout National Sashore for a day. I had a tough time getting to the top of the lighthouse.... Honestly, if I am going to be prepared to help on outings I am going to have to get back in shape.......and I am. I so hope this is a good week for my son and his troop!

I was his den leader from his wolf year through his Webelos experience.....that included 2 half weeks of Webelos Resident Camp. For a variety of reasons I decided not to get involved with the troop as a weekly unit leader but most importantly I wanted to give my son the chance to do Scouts without me around all the time. I can't wait to hear about his week at the Cherokee Scout Reservation of the Old North State Council!