Jump to content

Recommended Posts

afternoon folks, this log taken? no? then y'all mind if I set for a spell? my story? hmmm.well I was a cubscout, a boyscout,(eagle '76),an explorerscout,OA (6 years on the ceremonies team) a den leader, a asm, now I seem to by getting into scouts again with my fourth son. You know the hills seem a bit steeper and the ground a lot harder now days. but watching my boy say to scout oath for the first time just sent shivers down my spine, must have gotten something in my eyes that night too. everything got all blurry for a while.

yours at 100 yards Oldscout

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 7 years later...

Been sitting here a mite over 7 years now,   lots of different folks have come and gone, but seems to me the talk around this campfire has changed quite a lot.  It figures I guess since Boy Scouts has changed so much as well.  I came home from a campout recently and realized there wasn't one thing that still remained from the days when I was a scout.  

No patrol flags or sites,  no patrols at all really, (they exist just on paper) no scout leadership (the adults do that now),  no axes, or saws needed. the adults cut everything up with chainsaws last weekend.   No interpatrol competition.  

Almost as many parents and siblings as scouts.  Oh right "Family Scouting"  whatever THAT is...

But the biggest difference is that scouting used to be billed as an adventure.   An exciting way to grow up. Scouts  went hiking, camping, exploring on their own. That's WHY we studied woodcraft so intently.  So the SM could trust us to not get lost, build a fire in the rain, not cut ourselves with a knife, cook a meal, stay out of the poison ivy, etc.  It wasn't for the badges. They were  merely the recognition of what we had learned NOT the underlying motivation.  Now it's just " one and done" and you get the badge. No real testing allowed. 

 it seems as this Scouts BSA thing is totally different from my experiences or preferences, that I have very little to add to the conversation here.  So heartfelt thanks to the many who I'll  never meet, for all the coffee, s'mores, and sage advice over the years.    

{ Hoists old faded yucca pack, picks up maple hiking stick}

The woods and rivers are still calling,  i just might find another adventure or two out there.

OldScout 448

 

Edited by Oldscout448
  • Sad 1
Link to post
Share on other sites
22 minutes ago, TMSM said:

OldScout448 - You are in the wrong troop. If this is the only troop available you need to step in and move them back to the patrol method.

Alas, it's not just one troop, it's every troop in the district. I will go further: its the movement.  Driven by the damned " stop any activities that have any possibility however remote, of resulting in a lawsuit" mentality that seems to have swept the nation.

It's hard to blame National in all honesty,   when you are bleeding millions in payouts and legal fees, you just have to do something to stop it.

I am just not ok with turning Boyscouts into Webelos III, IV, and V.  

 

  • Thanks 1
  • Sad 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Sorry to see you go. I just ran a camporee that was all patrol competition. That and making a fool of myself and the scouts had fun. So, it's not all bad everywhere.

Anyway, take care.

  • Thanks 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

@Oldscout448 I sympathize with you. This is not the same program many of us signed up for. But there are some who are fighting tooth and nail to keep it the way it has been for as long as possible. But man is it frustrating. Parents are so focused on the recognition that they do not care about the experiences their child will have. Corporate hiring folks with academic credentials, but no real experience.

But again, there are folks fighting tooth and nail. I think about you when I'm on the trail this weekend. Yep my new troop is going backpacking.

 

  • Thanks 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...