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Hiking merit badge changes - Why?


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9 minutes ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

Careful @qwazse!! 

"Two registered adult leaders 21 years of age or over are required at all Scouting activities, including meetings."

I guess it comes down to what "at the activity" means.  Is sitting at the trailhead at the activity? 

 

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19 minutes ago, cmd said:

I guess it comes down to what "at the activity" means.  Is sitting at the trailhead at the activity? 

 

Certainly riding along at a leisurely pace on a bike would qualify.  Having relays of adults would also qualify.  Switch out every five or 10 miles or so.

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From the G2SS...

"In situations not specifically covered in this guide, activity planners should evaluate the risk or potential risk of harm, and respond with action plans based on common sense, community standards, the Scout motto, and safety policies and practices commonly prescribed for the activity by experienced providers and practitioners."

Two Scouts wanna hike a well-travelled, flat rail-to-trail section?  No problem... I'll drop 'em off and go to the ice cream shop near the end to wait for them.

Two Scouts wanna hike up Mount Washington?  Maybe not...

"Known as the most dangerous small mountain in the world, 6,288-foot Mt. Washington boasts some scary stats: The highest wind velocity ever recorded at any surface weather station (231 mph) was logged here on April 12, 1934. And almost 150 fatalities have occurred since 1849. No surprise: Most are due to hypothermia–and not only in winter. “They call them the White Mountains for a reason,” says Lieutenant Todd Bogardus, SAR team leader for New Hampshire’s Fish & Game Department. “We see snow right on through the year.” Several weather patterns collide on Washington and produce its notoriously foul weather, which can move in quickly. In 60-mph winds, hiking becomes nearly impossible: Traveling north along the Crawford Ridge from Washington’s summit, hikers routinely–and unknowingly–get blown off course by powerful westerly winds, which shove them down off the ridge into the Great Gulf or the Dry River Valley. “It’s human nature to go with the wind rather than into it,” says Bogardus. Unfortunately, hikers often find the winds have steered them many miles from trails and roads, thwarting their safe return."

https://www.backpacker.com/trips/america-s-10-most-dangerous-hikes-mt-washington-nh/

 

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1 hour ago, InquisitiveScouter said:

... I'll drop 'em off and go to the ice cream shop near the end to wait for them. ...

Technically, I was at work and saw them out my conference room window when they past their halfway mark. I got my afternoon coffee later.

MB work -- unless explicitly stated -- is not a troop activity. It can be fun when it is, but that's not necessary.

Meeting with counselors now does fall under YP. And, I wholeheartedly agree, that a good counselor will help the scout plan to the level of his/her ability. I think when there's that second person in the room, good advice is more easily retained.

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3 hours ago, cmd said:

I guess it comes down to what "at the activity" means.  Is sitting at the trailhead at the activity? 

 

Yep. A ton of real life examples. Here is one... A Scout attends a school board meeting to satisfy Cit. in Comm req#3. And it isn't just limited to mBs. 2nd class req#7 "participate in a school..."

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5 hours ago, cmd said:

I guess it comes down to what "at the activity" means.  Is sitting at the trailhead at the activity? 

A different, less legalistic tack is asking what level of hovering supervision is in your absolute best judgement required in the particular activity in that particular place for those particular scouts to limit their mistakes to the kind that are a matter of straightforward "let's not do that again" rather than someone thinking "I have to get out of here".

Sometimes maybe yes, sometimes maybe no, like other above have said. Keeping the scouts' minds and bodies in a positive place is the objective. Rules - good ones, anyway - are ultimately meant to be an aid to that, so putting your eyes on the safe enough prize ought to be able to lead you as well.

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