Posts filed under 'Boy Scouts'
June 12th, 2007
spryken
Our troop is in the final preparation stage for our Fontana Lake trip. A group of older/experienced scouts will be backpacking on the Appalachian Trail from Clingmans Dome to Fontana Marina for 3 days then will canoe on the Lake to complete 50 miles total. The younger scouts will be canoeing on the lake and doing day hikes in the area while the older boys are on the AT.
This is an example of some 2 pronged camping trips we have tried to plan to provide more adventure for the older boys while giving the younger boys a taste of what to expect. I have to admit this has been a logistical nightmare. Earlier trips like this one have been of the same duration. This time, the older group is staying 2 extra nights. Transportation of the canoes and getting the travel vehicles from Clingsman to Fontana has been difficult to plan, to say the least. Another issue is the dropout rate. Seems that scouts sign up for trips without asking their parents, who have summer vacation plans.
But all of that is behind us, all the plans are made and finalized. Now it is just finish my packing, prepare some trail bars and do some last minute shopping, then we are on our way. We will hit the trail some time Friday afternoon. These last few days at work are going to be miserable. I just can’t wait to get on the trail again.
Hike On!
Entry Filed under: Backpacking, Boy Scouts, Camping
June 8th, 2007
spryken
Joel Cochran at JustOneHourAWeek has asked what other troops Court of Honor’s are like. It seems he was a little let down by the Court of Honor at his son’s new troop.
I have to say, and this is not a dig at the troop, but I remember the Court of Honor being a bigger deal. It all just seemed a little flat, with very little ceremony. Case in point: two of the boys received their Life badges last night. The badges were just handed to the boys, with no more than an announcement of what they had earned.
As a response let me say that some of our Court of Honor’s are more impressive than others. We try to make a big deal out of each one but sometimes that just doesn’t seem to happen. The boys lead the Court of Honor. The Senior Patrol Leader and his Assistants present all of the Merit Badges earned with extra explanation of some of the requirements for the Eagle Required badges. After the Merit Badge portion, they turn the ceremony over to the Scoutmaster. He, along with at least one Assistant, present the Rank awards. We explain each rank presented with details on some of the steps taken to earn the rank. For Star and Life, we have additional details regarding the approach of the Eagle Rank. Each Star and Life scout is charged with giving back to the troop as they continue on towards Eagle.
We have a separate Court of Honor for each Eagle award. We feel each boy that earns the rank of Eagle Scout deserves special recognition.
It is important to recognize and applaud each step in the advancement of each boy. The positive feedback provides motivation for continued advancement. Court of Honor’s are our way of providing that feedback!!
Entry Filed under: Boy Scouts
June 4th, 2007
spryken
June 2nd was National Trails Day and I used it to kick off work on the Hiking and Backpacking Merit Badges for our Troop. We have approximately 65 scouts registered in the troop. Of those 21 have signed up to work on the merit badges and 7 actually showed up on Saturday. Some may feel disappointed in such numbers, but it was what I expected. Due to the number of hikes required by these merit badges, I have planned on having to break the boys up into groups anyway. Most of the boys have full schedules with sports, school, music and scouts. No one will be able to make every scheduled activity.
The Hike
We met at the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh, NC at 9:30. The Museum staff and volunteers were extremely receptive to our coming and offer to tailor the presentation to our needs. They had 2 hike scheduled for the day at 10:00 and 2:00. We were joined by several other patrons and started out on the trek. Jerrod, our guide, pointed out that the entire Museum Park was considered Art, not just the exhibits in it. Different structures have been placed so that from above you see the words “PICTURE THIS”. The boys had fun trying to figure out what structures made which letters. The biggest hit was probably the Cloud Chamber, a camera obsura. The entire hut is a pinhole camera, it brings the sky down to your feet.
After the guided tour of the art in the park, we left our guide and continued our hike. We crossed the Greenway bridge over I-440 and then returned to the park’s picnic area. After the boys had lunch, we went over most of the bookwork for the Hiking Merit Badge, first-aid, leave no trace, hiking safety, hiking courtesy, hike plans and reports. A very good start to the merit badge.
The boys learned that a hike does not necessarily mean putting on a heavy backpack and camping. The short hike gave them a taste of what is involved and that extended walking is exercise. I think they realize that the longer hikes required by the merit badge will take some training. I informed the boys that our next hike will be 5 or 6 miles. I am not going to jump to the required 10 mile hikes until I see that they are ready. I have some 10-11 year olds along with the 14-15 year olds. I will probably have to split the boys by skill levels and since I have so many signed up, that should not be a problem.
If anyone has any ideas about types of hikes or how to work the younger boys up to the longer hikes, please comment. I have a lot of adult participation and assistance so doing multiple trips or hike should not be a problem. I said I had 7 boys but our group totaled 14. That’s 1 adult per boy. I know I won’t always have that ratio but it is good to know I have that type of support!!
Hike On!
Entry Filed under: Boy Scouts, Hiking
May 31st, 2007
spryken
You can use the oven roasting bags, also known as turkey bags, to cook on camping trips. I don’t mean to bake or roast anything, although you can do that too. No, you can use a turkey bag to cook your dehydrated trail meals.
When our troop goes on extended backpacking trips, such as Philmont or our upcoming AT Trip, we share the load of crew gear. We carry 2 stoves and 2 large pots. We do not have to carry 1 stove per person and a pot per person, so we save on total weight.
Here is how we use the turkey bags. We all eat the same dehydrated meal. Measure the required water and bring to a boil. Pour all of the dehydrated meals into a turkey bag. Place the bag in an empty pot and carefully pour in the boiling water. Stir thoroughly, this will take some work. Then close the bag as tightly as possible and let sit. It will need to sit a few minutes longer than the recommended cooking time. Open the bag and again stir thoroughly. Serve. Clean-up is easy, store the used turkey bag in your trash container.
You can do other bag cooking too. Using a zipper bag you can make omelettes. Place 2-3 eggs in a quart size bag. Squish the bag around to “beat” the eggs. Add any omelette fillings you like and cheese. Close the bag and place in a pot of just boiling water. One word of caution, use freezer grade bags. Any others will melt against the side of the pot.
Again, easy clean-up. The boys have fun with the omelettes too.
Entry Filed under: Backpacking, Boy Scouts, Camping, Cooking, Gear
May 31st, 2007
spryken
Looking at Backpacking related websites you might get the idea that Backpacking is a solo activity. Lone Hikers are not uncommon, but I think that groups of solo hikers may be more common.
What I mean by a “group of solo hikers” is a group of people who join up for a hike. They each bring their own food and gear. So in essence they each are a loosely affiliated group of solo hikers. Some Scout Troops approach backpacking that way, at least at first. There are important skills to learn in the solo hiking method. How to fend for yourself, what gear is required, how to pack that gear, etc.
Another way is Team Backpacking. You have a crew that meets and decides what gear to share. The team decides what meals to eat which involves some compromises. The team shares the duties involved in camp and food preparation.
When we took a crew to Philmont in 2005, we used the Team Backpacking method. We didn’t have to plan meals, meals were provided. But we did have to setup duty rosters, split crew gear for carrying, etc. The adult leaders provide guidance and advice, but we allowed the boys to make the decisions and do the work.
It was amazing to see the maturity and confidence level rise over the 10 days we were on the trail. There was squawking about whose turn it was to do cleanup or cooking. That is part of the growing process. So are making poor decisions.
Five boys and two leaders, including myself, are about to undertake a Team Building Backpacking trip. We have already met to make some initial decisions on what to eat. We will be in the back country of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park on the Appalachian Trail. So far the team gear list includes:
- Water Treatment tablets
- bear bags/rope
- 2 backpacking stoves/fuel
- 1 large pot for cooking
- turkey roasting bags for cooking
- lighter/matches
- first aid kit
- toilet paper and poop scoop
- map/compass
- camp suds
You may notice an odd item in that list, turkey bags. That deserves its own post so more on that in my next post.
We will meet at least one more time before the trip to review our plans. I will probably try to nudge them to consider creating a duty roster. With just 2 1/2 days on the trail and 5 boys, I will try to get them to change Hike Master and Navigator duties every 1/2 day so that everyone gets a taste of being “in charge”. The leaders’ hardest job is keeping our noses out!!
Let the team build itself.
Entry Filed under: Backpacking, Boy Scouts, Gear
