GernBlansten

I subscribe to Backpacker magazine. I keep copies of it in the various reading rooms of the house. Pretty good articles, tips and tricks, recipes. The other night, I was scanning the October 2006 edition and found on the back page a section called "The Back Stories, Survivors, or knuckleheads? You decide." Pretty humorous. First story titled "He also thought his headlamp would attract killer moths" was of a lost hiker at dusk. A ranger was within shouting range. The two yelled back and forth a few times then the hiker fell silent. The ranger retreated until the next morning and found the hiker. The hiker had stopped yelling because he was afraid his shouts would attract bears. Several more stories like that. Mostly morons in the wild stuff. Then a story titled "The s'mores badge is always hardest" of 20 Boy Scouts out camping in Utah. Despite at the time a total ban on fires, they proceed to have a campfire. They failed to douse the embers when they broke camp and it resulted in a 14,000 acre wildfire. The next story titled "Always be prepared...with an alibi" was next. It tells of the lawsuits filed by the feds and Utah against BSA to cover the $14,000,000 costs, the BSA passed the buck, contending the blaze was started by one to three "unknown" scouts acting on their own during unsupervised time. Does BackPacker have an agenda against the BSA or am I just getting hypersenitive? I sometimes have trouble spotting that liberal media bias that everyone claims is so blatant.

Hitchhiking? If I'm in a situation where I'm lost for several days and come across a road, what am I supposed to do? Sorry man, I won't hitch a ride with you, I'm starvin' but I'll walk the 50 miles to town. Thanks again. I'll take my chances with the serial killer. Heck, I've got my multi-tool anyway!

See the series. Competes with "Survivorman". What bugs me about Man V Wild, is he fabricates some drama. Take the episode where he's in Alaska and has found a row boat. He's paddling though an ice field with a shovel (after hours crossing a channel) when suddenly the boat is taking on water. Its an aluminum row boat folks. They just don't start leaking like that. The info he covered about getting wet and recovering from it were worthwhile, but we didn't need the Hollywood drama of the sinking. He also has a camera crew with him which give pretty good cinema but also a way out. Compare that to Survivor Man who is filming himself the entire time. That guy has double duty, to survive and film it.

On a recent long backback trip, one of our adults was nursing his new blisters. He previously was boasting how great a deal he got on his hiking boots from a discount house. I asked him if he would gladly pay $75 to have those blisters magically removed. He admitted he should have spent the extra money and got a pair of high quality boots.

Fascinating. He was lucky it didn't drop below freezing because frostbite would have been a real danger. "On the second day, the sun was out, I was in a field, and I felt very comfortable. That's my last memory," I've read that hypothermia is one of the most pleasant ways to die. Of course once the shivering stops.

Those rescue costs are obscene. I can understand spending that kind of coin searching for someone who is an unwitting victim of the environment (Kim situation). But these guys chose their fate and knowingly put themselves in the situation. Any rescue attempts should have been performed by volunteers or funded by family members or special insurance policies purchased before hand. It shouldn't be shouldered by the general public. If you want to get into the minds of some of these adventurers, Jon Krakauer is an excellent source. Try "Into Thin Air", "Into the Wild" and "Eiger Dreams".

Don't sell the Brits too short. If you want a story of ultimate survival, pick up a book on Ernest Shackleton. Those guys were tough. Lost their ship in the Antartic ice pack, spent 2 years on the ice and in lifeboats and self rescued themselves. Didn't lose one member of the expedition. As to the tragedy on the families left behind by these mountaineers, yes it is tragic. These men have put their quest for adventure ahead of their responsibilities as fathers and husbands. Its selfish. But no more selfish than any man who puts his career ahead of his family. Or no more tragic than a father who succumbs to drugs, sex or alcohol. I gave up the high risk adventure lifestyle after I got married. Once my kids are grown, I might just take it back up. But I won't until my responsibilities have been met and the mortgage paid off. And by then, my wife will pretty much have no further use for me!

There are two entirely different stories in Oregon. First one is a true tragedy, where one individuals inability to make good decisions in desperate times, cost him his life. The second one is a bit different. Three experienced mountaineers take an educated risk. They knew what they were getting into. I have true concern over their well-being, but their struggle is not a tragedy. It is the natural culmination of their thrill seeking lifestyle. Personally, in the case of the latter, I don't think search and rescue should risk life and limb to rescue these folks. They made their bed, now they must sleep in it. PS, I used to be one of these mountaineers. If I every found myself in need of rescue, I think I would have rather died than be able to self-rescue myself. My expection of being rescued by others was non-existant nor expected. Frankly, it was part of the appeal.

I've just worked 6 Eagle candidates through our District Advancement. Every candidate was required to request letters of recommendation from the listed categories. Those letters were to be sent to me. I was to present those letters to the EBOR before the candidate was present before them. In all but one case, letters from clergy was presented. In one, the scout doesn't belong to a church. His parents were able to substitute as the reference. Our district is majority Mormon and thus the majority of District Eagle advisors are also such. They seem to be OK with the parent substituting for the clergy.

Our SM is a retired Navy attack sub commander. Everything he does personally has the stereotypical military precision and rigor one would expect from an officer and gentleman. However, when he's working with the scouts, I've never met a more patient, forgiving man. He definitely does not want our troop to be too militaristic. Great SM for the boys and not a bad role model for us scouters either. Has some great campfire stories from the cold war too.

Perhaps our resident theologians can confirm or correct me, but doesn't protestant theology dictate that Phelps actions here on the big blue ball won't affect his pathway upstairs, just his acceptance of Jesus? Attended a ECOH last week. Paid close attention to the Eagle Charge. Seems Phelps has chosen to ignore it. Too bad that isn't grounds to revoke the award.

I've got to the reverse situation. A month of planning our December campout, limited it to 12 scouts because the location has restricted campsites. Filled it up quickly and started a waiting list. Scouts planned and provisioned the meals. Weather forecast isn't looking real good but hey, its December. Well 4 days before the campout, 50% can't make it (other commitments). We are now down to 8 scouts. We will charge the 4 who bailed at the last minute for the meals. Seems to be a re-occuring scenario.

Ok, I've done some research. Invision Powerboard costs $185. With Scouter Terry's permission, we should have a pledge drive to raise the money. Respond to this thread with your pledge. When we have enough to cover the costs, we all write a check to him. I'll start....I pledge $20. $165 to go. What say you?

The Old Testament is chock full of morality rules that would be difficult to follow today. I've posted this before but this thread seems to need some guidebook to keep it on topic.... 1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians? 2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her? 3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense. 4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is, my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them? 5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it? 6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees' of abomination? 7. Lev.21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here? 8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How should they die? 9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves? 10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)

Had a Tenderfoot's parent ask me if the community service hours he was doing for his martial arts black belt would satisfy the boy scout requirement too. I responded that it was great the black belt was requiring community service but don't double dip. I may have been wrong, but seems to me you do the specific requirement for the specific advancement.

During the day, go outside. Hike, pioneering, JLT exercises, just about everything you might do during the summer. At night in the cabin, bring a portable DVD player and go through the JLT videos/activities. Do a program on LNT or First Aid. Use the time for planning the next year's campouts.

Intent has everything to do with it. Building and setting off a pipe bomb could either be an act of youthful indiscretion, or an act of terrorism. Kids are fascinated by explosions. Whether it be a firecracker or an M-80, you gotta admit its pretty cool. Dangerous, but cool. Did you ever drop some dry ice into a soda bottle filled with water and put the cap back on? Biggest boom you ever heard. If the youth's intention was to harm or terrorize, then yes, he should be chucked from scouting. If it was youthful indiscretion, he should be given every chance to redeem himself.

My critique of this forum software is in no way a slam towards Scouter-Terry or his efforts. But it is clear to me that the success of this forum has overrun the capabilities of the hardware and/or software. I think this forum provides a great service to scouters. I've learned much more here than any roundtable or training. I'd love to see this virtual campfire grow. If its a cost issue to upgrade the software, I'll gladly donate to the cause. If its a pride issue to the developer, well, that's a whole different issue that I can also understand.

"The United States would not be the world power it is today, but the citizens and the States would definatly have more freedom." Well, Some citizens would have more freedom. Other's, not so much. Depending on the state of course.

We are all scouts. Independent of our ages. All rules apply equally to all scouts. No smokin', no cussin', no drinkin', no chewin'. Never heard of an Adults only area at a campout. I would also find that offensive just like SRBeaver's son did.

Interesting website on what is NOT in the US Constitution http://www.usconstitution.net/constnot.html

I keep coming back to this forum in-spite of this software. It is the most outdated, inefficient forum software still in use today. The timeouts everyone experiences when clicking "today's active topics" is caused by either a grossly under configured server, or inefficiently written SQL queries. I suspect the latter. Your ISP connect speed has nothing to do with how long it takes to post or read threads. It is directly related to the number of posts in each thread. A thread with only a few posts, comes up rather quickly. One with several pages of posts, takes a cyber lifetime. Inefficient queries. Trust me. I spend my days optimizing such queries. IMHO, Invision board software is excellent. It is quick, easy to use, you don't have to log in every time you post, allows you to quote other users, allows you to ignore obnoxious ones, PMs work. I think if this site migrated to Invision or something comparable, the traffic would increase.

Well done. Bravo, Bravo. How about Uniform Fundamentalists? And on the other side, Uniform Relativists.

I would have no problem with a CIA interrogator using whatever means necessary (legal or illegal) to extract information from a prisoner if there were a true urgent situation (bomb about to go off, etc). No jury in the US would convict him for his actions. Institutionalized torture, the likes the administration made legal, is not for those situations. Its for extracting information and confessions that are not for immediate action. Its for fishing expeditions. The prisoners who we are torturing have been in captivity for better than 3 years. They cannot possibly have any information that would require immediate action.

Between Webelos 1 and Webelos 2, my son's den went from 12 cubs to 4. Every one of those loses was due to sports. Parents made the decision that scouting was a lower priority and something had to give. Of the 4 remaining that crossed over into our troop, 2 still play competitive sports. They make 50% of the meetings. Really juggle their schedules to attend any campouts. They are stretched thin. The only reason they are still in scouting is their parents are committed to it. The reason my son has excelled in scouting is he doesn't play sports. Not interested in them. Scouting is his extra-curricular activity and has plenty of time and energy to dedicate to it.