GernBlansten

I believe that standard first aid/CPR are prerequisites for WFA. So start out taking a certified first aid course then if you think you might need or like to move up to WFA have at it. Who knows, you might then take Wilderness First Responder then Wilderness EMT then become a mountain guide or ski patrolman.

If you are caught on a golf course during a storm and are afraid of lightning, hold up a 1-iron. Not even God can hit a 1-iron. Lee Trevino

As my daddy always said, "Nothing brings you closer to God than a lightning bolt."

In the five years I've been in our unit, I've lost count on the number of nights camping, but well over 100. The only time nights camping is an issue with our scouts is the "parlor" scouts. Those who only attend summer camp, always find an excuse not to go on a weekend campout, and only attend meetings when there is nothing else to do that night. Luckly, most of boys don't fit that description.

So Ed, if the context is wide open, would the question "Are you sexually attracted to other boys?" an acceptable question at a BOR?

I think questions about the scout law and oath are well within the range of questions acceptable. However if the question becomes about the scout's God, then that crosses the line into personal stuff. Same as asking the scout about his sexual preferences. Off limits. However, I do see that line crossed now and then.

Just remember that you're standing on a planet that's evolving And revolving at 900 miles an hour, That's orbiting at 19 miles a second, so it's reckoned, A sun that is the source of all our power. The sun and you and me and all the stars that we can see, Are moving at a million miles a day In an outer spiral arm, at 40,000 miles an hour, Of the galaxy we call the Milky Way. Our galaxy itself contains 100 billion stars It's 100,000 light years side to side. It bulges in the middle, 16,000 light years thick But out by us its just 3,000 light years wide We're 30,000 light years from galactic central point, We go round every 200 million years And our galaxy is only one of millions of billions In this amazing and expanding Universe. The Universe itself keeps on expanding and expanding In all of the directions it can whizz As fast as it can go, at the speed of light you know, 12 million miles a minute, and that's the fastest speed there is. So remember when you're feeling very small and insecure How amazingly unlikely is your birth And pray that there's intelligent life somewhere up in space Because there' bugger all down here on earth.

You got a good quality bag that should last him for many years. Make sure you follow the manufacturers guidelines on cleaning and storage. You certainly don't want to store it compressed.

GW, we didn't climb Everest, we climbed Elbert, 14,433 ft., Missouri Mt, 14,067 and Mt. Massive, 14,421. But not on the same day. Philmont is a great prep for some of our mountains. The topography of Philmont is very similar to our backyard. So for us Philmont was all about the program, which we enjoyed tremendously. Sure the scenery was nice but we have bigger mountains.

Isn't this that activist 9th Circuit Court?

Our unit interpets that as one week of summer camp may be used, all other nights must be met by pitching a tent or sleeping under the stars.

I agree that you can't go wrong with Mountain Hardware stuff if you can afford it. I have a couple of their tents and they are top shelf. However, I would beware of getting too warm of bag. If you get a bag that can handle the coldest of temps you might ever sleep in, it will be too hot and heavy for most of your trips. That will make you keep the bag unzipped on most nights and you will be carrying extra weight than you really need. My recommendation is get a good mid range bag and a cheap/light overbag for those really cold nights. You can use the overbag for hot summer nights alone.

I deduct the mileage I do for scouting. Attending meetings, campouts, roundtables. All other expenses I eat.

I find sleeping bag ratings to be about 15 degrees too low for me. I have three bags, Summer: a super light (~2 lbs) poly filled Coleman Exponent rated at 32. Good to about 50 for me. Backpacking: Big Agnes LongRanger 15 degree down bag (~3 lbs). Good to about 30 for me. This is my standard bag and the one I've spent the most time in. Winter: a Moonstone poly bag (4+ lbs) rated to -5. Good to about 10 for me. I overbag. So I'll take the down and summer bag when the weather is expected in the teens. Or the summer and winter bag when temps dip below zero. Check out Big Agnes sleep system. It uses an integrated inflatable pad pocket that keeps you from sliding off. They have all ranges of bags in both down and poly.

You'll get no argument from me GW on quality boots. I had a pair of Lowa I got 20 years ago. I've climbed 23 14nrs with them. Easily put over 1000 miles on 'em. They fit me like they were painted on. But alas, the goat skin liners had worn through and the soles had very little tread left. I bought a new pair last year for the trek. The new pair are very nice and comfortable, but they aren't my old favorite. I just can't part with them. I should probably get them bronzed and hang them from my truck mirror.

None of my training was done on machines. I hate working out indoors. Our training for Philmont started with a few 10 mile loops with light packs in Jan/Feb. For me the 7 mile mark is when I start feeling things that didn't work right. Hot spots on the feet, mal-adjusted packs, etc. You really got to push to the 10 mile mark to get things sorted out. We then did a 30 miler to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in March. April weekends was more 10 mile loops with at least 1000ft gains and increasing pack weight. May we started climbing 14nrs, 8 - 12 mile loops with 4000 ft gains and light packs. In June, I did a 100 mile bike ride. By trek time late June, we were tan, rested and ready. One benefit we had was all our training was at or above Philmont altitudes so we had no acclimatization issues. I actually gained some weight at Philmont but my waist size decreased. Didn't take long to get my pants to fit afterwards though!

Advisor on our trek had a $200 pair of REI boots come apart mid trek. So just because you put out a lot of coin, doesn't mean your boots will hold up. Of course, when he got back, REI replaced them no questions asked.

Thank you Bob. I'll chalk it up as a "Hillary" moment. It happens. Proves your human.

Bob, please reread my posts. I never mentioned Scientology. Never once. I mentioned the LDS having specific requirements for PORs. Is it just your imagination? Where did I mention that any church is not qualified to be a CO?

BW:"No I am not, but then am I am not the one saying that they are not qualified to be a CO as Gern and you are implying about the church" You asserted that I (Gern) am implying that the LDS is not qualified to be a CO. Please explain your comment.

Uh, Dan, that's the anarchy symbol. While I would agree that all atheists must be anarchists, I'm not sure all anarchists are atheists!

Bob, Please quote a message from me that supports your assertion that I think the LDS is not qualified to be a CO.

I believe that certain PORs require elements of the LDS priesthood be met.

Wow, altitude sickness at 6000ft? Heck, I live at 6800ft. We see it sometimes with elderly folk who come visit from sea level. I've gotten it at 13,500ft and it does suck, but descending a few thousand helps tremendously. Not much you can do at 6000ft in the Rockies as you can't get much lower than that quickly. I'm surprised they let him continue the trek.

Ah, but the LDS has integrated scouting into their youth program and the two have become so intertwined that one cannot survive without the other. Can a scout who meets the requirements of BSA but not those of the LDS have grounds to appeal to national? Or is that scout told to just find a non-LDS unit? Is the LDS adding requirements?