Stosh

When I did Philmont, I carried 2 flat water containers besides my Nalgene water bottle. I also carried Polar Pure. On the days we were anticipating a dry camp, I filled up with all the water I could carry. Otherwise I just measured it out for the day's hike. Also on the hike to dry camp, every water source we came to was used to refill all my containers. I always carried more water into the dry camp than expected or used. But my extras also helped a few of the scouts out that weren't planning as well. Be prepared to take on some pretty sad-news water on some of the sources. Sources that were not that good went into my third container to be used only if necessary. I used my necker to clean up debris as much as I could (it did work well) and didn't have to tap into that container very often. The three container system worked well. I wouldn't "treat" the third container until about an hour before I knew I would use it and if I hit a cleaner source than the last stop, I'd dump it and fill with the better water and then treat it only if necessary. Water wasn't a problem for me.

2 issues here with the materials.... 1) natural fiber rope/twine is commercially made. The fibers are grown and harvested, but during the growing process they are treated with insecticides and herbicides to insure a good crop, and then it is treated with chemicals to retard rot. All those chemicals are in the smoke given off when it burns. I know it's not a lot of material to burn, but I don't use this material for fire starters for this reason. 2) the man made fibers of dryer lint is also toxic. One must be assured there is none present in the lint. In order to insure one has 100% cotton, get an old t-shirt and scrape lint off it with the edge of a knife. It's a little more work, but as we all know, the boys are WEARING all the "dryer lint" needed to start a fire. Then there's the issue of char cloth. One doesn't need a large can to pull this off. A small shoe polish can works just as well as does any small seal-tight tin/steel container. I always just use the candle stubs from tapers. Usually they get thrown away with at least 2 starters available. The nice thing about them is they are 100% waterproof. While they won't take a spark to ignite, I always duct tape a couple of them to my waterproof matches container. Birthday candles work well, but do not have the burn length necessary to get wet wood going. Sequoia trees grow to such huge heights because the sap they produce is not flammable. When fire is around their base, the sap leaks out from the fire and extinguishes the fire. The sap of other pines is more flammable being a turpentine base. The most valuable tree in the forest is white pine. I teach my boys that stick matches are made out of white pine. They all know this and carry a 6' walking stick with a hook on the end as part of their gear. The dead lower branches are the best fire starters out there. Whereas all the other troops have cleaned out all the easy branches on the bottom, the hooked stick can reach up an additional 6' and so they never have a problem with an over camped area. If it's raining, I have the boys cut off the wet bark and use the dry wood within. Like stick matches, it does catch and hold a flame with no problem. If a spark can light a match, a small pile of leaves or pine needles will burn long enough to ignite white pine. Otherwise a sparked char cloth will produce a small flame necessary to get the white pine going. A magnesium burn only lasts a few seconds, but it's long enough for white pine. Did I reference white pine enough? For heavens sake, a Bic lighter will ignite a small white pine stick (about the size of a match long enough too. That way one does not need to hold the Bic down into the fire lay. Remember the average sized Bic lighter is the equivalent of a quarter stick of dynamite. I have my boys make their own fire starters out of paper egg cartons. Fill them up with lint or sawdust and drip paraffin on top to hold everything together. When need, tear one off (the ragged edges make the wick and will burn for quite some time. In case one has done the math from above, white pine sticks dipped in paraffin make a great fire starter too

Don't have a trailer, don't need one. When we plop camp, they can make as many trips as they would like between camp and the parking lot. I find that as time goes on, the number of trips always get fewer. We haul all our gear in the back of a pickup truck and the boys ride in passenger vehicles. One year, I did pull a trailer with my wife's SUV because my pickup truck was being serviced.

I would think the SMC would cover the scouts "next step" on how to set up his BOR. I usually have the advancement report from the AC so that person knows the scout is close to finishing up that rank. It is his responsibility to talk with the CC or AC to schedule a time. I can't be involved with the BOR and let the scout know that and they always seem to get things done in a timely manner. I don't just do a SMC and drop it. I tell them what the next step is.

When I use the term aged based patrols, I do not limit it to all the boys being the same age. There's always a variation of a year or two because many times boys pick to go with their friends, older siblings, etc. I don't have a problem with that. I do allow the boys to group themselves and then in the back of my mind I have a rating system of 3 differing patrols. The new guys (NSP) that need a TG is obvious. They need the TG to help them get their feet on the ground to begin with. That process can last one or maybe even two years depending on how the boys progress through S-FC. Then there are the regular patrols. This is the bulk of the troop. They generally have the most age mix due to the fact that the progress from Star to Life takes a bit longer for most boys. Then there are the venture patrols of older boys. These are the boys that are beginning to tire of "looking out for the new guys" have their POR's done, working on MB's and trying to stay interested in the program. They plan activities that are challenging and interesting. If the activity is BWCA, these are the boys that all have FC, Swimming, Canoeing, First Aid and Wilderness Survival MB's. They are ready for things that the NSP only dreams about and what keep the regular patrol boys informed of "what's next". While it is not regulated as a true age-based patrol, their skills and interest do require them the latitude of a strata system that won't break up the patrols that would normally occur when a Jambo, High Adventure or boredom avoidance is necessary. When boys reach a certain level of expertise they are moved up to the venture patrols as the older boys age out. That opportunity to "move up" is a great incentive when they reach the age when interest seems to wane.

1" Taper stubs Cooking oil 2' 1/4" copper tube with one end crimped. Turns any thing that smolders into a forge. If the ashes are warm, put on kindling and start blowing. It'll start.

If this new SM is truly a friend, maybe it's time for a cup of coffee. New guys need help, not hassles. Welcome to the forum.

A boy in Scouts because he has to doesn't make good Eagles. Give me a boy who wants to be tbere,then I have a chance.

My sympathy goes out to TampaTurtle,his scouts and the family of his scout. God's peace to them all.

A good right hand man is better than nothing when it comes to taking on the task of the SM. I have always taught my APL's that their job is to help the PL be successful. Those that do produce some excellent PL's for the troop. A good leader leads from the front seat, a great leader leads from the back seat.

Thank you @@The Latin Scot your explanation is reflective of how our LDS units are run in our council. I hope the scouts will continue with Scouting beyond the 14 year limit, and I'm sure there will be those that will continue along with the Church's new program. Between the two there should be a good group of young men promoting the Church as well as BSA. It hasn't hurt our non-LDS scouts to pick up the tab, I'm sure dedicated LDS scouts will do the same.

Over the years I have had a scout or two try and pull off the "we already had a chat" about his, but is your book signed off? No, well then? If he insists on having the book signed, I will sign. This happened to me twice, two different scouts. Both times they came back to me after meeting with the board and needed some "clarification" on some of the advancement. Along with an apology, we were able to get it all cleared up. One of the things I do with the "official" SMC is make sure the book is up-to-date and it matches the advancement records online. I see the book, the BOR sees the report and they don't always match. It is this kind of details I go over so the boy doesn't appear to be Not Prepared. My boys know the difference between a SMC and an Advancement SMC. With the boy led emphasis, just sitting and chatting about scouts with the scout isn't checked off in the book. But most don't want it marked for advancement SMC either.

and it's a common misconception that there is only one SMC, too. As a boy led scouter, I do not get as much face time with the boys to really get to know the boys. I interact with the boys, but not so much on the "official" level like their PL's do. So I catch bits and pieces of time whenever I can. I get in as many "SMC"s as I can hit and miss. But the advancement SMC is focused on making sure the boy has done all that is required and that he is properly prepared for the BOR. That way the boys don't get hit with any surprises once they go through the doors. Also the first time around sitting in front of 3-4 adults can be intimidating and a little reassurance from the SM that it's not as bad as he imagines goes a long way.

@Col. Flagg In our district we have a very limited number of UC's and they spend most of their time fighting unit fires. There's not much out there for individual scouts to receive any outside support from the "higher-ups".

When we winter camp we either use the program's -34o bags or our own winter military bags. Our biggest problem is finding wool clothing for the boys. Personally? I think the sleep time in the -34o bag is the best part of the weekend. On personal outings, 2 wool blankets and a waterproof barrier over a 0o bag works quite well, too.

One has to take into consideration the general "Hi, how's it going. Welcome to the troop." that is kind of a requisite effort for the SM and a more "formal" sit down chat that is personal and is done, not because one has to do it, but because one wants to do it. Many of the scouts are sensitive to the difference. A time "just for me" is important and yes, it's a requirement, but it's the last requirement before heading into the BOR and I want the boys to know personally, that I have their back on being successful in scouting. Not many boys think getting called into the "principal's office" is a good thing. I want the boys to know that when things are serious (like advancement) it's a good thing to get called into the SM's office. I have found I can't really do that when the boys first walk into the troop after cross-over. That's why I like the Scout SMC, I have had a little time to watch and understand the situation the boy is dealing with.

All of our local McDonald's restaurants in the neighborhood are owned by individuals that sign agreements for the franchise rights to sell McDonald's food items. That agreement states they can only sell McDonald items. I used to work for an institutional food distributor that sold to many different franchises under different corporate entities. One could not sell McDonald food wrappers to anyone other than McDonald franchises. AND they could not even so much as sell a broom to a franchise without the specific consent of the corporate entity. Now in the business world this is precise and legally wrapped up tighter than a drum. With Scouting, there is a bit more reliance on the honesty of the franchisees when it comes to protecting the BSA brand. Just because one can get away with something doesn't make it an honest effort. As everyone on the forum knows, rank advancement for the sake of rank advancement is not something I adhere to. I want my boys to learn and be successful. If the requirement says 6 months, then anything after that is up to the boy. He has choices to make. First he had to choose to go the 6 months, then he has to make the choice of staying on. I have no problem with a PL of the NSP aging out with the same group of boys that came in with him. That's 7 years of PL POR. But if the boys in his patrol don't think he's doing a good job, he can be out in as little as 1 day. The other boys have choices too. They can have anyone they want as their PL and tomorrow's a new day, a different day than today. I had one scout take on Den Chief of a Wolf Den. He received the National Den Chief Award after a year, and then continued on working with the boys until they came into the troop. He was selected by the boys to be the PL which he did until he aged out an Eagle. Two of his boys went back and were DC's themselves and another took over a different patrol as PL for a while to get experience and eventually came back and was the PL after the Eagle left. The long term legacy of the PM is very interesting to see. Too bad it's an exception and not the rule. The only "rule" I guess is: I let the boys decide for themselves what's best for them. I had one boy earn his Star rank by taking on two different POR's, QM for 2 months and then switched over to Instructor for 2 months. He wanted a variety of different experiences and was trying them out. Does this disrupt the troop in anyway? Nope, different boys then have the opportunity to step up and try a POR more frequently than just once a year when elections are held. Then if they don't get elected, they can sit on their hands for a year waiting the next round. Sorry, not my style.

The DE, if they are any good, will have a cursory idea of what's happening in the various troops. If that person is a newbie, then I would suggest going to Round Table and visiting with the other SM's in the district. For sure, they know what's going on with the different troops. One must keep it in mind that families have agendas that are important to their scout. Sometimes these agendas don't match with the closest troop. It's bound to happen. But two things can change. The agenda of the family, or the agenda of the troop. It sounds like the SM of the current troop is flexible about his/her agenda and is willing to work with the family. With a bit of flexibility from the families, things can often work out the best. When both sides are working together it will go well for everyone. It's nice to know there are SM's out there that have the welfare of the boys as a primary focus for the troop's agenda. Sometimes I wonder if that is always the case. Remember: the grass on the other side of the fence may be greener, but it still needs to be mowed.

When the boys cross-over as a group, the SM doesn't have the luxury of a sit down, one-on-one with the new boys. I use the Scout SMC the same as I used to do the FT SMC. It sets the tone for how the SM relates to the boy and his success in scouting. I focus on the Patrol Method and that his PL should have all the information needed for him to do well in scouting and if not, come visit with me anytime there's a need. (We don't generally have an SPL due to the fact we are a very small troop. I review is progress and point out the good things I see him doing and (ignore the bad. ) I always encourage them to step it up a notch for the next rank and maybe highlight a few of the things he needs to focus on that may be a little more challenging. All in all, if the boy doesn't walk away with a big grin on his face, I have not done my job.

"Remember, you are still registered with us until next renewal time." PL's do not revise email, texting contact lists but once a year, when the unit recharters. Otherwise the same message goes out whether the scout is in attendance or not.

If one is threatening to pack it in for scouting, check with your DE. He/She will know the better units and then talk with the parents of the boys to see if they are happy with how things are run. When I started looking for a new troop, I just went in a concentric circle getting larger and larger until I found a troop that worked. It was only my 2nd troop to check out. If one is having a difficult time in a unit, there's probably a lot of troops out there that are "better" than what one has. It may not be perfect, but if you're going for perfect. I can't help. I haven't found the perfect unit yet.

Yep, I forgot that it just wasn't consecutive nights, it's limited to six. We had one boy get sick on Wednesday and went home. He was feeling better. Sun - Tue (3 days) Thu - Fri (2 days) No long term camping. Got in 5 days, no ding for summer camp.

Most kids today are not acclimated to winter camping. They are never out in the cold long enough to train their body to handle the cold. Then they are not equipped with appropriate gear and they don't have the knowledge to put it all together. It reminds me of my kid brother (a scouter from "down south") who wanted to learn how to winter camp. I told him sure, you teach me about BWCA treks and I'll train you for winter camping. We got out there on Saturday morning and I marked a "donut" in the snow and started shoveling the donut part into the donut "hole" to mound up a hut. He said, "If I wanted to shovel snow, I could have stayed home and shoveled the driveway." I didn't say anything. After about 10 minutes he said, "I'm cold", to which I replied, "I'm not." He started shoveling. The first rule? Never stop moving. The equipment doesn't matter, whatever shovel is handy, will do

Okay, take the last week of summer camp, immediately followed by a week of NYLT, and make sure the troop leaves for BWCA right away after that. I'm thinking one could almost knock out close to all 20 at one time if they played their cards right. The only catch is consecutive nights, not locations.

Or.... the younger boys get tired of getting left out of the big boy Scouts, reinforcing the fact that they are Webelos III..... Or... the older boys get tired of dumbing down their activities to accommodate the new guys, reinforcing the fact they have to babysit.... Or... they both can shuck the whole mess and group together the way THEY want, not the way the ADULTS want in order to have them "teach the younger boys" or some other code phrase for babysitting. Seriously, when I was in high school I really didn't want to hang out with the 6th graders.... Sorry if that's not good enough for the mixed age crowd. I have no idea, in the four years I was in scouting, what my patrol was named or who the PL was, I remember hanging with my buddies, we camped together, we worked together and I don't think we had a patrol, but the adults figured if we didn't cause anyone problems, they didn't care. After 4 years of the same-old, same-old, we all left as a group and joined Civil Air Patrol. So if one doesn't think the PM doesn't work, I don't care what THE BOYS decide how they want to set it up, THEY have the final say-so. The first step in sabotaging the PM is to have adults dictate patrol membership and/or coerce the PLC to do what the adults want. If the older boys don't want to "teach" the younger boys, don't sign up for "Instructor" POR. If one wants to be a PL and never gets elected in his own patrol, offer up your services to the new guys. Or take on TG, but in any case, it should be your decision and yours alone. I constantly hear, We were together since Tigers and once we got to Boy Scouts, just one other kid and I are in the same patrol. That doesn't sound like a scout that's all that hyped up happy about his next 7 years. Or... they can both shuck the whole mess and find something else to do.