Narraticong

Our Council (Detroit Area Council) offers a day long University of Scouting every year. This is a great program of all types of training geared towards adults. The one exception is Den Chief Training. My son and another boy in his patrol are brand new Den Chiefs for their old Cub Pack. They will both be participating in the training. It''s a full day class for them. I''m sure they''ll be well prepared after that!

I have a Pocket Rocket and it is a great stove. It heats water very efficiently, but the flame is tight and can scorch food if you are using a frypan. Just keep an eye on what you are cooking and keep stirring. It's the best stove for freezer bag cooking! As far as how long a canister will last, that's really variable. Depends on what, how, and how much you are cooking. Also, heating water for cleaning? A real rough guess is that for three stoves and twelve people, two large canisters for each stove (6 total) for the weekend would just about cover anything. They don't go bad, so if you don't use one, save it for next time. Without knowing the details, that's really a ROUGH guess!

There is one more camp in Michigan which has yet to be mentioned. D Bar A Scout Ranch. I have not spent a week of summer camp there (yet), but I am looking forward to it. We just started a new Troop from what was a Webelos 2 den. However, I have camped at D Bar A many times over the past 5 years with Cubs and OA and I can assure you it is an outstanding camp. At 1,700 acres, with three lakes, it is huge. D Bar A is one of only a handful of working Scout ranches in the country, offering several riding and ranch hand programs. Where else can a boy learn how to manage a herd of longhorn cattle? Programs for summer seem to be outstanding with the full complement of swimming, boating, rifle ranges, and climbing facilities. Detroit Area Council offers a very popular and well run Trail to Eagle program each summer. Many troops from surrounding councils choose to use D Bar A for their summer camp experience because of the facility and how well the programs are run. Give it a try!

I am a Webelos 2 Den Leader in the process of registering my six boy den as a brand new Boy Scout troop. Being an Eagle Scout myself, I sometimes dream of the day when these boys are young men standing together with the Eagle badge pinned on their chests. This posting shows that it just might happen. Big dreams sometimes come true! Thanks for making my day!

As an FOS presenter, I have heard many of these concerns. The fact is that SOME of the money we contribute may not be used as we think best. But, without FOS donations, the council can not provide our boys with the programs they need. Witholding donations from the council or giving instead to your unit does not help the situation. Whether you use the council camp or other facilities, or not, they still need to be maintained. Even if your Exec is "overpaid", there are many other hardworking staffers who most likely are not! Most of us would say that the top dogs at our companies make too much. But are we overpaid? Not me! In my opinion, the answer is to get involved in the process. Demand more for your money! Get to know those who make the money spending decisions. Work from within to make our organization a well tuned, financially responsible business. And although we don't like to think of it that way, at the uppermost levels, a council must be run like a business! And it takes much more than my annual FOS donations and my James West contribution. It takes BIG BUCKS! And that is the responsibility of your Exec. Those of us who wear uniforms get do do the fun stuff and make sure our boys get the Scout program as it is intended. The guys in suits have to make sure we have the right tools to do our job. Now,unlike most of the companies we work for, in Scouts, the low level workers are also the owners! Believe it or not, we can bring about change, but we have to be active owners. So keep giving every penny you can scrape up. Our boys deserve that much and then some! And keep a watchful eye on how the suits are spending that money and make them account for the success of their efforts!

We can all (especially those who have earned the Eagle badge) honor President Ford by wearing somehing noticeable which symbolizes Scouting on Tuesday and Wednesday. In fact, maybe we should make our affiliation known every day...

I posed the question to our DE and he got back to me last night. It seems that in our council it is not a problem. And in fact, he will hold the number for us until we charter in the Spring!

Once again, Beavah is right on target. If your town is like mine, my taxes pay for the buldings and the salaries. Therefore, I own the place. This means I am the boss. The taxpayers are the ones who ultimately must set policies. If you want Scouts in the schools, let your schoolboard know. And take your voter registration card with you as a visual aid. Don't go alone. Take some other parents with voter registration cards. And bring some boys in First Class uniforms. Ask the schoolboard to give you one good reason why an organization with a moral compass like the Boys Scouts is denied access. We need to take ownership of what is ours instead of allowing others to make decisions for us. Step up to the plate and take a swing. If you believe in the Scout Oath and Law, it is your responsibility to act. Our country is a moral disaster because of the "silent majority". Wake up and make a difference for our children. Those who try to ban Scouts because of the Duty to God issue would in reality love to ban Scouts just because we stand for morality in general. Duty to God is just a point they have been able to make headway with. What a rant! Never waken a sleeping mosquito!

I am currently a Webelos 2 Den Leader in a top notch Pack. The Pack is chartered to the parent / teacher organization at our elementary school. Next spring I will be starting a new troop which will be chartered to a local church. The other leaders in the Pack would like to see our new troop be a continuation for the boys and have the same number. Are there any national policies on the same number being used by different charter organizations?

The whole purpose of the BOR is to ensure that the candidate has earned the right to wear the badge. I certainly don't think everything must be done to perfection. There may be any number of items during the review which the Board may deem "imperfect". As SPL could he have handled a situation better? Maybe. Could he have done something better on his Philmont trip? Perhaps. Should he have made sure he had all the signatures? Certainly. These things are discussed, and the Board provides advice. I have never thought of a BOR as being judge and jury. More so, it should be a review of progress, a pat on the back for a job well done, and advice for what good have been done better. If a Scoutmaster lets a boy get to BOR without being ready to pass, he has done a disservice to that boy. I celebrated the 30th anniversary of receiving the Eagle Award this year. Every day I try to "Do My Best". And sometimes I fail miserably. And still the Lord forgives me! Are we to be so hard hearted and unforgiving as Scouts that we would deny this young man the honor he has earned? From all accounts he has met the requirements and then some...with the exception that he neglected one signature. Nobody has yet disputed that the project was unworthy. I think I would be honored to sit on the BOR for this young man and would gladly welcome him to stand next to me as an Eagle. As a final point, I don't know how many of the contributors are Eagles, but I would guess that group would probably vote highly in favor of acceptance.

Is it all Scouts participating? It sounds like a great experience. How far from Detroit?

While I'm not an astronaut, I am an Eagle Scout. If that makes me a nerd, it's way better than the alternative! A nerd I'll stay!

Our council shop became a National Shop in the past year. There's more stuff there, but they always seem to be out of what I need "It's on order...". Also, all of the cool localized patches are now gone. The only thing left are the same old generic national patches.

Our Pack has used Scoutmate software for a few years with much success. It is easily shared among leaders and there is only a one time cost of 56.00 (or thereabout). Troopmaster has annual fees. I am in the process of starting a troop and I am looking at both products. More troops are using Troopmaster from what I have seen.

Thanks for the help! Scoutmate allows multiple leaders within a unit to have copies of the software and import / export files with each other. Does Troopmaster have that capability. I am think you might have a scribe, quartermaster, SM, etc. all needing to contribute to troop documentation. With the capability to share files (Scoutmate) this can easily be done. Can you do this with Troopmaster?

As a Cub Scout den leader, I have used Scoutmate software. It's pretty user friendly and I would be OK with using Scoutmate when I start our new troop in the Spring. But I am also aware of Troopmaster software. However, I don't know much about it other than what their website shows. I have yet to download a trial copy. I'd like opinions from those who might be familiar with both. Is eother one better than the other? Scoutmate is a one tome fee. Troopmaster is a yearly license, so more expensive in the long run. Is it worth it?

Not being a graduate of 21st Century Woodbadge, I have no basis from which to disagree with you. And maybe I was being a little "over the top" to make a point. However ("Howevers" trump "Buts" in the rules of rhetoric), the point I was trying to make is that we seem to be moving away from what BP and Green Bar Bill envisioned. A simple, outdoors based program which would turn boys into men who are morally upright citizens who can survive and prosper in whatever situation they might find themselves. Mission statements and visions are nothing more than fluff. My vision is that if I use the Scout Oath and Law as the guidelines in my Scouting program I will be successful in my mission. Simple enough, don't you think? Call me a dinosaur, but I believe we have gotten off track since we started getting involved with missions and visions. I think it started with those blasted red berets...

My guess is that 95% of the grass roots leaders and 99.9% of the boys do not know or care about mission statements, value statements, etc. Let the pros occupy their time with such. Being part of the generation which tries to define itself by mission statements, I know they are supposed to be "short and direct". How about "Be Prepared"? Pretty clever, eh? Why do we care- we know Scouting done right achieves the goals. Last week I visited the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. There was an exhibit on astronaut James Lovell which included a mockup of his childhood bedroom. On the dresser was a picture of Boy Scout James Lovell. Has anyone who ever saved a drowning person credited what they learned in soccer camp? We know the answers. Scouting works. Just stand up for your convictions and keep leading by example. The fact is the program and our leaders WILL have a positive effect on countless boys. Always has, always will.

As far as I am concerned, this is one outstanding company. I'm kind of a pain when it comes to customer service. My expectations are high. Alps has yet to let me down, in fact they truly impress me! I took advantage of the NOAC sale and ordered 5 Taurus 2 tents over the phone. After I hung up I realized I was leaving on vacation in a couple days and was concerned about the boxes sitting on my porch while I was gone. Well, no need to worry, the tents were at my house within 48 hours. These folks are great. You order today, they ship today!

Many years ago as a boy, I lived a couple blocks from the National Headquarters in New Jersey. My fellow scouts and I were often used as models for various BSA publications (I was much better looking as a boy). The people in charge of the photo shoot would usually make whatever uniform changes gave us the "look" they wanted. One particular time I had to wear one of those awful red berets I would not have been caught dead in! Anyway, I imagine the story is the same today. Obviously the art folks at BSA are not part of the Unifirm Police!

I also have a Timberline 4 Outfitter. I guess I'm a gear junkie! The best price I have ever seen was via Ebay for about $180.00, including shipping. Without a doubt, the Timberline is the bench mark. Alps also sells a couple heavy duty outfitter models, although I have no experience with them. If you do some research, I think you will find nearly all positive reviews of Alps tents. They seem to be an aggressive small company aiming at at a big market in the Scouts. As for boys complaining about cots...phooey. Let 'em sleep on rocks! When I camp with the family in a 16 X 10 family tent, my cot goes along. Scouting with the boys...on the ground. Most fun camping I have had in the past year or so was with my then 8 year old son sleeping in a two piece canvas army surplus pup tent. I'm a big old guy and can just fit inside. He definitely thought it was "cool". Sometimes, simple is better!

So far I am impressed with Alps. I could not believe how good the quality is in relation to price. At about the same time I bought a Eureka Apex 2 and an Alps Taurus 2 FG. Both are similar size and construction. The Taurus has a much better fly and two doors. Both perform well and have held up to substantial rain. Cost-wise, you can't beat the Taurus at Scoutdirect.com prices! Currently they are having an NOAC sale which is outstanding. I just ordered 5 more to outfit our new Scout troop.

Our Webelos Den is very active in Pack activities. They would never want to miss out on the activities. Pinewood Derby, trips to Scout Camp, etc. In other words, if you are running a strong Pack program, they will come! You could also use your Webelos to help the younger boys with achievements and electives. Not all 10 year olds are ready, but some can really be a big help.

We had two Webelos 1 dens in our pack last year. Mine was the smaller one, but we gradually introduced the patrol method- using a denner,etc. The boys absolutely thrived on the increased independence. The self confidence levels grew tremendously. Our boys- the Panthers, were obviously comfortable in the outdoors. Did they plan everything themselves? Certainly not. But with each project, they took on a little more responsibility. And isn't that a good definition of transition? They wore tan shirts. More transition. By our Spring campout, the Panthers were leading songs and skits at the campfire. These were boys who were too shy the year before to even be heard. The boys in the other Webelos den obviously could see who the "leaders" of the Pack were! At the end of the year the other Webelos leader dropped out, so the Panthers will absorb them. Believe me, they are more than eager! They all know they are headed toward Boy Scouts and at 10 years old, want a taste of what lies ahead. And that's what they get in a good transition. Do they camp outside in sub freezing weather? No. Will they stay in a cabin and go sledding. You betcha! As we enter Webelos 2, we have the required badges for AOL done. From here on out, the boys will decide what badges we work on. The Assistant Den Leader and I will be at every meeting, but boys will run as much as possible- openings, flag ceremonies, uniform inspections. Back in the stone age, we used to believe BSA was about building men. Some of us dinosaurs still do. So, Webelos can be seen as a transition from being children to becoming young men.

The primary concern is with cabin rental. And yes, we are talking about the 2006- 2007 Weekend Camping program. D Bar A Scout Ranch, part of the Detroit Area Council is probably the best Scout Camp I have come across in nearly 40 years of being a Scout. I am proud to be affiliated with this Council! While we do have numerous cabins and tent sites, our camp is used extensively on the weekends. Also, the fact that I need cabin space for 60 to 70 people on a typical weekend of Cub camping, makes it tougher. Those who can't make it on Monday have whatever is left to choose from. Detroit Area Coucnil Scouts are campers! We just need a better way to schedule reservations!