Ohio_Scouter

Capture the flag.

I prefer a lid lifter. It provides very good control.

Yes, I understand completely. I think it's the BSA's way of teaching personal responsibility. Usually, a scout only has to lose his blue card once to learn the lesson. After that, he seems to take very good care of it. Check with you troop and council to see whether they have received the records.

I was a Merit Badge counselor for one of the merit badges on Merit Badge Midway. We were told to record each scout's Name, Jamboree Troop Number, Region, and ID number from his Jamboree badge. We also recorded each merit badge requirement that the scout completed along with our names and signatures. We were told that this information would be recorded in the BSA central computers and that the information would be returned to the scout's local council and troop. We also issued each boy a blue copy of all this information for his own records in case there were any glitches in the process.

"Hubris" No, just a prediction.

If you haven't already done it, I would recommend hiking/backpacking in the Yelloswstone/Grand Tetons area. We did this in 2004, and it was one of our best high adventure trips ever. Hiking/camping between Cascade and Paintbrush Canyons in the Tetons is gorgeous. Also, plenty of other things to do and see along the way and back.

"Do you think the BSA should apologize to the President now, or wait until next Jamboree when they invite him to speak again?" Oh, I wouldn't be too concerned. His term will expire before next Jamboree.

If you like, you can PM me, ADCmohegan, and I'll send your boys an extra U.S. Coast Guard patch I have from Jamboree.

I'm in Wilcox, and the A/C is wonderful--especially after the weekend's 100+ temperatures. A big thank you to the U.S. Army staff at Fort A.P. Hill. You guys rock! And a special thank you to the commander and staff of the National Scout Jamboree Joint Task Force. You guys got a lot of class. And yet another special thank you to my Merit Badge Commissioners. You both deserve a big raise. Keep up the good work, and we'll all keep an eye on the boys. We've already counseled several scouts today who passed by our Merit Badge stations without water bottles or head cover.(This message has been edited by Ohio_Scouter)

Philmont Arrowhead patch; 'nuff said.

Merit Badge Midway--Lifesaving. See y'all there.

Stop by the Merit Badge Midway if you get a chance and say "Hi". I'll be amongst a crew teaching the Lifesaving Merit Badge from 26 July to 2 August.

Happy Father's Day, guys. Thanks for all you do for our boys!

Do a search on the camping and high adventure forum using the word "philmont", and you'll find hundreds of previous posts on this subject. Good luck. IWGBTP Ohio_Scouter (soon to be West_Virginia_Scouter)(This message has been edited by Ohio_Scouter)

NancyB, Tell your boy to pick up a copy of the Backpacking Merit Badge pamphlet at the local scout shop for about $3.50. It contains a list of all equipment he will ever need for any camping trip plus wonderful outdoor advice. It will also prepare him for future backpacking trips and his eventual trip to Philmont. You don't want to buy heavy gear if he will be carrying it on his back. BTW, Ray Jardine is a world-class expert on backpacking light and gives wonderful advice to hikers/campers. Best of luck to you and your son.

brodiew, Here's my recommendation FWIW: If the issue is that ski/snow board helmets aren't cool, tell your crew "too bad, we're going to wear them on the slopes". Actually, most of the helmets I've seen look pretty cool! If the issue is that helmets cost too much, have the crew's treasury fund the purchase or rental of the helmets just like it funds other safety equipment. If the issue is a civil liberties issue, tell them the BSA is not a democracy; if crew members want to ski at a BSA activity, they must wear helmets.

brodiew, As you know from the current Guide to Safe Scouting "...Appropriate personal protective equipment is required for all activities. This includes the recommended use of helmets for all participants engaged in winter sports such as sledding and other sliding devices. The use of helmets is required for the following activities: downhill skiing, snowboarding and operation of snowmobiles (full face helmets)."... I'm not aware of any waiver procedures to the G2SS. Some of our scouts object so vehemently to this new helmet requirement, that they have scheduled a non-scouting ski outing in order to avoid the issue. They are on the slopes as we speak.(This message has been edited by Ohio_Scouter)

I would recommend Eureka Mountain Pass 3XTE (see below). This tent had plenty of room, and it weighs only 8 pounds, so you can split the tent/poles with a buddy when backpacking. It's a bit pricey (about $230.00 new), but you may get a discount from Eureka or other resellers. If it's too big for you, try the Alpenlite 2XT which is another great 4-season backpacking tent. http://www.eurekatent.com/p-171-mountain-pass-3xte.aspx

I agree with Basementdweller. There are plenty of synthetic long-johns on the market that don't cost nearly as much as UnderArmour, and they are probably warmer, too. You could probably buy 2 pair of lesser-known brands of synthetic long-johns for the price of one pair of UnderArmour (a Scout is thrifty). Brands like DuoFold, Red-Head, and other synthetics are quite good. Just steer clear of cotton.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. May God bless us, everyone!

Ken, That's the Philmont way, and it's still excellent advice and well worth following, too. Enjoy, and make sure your crews take their cameras and spare batteries because they may never see such beauty again, and you'll want to remember it well.

Ken, 1. Are there many bugs (mosquitos) at Philmont? I can't remember from my trip. Our troop went to Philmont in early June of 2007. I'm sure there were mosquitos there, but I don't seem to recall that they bothered us very much. Mosquitos were more of a problem at Northern Tier. 2. What are typical meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner)? Is there cooking to be done for breakfast? I assume lunches are not cooked and that dinners are cooked. Check out typical meals below. Most cooking is done at dinnertime. http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/HighAdventure/Philmont/Camping/menus.aspx 3. How are dinners made? I assume they are primarily dehydrated, but I'm wondering if there is one pouch for the whole crew and you just add water to the pouch, or do you add the pouch contents into a pot and then add water? Hopefully you understand my question. Correct. Most cooking is one-pot meals where you add pouch contents to a pot of boiling water. 4. How do they wash dishes? I'm kind of looking for some details here. Their one picture of that activity shows them using what looks like one of the water pots to wash dishes. Is that what they do? How do they wash the pot first? How do they rinse soapy pots/dishes? Dishes are usually washed in crew cooking pots with boiled water and a few drops of camp suds. Most/all campsites have sumps where the crews wash their dishes and eliminate their dishwater after eating as much of the meals as possible. 5. Do crews usually filter water, as opposed to using chemical sanitation (Aquamira ...)? Are specific brands of filters recommended by Philmont? It looks like some base camps have running water that I assume is potable. Some crews prefer to filter water with water filters. Others use chemical sanitation (Katadyn purification tablets issued by Philmont). Specific filters are not recommended by Philmont since they have now gone to water purification tablets as more efficient/effective than filters. Some staffed camps have potable water. Others are located near rivers/streams where water can be obtained. 6. The captions indicate that rainy days are kind of a pain. They said that during real heavy rains the water runs over the ground under the dining tarps - which are too low to stand up in. For those who have been there, what kind of rain gear is recommended? Recommend a full set of raingear, i.e., rain pants and rain jacket. There are many good lightweight rainsuits available on the market. 7. Is there enough soil for tent stakes to hold? In some camps there is enough soil for tent stakes to hold, but where not available, free-standing tents work best. Good luck and make sure to check out Philmont's Council and Unit Planning Guides and other preparation documents available on the web. (This message has been edited by Ohio_Scouter)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all you scouting nuts. Hope to see you all again in 2010.

Stosh is absolutely correct. Ditch the cot. IMHO, cots are only good for keeping you cool in the summertime. In colder temperatures, the air circulation around the cot will really cool you down quickly. All other suggestions are right on--especially about wearing a woolen ski-mask type head cover since the vast majority of your body heat escapes from your head and extremities. Happy Camping!

boomer, AMTRAK still works today pretty much the same way as you remember it. We took the train to Philmont from Indianapolis in June of 2007. It was a great experience with great group rate price discounts, too. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. We loaded all our backpacks into the baggage car and transferred everything in Chicago to the Southwest Chief. Other than a minor derailment, a six-hour bus ride from Fort Madison to Kansas City, being put up for free in $300/night rooms with free breakfasts the following morning, we encountered no problems whatsoever, plus we had a geat experience/ride out to God's Country and plenty of material for our trip journals. Probably the first and last time most of our Scouts ever rode/will ride on a railroad train, and I dare say they'll remember it forever.