Ohio_Scouter

Great minds come to similar conclusions.

Have you considered renting/borrowing/hauling a small trailer? When we went to Yellowstone/Grand Teton National Parks in 2004, we hauled our troop trailer which gives you a lot of flexibility along the way.

See if these will fill the bill. A bit pricey, but you get what you pay for... http://www.tadvgear.com/page36.htm#XWick%203.6%20TRH

REI has some mittens that you can check out here: http://www.rei.com/search?query=mittens

Great advice from all. Keep after you scouts and leaders, because IMHO high adventure is the best part of scouting by far. One day they will thank you for "encouraging" them to spend the time and effort on building a robust high adventure program. Our guys certainly did!

ASM915, The problem for the Catholic Scouts is missing Mass (not Communion). But, I do like your round robin idea. The only difficulty I see would be getting the Catholic Scouts to attend 2 services.

What are the requirements for the Bronze Outdoor Award?

Letting him do his Eagle Project will send the right message, namely, that his troop supports him even though he took/had to take a part-time job and has other commitments at the expense of attending troop meetings and activities. As long as he satisfies all BSA requirements, support this potential Eagle Scout. A scout troop is loyal, helpful, kind...

Check out this site for some additional ideas: http://www.tomgrannemann.com/philmont

Again, I recommend these: www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2338&deptid=1169 Website Product Info (FWIW): -Used by river professionals, rescue agencies and Navy SEALS, the NRS Workboot Wetshoe is the hardest-working river boot on the market today. -Lace-up synthetic leather and 5-mm neoprene upper provides warmth, unmatched ankle support and a secure fit. -7-mm neoprene insole absorbs the shock of every step. -Heavy-duty lugged traction sole keeps you on your feet in varied terrain. It is a marking sole. -Wear areas are reinforced with synthetic leather and rubber. -When you need a water shoe that works as hard as you do, on and off the water, the NRS Workboot is your best choice. Whole sizes only. Women order one size smaller. 1/2 sizes order one size larger (This message has been edited by Ohio_Scouter)

Best possible news, Dave. Prayers of thanks just sent from Troop 325, Dayton, Ohio.

Prayers for hero, Brian Donnelly, and his family from Troop 325, Dayton, Ohio.

Thanks for checking it out for me! Hope you enjoyed your session.

Hey, AIFansome, if you get a chance, could you check to see whether the new Philmont Field Manual is available at the Trading Post? When we were there in 2007, it was undergoing major revision and wasn't available. I'd like to order one when it does become available. Thanks

Hi NJEaglemom, Welcome, and thank you for volunteering to help our boys. In my opinion, there is no greater good you can be doing at this time in their young lives. Let us know if you need any help or advice. We are full of it!

Try these ideas from champion firebuilder, Dudley Winn Smith. "I have experimented in fire-making for several years and am delighted to do a special scout Good Turn by describing my method, which differs very little from the one described in the Boy Scout Handbook for Boys. The author has asked me to tell you how I established the records, so Ill do my best. A few minutes before the start of the contest in Kansas City, I prepared a firepit by rubbing it with a drill just as I would in actually making a fire. Then I laid aside my apparatus, taking care that nothing came in contact with either the charred end of the drill or the fire-pit. Next I worked a small handful of absolutely dry red cedar bark tinder into a thick round pad and placed it directly under the fire pit of my American elm board. When the starter said Go I drew my bow back and forth with long complete strokes. In about three seconds a little pile of smoking black charcoal issued from the pit. Then I stopped rubbing, picked up both the board and the tinder and blew directly onto the smoking pile, which immediately turned into a red ember. In 7 1/5 seconds after I drew the first stroke the tinder burst into flame. Luckily for me the three timers all agreed. The suggestions below are given in hopes that they will help you make fire rapidly. I worked a long time before I was able to produce a blaze in less than a minute. Do not get discouraged if you fail at first; keep trying and you are sure to succeed. The Bow. I find a long bow by far the best. Mine is twenty-nine inches long and has a three inch bend. The easiest way to secure the thong so that it can be adjusted quickly is to drill two holes in the end of the bow. When using the bow, hold the board very firmly with your foot, or you will never get a spark. When you stop bowing, do not let the drill fly, but lift it out of the pit. The Drill-Socket. A very hard substance must be inserted in the drill-socket to prevent excessive friction. I use the glass knob of a coffee percolator top. The pressure on the drill socket must be increased gradually. The Fire-Pit. When a new fire-hole is made, the pit should be drilled before the notch is cut. The end of the drill should be pointed only for starting a new hole; after that, it should always be kept round. While bowing, the spindle must be held exactly perpendicular to the board. A U shaped notch is better than a V. A spark can be produced more easily by putting a little sand in the pit. Woods for Fire by Friction. Of the common woods of the United States I have found American elm decidedly the best for both the board and the drill. Since establishing my record, I have discovered that yucca (a wood found on the desert) is even better than elm. I have repeatedly produced an ember with yucca by two complete strokes of the bow. It requires nearly three seconds to do it with elm. These are the only woods I have tried that produce an ember that you can blow into the instant you stop ribbing. Other woods must be allowed to stand a few seconds or must be fanned gently with the hand to produce the spark. I have tried the following woods and have listed them in the order in which I prefer them: yucca, American elm, red elm, balsam fir, red cedar, willow root, cypress, basswood, sycamore, cottonwood, poplar, soft maple, white pine. A thin fire board is superior to a thick one for both speed and ease. I use boards from a quarter to three-eighths of an inch thick and get from six to eight fires out of one hole. A small drill is also better. I use octagonal drills a half to nine-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, and nine inches long. Tinder. I have not found anything superior to red cedar bark for tinder. To prepare it, pound a piece of bark into a fluffy mass with a club; then, the tinder remains in a mass and does not fly into your face when you blow it. The following sorts of tinder are listed in the order in which I prefer them: red cedar bark, white cedar bark, inner chestnut bark, cottonwood bark, inner red elm bark, miscellaneous bird and field mice nests, crushed spruce needles, beaten rope fibers. It is not generally known that the quickest way to get flame is to put milkweed silk in the center of a pad of red cedar bark." From Games and Recreational Methods for Clubs, Camps and Scouts; Charles Fredrick Smith, Dodd Mead & Co. 1937(This message has been edited by Ohio_Scouter)

"Some questions about deciding on a summer camp. 1. Do you always attend your council camp for summer camp? 2. Do you feel obligated to support your council camp by attending summer camp there instead of going out of council? 3. Do your Scouts decide on which camp to go to or is it a given that you will attend your council camp? 4. Do the adults in your troop have a say in the decision? If so why? " Eagle732, 1. Our Troop doesn't always attend our council summer camp. 2. Our Troop doesn't always feel obligated to support our council camp by attending there instead of out-of-council camps for several reasons. First, attending the same summer camp every year can get stale. Many times the program is the same as prior year's program, and often the boys don't get to experience anything new. Secondly, sometimes in the past, our council hasn't done a very good job of providing a top-notch summer camp experience, e.g., merit badge program and schedules were fairly limited/inflexible, the camp didn't provide for patrol cooking, etc. Although I do notice that this trend has been improving recently over time. 3. We let our scouts choose their summer camp each year, but we do provide tons of information about all available summer camps in the area, including our own council camp, to help the scouts make an informed choice. 4. The adults in the troop do have a say because sometimes scout choices can be unreasonable. Imagine that! For example, we try to keep the possible choices within a reasonable mileage radius from home so that scout parents don't have more than a couple hours drive to attend parents' night activities. This seems to work pretty well for our Troop. I'm sure you'll get several other excellent responses from the rest of the forum as well.

Prayers are offered for Ryan Ostronisky and his family from BSA Troop 325, Miami Valley Council, Dayton, Ohio. Thank you, Ryan, God bless, and Scout salute.

"Why don't they just read the Scouter.com forum?" I agree, scoutldr. I'm tired of sending my suggestions to the deaf ears and blind eyes of Council and National. They should just review the Scouter.com forums where they'll not only see the most pressing issues, but they'll get the resolutions as well from volunteers who have actually lived the program.

cheffy, Hocking Hills is one of our favorite camping areas in the state. There are at least a half-dozen hiking areas available (Old Man's Cave, Sand Cave, Conkle's Hollow, Cantwell Cliffs, etc.). It is probably the most scenic state park in the state of Ohio. Check this link for additional information: http://www.hockinghills.com/

Here's what I used at NTIER in summer of 2005. They worked great. http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=2338 (This message has been edited by Ohio_Scouter)

Well done, gwd-. I knew all the while you guys could do it. Nothing more satisfying or impressive than a well-oiled machine.

Just got another pop-up.

IE7 here, too. I just got one.

ASM 411, I bought the Honda Pilot for the same exact reasons...