RememberSchiff

Welcome to scoutercom and congratulations to your sons.

Thanks for your patience @@Eph . Scouter.com is a forum for discussing Scouting, not selling items, even if they are scout-related. I have deleted your separate Baloo patch sales topic. Good to hear there are no trademark violations. That all said, I looked at your patch on ebay. Nicely done. RS

My understanding. Ticks first get the Lyme virus from mice and then drop off and find other warm body - another mouse, dog, deer, human. I have read that rodent population is up too - mice, squirrels, rats,.. A lot of deer means more hosts to grow tick population. Deer and other tick-infected species traveling miles to find fragmented food sources spreads ticks geographically.

@@Eph, feel free to share with the rest. Welcome to scouter.com

Light color clothing so ticks are readily seen, and staying on open trail works thus avoiding brush contact, mostly works for me. Firewood gathering and making a nature call often resulted in ticks. With stoves there is less of the former. Be prepared by first being aware. My $0.02

Yes no shortage of opinions and experience here, but we are always looking for more. Welcome to scouter.com.

We will have popcorn ready. Hmm, where to get popcorn? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ1uR19U_Ok

Welcome to scouter.com .

The Sportman Clubs will likely start you with a semi-auto which has less recoil. As @@qwazse mentioned, stock size is important for length of pull, i.e., trigger reach. Their target ammo may also be a lighter, low velocity load. 20 gauge vs 12 gauge.

Yes I noticed it too.

or BEFORE they punt the activity or Scouting as too expensive. IMO, this presentation needs to be well-considered with a heavy dose of thrifty, as in going with what you got and planning the activity accordingly. My $0.02

Let's turn down the FUD. Why carry excessive water when you can filter (Sawyer) it. Split the gear weight among tent mates and cook groups/patrols. Backpacking in NE bears little resemblance to Philmont. My $0.02

Welcome to scouter.com.

Welcome to scouter.com Agree with starting with shorter distance hikes. Some troops backpack to a base camp which might have their trailer as they are concerned about pack weight and may not have the light backpacking gear. We have found planning is easier when you start with a camp in the desired area/driving distance and then look for surrounding trails. Trails with an S, so that you have options on hiking distance and some navigation challenges. Camp Sayre in Milton,MA is adjacent to the Blue Hills Reservation with many trails, Some Boston area units do Philmont training hikes there. http://troop30.athenaverse.com/trips.html http://www.troop18milfordma.org/?p=118 Camp Wanocksett or Mt Monadnock State Park in Dublin,NH. Many trails to ascend Mt. Monadnock and then descend to either camp. https://www.nhstateparks.org/uploads/pdf/Monadnock-State-Park_Hiking-Map.pdf Treasure Valley Scout Reservation in Rutland,MA. Hike the Mid State trail in from either north or south. I prefer north start at US Army Corp of Engineers Barre Dam. http://www.midstatetrail.org/bfd.html Griswold Scout Reservation (Camp Bell), Gilmanton Iron Works,NH http://belknaprangetrails.org/mt-anna/ http://troop54.froimson.net/Resources/Camping/GSR_Trail_Map.pdf In RI, Yagoog http://www.mdc.net/~dbrier/yawgoog/trails/ In Maine, Camden Hills State Park and Acadia National Park. sectionhiker.com is a great resource for AT and Long Trail in New England. Hope this helps

More money (services, phone upgrades), less maintenance costs with cells for service providers. No surprise, service providers want out of land line business. ATT wants to drop landlines. Here is a story about Illinois. http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-att-landline-phone-service-0507-biz-20170503-story.html I have not seen a public phone in years.

Cell phone non-essential? Who still has a land line?

@@PirateLou, welcome to scouter.com.

Today this might be called free-range scouting but more likely abuse. http://www.fredericksburg.com/opinion/columns/column-long-ago-trip-shows-how-parenting-style-has-changed/article_05f46b5d-2b3a-5430-83f8-f7ee139c1dfc.html “Where’s Frank,†by Lloyd Philip Johnson (available on Amazon) documents the journey of 18 Boy Scouts who climbed aboard a fruit truck in Yakima, Wash., in 1946 and took a 10,000- mile journey around the United States. Their scoutmaster, Curtiss Gilbert, had dreamed about starting a Scout troop that would produce self-reliant, competent men, and in 1921, he began leading Troop 9 in Yakima, a position he would keep for 26 years, until his death. After years of leading his boys on adventures such as mountain climbing and winter camping expeditions in the Cascade Mountains, and long trips to California and Boy Scout Jamborees, Gilbert had earned the trust of parents. When he proposed the trip around the entire country, the parents were on board and the kids were excited. Gilbert was an apple grower, so a fruit truck “troop carrier†was a natural solution to question of how to transport 18 kids and three adults. With its 20-foot bed fitted with benches for riding, shelves behind the cab for storage, slatted sides, and a canvas cover, the 1941 Ford was soon ready to go. It would never pass muster today for safety, nor would most kids be able to tolerate the jostling, the hard seats, and exposure to the elements. But times were different then. “Freedom meant adventure, admittedly with risks,†Johnson writes. Traveling east through the northern tier states, the Scouts camped where they could, ate what was available, and carefully cleaned up after themselves. When they stopped in a town (or city), Gilbert would let them roam on their own, with orders to be back at the truck on time—or else. “He trusted us,†Johnson writes, “to behave and use our heads and not get lost.†Most of the time, that worked. Gilbert had picked a route that he felt would help the Scouts appreciate their country. Glacier National Park, Mount Rushmore, Chicago, Niagara Falls and Boston soon were ticked off the list. With the normal amount of shenanigans, all was going well. Then, in Hartford, Conn., 14-year-old Frank failed to make it back to the truck by the designated departure time. Gilbert decided “it would be a good lesson to Frank to have to catch up with us in New York the best way he could.†So he drove off. A little while later, young Brodersen found himself all alone in Connecticut with two cents in his pocket. To the Scouts, leaving Frank was just the natural consequence of his violating the rules. To Frank, though, it was scary. So what did he do? .... Anyway this is my next reading adventure. https://www.amazon.com/Wheres-Frank-Intrepid-Leader-Scouts-ebook/dp/B01COCY0ZW

The camp item that is forgotten more and used less - bar of soap.

@@ScoutmasterDanny, welcome to scouter.com. Our troop shied away from Google groups as parents were concerned about privacy,. Announcements at closing work best for us, but different strokes for different folks. Your second video regarding Scout accounts is frequently discussed/argued here.

Fifty years ago Scouts sat around whittling. Today, they sit around teching.

@@dreamwalkn , welcome to scouter.com . Don't be afraid to speak your mind.

How does the BSA get into those "circumstances"? Simply put by this layman, I want to reduce the possibility of the family suing the BSA and , if the evidence warrants, increase the possibility of the scout and the BSA together prosecute/sue the alleged abuser. Sorry for the clumsy language, hopefully you will get my meaning.

Is an employer/organization always liable for the criminal actions of its employees/volunteers?

Successful outshines the stupid. Good luck against coaches of winning school teams whose students score scholarships.