sweetspiritpamh

Thanks so very much for ya'lls input. My son is a big 6'2'' 235 lb. boy who will be getting his eagle next month and with ya'lls recommendation ideas I found the best place was online at campmor.com so I guess this will be his eagle present from us because what I read it will get a ton of use after he graduates and goes into the military to defend our country.

My son really wants a Thermarest Trail LARGE self Inflating Mattress, he is really sold on it but it is very pricey. Does anyone have suggestions to find one at the most reasonable cost possible?

our troop has a great dutch oven pizza that we cook on charcoal go to http://www.troop68.org/ then go to recipes then under main dish find the dutch oven pizza in photos

This is a little off but this is what made girls in scouts get the message clear. On a weekend on Friday night our group about 45 scouts spent the night at NASA space camp. Really cool experience of sleeping under the stars. Just before we left NASA we let the girls go into the gift shop to buy something small. They sold candy there.Some bought candy instead of the cool t shirt that said I camped in space. Well second night of our trip we were going to sleep in cabins at the state park. We had always told them no food or scented things in the tents on camping trips. Part of the group was a older group of kids from our town. Apparently their leader had never stressed the NO FOOD rule. Well after getting everyone settled in the entire group went on a hike to see the scenery. When we got back about a hour later we heard lots of yelling from one of the other scout groups girls.Appatently the raccoons in this park were so used to people they even could figure out opening the latches that were on the cabins.The raccoons had torn up the bags trying to get the stash and one girl found her day pack about a half mile down the lane. They were having a field day on that candy bought in the gift shop. My girls never forgot it and got real serious about making sure no one tried to bring anything into sleeping quarters again.

My son got home at 1:30 this morning after completing his Ordeal in the Longhorn Council. They made it though 70 mile a hour straight line winds and flash flooding. Glad everyone made it home safe and sound yet water logged. I am sure it was memoriable, then they went to our troops eagle ceromony were 3 young men who started as tigers together all got there way though together to eagle. Quite remarkable I beleive.

Learning about shopping was a awesome lesson I have watched my son grow with. We live in day of cell phones so when my son went the fist time he took his list into Wal Mart and asked me to shop somewhere else in store. Before going the check out he called me to come look over his cart for suggetions. I am a very frugal shopper. I first time he accepted my ideas. Since then he has been able to make some pretty mature choices. I will always remember the time he found out that the sirloin steak was on sale and actually cheaper than making hambugers with buns, cheese, lettuce and tomoto. Our troop typically plans on 8-10 dollars for a big Saturday Breakfast (omelets are their favorite), Lunch, Dinner, and a easy Sunday Breakfast. Then on the trip home everyone brings about $5.00 to stop at Dairy Queen(a Texas small town Burger and ice cream Place. The troop usually charges between $10-$15.00 for the camp out because they have a old school bus and that goes in the gas tank and then the program supplies(ex. ammo) has really jumped in price last camp. Its not a cheap weekend but I really believe to do quality program it costs nowadays even for a tightwad like I am.

My sons troop has dutch oven contests during their meetings at least 2 times a years and the boys really love it. Then they are really excited about taking their new recipes to camp. Check out http://www.troop68.org/ and go to the recipes page. A couple of weeks ago they did a dutch oven pizza contest and I was really impressed with the results, some patrols had cheese in the crust and put the local Pizza joints a run for their money. When boys get to create it's really quite fun to see how self supporting they can be.

My sons troop takes their older boys on a high adventure trip to the Weminuche Wilderness Area. They tell me it is fabulous. Last year before going I found a book A Falcon Guide Hiking Colorado's Weminuche & South San Juan Wilderness Areas A Guide to Southwestern Colorado's Greatest Hiking Adventures. My husband said it was quite helpful and in talking to friends who are real backpacking fans they told me this area is ranked according to the Backpacker magazine as a great trek. My son is looking forward to this trip again this summer. The photos my husband brought back last year needed to be on a calendar they were so breathtaking.

My sons troop thanks the charter organization with a FREE pancake breakfast for everyone at all the services that day. The church family really likes it because many organizations have pancake breakfasts as fund raisers. And this is a way to give back to the community that is their for them.Of course having a boy led group is important for the community to see in their scout shirts really taking the lead. It still needs adult to be their but the boys are really doing the work.

Last Jamboree my teenage daughter went on staff and even though it wasn't very much to sign up to volunteer to help work by the time you added the airfare, special uniforms, extra expenses it still came to about $1000. But she said it was worth every penny. This time she wants to go as a day visitor and have her brother who will be the summer before his senior year go as a scout and not a staffer to get full experience out of it.I believe our web site said its $3000. plus air fare so its very pricey on my budget.

The Tejas district color guard from Arlington Texas will be going for their 3rd Presidential Inauguration. They take 44 scouts and the director, Dr. Bill Spencer has it down to a science. Contact him for some ideas. They spend 10 days there and every minute is full. There web site is http://tejasdistrictcolorguard.org/ It is a take your breath away trip according to my kids. Last time 3 kids and husband got to go, this time just my son is making the trip. But I'm still very excited for him.

Our troop 68 in Arlington Texas has a wonderful building that the scouts and scouters built with their own hands. On paper it belongs to our CO but it is designed for scouts use. I believe there are 2 boy scout troops (1 regular and 1 special needs), and a cub pack, and a girl scout troop that regularly use it. It is also used by many troops traveling through or coming to Arlington Texas as a sleep over stop.So if your group is ever in the area call and make reservations. There are pictures at www.troop68.org. The scouts are very proud they have such a great place to call home. By the way it is less than 1/2 a mile from the New Dallas Cowboy Football Stadium, 1 mile from Six Flags over Texas, Texas Rangers Professional Baseball Park and just a 1 and 1/2 mile from Hurricane Harbor Water Park. Its in old downtown of our little town, right in the middle of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. If you are not aware our little town has 365,000 people in it.

Troop 68 in Arlington Texas has a 60 passenger bus. you can see pictures at www.troop68.org The troop requires that every boy for every event ride no matter even to a simple field trip in town. That way everyone gets to wherever safely and on time. It may be old school but now after being a driver with out reimbursement for many years in cub scouts and girl scouts its nice that everyone chips in and bears the responsibility of helping pay for gas.

In Arlington Texas we have a entire troop of young men with some form of disabilities. It is Troop 517 from Longhorn Council. I am sure they use many creative ways to get the Boy Scout Program out. Steve Barnes is the scoutmaster and maybe if you could communicate with him he could give you some ideas to help each boy to do his best.

I really understand how you feel. Just today we were able to get my son (15) in to see a child's heart specialist. We just found out 6 weeks again our new doctors (because of a insurance change) would not sign my son off for his Boy Scout physical. In our area its a 6 to 8 month wait to get in. I called and pleaded with this really great professional. He double booked and scheduled $10,000.00 worth of tests to take every caution possible and then signed his scout physical. He is going on his 1st 7 day Weminuche trek in Colorado starting this Friday. Talk about last minute even though it didn't start out that way. Our old doctor and heart specialist believed our sons mild condition should not slow him down in anything even playing Texas High School Football in the fall.