venture 15 mom

We are a very small crew too. Only a month or so old as well. Our council does have a person in charge of venturing, the district director. He has been supportive, we asked for adult training and he set it up for this weekend. I am anxious to see what kind of opportunities will be available from the council. I'd like to see more information put out to the troops about venturing, there seems to be a lot of misconceptions and non-understanding of the program. venture mom

I agree with Old Grey Eagle that each gender has strengths and limitations. Working together as a team to accomplish a common goal would mean pulling the strengths from each. We have just started the crew and are all male at this point, but are hoping to go coed. Me being the lone female as the asst. advisor and their ASM for the past 5 years have never felt I had to prove anything to the males. They treat me with respect, I do the best I can which is what we expect from anyone. Since they are a backpacking oriented crew; anyone, male or female, would have to want to do that type of activity. We have had several boys while they were a patrol decide they didn't really like backpacking. I think it's about finding young adults who enjoy the same type of activity getting together as a team and accomplishing goals. venture mom

OGE: Does the council put on the VLSC or is it up to the Crew advisors? I've seen references in both areas and am confused as to who would be responsible. Our council is doing the basic leader training for several new crews in a couple weeks, the boys really want to do training too and have asked about the VLSC. I plan to ask about it at this training coming up but it'd be nice to know how other councils do it. VM

Pounder: Flat is what we pray for when we're out climbing a trail with no end in sight, or you think you've reached the top and only turn the bend and see another climb ahead! It definitely would be different. What kind of elevation changes does the R to R trail have? What for instance is the higest and lowest points out of curiosity. Around here anything even remotely flat is so overused and worn. AT follows the ridge line a lot, but there are plenty of climbs too. Any trail that connects to it is a serious climb. The plus side is the beauty, there are some pretty spectacular views around these parts. You just have to work to get there. VM

Hops: What is that area lke? I mean, is it hilly, or pretty flat? We are so used to up and down mountains that it would be interesting to see a different type terrain. The pictures I saw didn't look as though it were flat. I am familiar with Cincy as I grew up there, is it similar? mom

I have wondered what it would be like when one of the kids earns Ranger. We all have experience with the Eagle, it's well known and respected by even those who don't understand scouting. The venture program is fairly new, not many people even know it exists. Yet, the requirements are tough, and will no doubt take a whole lot of physical and mental work. Not many from the outside will look at it with the same awe they do Eagle. These kids are charting new territory, opening new doors. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of ceremony, or presentation they may want. Be it on top of a mountain, or in the church basement I'll be there. It seems kind of fitting to be on a mountaintop if that's what they want. Venture mom

Trail Pounder: Thanks for that info. We can point the guys in this direction and see what they can find out. I want to see them doing research and realizing they're not going to knock this out in a couple weeks time. At first when they started they thought it would be like doing a merit badge. Now they're realizing this venturing is a whole new ball game. VM

Old Grey Eagle: Yes, that is true. They are learning to research for themselves, we're learning to step back and let them. They have done some research in our area of places they could go to shoot. We advisors have not done any of the contacting. They're actually doing pretty well considering the president is 14, I'm pretty impressed with his committment. He delegates, some do what he told them and some come back and say they forgot. We let him deal with that. It's pretty interesting working with older scouts, I'm learning a whole lot from them. Venture mom

Trailpounder: It's about 6 hours to Cincy from here, so however much further to S. Ill. Another place that looks promising to explore is the Big South Fork area in Tenn/Ky. One of our kids dad went there and brought back some fantastic pictures and said it is awesome there. VM

Where would be a good place to get started learning about the shooting sports elective. Say, air pistol or air rifle, this is what they are leaning towards. They have all done the summer camp deal with rifle merit badge, and a couple have a little experience by going with their dads, but none have any serious experience. I'm just not sure where to begin. venture mom

Thanks pounder for the link to R to R trail. I can't wait to have time to research it. Don't know if that'd be a possibility for them for the next 50, but it's worth a look. we're in the Western N. C. mts. so not sure how far it'd be. One of the crew members is a huge AT fan. His goal is to do the trail when he graduates from school, or at some point. He brought a video on the trail, a kind of journal, and it was really interesting. We've done bits and pieces since we live right there, it crosses about 15-20 miles from here. Is your crew going for the backpacking elective? I saw where you'd mentioned them being into the shooting aspect. That's an area our guys are looking at. They would need a lot of instruction, they have limited experience here, but they really want to make that one of their first electives. They'd be a good companion for your crew, too bad we're so far apart. They'll breeze thru the backpacking elective, but need instruction on the shooting. Venture mom

Pounder: Yeah, they packed the whole thing. 2 years ago we went on the Foothills Trail which hugs the N.C. and S.C. border. It's a beautiful area, lots of ups and downs and gorgeous scenery. They took about a week, would hike about 8 miles a day, some were tougher than others. We did a ton on research about 6 months of planning. Someone did meet us halfway through to be sure no one needed to drop out , took away dirty clothes too which in August was great! It was a great experience and I think that's what turned the key to the venture world. Since then their confidence level has risen and they are eager to try new things. The following year we did it again and reversed the direction, added 2 new boys who are part of the crew now. 2 of the original boys are now in the service or college so we still number 6, which is small but they are tight. They want to do another one next summer, this time we'll try for a new place. It's a good way to learn planning skills and teamwork. You have to love backpacking, we asked the troop if anyone was interested for the last one, but only the 2 with us now stuck it out. VM

Pounder: That sounds like a cool idea. What we were doing while they were in the troop as a patrol was beads on a leather string for their shirt pocket. Sounds kind of cutsey but they really got into it. When we started back up as venturers some of us didn't wear the beads and they jumped all over it. Another case of you never know what they'll like. They earned the 50 miler 2 years ago and they have the leather patch for their packs. If I see anything like you're hunting I'll let you know. The kids love to be awarded, I always like to surprise them at courts with different stuff. VM

Trail Pounder: 8 miles in 3.5 hrs. Wow! The guys always have us on trails with such elevation climbs that I know they'd be doing CPR if we traveled that fast. We're going out Sept. 12 weekend, 4 to 6 crew members and the 2 advisors. They are looking to do one of their 15 milers for the backpacking elective. Some of the kids in the troop have tried backpacking but don't like doing much over 3 to 5 miles. We are not co-ed either. It's a possibility down the road. The guys are all life or eagle so have the routine down. Anyone joining that isn't used to scouts would have to adjust, which would mean they'd need to train them. They have their hands full learning the program for now. Anything is possible though. No one has approached them to join yet, we're so new word hasn't had time to get out. How long have you been backpacking? VM

Our boys are really backpacking oriented. They did the backpacking merit badge and really got a lot of experience there. They do anywhere from 8 to 20 miles on a weekend trek, anything less they scoff at. It's one of their goals to kill off the advisors I think. Anyhow they really like to challenge themselves and each other, something we started seeing at around age 14. We've kept track of their miles and some are well over 200. We live in an area with miles of forest trails so that helps. Because of their proficiency here they are asked to teach backpacking skills a lot. Whitewater rafting is well liked too. They are looking into shooting as an elective towards bronze. What we have noticed with them, as they get older is that they are better able to focus on planning, and if you encourage that and make sure they have the tools needed to be able to do that, they're more likely to open up and say what they want to do. I quit trying to guess what they may like and rely on what they are willing to work hard to get.