boomerscout

"A trading post that looks like it was built in 1842 and last modernized around 1924. Bonus points to put it on the lakefront with a cargo dock and a row boat that brings in "new shipments" every couple of days during camp."

One problem with Scout camps is that the city soon grows up around them. Council can look for a new site further afield, but then it takes even longer to get there -- much too far for a weekend. After its recent merger, the old Detroit Arera Council has decided not to bother reopening its famous (well, to me - I went there as a kid) D-Bar-A camp. It's hard to get that wilderness experience when you're surrounded by suburbs & developments. Of course, Great Lakes Council blames units camping out of council turf. This bit of circular reasoning will probably result in selling the camp to real estate developers. Pay raises, anyone?

For some, it's the destination. For others, the journey. If Scouting is viewed as one large check-off list, then grease the skids to make it as easy as possible. Have Dad counsel all 120 merit badges. Let troop meetings be geared to "achievement" just as in any other school. Merit badges are not just about the requirements. There are hidden lessons involved. By showing individual intiative in seeking a mb, as well as intereacting with total strangers, A Scout is being prepared to interact with the world at large. Mommy & Daddy can't interview for a good job for you, ask for a deserved raise on your behalf, or solve your problems for you when they are gone. The earlier a boy/young man learns to interact with the adult world of strangers, the better off he'll be

Recognition by rewards is truly important. Going to camporee or Klondife -- make sure every participating Scout gets a temporary patch to dangle from the shirt button (even if a button needs to be sewn on). Troop wins a competition - a ribbon to hang from the troop flag. A Scout wins the baking contest -- that's worth a medal. Finished a community service project - a picture and write-up in the local paper. All of these will motivate most

First, make sure you're on their approved email lists. Otherwise, your email is sent out to the aether by their spam filters Too many emails are of the FYI form. Ask for a commitment or ask a question in the email header. At least state "RSVP is needed for xxxx - please reply"

Programs that allow others to depend on you, and that allow you to show you can be depended on build character. In team sports this is handling your assigned position adequately. In Scouting, character develops out of becoming PL, SPL, other POR, where the duties of the position aren't fluffed over (needs to be boy-lead)or ignored or over-looked, and where failure is allowed as long as not life-threatening. Training for these responsibilities is all important, as is shunting aside the helicopter parents (this includes no troop merit badges at troop meetings, no parents as son's own merit badge counselor). Scouting, done as the founders intended, is an intricate dance

"kids tended to engage in more hobbies and such on their own." we don't need no stinkin hobbies. We have Gameboy and Xbox and six foot flatscreens with 102 cable channels. And that is (sometimes) our competition

Couldn't they at least display Bill's soccer ball?

Some merit badges are (now) too big for a troop to sponsor, let alone the individual Scout. That may be one reason they don't bother. Your district needs to have brought in poles and spars at each quarterly camporee for those who want to build towers and monkey bridges

Not every merit badge is meant to appeal to every Scout. Scouting is about more than merit badges, anyway. There's selling popcorn, for instance. Your taster or intro idea sounds fine. One way to possibly enhance it might be to have an actual merit badge counselor come to the troop meeting and speak on his badge subject (without signing off on any requirements). Another idea would be to have a Scout who has already earned that badge bring in his badge's projects for show and tell. He could explain how earning that mb has enhanced his life Summer camps offer way too many merit badges, but that is a different topic

I've read that if you peel the bark off, they won't rot

A district in South Florida used to get cut trees donated to them by road crews removing invsive species. Don't how where/how they stored the poles, but they used a flatbed trailer to bring the poles to district camporees. Their website is no longer up. Other than that, if you could find someone doing forest or woodlot thinning (timber stand improvement), you'd be all set. Put the word out to your local Forest Service, state foresters, urban foresters, Soil & Water Conservation agencies, county parks & recreation groups. I imagine a school bus would be the most practical for transport. Open the back door, and load 'em in.

In the real world, leadership is over-rated. The person in charge may be a leader or a manager or an administrator. All can still be good citizens. A leader takes care of his people, an administrator has no problem laying them off, a manager is somewhere in the middle. Social problems arise because contemporary companies say they have "leadership" when they don't even have good managers. Administrators and managers can be created. WWII proved that when the military turned out 90-day wonders by the dozens. Not every one of them became a Patton, nor did they need to.

biggest difference in urban walking and country walking: city walking is mostly level ground, so 20 miles would be 20 miles. Hiking trails have a lot of hills and dips, so 20 miles on the map may be, more or less, 30 miles of walking as measured by a tape laid on the ground. This is one reason it can take most of the day to hike 6 to 8 miles at Philmont with its even steeper ground

Someone told someone else who learned of it while visiting National that the requirements will be released Jan. 30. Any Nationalists here to confirm or deny? The AWS (American Welding Society) is gung-ho on this merit badge. They apparently taught/counseled the first prototype class -- looked like MIG or TIG

I have always viewed Scoutcraft to mean the woodcraft or campcraft part of Scouting. Nothing wrong with many of the camping methods of 1916 if approached with a modern frame of mind. Being able to do more with less is almost always spitually satisfying: http://www.olympicwanderer.com/2010/09/overpacked-and-under-prepared/

When you need a break, I believe you would enjoy the article "Overpacked and under-prepared" at olympicwanderer.com

where's the pictures? I learn better when lots of graphics are included.

"What rain suits do your Scouts typically use? " Wearer's choice. I still see a lot of Frogg Togs. If a light rain, many choose to just get wet "Good to hear of a troop going light and off-trail apparently (even if you do look like old men with your canes)." Ha-ha!

Wow, that is one lotta work! I did look for, and did not see, any mention of Ray Jardine - one of the early populizers of modern lightweight camping. Nylon hiking shirts are fine until it's time to cook - flames, sparks and all. Melting nylon sticks to the skin as it burns. Grey lenses are great for urban/suburban sunglasses as they don't distort colors - a necessary feature for recognizing the colors of traffic lights and road signs. Out on the trail we use yellow or amber lenses; these are better at blocking blue light, and are more useful in low light conditions. Polarized, uvA & uvB coatings, high energy visible light coating, side shields. A second pair is carried in a hard shell case no matter the weight. As part of our emergency gear we weave a length of paracord to become our trouser belt; suitable instructions may be found at instructables.com Pants with elastic tops, such as swimsuits, seem to really chafe if worn all day. We've tried using rainsuits as windshells; they soon developed lots of little holes from the brush. We do like armpit vents in our rainsuits. We add chin straps to our hats for windy days; we use a leather thong, a piece of paracord, etc. While full sized hiking staffs can soon get heavy, we don't like using metal trekking poles up in the mountains (I realize you are restricting yourself to Indiana). We like a single wooden cane, cut to fit for uphill & down. On the flats, it slips into a ripstop tube sewn to the side of the pack. Checkering has been added near the top. Even with trail shoes we still use two pairs of socks - a liner and an outer. If the feet swell, one pair may be removed while still maintaining a good fit. We like camp shoes as it allows the day shoes to air out or dry. Soleless mocs are fairly light (plans in back issues of Boys Life) After we scissor our maps to the area we'll be hiking - with a 20 mile margin for hiking error - we spray them with artists fixative (both sides) before putting them into a Ziplock bag. The Boys Life gear you referred to was called Lite-Pac. The Boys Life reprint on LitePac Camping Rquipment may be found at Scouting Page of Dan Kohn

there needs to be better methods of removing an mbc who allows mb candidates to slide thru. This would also apply to service groups who put on a faulty mb university. Where's the Inspector General? National needs to decide which merit badges can be taught en masse, and which can't (or parts thereof). And also which should take more than a day -- allowing for contemplation and insight. It's tough to get all the volunteers that are needed (Duh!). We need to work with what we have. Maybe National could provide a better set of curriculum guidelines for the instructor.

"I just had a call from a mom who is pulling her son out of the Troop because he has been setting fires in their backyard. She is afraid he will soon set their house on fire" Did the Mother say how large the fires were? Son may have just been practicing his Scout requirements. Did he clear the area of other flammables first?

Tampa Florida area Eagle Scout project Many folks answer Boy Scout's call to help needy families at Christmastime Twelve-year-old Joshua Poland issued the orders, and some 15 of his fellow Boy Scouts in Troop 442, along with about 500 beneficiaries, responded. Saturday's Christmas event at Paul & Jerry's Self Storage on County Line Road was called "Give Till It's Gone." The storage company, a donation site for several nonprofit agencies that receive goods beyond their need, parks them, then gives them away quarterly. The items include abandoned items from storage units, added owner Tim Reed. Joshua wanted to do more, particularly to help needy families at Christmastime. He envisioned an Eagle Scout project. He asked his school, Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics, for help, but administrators told him they already had holiday projects lined up. So Joshua approached Reed about having an event at Paul & Jerry's. "This came together," the youth said, gesturing to the orderly line of recipients, Scouts poised to direct the crowd a separate room for kids to "shop" for their parents and other Scouts at the ready to wrap, tape and place ribbons on packages. "He's delegating," said Joshua's mother, Fran Poland. An Eagle Scout project requires organization of others. In other words, leadership is a necessity. Joshua has been a Scout since age 6; his mother is a troop chairwoman. The items given out ranged from T-shirts to TVs. One thing the school did allow was for Joshua to put out the word to other schools in the district, asking for classes to fill Christmas stockings for youngsters. He visited and collected stockings from 86 classrooms. Padula's Pizza, at Poland's request, donated 15 pizzas for a party to the class that gave the most. Also responding to the Scout's organizational plan, RE/MAX Advance Realty put out boxes to collect gifts and solicited donations. "We went out and bought toys with this (money)," Joshua said. Four area churches and a half-dozen nonprofit agencies contributed toys and home goods. Leading the line of grateful recipients, Will Caton, 62, of Land O'Lakes, battling cancer, said in a raspy voice that he was hoping to secure food "and a dresser, if they have one. Maybe a couple of T-shirts ... and a prayer." The retiree has a wife and son at home Krystal Davis, 24, of Spring Hill said her greatest want was for a job, not among Saturday's offerings. But for her children, she was looking for Christmas Gifts. Her 4-year-old son wanted a remote-controlled Jeep. For her 1-year-old, "whatever there is." Davis said she came to the giveaway "because we don't have any money ... nothing." She said she works a couple of days a week, taking home about $200. Christmas presents toys and clothes were on the wish list of Sarah Heine, 26, Spring Hill. Of her children ages 1, 4 and 7, she said: "They're not picky." Heine said she is employed, but her hours were reduced recently.

a little hokey, but I liked it. Pulled from boyscouttrail.com In spite of the fun and laughter, 13-year-old Frank Wilson was not happy. It was true he had received all the presents he wanted. And he enjoyed the traditional Christmas Eve reunions with relatives for the purpose of exchanging gifts and good wishes. But, Frank was not happy because this was his first Christmas without his brother, Steve, who during the year, had been killed by a reckless driver. Frank missed his brother and the close companionship they had together. Frank said good-bye to his relatives and explained to his parents that he was leaving a little early to see a friend; and from there he could walk home. Since it was cold outside, Frank put on his new plaid jacket. It was his FAVORITE gift. He placed the other presents on his new sled. Then Frank headed out, hoping to find the patrol leader of his Boy Scout troop. Frank always felt understood by him. Though rich in wisdom, he lived in the Flats, the section of town where most of the poor lived, and his patrol leader did odd jobs to help support his family. To Frank's disappointment, his friend was not at home. As Frank hiked down the street toward home, he caught glimpses of trees and decorations in many of the small houses. Then, through one front window, he glimpsed a shabby room with limp stockings hanging over an empty fireplace. A woman was seated nearby . . . weeping. The stockings reminded him of the way he and his brother had always hung theirs side by side. The next morning, they would be bursting with presents. A sudden thought struck Frank : he had not done his 'good deed' for the day. Before the impulse passed, he knocked on the door. 'Yes?' the sad voice of the woman asked. 'May I come in?' asked Frank. 'You are very welcome,' she said, seeing his sled full of gifts, and assuming he was making a collection, 'but I have no food or gifts for you. I have nothing for my own children.' 'That's not why I am here,' Frank replied. 'Please choose whatever presents you would like for your children from the sled.' 'Why, God bless you!' the amazed woman answered gratefully. She selected some candies, a game, the toy airplane and a puzzle. When she took the Scout flashlight, Frank almost cried out. Finally, the stockings were full. 'Won't you tell me your name?' she asked, as Frank was leaving. 'Just call me the Christmas Scout,' he replied. The visit left Frank touched, and with an unexpected flicker of joy in his heart. He understood that his sorrow was not the only sorrow in the world. Before he left the Flats, he had given away the remainder of his gifts. The plaid jacket had gone to a shivering boy. Now Frank trudged homeward, cold and uneasy. How could he explain to his parents that he had given his presents away? 'Where are your presents, son?' asked his father as Frank entered the house. Frank answered, 'I gave them away.' 'The airplane from Aunt Susan? Your coat from Grandma? Your flashlight? We thought you were happy with your gifts.' 'I was very happy,' the boy answered quietly. 'But Frank, how could you be so impulsive?' his mother asked. 'How will we explain to the relatives who spent so much time and gave so much love shopping for you?' His father was firm. 'You made your choice, Frank. We cannot afford any more presents.' With his brother gone, and his family disappointed in him, Frank suddenly felt dreadfully alone. He had not expected a reward for his generosity, for he knew that a good deed always should be its own reward. It would be tarnished otherwise. So he did not want his gifts back; however he wondered if he would ever again truly recapture joy in his life. He thought he had this evening, but it had been fleeting. Frank thought of his brother, and sobbed himself to sleep. The next morning, he came downstairs to find his parents listening to Christmas music on the radio. Then the announcer spoke: 'Merry Christmas, everybody! The nicest Christmas story we have this morning comes from the Flats. A crippled boy down there has a new sled this morning, another youngster has a fine plaid jacket, and several families report that their children were made happy last night by gifts from a teenage boy who simply called himself the Christmas Scout. No one could identify him, but the children of the Flats claim that the Christmas Scout was a personal representative of old Santa Claus himself.' Frank felt his father's arms go around his shoulders, and he saw his mother smiling through her tears. 'Why didn't you tell us? We didn't understand. We are so proud of you, son.' The carols came over the air again filling the room with music: '. . .Praises sing to God the King, and peace to men on Earth.'

Tahawk: I thought Jet-Skis and ATVs were now allowed