AK-Eagle

The 2019 South Country Philmont map shows a spring near the Whistle Punk Camp. We hiked through the area in 2016 and did some trail work near there. A moist area bug dope might be a good idea.

Another suggestion "Casey at the bat."

That is the date we started in 2016, got thunderstorms on most afternoons. Only saw one cinnamon bear on the trek and more mini bears than we cared to count.

We make a Philmont Trek every 3-4 years otherwise we shake and bake our own here in Alaska. Summer 2018 is a 50+ mile canoe paddle down the Stikine River. -Phil

We got a slot! Crew 721-? Phillip Martin ASM Troop4 Ketchikan, Alaska

Due to the geography of south east Alaska our chapter holds its own Ordeals and the service project is done in the community. 2014 working with the city public works using hand tools we clear cut Alder trees in a area equal to a football field to allow the young conifers that were getting shaded out a fighting chance. The Alders were run through a chipper and the material was used by the city. 2015 we serviced the local rifle range, removing 10 cubic yards of trash and bringing in 20 cubic yards of D1 gravel. 2016 it was the US Forest Service's turn repairing a trail that had been hit hard by the previous winter storms. 2017? No idea yet.

Nanuck Lodge #355, Headed to Section W1N Conclave next weekend

One we tried last year that was wildly popular. A cast iron cooking contest last year's ingredient? Bacon, entree or dessert. Unlike the TV show version the troops were informed well ahead of time to allow for research and development of their entries. The main judge was a Coast Guard cook with no connection to scouting, yet. From the reaction we will be doing that one again and the list of possible ingredients is both interesting and growing. btw the Camporee is planned and run by the local OA chapter.

We did a Spring break Abaco Bahamas sailing adventure this year, here is a few of my tips based on lessons learned. For those that do not often travel out of country with scouts be sure to have the reservation name(s) the same as the name on the passport. The guide recommends 120-150 in spending money, it misses that a good portion should be small bills. 3-4 carabiners color code with strips of electrical tape for easy identification needed to attach nalagene bottle to the lifelines and to identify what mesh bag with the snorkel gear is yours and a couple extras in case one goes swimming. Day bag just large enough to carry extra clothing and shower gear on shore excursions that have showers. If you are doing the Bahamas sailing adventure look into getting the Sea of Abaco Explorer charts they are plastic coated and cost around $5 cheap enough to allow everyone in the crew to have one. If you have access to indoor pools in winter spend quality time with the crew getting comfortable with snorkel gear and building endurance. Most of the beaches in resort areas have volley ball nets and are willing to loan a ball to the scouts, have your crew practice they just might need it. As much as it pains me to say it the best beach shoe seems to be a Croc, The captain recommended them mainly because they rinse the sand out quickly and dry nearly instantly. 2-3 2 gallon zip top bags to put all the dirty, smelly, sandy clothes into. A set of clean clothes reserved for traveling home sealed into a bag. Extra flash card memory and charged batteries for digital cameras. For the crew a bag of clothes pins to hang wet clothes on lifelines, to replace any lost from the boat. Name tag everything! That's enough for now -Phil

Crew Advisor for Crew 721-A, the scouts chose Itinerary #11 for 61 miles this time around. In 2012 a older, larger in size crew chose #26 for 81. (We actually did 91 after a map reading error.) I'm liking the idea of a slower pace and a less miles. -Phil

My main GPS is a Garmin Etrex 20 and my iPhone is a backup. The good ole map and compass are along with and get used to double check the GPS readings and to keep those skills sharp. I have two mapping programs Expert GPS and MotionX-GPS. The main reason I selected them is simple. They both have topographic maps for Alaska in 1:25K. I have been using Expert GPS for a number of years now. The basic version is free but I have the home version. With home version you can create waypoints and routes then upload them into a GPS. After the camp download and save tracks and new waypoints as gpx files for future reference. I have several years’ worth of hike information saved. The routes, tracks and waypoints can also be viewed and saved on Google Earth. Custom maps can also be printed. I am still playing with MotionX-GPS but so far I like the ability to switch between topo maps and satellite images as well as sending and receiving tracking and waypoint information from the field so long as there is a good signal. Topo maps can be downloaded and saved in advance of going out. I will give it a good work out on the Chilkoot trail here in a couple of weeks. Thats enough for now. AK-Eagle

Summer Camp near Juneau, Alaska, then the next week 33 miles on the Chilkoot Trail.

Look here for the ceremony http://www.siouxbsa.org/tetonwanalodge/news/oaceremoniesresources

What can the Patrol/Troop do better? Followed by How can you help to make that happen?

Same jacket here http://www.northerntiertradingpost.org/boy-scout-jacket.html is $140.00 AK-Eagle