Promoting high adventure with a young troop

[Chief Decorah]

This is way over-simplifying the answer, but just get your Troop "doing" something. Anything. Get them on the trail for a short weekend with less than perfect backpacks, sleeping bags that are too bulky and other gear that isn't perfect for backpacking. Just do it.

 

As time goes on, educate them on what's important for successful backpacking trips (i.e. lightweight and more compact gear, good hiking boots, backpacks that fit, etc.) and show them the way. Over time, you'll find gear that is reasonably priced and better quality than what everyone has currently and slowly upgrade. Rome wasn't built in a day. Neither has any well-equipped Boy Scout Troop or Venturing Crew that does high adventure treks.

 

I can still remember our first REAL high adventure trek - backpacking on Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior. We were packed heavy, too much food (imagine that), backpacks didn't fit right (although that got corrected along the way) and just a group of Scouts and leaders struggling to learn. We got better as time went along and, to this day, it's still a fond memory for our group. It actually got us started toward a very successful trip to Philmont, complete with good hiking boots, lighter sleeping bags, lighter gear in general and, most importantly, the mental make-up to complete a tough, 10-day backpacking trip in the mountains. I think most will agree the last point is the most important of all.

 

Good luck with your Troop. If you continue doing high adventure treks, your Troop will stay strong for years, and think of how much fun you'll have!

[boomerscout]

perhaps your Scouts would like to read accounts by their peers on the Philmont experience http://www.lns.cornell.edu/~seb/philmont.html (or just google: Philmont selden)

for short films on canoeing in the Boundary Waters www.holry.org/essays/promtionalfilms/

[Eagle92]

Lots of good advice. I especially like the one where you start preparing for high adventure when the Webelos join the troop. However I would expand that. I say you start talking up the HA activities as soon as their Tigers

 

Seriously my pack has me whose been toa NSJ, WSJ, 3 fifty milers, and the European Camp Staff Program, as well as anotehr DL whose done Philmont 3 times. Both of us actively talk abut our experiences amongst all the cubs in the pack, saying how yes we are havign fun now, but just wait until you're a boy scout. With the parents I've met at the summer time activities, CSDC, and the family camp outs, I not only talk about the adventures I've been on, but alos start mentioning the patrol method and how a great troop is boy run and organized chaos

 

One thing I've done and have done at OA meetings is to have someone who has 'been there, done that" besides the regulars. I'm fortunate in that I am friends with one of the guys who started OA Trail Crew and he's done promos not only on OATC, but also Philmont and Arrowcorp5

[boomerscout]

how do you encourage them to select and plan a "higher adventure" program?

 

by starting 'em off gradual-like. as was already mentioned, they're too young to have much in the way of forward planning skills and experience. We thought some of our Scouts might like to go to Northern Tier. On the other hand, what if they didn't like canoe camping? A drain on the finances then. Part one was to encourage sign-up for swimming and canoeing m.b. at camp to see if they liked aquatics. That fall we scheduled a two day canoe trip on a nearby canoeing stream. Next Spring was another two day -- diff river. That fall -- ditto. Over the winters we showed canoeing movies and worked on wilderness fitness. They came up with the idea of NT (finally!). We ended up canoeing the Quetico for two weeks

 

 

 

[gtscouter]

My son's troop does a "mini-high adventure" every year, within a month of the time that the Webelos move up to the troop. Examples of these trips have included a trip to Kansas City (cabin camped near by), Shiloh National Military Park, a ski trip, a stay at the Chicago Youth Hostel. It was usually planned around a long weekend (since most of the scouts are in the same school district).

 

I think this is such a great way to introduce high adventure and an effective way of making a good first impression on new scouts and their families.

[Buffalo Skipper]

The troop is readying for our 60 mile Suwannee River canoe trek. We had several scouts drop out at the last minute. SPL cancelled yesterday for football (practice on the night we leave) and 4 others for last minute changes in family vacations (2 of these dads were planning on accompanying us on the trip but unexpectedly made family vacations plans instead this past week). We are down to 6 scouts, one patrol of 4 one of 2.

 

Still, we are moving forward. Should be an exciting trip that the scouts will remember for a long time. We leave on Wednesday and are back on Sunday evening. (School starts here one week after we return).

[Mike F]

I was fortunate to spend some time with Keith Galloway, recently retired Chief of BSA High Adventure, a couple of years ago. He said something which really struck me. To paraphrase, he thought there was too much emphasis on BSA high adventure equating to Philmont, etc. He said the definition of high adventure depended on the boy. To a new Tiger Cub, sitting on a fire engine and blowing the horn is high adventure.

 

Find any challenging activity and get things started. It's ideal when the guys dig in to do the planning, but keep things moving forward even if they don't. As Buff Skipper is encountering right now, even if your turnout is low, press on. The ones who go will be excited and will help convince the others they don't want to miss the next opportunity. (Hopefully Buff is packing and not reading this!) As they get more mature and confident, you'll find they will start showing more interest in helping make things happen the way they want them to go. It's really cool years later when you hear about them planning and conducting their own personal "high adventure" trips with scout or college buddies.

[Buffalo Skipper]

Thanks for the kind words. It is reassuring to hear I am on the right track. It is easy to get discouraged with a low turnout. I am done packing (personal gear). Tonight we (adults) are doing our grocery shopping and will pack our "adult" gear. We purchased each patrol (including the adults) a dry gear bag for cooking and patrol gear. It should be a fun trip for the scouts.

 

I like what you passed on from Keith Galloway about High Adventure. I think I can incorporate that into the next PLC which will be a planning meeting. Hopefully it will give the scouts a better idea of what they can do. Progress is slow, but steady.