noname Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 Yes it meets the 'requirements' I agree. There is also the kayak merit badge offered in the local swimming pool, is that any different? I guess not... Sure some of us would love to go hiking in the mountains, beach, ect but time(parents) wont allow. Baseball campout and big trips still need the same things, leaders and parents to bring the kids. I will let you know how this campout works out but I betcha that it will only be me and my family. Cant get anyone other parents/leaders to go... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twocubdad Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 A vote with Outdoors! While camping in the outfield meets the technical requirement, it's a waste of my time. On that point, 'fish is right. If time is limited, why waste a weekend with this? We have two or three minor league teams inside an hour of here. They all offer a Scoutnight sometime during the season. We've never considered going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noname Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 'waste a weekend'? its camping with my boys so I'll go for it! Besides I cant get a troop/tm/committee motivated to go tent camping anywhere. Troop has 1 tent campout this year. A camporee is the following weekend and was told by the committee, SPL and the TM that 2 tent weekends in row are too much!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdidochas Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Noname, I'm confused. Is the problem the adults or scouts or both? Have you talked to any of the other Scout parents? What do they feel? Are you a registered leader? Have you mentioned to your son about the possibility of a patrol campout? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Turtle Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 My first reaction was "what!". But then... As something occasional...prob OK. We count Summer Camp and that isn't that challenging. If it was me I would sigh and then ask the boys to make it more challenging. Maybe cowboy camping, or real old-style canvas tents, or first time tarp camping. Survival practive. "Sure we camp after the game...you can only bring what will fit in your pocket". Make'm lash a shelter. No pop tarts. Make everything Dutch Oven or if they do that all the time something else. It is a pretty safe environment so the risk of failure is lower. I bet they might want to repeat the experiment in an more challenging environment later. Scouting is a game...make it so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noname Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 Peridochas-The problem is complex but no unsolvable. Yes I am a registered leader, the boys would do more tenting and other parents? What other parents? They drop and go. A patrol campout would be great but again you need leaders. We have more registered adults than boys on paper... and 1 tent outing this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSScout Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Oh, get the kid OUT and in a tent... The problem in this requirement is the proviso for ONLY "a Scout Activity". Scoutson (who is soon to be Eagle, thank you very much) went canoe and bike and afoot camping with the Yearly Meeting camp program several summers (under nylon) and NONE of it can be counted toward this. Philmont, once and only 6 of the 9 nights out... Scout camp, no, (count only ONE long term camp). Troop trips, many times. Camporees, Webelos Weekends, yes. Jamboree Staff, no. Only ONE long term camp. If the "rough" church camp could be counted, he would easily double his nights out count, and if ALL his under nylon time counted, he could probably triple it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perdidochas Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 noname, Have you tried talking to the boys? Have the ones that want to camp ask (beg) their parents. You only need one other adult leader and you can start going on patrol outings. How about the newly crossed over scouts? They need three campouts to get First Class. The other thing is have you checked out other nearby troops? It might be easier to change troops than to change the troop you are in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basementdweller Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 hmmmm Twocubs, who exactly is we. Our scouts play city league baseball and love going to the game..... I am betting it has never been presented to the PLC for consideration. "Giving them what they want".... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoutfish Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 OUTDOORS, First off...I am not ticked off. Not in the slightest bit,. Just countering the fact that you'd require climbing peaks to be real camping. And 448 mi, 7 hours 30 mins is EXACTLY how far it is from my troop's CO to the closest high peak to climb. So, just like Basement said, we'd get to the mountains around 3am Saturday morning to begin our hike after getting homwe from school. I guess we'd have a few hours to walk in circles, eat, set up our tents before taking them down and heading back home. Unless we take 2 more days off each time we go "real" camping. Now, I don't know if you actually have any family or not, but most scouts do, and that's where they are during Thanksgiving or Christmas. Alot of them are spending time with family - even if it is mom's decision that they do. And since it is really 448 mi, 7 hours 30 mins to the closest peak, that does make things more costly. Ga$, $upplie$, $topping for food. And you know,,,maybe things in your area become free during summer and maybe even the adult leaders suddenly get paid for not working all summer long..but not in my troop's area. We still have to pay our water bills, electric, cable, insurance ( house, car, dental, medical, life). Still have to buy food too. So yeah, that still means having to take off work to go "real" camping. Okay, now what I said about pizza and beaches - you said that would be a nice bit of variety and break things up ...right? So wouldn't you agree that the same thing could be said of cxamping in a ball field after a game? Your troop enjoys ordering a pizza every now and then too , right? Well sure because it's fun and keeps your routine from becoming stale. So why can't a ball park hotdog do the same thing? Nobody ever said that all they were ever going to do is go camp at the local ball park. But it was said that this does count too...becauser not everybody can go to the perfect place or go "real" camping all the time. I know my troop sure couldn't do it for 20 nights if we had to travel the 448 mi, 7 hours 30 mins that it takes to go "real" camping. Again, I am not mad at all. Not ticked off or even upset. Not even close. I also wasn't the one who came in and said that another troops way of getting camping in was a joke. Just saying...not everybody can just drive an hour to the mountains. Thing is, camping is just that: camping. Can be at a lake, on an undeveloped island in the middle of a huge lake or in the middle of the intracoastal waterway ( way far from the mountains). It can be in the lush green woods to the side of an awesome canoeing river. It could be in the mountains or just the foothills. Maybe right smack in the middle of Iowa or Kansas. And if I drive 448 mi, 7 hours 30 mins to get to the mountains, I do not want to sleep in a cabin. I sleep in a 4 walled shelter with a roof and floor every night. It's called a house. Where's the spirit in that. Just saying...in a not at all angry, ticked off or upset state of mind. See.... I'm smiling to prove it. >>>-----------> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noname Posted March 16, 2012 Author Share Posted March 16, 2012 448 miles in 7 hours 30 minutes...That is pretty good time, wherever you are going! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLChris71 Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Real camping is on a peak? Nah, come off the mountain and visit the Croatan National Forest where following a trail can be canoe optional, that thing rustling in the bushes...could it be a bunny, a deer, or an alligator, and a summer breeze could be a hurricane or the mosquito swarm But to get back on subject, here in NC some of the race tracks offer camping before and after races. Some of them like Rockingham Speedway do free camping near the track. For a big event it would be difficult (crowded) but for some of the smaller races it would be reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted March 16, 2012 Share Posted March 16, 2012 Scouts camping in a public area is nothing new. Saw some 1914(?) newsreel footage of some scouts clambering over a wall at a public venue (grass field and such). Lots of passers by watching. Pretty sure it wasn't backwoods. Yes, ball field camping should count. Yes, if that's all you do it's kind of pathetic, but if all you do is run off to the big woods and gnaw sassafras root with your venture patrol, that's kinda pathetic too. Variety is the spice of life. The point of getting into tent-camping IMHO, is to learn a little resourcefulness and not drain your wallet on lodging every time you travel. Teaching a boy to do that for a ball game may help him when he's older and married and has to visit friends' weddings but has not socked enough away yet to justify a hotel. (Oh, my poor wife!) nn -- if there is an trained adult from another troop willing to go, that's all you'll need to cover the tour permit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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