momof2cubs 10 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Sometimes it's a lot easier to try to find a BSA approved camp than trying to get one approved; depends on the council. My pack just got back from from Spring Family Camping 2 hours ago. We did it ourselves and had a BLAST. It was AWESOME. There are lots of advantages to going to district events: the activities are planned, the sites tend to be better maintained, it's more structured, you are more likely to be able to have range activities (BB shooting and archery), etc. But doing just a pack wide event can be just plain great. You get to plan the activities and do them at your leisure (well, somewhat). It tends to be quieter, more relaxed, and more fun. Drawbacks: YOU have to plan all the activities I grubmastered this one. Sixty-five people (half adults, half scouts/younger siblings) and it was WAY easier to plan a more adventurous menu since I knew that I wasn't restricted by things like I having to be across a massive campsite by a certain time to do a certain activity. Make sure you have several people with the necessary training: BALOO, Hazardous Weather, etc. Make sure everyone (and I do mean freakin' EVERYONE) is assigned duties: cooking, prep, cleaning, menu planning, food shopping, leading activities, gathering supplies activities, break-up and set-up of the "kitchen" and common areas, etc. Link to post Share on other sites
BadenP 93 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 It really is not that difficult, our council approves all KOA campgrounds and that is a good start for newbie cub campers. Our council does not act like camping police and will allow almost any developed campground based on the adult leaders word as to what facilities are available. Link to post Share on other sites
83Eagle 11 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 My pack just got back from from Spring Family Camping 2 hours ago. Holy cow, we still have snow on the ground with 6 inches forecast! Link to post Share on other sites
Scoutfish 16 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 SNOW!!!! We have bumble bees, pollen, and baby lizards running around! Link to post Share on other sites
AKdenldr 33 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 We did "family pack camping" the summer after we were done with wolves. (So we were bears.) It was a Pack campout because we had approval and pack leadership there. However, it was only boys from the bear den (plus one wolf) attended. Made it easy for a first time campout. Did a lot of Bear achievements in a round robin style. Went well and we learned a few things (especially about cooking for such a large group.) Boys slept with their parents. Did this at local state park 45 minutes from home. I recommend it highly. Boys loved it. Parents became more comfortable and leaders learned a lot. Link to post Share on other sites
Oak Tree 15 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 This is not correct. You won't get your Tour plan approved just because some place has amenities. It needs to be on the Council approved list... they don't have time to approve new places just because that's where you want to go. I just about spit coffee all over my computer when I read this response. And I'm not even drinking coffee. Our council office will approve any tour permit we fax in, as far as we can tell. We pick any park we like, any distance we like. We've been to state parks, national forests, county parks, city parks, national parks, private land, military bases, parks in four different states, parks where you have to backpack to the site (with Webelos dens), places where we had to bring our own water, you name it (well, we've never had to dig catholes). There is no "approved list" that I've ever heard of, and no one at any council training has ever mentioned such a thing, and yes, I did take BALOO. Sure, they can go camp by themselves any time they want. But we could also camp as a pack or as a Webelos den any time we wanted. YMMV. Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle92 110 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Oak, Your council sounds like mine, there is no approved list of camps for Cubs. heck didn't find out until this year that in order to have district/council CS campouts, you have to have a certification to do it. As I mentioned, CS have been neglected for some time in the council. Luckily we got some good leadership trying to change that, but it is an uphill battle. People still think that CS don't need to camp, and that CS and parent's don't know how to camp as they expect to drive to their campsite, bring everything, etc. What they don't realize is that A) if you don't let folks camp, they never learn B) Instead of complaining about it, help them out, and C) Set the example. Kinda hard to complain about CS parents driving their cars to their campsites, when you have folks doing that at Ordeals. OA may get dragged into working with CS. The VC for Camp Promos sees the need for working with Cubs, and it trying to get more involvement in that process. I'm looking forward to helping him out. Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle92 110 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 For got to add this to last post. "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt once wrote "OUTING is three-fourths of SCOUTING" (3rd. Ed. SMHB, p 601). Notice he didn't write "Boy Scouting," "Sea Scouting," or "Explorer Scouting" as Venturing was called back then, but "SCOUTING." Last Time I checked Cub Scouts were part of the Scouting movement, and... CUBS WANT TO CAMP! Also National needs to edit the outdoor quote on p. 602 of the current BSHB since it is incorrect. Green Bar Bill wrote "OUTING is three-fourths of SCOUTING," (caps in original) not "Scouting is two-thirds outing." Just do the math to figure that 6/8 = 3/4. Link to post Share on other sites
Twocubdad 665 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Roger that, OakTree. I was in the council office once watching the lady behind the counter "approve" a stack of tour permits, stamp-stamp, stamp-stamp, stamp-stamp. I said, "You know, I bet I could submit a tour permit listing our destination as Hell and you'd approve it." She stopped her rubber-stamping, thought for a minute, and said, yep, you're probably right. ----------- Not all councils keep such lists. Ours doesn't. Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle92 110 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Just out of curiosity, who is suppose to inspect these campsites for approval? can someone with BALOO visit, verify, and submit? Someone with NCS certification? Beleive it or not, this topic didn't come up when I went through BALOO, and when I taught it for the first time, I stated this is what you look for, but the council doesn't have a list yet. Link to post Share on other sites
Twocubdad 665 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I've never seen it specified. Back when I was first pack CC and in search of good campsites for a big pack, I first asked for the council's list of approved campsites. "What list?" When I asked for the inspection sheet, I had to provide the BIN number so they could order them from national(this was before everything was online). Somewhere, if some council camping committee has decided to get froggy and wants to inspect campsites, then they may. But my impression is this is so far down the list of priorities it rarely sees much action. Link to post Share on other sites
momof2cubs 10 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 83Eagle: there aren't that many advantages to living in the South sometimes, but sometimes you sure gotta LOVE the weather! It was absolutely gorgeous most of the weekend, just a little storm blowing through late Sat nigh. We had of course a campfire session scheduled with stories, songs, and skits. Well we moved it to the pavilion and had a great time! So my BALOO training paid off: just because you don't have a fire, doesn't mean you can't have a CAMPfire! Plus the grubmaster (ahem!) had planned banana boats instead of marshmellows for night time snack, so we built them under the pavilion and a brave volunteer stood in the drizzle to warm them up in the dying fire. Link to post Share on other sites
83Eagle 11 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 Well, what I can tell you is the last time we had planned a spring camp in MAY we had to drop the overnight part and go with a day camp because it got down into the low 20s. Too cold for cubs. (and no, I don't want any argument on that! That is too cold for cubs and tent camping!) Anyhoo, I recommend going to a council site for two reasons. One, no approval needed. Two, anybody doesn't like the camp, amenities, etc., you can fall back on the fact that it is an official district camp to diffuse their complaints, or at least redirect them from toward you. Link to post Share on other sites
The Blancmange 67 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 I said, "You know, I bet I could submit a tour permit listing our destination as Hell and you'd approve it." Just for fun, submit one for a proposed skydiving, base-jumping, or tornado-chasing trip, with 16 year old drivers carrying everyone in the back of an uninsured pickup truck, and see what happens Oh, and have it be a patrol activity. Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle92 110 Posted March 21, 2011 Share Posted March 21, 2011 2cub, Beleive it or not creating a list is one of the goals of the CS outdoor committee I'm on. I know one suggestion is to include the "Cub Friendly" camps in the lodge's Where to Go Camping book. Link to post Share on other sites
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