10 nights outdoors?

[JohnZ]

With all the changes in the program, can someone tell me what the 10 outdoor nights in an annual program means? Does the weeklog summer camp count towards it?

[Tampa Turtle]

Can you be more specific? Is this for advancement or quality troop bling-blingy?

[JohnZ]

It is in reference to the bullet responsibilities in the troop committee guidebook

[qwazse]

So you want to make sure you're doing everything a committee can do for your boys? Ignore that goal. Set for yourselves a goal of camping at least once every month of the year. Some of those months could be individual patrol challenges to arrange their own outings. Given a couple cancellations for various reasons, you'll still wind up providing 8-10 camping opportunities of 1, 2, or sometimes 5 nights. You'll exceed the pathetic textbook objective by at least 50% and won't have that sleezy feeling when you wake up in the morning -- even if your are miles from the nearest shower!

[Tampa Turtle]

Yes 10 nights us easily done by 5 Friday night to Sunday morning camping trips. It is really not that ambitious. Our Troops, flaws and all, does 10 Fri-Sun trips, plus 2-4 Five day trips for the older boys, a few overnighters for training, and summer and winter camps.

[JohnZ]

Thanks all you have confirmed my understanding as it is an interpretation. The real objective is monthly outdoor activities with a minimum of 10 days of overnight camping. I will pass along the different suggestions here. they all are good. Thanks and have a good day all.

[Basementdweller]

All I gotta say is WOW, what a weak a$$ program.

 

Get off your butt, kick the SPL's in the can and get him moving and have the PLC plan some hikes and camping.

 

There is no excuse for not getting the boys out monthly. Plus Patrol Day hikes

[perdidochas]

Our troop tries to do 10-12 weekend (Friday to Sunday) campouts a year + a week at summer camp. We usually get pretty close. We only did 9 this year, but we had a lot of Eagle Projects in September, we didn't do one in June--our week in summer camp, and April was also a bad month. It gets complicated with Eagle projects and OA campouts.

[Jeffrey H]

Did not know the commitee guidebook had such low expectations of an outdoor program.

[qwazse]

Did not know the commitee guidebook had such low expectations of an outdoor program.

I think the guidebook was designed to keep committee members from jumping down the SM's throat when he has a bad year due to weather cancellations, conflicts with Eagle CoH's, boys committed too many other activities, or boys that refuse to work the patrol method.

 

It's on us SM/ASM's to kick it up a notch and never be satisfied with a committee that doles out compliments for rudimentary work. But, you can't really put that in a manual, can you?

[Tampa Turtle]

Weather can be an issue and we had a few years when Tropical Storms made us cancel a couple campouts. Add a few overnighters for the Patrols. Sometimes you can do a fun Saturday event with a overnighter as well.