Outdoor Adventure Training - How Would You Do It?

[Hedgehog]

In a lot of recent threads, folks have been bemoaning the lack of outdoor skills in adults. To me the answer it to develop a training program for adults and scouts - run the right way.

 

My inspiration is here: http://training.ppbsa.org/woodsman/WOODSMAN'S%20THONG%20Flyer%202015.pdf

 

I think that is a great program, but it seems more like classroom learning in an outdoor setting. My sense would be to do a 3 hour gear and food lecture a couple of weeks before the weekend. Allow the adults and scouts time to get gear. Then take a three day backpacking trek. There is no better teacher than doing it.

 

Ho would you run such a training? What skills would you teach? Do you think folks would attend? If we came up with a syllabus, would you offer to lead it for your council?

[blw2]

I like your idea.

You could call it WoodBadge...... oh wait, that name is already taken..... oh well I have faith you'll come up with something!

[Eagle94-A1]

I can see this for new leaders, but Star Scouts? They should have had these topics covered already. I know T-2-1 requirements covers all of these topics, and cannot see how a one day course can expand those skills. MONTHLY CAMPING (emphasis) is the way to do it.

 

HOWEVER, if the course is designed to help the Scouts TEACH these skills at the troop level, I'm good. BUT it better be hands on.

[Eagledad]

Our council has such a course, or had such a course (I haven't been involved lately). It required two four day weekends and the course only filled about 40 participants a year. It takes a lot of time for the staff and it it cost quite a bit as well because of the food and materials being used. Even after all that, participants are still just basically exposed to the skills with a better understanding of how and when to used them.  

 

As Eagle94 says, the only practical way of learning outdoor skills is doing outdoor skills repeatedly on monthly camp outs. 

 

Barry

[blw2]

ah, but monthly plop camping doesn't really cover backpacking

[Krampus]

Shouldn't stuff like this be covered as part of a unit's monthly program in the outdoors? Building fires, foil cooking, animal awareness, Dutch oven cooking, astronomy, weather, survival, etc., are all part of our unit's annual plan. It is part of every meeting and every camp out.

 

Why develop yet another training program to do what units should be doing anyway? That's what these handy guides are for. They help the youth develop a program around these core scouting skills.

[qwazse]

@@Hedgehog, I like your sense ... I think you may know what's coming from me next ...

... My sense would be to do a 3 hour gear and food lecture a couple of weeks before the weekend. Allow the adults and scouts time to get gear. Then take a three day backpacking trek. There is no better teacher than doing it.

Ho would you run such a training? What skills would you teach? Do you think folks would attend? If we came up with a syllabus, would you offer to lead it for your council?

Here's how I would run it:

• Devise a reference book that would give a general outline of the basic elements of such an activity ... including things like citizenship and knowing your rights and responsibilities ... maybe in chapters for each element, and check-lists at the back to keep track of when a reader's mastered each.
• Offer chapter-length detailed literature for each element. Nothing fancy, just black-and-white, maybe a few drawings/photos, available online in basic text format to keep costs down.
  • Some of the booklets would have essential skills like camping, first-aid, environment, fitness, citizenship.
  • Others could be about elective things that depend on what's available in your area in terms of activity or industry.
• Arrange 1 or 1.5 hour weekly meetings for a month or two to practice the basic elements. This would include ordering maps/descriptions of nearby points of interest, and contacting land-owners who might be generous with their property. It might involve calling someone between the age of 11 and 111 who's done this sort of thing on a regular basis to come and coach for the duration.
• Assign one in every 8 people to double check mastery of skills in their small group. Task that one person with qualifying to take his/her patrol hiking and camping. You may want to segregate patrols by age, or not ... if grandpa and granddaughter are both novices and want to learn together, put them in a group who will likely welcome them without bias.
• After a it seems that a few of these patrol leaders have mastered some skills, task them with arranging a weekend and procuring a minimum of gear. Maybe the organization who is loaning you meeting space can help you with this.
• Shake-down the meeting before departure to make sure everyone has equipped sufficiently for a safe and enjoyable time.
• Enjoy that weekend. Reflect on what went well, what went not so well, what to do differently next time.
• Repeat monthly. Invite different "experts" on a will-work-for-food basis to teach a slightly different activity (backpacking, fishing, canoeing, wilderness survival, wilderness first aid).
• Have some of those experts available for personal instruction to any youth or adult who would like to explore the pamphlets on specific elements and master them in detail. (Maybe on a will-work-for-coffee basis.)
• Publicly recognize each person who masters those skills, youth or adults, possibly with a material reward like:
  • Oval pieces of cloth embroidered with noble emblems. Require everyone to earn at least a few of these to the end that they officially qualify to take their patrol hiking and camping.
  • Or, maybe round pieces of cloth for mastering specific elements in those little booklets.
  • Maybe after so many little cloth medallions (say 21, or 24 if you think booklets involving marketing, pedagogy, and project management are necessary) you can give out a medal,
  • Have a big party every now and than to recognize everyone who mastered a skill, maybe have the papers come in and take a photo when grandpa and his granddaughter get that medal.

When will we stop trying to re-invent the wheel?

Edited October 13, 2015 by qwazse

[Stosh]

Knowing scoutcraft skills is one thing, but knowing the development dynmics of young males is quite a bit different.  Picking up on the scoutcraft is just learning to follow directions and practice on proficiency.  Knowing these factors and applying them requires more than book learnin' and hanging around observations.  

 

Just a basic class on understanding the boy-led, patrol-method concepts would be a lot more beneficial than being able to tie a bowline one handed.

[qwazse]

Knowing scoutcraft skills is one thing, but knowing the development dynmics of young males is quite a bit different.  Picking up on the scoutcraft is just learning to follow directions and practice on proficiency.  Knowing these factors and applying them requires more than book learnin' and hanging around observations.  

 

Just a basic class on understanding the boy-led, patrol-method concepts would be a lot more beneficial than being able to tie a bowline one handed.

The OP was not asking about developmental psychology, and we're not talking about single-handed knot gimmicks (which I still only get about 30% of the time on the first try). He was asking about outdoor adventure training ... for which we seem to have a delusion that some three hour gear-and-lecture plus training weekend will get an adult from 0 to 60 (60 being where some CO would trust that the trainee has something to offer his kid).

 

We all definitely need that basic class on developmental stuff ... if only to get whatever management-speak we've been burdened with over the years out of our heads. But even then, much of that can be gained by watching an alumnus of a green bar patrol keep everyone on task and enjoying themselves over a weekend. Heck, I still needed basic parenting lessons when my kids were entering scouting. (According to my kids, I could stand to take a refresher ) But ... earfuls of that stuff will still still leave you unprepared for what the wilderness has to offer. Why? Because none of that makes you a 1st class scout (the concept, not the patch).

 

Read a handbook. Practice the handbook. Take your time. As needed, get help from someone who mastered a chapter. Get evaluated and accept feedback. When the time is right have someone you trust review your plan. Implement it.  That is how DiL, with no prior experience in her youth because such doors were locked unto her, after five years was able to leave me and Son #1 to our vices and rest easy with two girlfriends in a wilderness recreation area for three days straight.

 

We talk boy-led, but we often ignore that boys could also lead earnest adults. My SM in my youth had been "trained" in outdoor skills by some senior scouts from another troop. That, plus roundtables that spent minimal time on paper-pushing made him a pretty sharp cookie.

[Stosh]

The OP was not asking about developmental psychology, and we're not talking about single-handed knot gimmicks (which I still only get about 30% of the time on the first try). He was asking about outdoor adventure training ... for which we seem to have a delusion that some three hour gear-and-lecture plus training weekend will get an adult from 0 to 60 (60 being where some CO would trust that the trainee has something to offer his kid).

 

We all definitely need that basic class on developmental stuff ... if only to get whatever management-speak we've been burdened with over the years out of our heads. But even then, much of that can be gained by watching an alumnus of a green bar patrol keep everyone on task and enjoying themselves over a weekend. Heck, I still needed basic parenting lessons when my kids were entering scouting. (According to my kids, I could stand to take a refresher ) But ... earfuls of that stuff will still still leave you unprepared for what the wilderness has to offer. Why? Because none of that makes you a 1st class scout (the concept, not the patch).

 

Read a handbook. Practice the handbook. Take your time. As needed, get help from someone who mastered a chapter. Get evaluated and accept feedback. When the time is right have someone you trust review your plan. Implement it.  That is how DiL, with no prior experience in her youth because such doors were locked unto her, after five years was able to leave me and Son #1 to our vices and rest easy with two girlfriends in a wilderness recreation area for three days straight.

 

We talk boy-led, but we often ignore that boys could also lead earnest adults. My SM in my youth had been "trained" in outdoor skills by some senior scouts from another troop. That, plus roundtables that spent minimal time on paper-pushing made him a pretty sharp cookie.

 

 

Regardless of what we think should be done with adult training for the boy's adventures, wouldn't it simply be dictated by the choices the boys make?  If the boys want to backpack, the adults learn about that either on-line or take classes at the local sporting goods store.  They want to bike hike, then one bones up on what that is all about.  BWCA? More training on learning how to canoe, etc.  Some of the boys might already be miles ahead of the new adult leaders and even they could be instrumental in training them on what's needed.

 

A general, generic training to cover all aspects would be useless because it would be so watered down it would be cursory at best.

 

A psychological development program of understanding how boys think and feel would apply to any activity.  Reading between the lines, knowing whether the boys are enjoying the activities, understanding group dynamics and how to best support them.  

 

Not everyone that can backpack can handle the group pressures of a 9-day Philmont trek and how to deal with it.  The leader doesn't need to lead the trek and all the detail of what to pack, etc., but they have to be prepared for the tension and emotional stress of a long hike.

 

They might not need to know all about bicycling, but the boy who's been biking for 5 days and his buddy gets sick and has to drop out and he can't handle the situation, knowing what to do then is critical.

 

If they sit in the front of the canoe, they don't have to know how to be a good canoeist, and they could learn all about it from an experienced boy leader, but they will need to know enough to carry their own weight just like any other member of the float.

 

Homesickness, loneliness, best friend fallout, personality conflicts, leadership shortcomings?  Does it make any difference whether the boys are hiking a trail, paddling a canoe, climbing a mountain, setting up camp, or sitting at a meeting when the leader is called on to help the boys work things like this through with a positive outcome?  

 

I'll take a single adult leader with a modicum of scoutcraft skills who understands boys,  over the hermit experienced woodsman any day.  I really find it surprising with the number of scouters who really don't understand boys very well.  Being a parent doesn't really qualify them in any way in this regard, and often times hiders it.

[mashmaster]

I have taken Powder Horn and that is close to the training you are asking about.  It is geared towards high adventure training and is very hands on for 2 3-day weekends.

 

Here is an example flyer from our council: http://www.bsacac.org/my_files/documents/110_2016_texas_powder_horn_flyer.pdf 

[Eagle94-A1]

ah, but monthly plop camping doesn't really cover backpacking

 

You'd be surprised. First time we did any type of backpacking was essentially plop camping. Only a few of the Scouts have backpacks, mostly those going to Philmont, So the troop plopped it. HOWEVER, all meals had to be backpacking meals and only stoves if used  were backpacking stoves.Anyone going to Philmont had take down camp, and backpack the trail, while the others worked on hiking requirements.

[qwazse]

Regardless of what we think should be done with adult training for the boy's adventures, wouldn't it simply be dictated by the choices the boys make?  If the boys want to backpack, the adults learn about that either on-line or take classes at the local sporting goods store.  They want to bike hike, then one bones up on what that is all about.  BWCA? More training on learning how to canoe, etc.  Some of the boys might already be miles ahead of the new adult leaders and even they could be instrumental in training them on what's needed.....

@@Stosh, you are 100 percent correct. BSA doesn't need to generate adult-oriented courses on this stuff. You point out the opportunities out there. There are probably some deserving young adults or youth who would, for a generous tip and free meals, walk a newbie through all of this stuff. And for challenge activities, professional guides are worth emptying the wallet (consider it making up for all those years not scouting ).

What I'm saying: if anyone wants a generic program under BSA auspices, it already exists. It's called the trail to first class. Let adults walk it. Let the units they serve guide them through it. (Maybe give those JASMs some real jobs. ) Then, let earning that rank make a scouter eligible for Star/Life/Eagle, Powderhorn, Woodbadge, or whatever.

 

Now, if you think T2FC, as delivered in a scouter's unit (maybe with a little outside help for new units) is not good enough to get adults on par with those basic outdoor skills, ask yourself one question: why are we wasting our boys' time asking them to go through it?

Edited October 13, 2015 by qwazse

[JoeBob]

I'd start by getting the adults interested in the core outdoor skills.

 

8:00 am Saturday : "Tonight you will be making your own shelter in the woods and spending the night in it.  During the day today we will be teaching fire-building, survival shelter construction, basic cooking, local bugs and snakes, and rudimentary cooking skills for your dinner.  Pay attention if you want to; if you have knowledge of these topics, please help teach.  After you navigate back to your pick-up point in the morning, we'll have a good breakfast ready for you.  If you can't find the pick-up point, there is no extra charge for the weight loss."

 

3 hours before dark, pair them up with a stranger and drop them in the woods with a map for their return and 2 liters of water.  Let them take tarps and/or sleeping bags if the weather indicates.  Two eggs, two pieces of bread, two pieces of bacon, two matches and tin foil make dinner.  A granola bar for a pre-breakfast snack, if you're feeling nice.  Pair them with someone they don't know for a team-building dynamic.  Ask them to bring back 5 signs of animal life (feather, snail shell, chewed acorn) for Sundays discussion.

Edited October 14, 2015 by JoeBob

[cyclops]

Start with one Hedgehog. Now add a dash of JoeBob. Bon Appétit! Great recipe for adult outdoor training!