Patrol Outings

[Eagle92]

Kudu,

 

My apologies, I read a little too much into your statement about not filling out tour permits for patrol activities. I've been told, don't remember where or when but it has been in the past 2 years adn I think it was on MYSCOUTING, that patrols do not fill out tour permits at all for their outings. Apparently at least one council recognizes that patrols can camp on their own, and do require a tour permit.

 

So that's the good news,one council recognizes that patrols can camp on their own (bold for emphasis)

 

E92

[SSScout]

Kudu, I really must meet you some day.

In a way earlier post, I described the summer camp my Troop-of-youth had. The Troop fathers got together and planned a camp. I think someone decided they weren't satisfied with the Council summer camp. Somebody's uncle's brother owned some land and the Troop went and built a Adarondack shelter out of telephone poles there (dad Atwell was a lineman for the C&P Telephone Co.). We spent two weeks there in the summer, each of three years of my counting. The Patrols camped out of eye shot of each other, two on one side of the creek, two on the other. The three sided Adarondack was the quartemaster's (he was a dad, often the only adult in camp). We would come and draw our food and supplies there once a day, and do our own cooking and cleanup. Wood fires. (lots of dead chestnut). Hikes and day trips out of camp to museums and other places. And it was a half mile or better hike out to the main road.

New Scouts learned map and compass by navigating around "The Property". Troop Bugler was a real PoR. Wide games at night. We used that "property" for many overnights. It is now divided among a County Park, a Religious Retreat Center and some suburban houses.

I never heard of "tour permits" until I became a Cubmaster ten years ago. And then it was "Local" and "National" types. And, as has been said, no one I asked could give congruent advice as to when and how to use either. Our units did use them as a "guideline" for planning, and no one ever mentioned insurance, but it was STRONGLY intimated that a Scout trip had to be "approved" if it was more than, say, 50 miles from the CO. Often, we went anyway, and someone would say, "hey, did we do a TP? Shucks, we forgot..."

I think I must agree with Beavah, that if the activity is called a "Scout" activity, it is covered, TP or not, uniformed or not. We must, as Scouters, be careful about observing the "guidelines", even so.

Back in my paleo-Scout history, if the dads said the spring was safe to drink, we drank. If the SPL said we had to scrape the leaves away from our fireplace, we did. If the Scouts came home dirty and tired, the moms knew we had a good time. My Eagle Patrol would sometimes get together after school and hike along the roadside to someone's home for a meeting . Could our kids do that today? I lived four miles from my Elementary and High School, not unlike my Scout buddies. My dad and mom said little about that walk, I think they did something similar in their childhood. Can our Scouts make that same comparison now?

When I sit in on BoR or Troop meetings now, I encourage the boys to make plans and DO SOMETHING with their Patrols. It is very rare that I hear of a Patrol Leader calling his Patrol to organize a hike or movie or (?) bowling night. "Sure, but nobody would want to..." but did you CALL? "no, but it wouldn't make a difference..."

It is a matter of encouragement, example, and training. Which is missing in a particular unit is a matter of personal experience.

And fear?

[gcnphkr]

Our council has asked that the file a tour permit just so they know that there are scouts out. In the section that the leader information goes they have them write "Patrol Activity".

[Oak Tree]

There are various places in Scout literature that explain that you should file a tour permit and why that is the case. In none of those places that I've ever seen is the word insurance mentioned.

 

Our council will routinely approve tour permits on the spot. Our normal policy is to fax it in, then call the office and ask them for the approval number. They always give it. I don't know that they even glance at them. They appear to feel that the purpose is to give the unit leaders a checklist to go down, and that's how we treat it too. But it definitely doesn't take any time to get them approved.

 

We've offered the opportunity, even scheduled "patrol outings", but I don't think we've ever had a patrol go on an overnight trip without adults. I'd be happy to have them do it, but I don't know that all the parents would be, and it seems like there are always some parents who are happy to go.

 

I concur that a national forest would offer great opportunities in this regard.