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Conversations of high adventure trips usually center on the B.S.A's popular and heavily promoted big three – Philmont, Seabase and Northern Tier. Council high adventure programs usua;;y focus on putting crews together for trips to these three destinations but there are hundreds (if not thousands) of other places for Scouts to experience a high adventure trip.
This recent post from Seth Godin encourages us to think about the way we approach our work as Scout leaders: We train kids to deal with teachers in a certain way: Find out what they want, and do that, just barely, because there are other things to work on.
I was pleased to interview wilderness medicine pioneer Dr. Paul Auerbach in Scoutmaster Podcast 57. When I asked what common health concerns a Scout leader should watch for he put hydration pretty high on his list. He mentioned Elete in the course of our conversation and said that his fellow volunteers had relied on it…
PROGRAM OVERVIEW We run a superb range of sailing adventures for Scouts that offer excellent value for money. Your group can learn how to sail while traveling from island to island in the Sea of Abaco in the beautiful northern Bahamas.
In this Podcast: Volunteer training past present and future. Turning the tables on you – four questions for listeners to answer! Reflection on an Eagle presentation. Links in this Podcast: What makes a Trained Leader? Subscribe to the Scoutmaster Newsletter Podcast Music null
I first wrote about mess kits five years ago. Most of the advice remains the same but enough has changed to justify and updated version; For a number of years I was stuck on the idea that real campers only carry only specially manufactured camping gear.
Tom Gillard is a Scoutmaster in Tullahoma Tennessee. We struck up a correspondence after he was part of a session about the patrol method I presented over the internet for a group of Scouters attending a Merit Badge University. Over the past couple of months Tom has written to tell me about his experiences applying…
1. Buy the best you need Waking up (or worse yet no being able to sleep) chilled to the bone in a cheap sleeping bag really drives home the importance of having adequate gear. If you and your Scouts aren't warm and dry or don't sleep comfortably you'll have miserable camping trips.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Canoeing Sailing Backpacking Climbing Waterskiing Floodwood Mountain Scout Reservation is a high adventure base located in Tupper Lake in the Adirondacks It is owned by the Northern New Jersey Council, Boy Scouts of America. Floodwood specializes in hiking and canoeing treks.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Canoeing Sailing Backpacking Climbing Kayaking Cycling Mountain boarding Trimaran sailing War canoes Our trekking program is unmatched by any Scout Camp in the region, all crews get Kevlar canoes, the latest in cooking equipment (both jet boils and/or whisper lites) along with comfortable PFD's and properly sized paddles.
In this Podcast: Do volunteers have a role in protecting and maintaining the quality of advancement work? This week we answer a question about merit badge applications that raise concerns over the quality of the work done to earn them. Links in this Podcast: Subscribe to the Scoutmaster Newsletter Podcast Music null
‘ I am on my mountain in a tree home that people have passed without ever knowing that I am here. The house is a hemlock tree six feet in diameter, and must be as old as the mountain itself. I came upon it last summer and dug and burned it out until I made a…
Inventor Kent Haring has developed the elegantly efficient Littlbug stove that deserves a second look from campers in general and Scouts in particular. Most of us have come to rely on the convenience of propane stoves and would be hesitant to trade them for wood stoves.
After a couple of decades of camping with Scouts I have had the opportunity to field test a lot of camping gear. I've learned what works for me and my Scouts, what doesn't and why. I have a number of reviews in progress and look forward to publishing them over the next several months.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Canoeing Amazing Fishing Tinnerman is a great experience and an adventure. It challenges and tests both young and old. Those who wear the Tinnerman Maple Leaf are changed by the experience. Tinnerman has adversity! Portage trails, long days canoeing at times, changing weather and group dynamics are the fire that tempers the character…
In this Podcast: Scoutmaster Conferences What new Scout leaders need to know. Links in this Podcast: Scoutmaster Conference Training Subscribe to the Scoutmaster Newsletter Podcast Music null
We all know about the big three – Philmont, Seabase and Northern Tier – but how about the many other opportunities for our Scouts to participate in a high adventure experience? Philmont, Seabase and Northern Tier are great places with great programs.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Canoeing Backpacking Kayaking Treks are open to individuals, troops or crews who can choose between a canoe/kayak trek on the Hood Canal, a large arm of the Puget Sound spending times at various locations OR hike in the Olympic Peninsula, an untouched parcel of forest located in Washington State.
The Scoutmaster Blog, Podcast and Newsletter have a new home! The new web address is scoutmastercg.com The new setup has a number of new features I hope you'll find useful: High Adventure Destinations - A growing database of high adventure opportunities across the country and around the world.
Can a Troop define what 'active' means? No-shows and last minute participants for camping trips. ScoutmasterPodcast62 Links in this Podcast Advancement Committee Guidebook Official definition of an active Scout You can participate in the podcast by calling (484) 734-0002 and recording a voicemail message .
In this Podcast: Can a Troop define what ‘active' means? No-shows and last minute participants for camping trips. Links in this Podcast: Advancement Committee Guidebook Official definition of an active Scout Podcast Music null
Badges and awards are results; but Scouters understand the importance of recognizing effort. In his book Shine: Using Brain Science to Get the Best from Your People Psychiatrist Ned Hallowell concludes that acknowledgment of effort provides vital encouragement, motivation and inspires greater confidence, but also promotes moral behavior; “When a person feels recognized and connected…
Badges and awards are results; but Scoutmaster's know it's more important to recognize effort. In his book Shine Psychiatrist Ned Hallowell concludes that acknowledgment of effort provides vital encouragement, motivation and inspires greater confidence, but also promotes moral behavior; "When a person feels recognized and connected to the larger group, she knows viscerally, not just…
Levels of Competence, Scouts and power tools Scoutmaster Podcast 60 Links in this Podcast Guide to Safe Scouting You can participate in the podcast by calling (484) 734-0002 and recording a voicemail message . Tell me your favorite scouting joke! Keep in touch READ the Scoutmaster Blog - LISTEN to the Scoutmaster Podcast on iTunes SUBSCRIBE to…
In this Podcast: Levels of Competence, Scouts and power tools Links in this Podcast: Guide to Safe Scouting Podcast Music null
Green Tunnel from Kevin Gallagher on Vimeo . Here's a through hike of the Appalachian trail condensed into a few minutes of video. Watch the seasons and terrain change over 2000 miles of hiking.
It's Webelos Season! Now What? The troop visits have come and gone, you've had a camp out or two where Webelos participated, they've made their decisions and they are coming to join your Troop!Maybe you have a tidal wave of twenty or thirty (gulp!)
Webelos crossover advice, Scoutmaster's Minute Scoutmaster Podcast 60 Links in this Podcast Cliff Jacobsen's Expedition Canoeing School You can participate in the podcast by calling (484) 734-0002 and recording a voicemail message . Tell me your favorite scouting joke! Keep in touch READ the Scoutmaster Blog - LISTEN to the Scoutmaster Podcast on iTunes SUBSCRIBE to the…
In this Podcast: Webelos crossover advice, Scoutmaster's Minute Links in this Podcast: Cliff Jacobsen's Expedition Canoeing School Podcast Music
Over time, processes that seek to decrease entropy and create order are valued, but improving them gets more difficult as well. If you're seeking to make the organized more organized, it's a tough row to hoe. Far easier and more productive to create productive chaos, to interrupt, re-create, produce, invent and redefine.
This post on Doug Stowe's The Wisdom of the Hands blog discusses a saying I find particularly compelling: "The way to the brain, goes through the hand" This isn't a new thought, but it is particularly relevant to Scouting. (If you take the time to look at Doug's writings you'll soon discover that this isn't…
This post on Doug Stowe’s The Wisdom of the Hands blog discusses the hand-brain connection: “The way to the brain, goes through the hand” This isn’t a new thought, but it is particularly relevant to Scouting. (If you take the time to look at Doug’s writings you’ll soon discover that this isn’t just a saying…
Mental Health Awareness, moms and summer camp Scoutmaster Podcast 59 Links in this Podcast Cliff Jacobsen's Expedition Canoeing School Download Mentalhealth.PDF.pdf (81.5K) National Mental Health Information Center A mother's take on summer camp You can participate in the podcast by calling (484) 734-0002 and recording a voicemail message .
Assistant Scoutmaster Michael from Troop 2000 in Brockton Mass. asks: Can Scouts use power tools? I'm confused because I've been told they can't yet the BSA guidelines say they can. My other problem is that these guidelines are completely void of any specific information as to which tools are allowed and which ones are not.
Here's a great opportunity if you're headed out canoeing this summer: Taking the troop to the BWCA this summer or on a river paddling adventure? Dreaming of an extended wilderness trip? Perhaps you really need a refresher covering the fundamentals.
Interview with Les Stroud of Survivorman, Favorite Camping Trip Scoutmaster Podcast 58 Links in this Podcast Les Stroud's Will to live Read my review Will to live on Amazon Check out Les' first book Survive!: Essential Skills on Amazon Survivorman on DVD on Amazon Les Stroud's website Survivorman Challenge from Scouts Canada (PDF file) Frank…
Be sure to listen in to Scoutmaster Podcast 58 this Monday to hear my interview with author Les Stroud star of Survivorman, and Beyond Survival . I spoke with Les from his offices in Huntsville Ontario, Canada about his philosophy of survival and new book Will to Live .
There are some really nice deals on Victorinox Swiss army knives at The Clymb for the next two days. I don't post things like this as a rule (and if you don't think I should let me know) but there are some great prices for these knives and I thought it was worth it.
Years ago I tuned into the new 'reality' show Survivor thinking that it would offer some kind of practical advice on the subject, or at least provide an honest depiction of what happens in a true survival situation. Boy was I disappointed.
Interview with wilderness medicine pioneer Dr. Paul Auerbach Scoutmaster Podcast 57 Links in this Podcast Merit Badge University appearance in Murfeesboro Tenn esee Frank Maynard's Blog Bobwhite's Blather Dr. Auerbach's blog on Healthline Read my review of Medicine for the Outdoors Medicine for the Outdoors on Amazon This week you can participate in the podcast…
Medicine for the Outdoors Paul S. Auerbach MD There is nothing in this book that you don't need to know. You don't have to commit the book to memory but I would encourage you to know what's in it and how to find it quickly.
Tune in next Monday to hear an interview with Dr. Paul Auerbach on Scoutmaster Podcast 57. Professor of Surgery in the Division of Emergency Medicine at Stanford University Dr. Auerbach is the world's leading authority on wilderness medicine and is one of the world's leading authorities on emergency medicine.
Compasses point at magnetic north. Meridians of longitude point at true north. Latitude and longitude, a grid of measured coordinates, determine geographic locations. Compass readings have to be reconciled to the measured grid; a factor called declination. The magnetic poles of the earth shift slightly over time, and declination changes depending on your location.
Leadership and respect, Advancement question, A Scout asks for a raise. Scoutmaster Podcast 56 Links in this Podcast 1913 proof edition of the Handbook for Scout Masters Merit Badge University appearance in Murfeesboro Tenn esee What's New You can participate in the podcast by calling (484) 734-0002 and recording a voicemail message.
Imagine you are 13 and have just been elected patrol leader. What resources do you have to call on to do the job? Well, maybe you've watched how all this works for a year or two and have at least some idea of what patrol leader does.
In forty years of camping I've seen the canteen replaced by the plastic water bottle. Canteens (remember them?) were opaque, narrow mouthed, heavy and had a metallic taste with overtones of whatever drink mix one last used. Washing them out thoroughly was hit-or miss because you couldn't see inside.
Julus Pahl writes: Clarke I am wondering how to go about getting canoes for a troop? The troop I am working with only camps and the current SM is training me to take over. In the past the boys pretty much only camped and this has taken a toll on the older Scouts!
Have a question or comment you'd like to have included in the Scoutmaster Podcast? Now you can participate by calling 484.734.0002 and recording a voice-mail. Let me know what your name is, where you are from and what Troop you are involved in and it may be included on the next podcast.
Leadership and respect, Advancement question, A Scout asks for a raise. Scoutmaster Podcast 55 Feel free to send your questions and comments (you can rate the podcast on iTunes). Use the email link above left or the comments feature of the blog.
Sometimes we get so involved and so closely identified with Scouting that we bruise easily. Perhaps the sharpest criticism is when our Scouts seem disinterested or uninvolved. Boys are Scouts because they like the idea of Scouting yet battle with some of the things that Scouts do.
