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A few weeks back, I talked about resetting. Resetting the blog and the YouTube channel. Well.. Today is New Years Day.. and the reset has begun. I am posting a video and also letting you know that I have entered a 30 day blog challenge designed to improve the blog and increase readership.
As I write this it is still 2013. We like most folks are heading out to usher in the New Year with friends and family. I thought I would take just a minute and wish everyone a Happy New Year.
Reblogged from Bryan on Scouting: The sound of the kitchen timer can only mean one thing: The new Cooking merit badge requirements are done. For the new Cooking merit badge, which becomes Eagle-required on Jan. 1, 2014, Scouts will prepare meals using the MyPlate food guide, understand and explain food allergies, and learn about cooking…
I recently purchased new trekking poles, and being me, I did a lot more homework on the purchase than most folks looking for camping gear. I have been looking for some time (since we got back from Philmont in 2012) for new trekking poles as I bent one of my trekking poles while at Philmont.
2013 is coming to an end and as always we tend to reflect on the past year and make promises for the coming year. Wrapping up a year for me always brings hope for the next year and the excitement of what it will bring.
Thermometer or Thermostat which are you? I had a lengthy discussion the other day with a hand full of Scouts. We were talking about the way that if you want to, you can set the conditions in your life that will allow you to have the life that you want.
Much like camping in fair conditions there are principles that should be followed when winter camping site selection. First plan ahead. Know where you are going and try to get there with enough daylight to relax and set up camp.
We often talk about the general rule of thumb that the pack weight should not exceed 25% of the person's body weight. This is a nice rule, but not stead fast in its application. A 90 lb Scout is limited to 22 and half pounds.
I am sure that I have said this before in the blog, and I know this to have some truth as I have often experienced that there are themes that seem to crop up from time to time in our lives.
Well, as promised.. there are going to be changes coming to the blog and the You Tube channel. Yes, I am going to fully launch the You Tube channel as an extension of the blog. Sort of like the podcast was.
When preparing for winter camping or camping in colder temps than you are typically used to it is important to get your mind right. It is a must to have the right gear, train for the conditions and practice before venturing out into the cold.
As we prepare for this seasons winter camping schedule the first thing that we need to accomplish is some good training. Our Patrol Leaders Council has come up with a good plan to get the Scouts of the troop trained and ready for the January camp out which will take them up to Mt Hood…
In our last post we talked about Time management. This post will discuss time again, but time as it relates to wisdom, as in time as a teacher. Often times I find myself shaking my head in wonder when talking with our younger people.
I have said it before on the blog, but it is always worth repeating.. or at least reminding ourselves about time. Specifically time management. I can't tell you how many times time comes up in conversation, typically "there's not enough of it."
I know that the blog, once again, has taken a back seat to this crazy thing called life. I suppose an apology would sound nice, but hey, we all have lives I assume. This week has been a real moving one for me and I want to share it.
This Veterans Day marks the 10th Veterans day since we deployed to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today was the 9th Veterans Day celebration at home. Today in our little corner of America we stopped for an hour and celebrated Veterans Day.
When I was a kid, I was that kid that always wanted to know how things worked. I was the kid that took a part toys to see how they were made. I loved trips to museums to see where things came from and I liked to hang out with my dad in the garage…
I had a fun discussion this weekend with a reader of the blog that is interested, but not sold on the whole hammock camping thing. We were talking about when I camp in my hammock. The answer is all the time, every month in every season.
Yesterday I spent the day at our Council's Program and Training Conference. I assisted in instructing the Trainers EDGE class and upon arrival learned that I have an hour to kill in the morning, so I helped my buddy Adam teach his Social Media class.
I learned long ago not to get into Politics or Religion unless you are looking for an argument. Well, I say learned… but I am not sure that I really have learned as I tend to get into these debates and they always end bad.
I have heard it said over and over again that your character is best demonstrated when no one is watching. Anyone can have an outward appereance of good character. But it is how they act when the cameras are not rolling, the spot light is not on them that their true character comes out.
Sometimes it would be nice to have a PS at the bottom of each blog entry.. But its tough to know what that Post Script would be until emails, comments, and other pings come in. Here is a general post script.
I have said it before on this blog that stories or themes seem to come in bunches. And so it seems that the recurring theme as of late at least around me is that Life is not fair. Well, I keep hearing it, at work, in Scouts, and at my sons school, in particular the…
This was past on to me and I have to share it with you all… I wanna go back to Philmont!
This weekend our District held its annual Webelos Woods camp out. The attendance was very bad this year, some blamed it on a date change, while others placed the blame on Homecoming weekend at most of the high Schools in our area.
Here is a quick video of a DIY project I did today to solve a couple issues. First Camporee is always in a meadow... so I needed a way to hang my hammock that was light weight and portable. 2.
It has been a long while since I have talked about my backpack, and now that we are getting into the colder weather camping mode, I thought that I would update my progress to a 16 lb base weight in 52 weeks.
This weekend our Troop set out again looking for adventure. It really didn't dawn on me till we were an hour into the cave, but the cave represented that spirit of adventure that seems to define our Troop. Stepping outside of our comfort zone, pushing the limits of what we think we can't do, testing…
I'm sorry if this week is real video heavy on the blog… but sometimes video is a great way to get the information out there. This video is all about the basics of hammock camping. I have been getting lots of questions as to what type of gear to have and the way I set…
Ran into this today while bouncing around YouTube… after spending the last 3 and half days on the PCT, I really got the Philmont itch, the Tooth of Time is Chewing on me. Our last night at Philmont at the closing camp fire they played this song and it has become one of the lasting…
In this video I demonstrate the way that I carry and purify my water. Water is an essential part of backpacking, and in the discussion of hammock camping systems this becomes a large part of how we camp and the gear we use within the system.
Just got home from a couple much needed days on the Pacific Crest Trail. My buddy Mark and I hit the trail on Sunday for a few days of lolly gagging south bound from Timberline Lodge down to Frog Lake.
It seems as though there has been a lot of talk about hammock camping in the Scouting community lately. And boy does that make me happy. I have been a hammock camper now since 2010 when I got turned on to the most comfortable way to camp at the National Jamboree at Ft.
Living up here in Oregon, we spend our fair share of our camping time in the rain. Rust-Oleum has a product called Never Wet that is designed to not only protect but shed water, dirt and grime off of what ever you coat.
Well, it has been a long time since our last post.. I'll get you caught up real quick and then move on to the subject for this post.. Resetting… As you know if you have been following the blog for some time, my youngest son is a great football player.
Reblogged from Bryan on Scouting: In a life-threatening situation outdoors, a Scout's skills are only as good as his memory. That's why mnemonic devices - popular for schoolchildren memorizing the order of the planets, the metric system, or the colors of the rainbow - are also useful when the pressure's on you to react to a health…
There are many styles of leadership. There are those that insist that leaders must lead from the front. There are is the camp that won't have those they lead do anything that they would not themselves do. There are screamers, directors, instructors, and those that won't make a decision without consent and debate.
Well, it has been a while since I posted last, and if you don't mind, I will bore you with the "why" I have been off the blog grid for a while. As you all know, if you don't you must be new to the blog… and if you are..
Boys join Scouts for the Outdoors.. they join for the adventure and fun times that they are promised. Parents sign them up for Character development, life skills, and the values of the program. The outdoor program is the heart of Scouting.
Ok.. So to get back to the Future.. we need to focus on those basics that I referred to in the last post. I am going to, in the next few post expand on what I think we need to focus on.
I have been in discussions lately.. yeah still talking about "The issue".. the good news is simply this. All of the discussions that I have been engaged in as of late are about where we go from here. Moving on.
I am posting this just for clarification. I will not debate this nor will I further the discussion about it. The reason I am posting this is that there seems to be some confusion as to what the policy change says and will mean.
Those of you that have followed the blog for a while know that I am a fan and collector of Scouting literature. I don't just collect the books, magazines, and other literature, I love to get into them and see how Scouting was, how Green Bar Bill wrote and what the program looked like over…
I once heard a quote somewhere in which supposedly Baden-Powell said, and I am paraphrasing "the mark of a real Scout troop is one that sings." I can't remember where or when I heard that but when I think about my Scouting experience as a youth some of my fondest memories are of us singing.
This Memorial Day a rather large group of us made an attempt at climbing Mt. Saint Helens. You know that mountain here in the northwest that one morning in 1980 blew it's top. I stare at that mountain every day.
Dear Parents, As you may be aware, the Boy Scouts of America voted the other day to change its policy to allow boys that are homosexual to join the organization. This decision, even though it has been debated for the better part of a year continues to draw much discussion.
During our last camp out I was forced into a situation that I am sure most if not all Scoutmasters hope that they never have to deal with. I was sitting with the Assistant Scoutmaster when from over in the Scout area of camp I heard a word that got my attention.
Well, Camporee is over once again for another year. Here are some thoughts on the weekend… First and foremost I need to tell you that pride is just one word that comes to mind when it comes to how I feel about the boys of my Troop.
Last night I had the pleasure of sitting down with a couple of Webleos Scouts that needed a Scoutmaster Conference to earn their Arrow of Light. I love the opportunity to sit with these young guys, they always have an interesting take on what they want out of Scouting and they are always enthusiastic about…
I just walked in the door from another fantastic Wood badge course. W1-492-13 is now in its application phase and as the participants walked out of camp yesterday I could not help but think about the impact that was about to hit the Scouting world.
