The Bloggers
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These scouts are carefully screening food bits out of waste water before disposing of it. Are your scouts well versed in Outdoor Ethics? How would they dispose of this water and the food bits? I spent my weekend at scout camp on staff presenting a Leave No Trace Trainer course to 14 participants, 9 from…
#ITLLEDVest Here's something that anyone doing the Hiking or Cycling merit badges might find useful, especially if you're putting in miles on multi-use trails or along roads with traffic. In the very dark night hours, cars have their headlights on and can see reflective safety gear fairly well.
Y et A nother E agle P roject was completed this past weekend in our community. This one was interesting, useful, and fun to help with. Our elementary school just invested in an outdoor classroom this summer, spending tens of thousands of dollars on landscaping natural seating into a bowl-shaped area of the forest on…
Making things from old junk stretches the imagination of a boy and gives him freedom to invent, explore, and learn. I had access to lots of old equipment, building supplies, and junk while growing up on USFS ranger stations. I made some awesome things, from forts to kites to bombs - even electric motors .
Hey, thanks to the folks that took a chance at guessing which state has ordered the most copies of my signed dutch oven cookbook . A winner has been chosen! I know I said that figuring out the books per capita would be too much work, but I was wrong.
Do you cook with dutch ovens? Which state has the highest dutch oven usage for cooking? Do scouts in Alabama use dutch ovens more than scouts in Wyoming? I've sent out 200 orders of my signed dutch oven cookbook this year, so I thought it would be fun to map the orders to states.
You won't be if you don't enter before midnight! Check out my contest page and take a shot to win one of three different prizes. It's free and spam-free, too. Here are a few more contests you might want to enter...
Starting south bound on the Superior Hiking Trail at Cascade River wayside at 1:30pm
Here are 10 simple, safe, comfortable ways to cut 15 pounds or more from what you take on your next backpacking trip: Lose Nalgenes - (save 1lb) The Nalgene bottle is ubiquitous to backpacking and Scouting. There are at least 5 different styles available in my local Scout Shop.
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A short, brisk hike down the mountain and we were back in civilization, taking showers in Buffalo, WY. We had the afternoon to explore the small town that just happened to be holding its "Crazy Days" event - basically a sidewalk saddle.
Our first day of hiking and camping was a great opportunity to get a rhythm going. We only covered about 3.5 miles from Hunter trailhead to Triangle Park, but we had a couple water crossings, tough trail, and dust. The crew found a very nice campsite secluded just in the trees with a nice view…
We spent the morning fishing after another night of intense lightning and rain. The fish were off and we caught very few but the scenery was terrific. We packed up in the afternoon and hiked out to Soldier Park for our last night in the wild.
Our intrepid crew hiked from Elk Lake over a 10600 foot saddle behind Ant Hill then across a creek and up a hillside to the Seven Brothers area. This was our longest hiking day with the most elevation. On the trail, we passed both of our other groups going the other direction.
It managed to drop below freezing last night and get frost again. We're camping at the same spot tonight so there was no required hiking. One group hiked up a ridge for the views and I hiked to another valley for done fishing.
Our second day was great. I saw a Couple elk near our campsite when I woke up. But before that I enjoyed a wonderful view of the big dipper over the mountains when I had to get up at 1:30am.
Well, tomorrow his wheel hits the Pacific! My Eagle Scout son completes his Atlantic to Pacific solo bicycle ride from Boston, MA to Anacortes, WA. It has been fun following his progress from sea to sea, covering over 3800 miles, on his blog at BikingDude.com This is his starting photo and I look forward to…
Besides doing some morning hikes in preparation for leading a week-long trek in the Wyoming wilderness in a couple weeks, I've been living vicariously through my oldest son's bicycle trip across the country. He has my Spot device to track his progress, and I created a website for him to blog about his travels.
The animals along the local trails are so nonchalant about humans, it's scary. This deer couldn't care less that I walked by no more than 15 feet from it. I almost stepped on a rabbit before it decided to saunter, not hop, rocket, dodge, bolt, scurry, or run, but just saunter off the trail.
Outdoor Code + Leave No Trace + Tread Lightly + Land Ethic = Outdoor Ethics Just like that little equation might be confusing, there's been some confusion about the Outdoor Ethics part of the Boy Scouts of America program. I've heard BSA is breaking ties with Leave No Trace.
Just call me Noah. My wife, eagle scout son, and I volunteered for a week at Camp Noah in 2014 and my wife and I will be doing it again this summer. What's Camp Noah? Camp Noah is a locally hosted day camp for elementary-age children whose communities have been impacted by disaster.
Hey, you get an extra day to enter my monthly give-away this month - only a few hours left. Check out my contest page and take a shot. Here are a few more contests you might want to enter... Scouting magazine gives away stuff.
Before my Hike through Florida last month, I contacted some troops in towns along the trail. I hoped to visit with the scouts, share some hiking stories and advice, and encourage them to get out and enjoy the trail in their neighborhood.
Did you notice there are no shooting activities in the new Cub Scout program adventures? Nothing to replace the old BB Gun and Archery belt loops. Have no fear! A replace award is here! The Cub Scout Shooting Sports award should be available at your local district and council camps this summer.
The new 2016 13th Edition of the Boy Scout Handbook should be in the hands of every new scout joining your troop this year. The new edition made what I believe to be some nice improvements, along with just a couple things not so much.
I often wonder about the processes used to make things. I'm always curious how someone takes raw materials and creates consumable products - for example, what all needs to happen to get that plastic gallon of milk into your refrigerator? Or, that can of soda?
Have you ever used Biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate? Sure, you have! But, you probably know it as the brand name of Mylar . It was developed in the 1950s by those great chemical folks at DuPont that also brought us neoprene, teflon, kevlar, tyvek, and panty hose.
I'm still here! I spent most of January on a hiking adventure through Florida. It was great to escape the bitter cold of Minnesota, but did no scout blogging. I hiked almost 500 miles. My son and I started at the southernmost point in Key West and walked the 100 miles of connecting bridges through…
Being used to preparing for the bitter cold potential of Minnesota winter camping, it feels weird to be packing for a trek across Florida starting on January 3. Yep, I talked my youngest Eagle son into accompanying me from Key West to Lake Okeechobee.
Looking for something worthwhile for scouts to do over their Christmas break to fill some of that down time? Through December 31, the Red Cross is offering FREE online first aid and CPR training. It doesn't result in any certification, but it's a great way for your troop to learn, review, or brush up on…
Well, maybe not 'talk', but at least write or type! There are over 700 Scouting groups looking for Pen Pals on the Pen Pals page. There are over 700 international Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Boy Scouts units looking for new friends to exchange greetings.
Any advice from all of you about what you think of the situation in which a First Class scout named Robert finds himself? Please leave a comment that might help him out. hello, I am a first class scout. I wanted help and advice.
The successful Scoutmaster is a big brother to the scouts in his charge. His role is important but, when done correctly, appears to be easy and not very crucial to what is going on. These 10 skills will help a Scoutmaster succeed in his role: Fire Starting - Every boy likes fire.
Here are two Word Doc files that might be useful to Cubmaster Ramon and anyone else tasked with filling out recognition item paperwork for a large Pack. When a scout completes one of the new Cub Scout Adventures, he receives a belt loop or pin for recognition along with a pocket card documenting the adventure…
On my 300-mile section hike of the Appalachian Trail, I met many interesting folks and had some wonderful (and some challenging) times. Every day offered up at least one memorable moment, but my evening spent in the Gravel Springs hut in the Shenandoah National Park was certainly one of the favorite times on my trek.
Visit RocketIntoScouting.org to sign up for Cub Scouts in Minnesota or South Dakota. All area elementary schools are scheduled to have Scout representatives on hand from 7 to 8pm on Sept. 17. Let your neighbors with elementary school age boys know about the opportunity. Scout On
Cubmaster Ramon is trying to make the new Cub Scout Adventure recognitions a bit easier to administer in his Pack. He has a request from all you fellow Scouters... Have you created a mail-merge, fillable PDF, or other such document into which you can enter Cub Scout names and print onto the new Cub Scout…
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Check out my current location on the map. I ran into Jeff and Gracie the Amazing Hiking Dog on the trail. They were out doing trail maintenance and are Scouters from Charlottesville. We had a nice chat and walk, and he gave me a coke.
Entered the shenandoah park. No bears yet, but saw a huge deer. Coverage is getting worse so I may not be able to get posts out. Met a scout and his dad doing their 50-miler hike. They might make it to the shelter I'm staying tonight.
Oops - here's the pic...
Check out my current location on the map. Here's a nice view for lunch! I'm at Bears Den rock and hope to go 10 more miles this afternoon.
If you've been involved in the new Cub Scout program over the summer, I expect you've probably come up with some neat ideas for some of the adventures. If your Pack's program year starts in a couple weeks with the new school year, then you're getting ready to lead scouts through their adventures on the…
Do you know any scouts that like stickers? My son's water bottle is plastered with layers of stickers! I have a bunch of these stickers to hand out to scouts I meet on my Appalachian Trail trek starting next week for those lucky ones that track me down.
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The 23rd World Scout Jamboree is under way right now in Japan. You can even see live streaming videos on this page (but it's 1:00am right now). The 24th will be held in 2019 at the Summit in West Virginia.
The BSA is creating digital versions of more merit badge pamphlets this summer and real scouts are needed to act in a set of instructional videos. Real scouts with real skills are being used - and I think that's a totally awesome idea!
One good thing I like about the new Cub Scout program is its stronger push for outdoor activities, including camping. Only a couple years ago, Tigers were finally allowed to camp, now every rank except Tiger requires camping. This may mean a scramble for some Packs to offer the needed camping opportunities over the next…
The BSA ScoutStrong program is a healthy living initiative, promoting an active lifestyle for youth and their adult guides. So, it makes sense that celebrating Olympic Day fits into the ScoutStrong initiative and is yet another opportunity for you to get your gang out and active.
The long-awaited Walking merit badge requirements have been released today. Though not an Eagle-required badge, I expect this one will be one of the most popular badges to collect in 2015. Requirements for the Walking merit badge: Do the following: Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you may encounter while walking, and what…
