The Bloggers
Showing 201–250 of 711 · page 5 of 15. Each title opens the post in a new tab.
See BSA Media Statement Boy Scouts of America Monday, Jan. 28, 2013 Attributable to: Deron Smith, Director of Public Relations For more than 100 years, Scouting's focus has been on working together to deliver the nation's foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training.
My biggest concern about bad weather when leading an outing is lightning. Everything else takes time to build, or is avoidable, but lightning is common, unpredicatable, and deadly. So, I keep a thought towards lightning when hiking, choosing a campsite, and scheduling activities.
I always have a bandana along in the wild. I can't think of a more versatile item to have in my pack. It takes little room, weighs nearly nothing, and can be used over and over for many different tasks.
Scout Sunday is sneaking up quick this year. It is the Sunday on or before Feb. 8 and that comes earlier in 2013. If you've not gotten to it yet, you're right down to the last chance to start planning how the Scouts can participate in your church's observance.
Don, John, and Denise won prizes in the monthly Boy Scout Trail giveaway yesterday. You can enter for this month on my Contest page . Scouting magazine is having a giveaway this month also. One winner will get a two-person REI Cirque ASL 2 tent, a Kelty Mistral Minus-20 sleeping bag, and a Therm-A-Rest Z Lite…
If you're wondering if there's anything you can do to help folks in Newtown, even though you're hundreds or thousands of miles away, there are many opportunities to support them. Here's one... Two of the slain children were Tiger Cubs in Pack 170.
Lots of folks say a trip to Philmont is a once in a lifetime trek. Well, I've been there twice and I hope to go again, so that's a bit of a stretch. But, there are some things that really are once in any lifetime.
Philmont, Sea Base, Northern Tier, the Summit - big places with big adventure for scouts! Whether you're going to a national high adventure base or rolling your own exciting adventure, training in Wilderness and Remote First Aid is either required or highly encouraged .
No one has ever become poor by giving." - Anne Frank "There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up." - John Holmes Hurricane Sandy, and the storm that followed, brought severe damage to people, places, and things across the Northeast Region.
Eagle projects tend to be about building things outside, and that tends to be done from April through October when it's warmer outside (around here anyway). Providing service to the community can drop off over the winter, but it doesn't need to be that way.
In three months, most Cub Scout Packs will have their Blue Gold dinners and cross Webelos over into Boy Scout troops. If your troop is hoping some of them will join you, you've already missed the boat! Waiting and hoping aren't going to keep your troop vibrant, strong, and healthy.
Yeah, yeah, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet, but it's not too early to think about work for next summer. Camps and other great places to work need to line up their staff over the winter and that means scouts need to get their applications in soon.
There were a few small fires in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming this past week. Fire managers believe they were caused by untended campfires. Fortunately, they only burned less than 100 acres. Not a big deal. Last year, a wildfire in Arizona burned over 840 square miles.
Fitness, Character, and Citizenship - today is a great opportunity to emphasize the rights and responsibilities of being a citizen. Since citizenship is one of the three aims of Scouting, and there are three Eagle-required citizenship merit badges, do your part and be a role model today.
My first University of Scouting experience last weekend was great fun. I was asked to present a talk about Lightening the Load of Scout Treks since I've done a couple long-distance hikes now and am a total proponent of lightweight efforts.
I just finished this book from the library. Lost In the Wild is comprised of two accounts of actual search and rescue operations in the north woods of Minnesota. A solo hiker heads out on a 'short' route in October, makes a handful of poor decisions, and barely survives.
It happens every year. A scout reaches his 18th birthday and is no longer a Boy Scout. The younger scouts keep the troop functioning and he moves on to other things. But when that last scout of a bunch of guys that started together as Tiger Cubs finally ages out, the legacy of that den…
A dozen brand new Leave No Trace Trainers are available in the council after this weekend's Trainer course. I assisted in presenting LNT to 12 Scouting members on a 2-night outing at a local BSA camp. The coolest thing is that 6 of the participants are youth seeking the Leave No Trace Trainer troop position…
My journal about my 250 mile hike of the Superior Hiking Trail this fall is online. I've also made a Google Earth map of the trail sections and my Spot tracking blips. And, there's a page of just pictures if you're interested in seeing what I saw.
Today, I'm doing no scouting, no hiking, no work. Today, I'm doing my little part to help promote alternative energy solutions - specifically solar power in my case. Our solar arrays have been in operation on our roof for a month now and we've produced over 800KWHours of energy.
I took a minute away from writing my Superior Hiking Trail recap to let you know about this great contest at Scouting magazine. My trail journal should be done tomorrow. You can never have enough tents! Scouting magazine is giving you an opportunity to get a waaay cool tent - For Free - you just have to…
I walked 39150 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 16 miles today. I stepped out of the woods at the Normanna Rd. trailhead around 1:30pm, almost exactly 13 days from my start on Otter Lake Rd. This last morning of hiking dragged on and on and I felt pretty slow.
At about 4pm, I was less than 3 miles from my campsite destination and there was another site 6 miles farther. I thought, Hey I can make that and do a 40 mile day! Just then, as I was flying through the forest a young man appeared heading toward me on the trail.
I walked 64380 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 34 miles today. A most amazing day on the trail! I camped at mile 198 last night and am now at mile 232, alone both nights no other campers around - lots of different things contributed to such a big mile day.
I walked 57322 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 28 miles today. This is the Split Rock River trail bridge. My first marathon day this trek - over 26 miles. The trail really leveled out south of Beaver Bay so I covered ground.
I walked 42384 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 19 miles today. Lots of steps/mile today. This was probably the most uppity downity part of the trail around Tettegouche S.P. But, there were some terrific views - Bear and Bean Lakes, Mt.
Hey Scouts! I just climbed up Mt. Trudee and this is the brilliant woodlands below. A troop taking a 1 week trek along this trail could do most of the Hiking, Backpacking, Nature, and probably Forestry merit badges. I wanted to remind you all that you should start your ScoutStrong program this week and track…
Gooooood morning, America! I'm sitting here eating my poptart in the chilly 35 degrees watching the sun rise over Lake Superior. It's days like these that let you know life is good. I expect to cover 25 or more miles today.
I walked 48240 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 23 miles today. If you checked my travels today, you may have noticed the trail left the shore for some miles. I passed by beautiful Egge and Sonju lakes as well as a very impressive active beaver pond.
View from top of Section 13! Very cool beaver pond that I walked by an hour ago. Very windy today but warm. Met BookSmarts hiking north. Gee, there's suddenly 8 people up here so I'm heading on.
I walked 52319 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 25 miles today. After a rest day and on a very nice trail, I'm making lots of miles today. Unfortunately, I left my camera battery in Duluth so I'll only have a few phone pics for the rest of the trip.
Zero day in Duluth was a great rest. I caught up on site comments and email, washed me and clothes, and rested the legs. I'm ready to get back on the trail tomorrow morning. Bryan will drive me back and then head home.
I walked 42890 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 17 miles today. Wild day of options and changes today. At the end of the day, I've wound up in Duluth for a zero day - never expected that one!
I walked 40700 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 17 miles today. Terrific day on the trail with a new hiking buddy. Bryan finally arrived at Cascade River State Park at 1:15AM! We got him set up and slept until about 7 or so.
I walked 26026 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 12 miles today. Another fairly short day to reach Cascade River State Park where I'm supposed to meet Bryan tonite. We'll hike together until Sunday when he has to return to school.
I walked 18725 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 7 miles today. After a wonderful, warm, soft rest at the Aspen Lodge in G.M. (no idea how their continental breakfast, sauna, or pool are) we got hiking about 10:30 on a very windy, cold morning.
I walked 43686 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 21 miles today. My shelter and I survived our first rain last night. About 4 hours starting before midnight. I stayed mostly dry. I decided to hike with Larry today since he's going the same direction.
Hit the low spot on the trail today - 602 feet at the shore of Lake Superior. It was beautiful with last night's rain clouds rolling off to the northeast. Today, I'm hiking with a guy named Larry I met at the campsite last night.
I walked 43285 steps on the trail today. I traveled about 21 miles today. Much of the trail today was thick brush so not much to see. One part was completely overgrown like a jungle, but the vast majority of trail was well maintained.
testing auto blog - please ignore...
Rats, the local newspaper printed a story so now I actually have to go hiking - Read It . I've got everything packed. I've left an itinerary at home with all my expected camp spots and mileage, which will be outdated after the first day.
Wherever you go, you will meet people that are either producers or consumers. Depending on the situation, we all play both roles at different times. For example, a farm produces food but also consumes petroleum. A person that works at the refinery produces petroleum but consumes food.
I was at the local scout shop getting a replacement for my hat that sunk in the lake. I need it for my 300-mile trek that starts this weekend. While looking around, the friendly salesgirl asked if she could help.
A scouter from our troop earned his pilot's license this past year at the local community airport. Yesterday, he took me up for a ride on a beautiful, sunny early fall day. This was my first time in a tiny plane and has been something I've always thought would be a wonderful thing to do.
Guys like me really try to get all they can out of a purchase. I like to think I'm thrifty, but some folks would just call it cheap. I drive a 24 year old car that gets 33mpg and refuses to die.
I'm sure you've met one by now. He might just make a quiet comment to you that your new square knot is sewn upside down. Or, he might point out paragraph 4 on page 5 of his Insignia Guide where it says that patch hanging from your right pocket button is 1/4 inch too wide.
Click the picture if you'd like to see a video recap of my Arizona Trail hike. It's about 10 minutes. It won't win any awards, but you can see some of the terrain I covered. I hiked the trail from March 17 to April 28, 2012.
Adult BSA volunteers can't earn merit badges and ranks, but their participation in scouting activities with the scouts can be recognized. Some adults greatly enjoy the recognition, while others prefer to be inconspicuous. Either way, being aware of the awards and ensuring adult volunteers have the opportunity to receive them is important.
Presented my 12th, and hopefully last for the year, Red Cross Wilderness First Aid (WRFA) session this weekend. Between my long hikes, most of my weekends have been consumed by this training. I've presented to 160 people this year with most of them being Scouting folks.
Wayne Brock is the new Chief Scout of the BSA. He has an interview in the Sept-Oct issue of Scouting magazine. In it, he mentions technology a few times, and I'm happy to see that he realizes technology is here and is a tool to be used.
