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Campouts, cooking, backpacking and Leave No Trace. The outdoors is where Scouting happens, and these posts are full of gear lists, Dutch oven recipes and lessons learned on the trail.
540 posts · 2006–2020
Showing 1–50 of 65 posts
Here is our troop’s year round camping summary for 2013: 1) Jan – Winter camping at Fivemile Pass 2) Feb – Ice fishing/winter camping on Rockport Reservoir 3) Apr – CANCELLED due to no planning/facilitation by PLC 4) May – 4th annual Backpack outing to Rudy’s Flat 5) Jun – Summer Scout Camp at Bear Lake Aquatics Base (#2) 6)…
Here's a Cooking Merit Badge infographic that you may find helpful: Download a printable PDF of the Cooking Merit Badge Infographic The Facts: As of January 1, 2014 Cooking Merit badge is required for Eagle. A new set of requirements have been published and new book will be available in January.
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 food indoors.
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.
These great books for Scouters have taught me practical skills, history, outdoor lore, and inspiration that has enabled me to become a better Scout leader. Outdoor Adventure Manual Published by Scouts UK with a forward by Bear Grylls The Outdoor Adventure Manual is packed with practical Scout skill tutorials ; tents and camping, fire, food and…
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.
Why is my basic Scout gear list boring? It's hard to get too excited by basic, durable, inexpensive gear that isn't glitzy or laden with gimmickry. Basic, boring gear works and keeps on working. With a couple of exceptions I have listed things I have owned and used for many years, sometimes for decades.
Two birds. One stone. These activities can keep younger family members happy and occupied while the kitchen's at its busiest this holiday season. The kids get to contribute to the family meal in a uniquely Scout-y way and they'll learn something in the process as well!
At Boy Scout camps in the year 2000, milk doesn't spoil, knots are rarely used and backpacks have been replaced by rockets that deliver camping gear in "near-zero time." That's according to the 1960 predictions of Nostradamus, at least. In the February 1960 issue of Scouting magazine, there's a fun, tongue-in-cheek article that channels the…
The phone call surprised me Saturday night. The disc golf Tri-O was completed and the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 had left my house for their overnight camping trip. I was sitting at home watching television, thinking about going out to the campsite for a little while.
An updated 2014 National Camping School informational brochure is available online at https://www.ncsbsa.org/resources/ncs/ . National Camping School provides adults with training needed to operate council camps. These key staff members will, in turn, train and supervise other staff personnel in your council camping program.
If you've been involved in Scouting for any length of time, you've probably heard the term “Patrol Spirit”. Simply put, Patrol Spirit is a culture of teamwork and camaraderie that develops among the members of a Patrol that is run according to the principles of the Patrol System.
If you're not meant to hike, sweat and get dirty in your field uniform, then what's with all the pockets for storing stuff? Why do the shirts come in an option made from breathable fabric? And have Scouts who hike in "Class A's" been doing it wrong for decades?
Remember last year? Scout Shops around the country and scoutstuff.org sold the first(?) three pieces of the Scouting Village collection. Those pieces were the Ranger's Cabin, the Camp Chapel, and the Trading Post. I never heard anything whether this was the start of a new yearly collection or if this was a one year deal…
Scoutmaster Joe Jacaruso shares his backpacking knowledge. Joe Jacaruso, Scoutmaster and an avid backpacker, will join us at ScoutCircle.org Sunday October 13 9-10 PM EDT to talk about Scouts and backpacking. ScoutCircle is a monthly live presentation with questions from viewers, you can see our past ScoutCircles presentations here .
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.
Summer camp season may be over (sadly), but we can still have a little fun looking back. And I mean way, way back - to 1930 and summer camp in the Kansas City Council. Michael Dulle, membership coordinator of Overland Park, Kan., Troop 0459, sent me the flier below from the "Kansas City Scout Camp" in…
Annual camping data is now due. The data will be collected using a new Camping Manager tool that is being deployed to my.scouting.org . The camping tool is now available for each council to enter camping data from September 1, 2012, through August 31, 2013.
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.
Join us at ScoutCircle.org Sunday, September 8th 9-10PM EST to discuss hammock camping with our guest Derek Hansen the author of ‘The Ultimate Hang'. ScoutCircle is a live presentation followed by a live question and answer period. Be sure to tune in!
Here's a series of five videos featuring camping guru Cliff Jacobson talking about the nuts and bolts of canoe camping courtesy of the folks at Morral River FIlms A respected outdoors writer and wilderness guide Cliff is the most published canoeing/camping writer of this century.Cliff is the author of Expedition Canoeing , Camping's Top Secrets and…
The Purposeful Camp I was buying into a certain way of thinking about camps that I have since found to be inaccurate. The way of thinking goes like this: “The most important thing about Scout Camping is where you camp.
I have always love camping, I can remember as a cub going on camps and getting the chance to sleep in a sleeping bag or I remember going camping with my family and getting to the point aged about 10 where I got to sleep in my own tent, right next door to my parents…
The founding scouts of Troop 911 learned about camp stove safety and operation at their troop meeting this week. There were demonstrations of gas stoves like the one in the picture, smaller backpacking stoves with the same mechanics, canister stoves, and alcohol 'popcan' stoves.
It's a little difficult to get ultralight backpacking explained in a simple, straightforward way. Thankfully there is no International Convention of Backpacking Standards and Terminology. We are left to our own devices to individually define "Lightweight" and "Ultralight" backpacking and argue endlessly over our definitions with other zealous backpackers (that's half the fun of it…
OK, Spartan patrol and Unicorn patrol: You guys start setting up tents," says Chris Schwartz, senior patrol leader of jamboree Troop D424 out of the West Tennessee Area Council. "Phoenix patrol and Cougars: cots and kitchen stuff," he continues. "And leadership corps, you fill in where needed."
If you are headed out into the wild and run into a real gully washing, frog-strangling rainstorm here's ten more tips for camping in the rain that should help you get through the storm in style (the first ten tips are here .)
Wisconsin Scoutmaster Gordon Bain authored this collection of eleven campfire stories for his Scouts. Imagine hunkering around the fire and hearing a very credible account of someone you know, or a place you have been. Just enough factual information to draw you in, but with an eerie twist that raises the hair on the back…
What, precisely, is the promise of Scouting? No one would know better than William Hillcourt: Your Life as a Scout You are an American boy. Before long you will be an American man. It is important to America and to yourself that you become a citizen of fine character, physically strong, mentally awake and morally…
Well, it's that time of year again. I've just returned from another wonderful week at Camp Friedlander. As a result of another week visit, we had to take a hard look at what not only my own boys packed (I took three boys with me), and what to tell the other 60 boys to bring.
I've spent some time reviewing the new Outdoor Ethics materials published by the BSA. Outdoor ethics have always been a part of Scouting. While the basic ethical imperatives have remained constant, our application and interpretation of them has changed and evolved over time.
Here's a Scouter's summer camp schedule: Time Scouts Scouters 6:45 AM Awakened by the SPL and PL's. Flag is raised and all Scouts go to polar bear swim as a group. I used to get up and go to Polar Bear swim years ago (like 15 or so) but I think it's important for the…
(The following article was written by Nathan Blommel, an alumni of Melrose Boy Scout Troop 68. Nathan was a Boy Scout from 1988 to 1993. He has earned the Life Rank. This is the first of a series of guest articles written by former members of Troop 68.)
EcoZoom Dura Stove While researching information to write this EcoZoom Stove review I learned some interesting things.: Half of the world cooks on a wood fire every day. They use open fires or unimproved stoves. Nearly half the world's wood supply is used for fuel and deforestation rates are rising all over the world.
Orienteering Merit Badge for Boy Scouts Posted in ScoutcraftOrienteering is a sport that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in unfamiliar terrain. Boy Scouts can learn all about orienteering when they earn their Orienteering merit badge.
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…
Welcome back to Scouting Rediscovered! In this post, I'd like to continue a very interesting series I'm working on about the wilderness and its important role in Scouting. In the first post of this series , I defined the current dilemma of the wilderness's role in Scouting and laid out what this series would be about.
While my favorite external frame backpack for Scouts is the Outdoor Products Dragonfly some prefer an internal frame backpack. Finding an internal frame pack for Scouts that has the right combination of features for a reasonable price is a challenge.
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.
At summer camp, what's more important for Scouts, advancement or fun? Trick question. Scouts who attend the best summer camps and have effective Scout leaders guiding them don't have to choose. For these Scouts, advancement is part of the fun.
It was the last day of camp in the canyons of West Texas. The sun rose to illuminate the brilliant red and brown textures of the canyon walls that rose around our camp. Despite the wonderful scenery that surrounded us, it had been a fairly average camp.
What are your expectations for summer camp merit badges? To most of us and to nearly all of our Scouts the central feature of the week at camp is earning merit badges. But what if it wasn't? What if Scouts exchanged earning summer camp merit badges for learning and doing the things that actually interest…
I just finished reading The Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide by Andrew Skurka . If you've haven't heard about Andrew yet, he's done some insane mileage by foot. We're talking about backpack trips that are typically in the triple digits or more!
Mike Celland is the author and illustrator of Ultralight Backpackin' Tips , an excellent guide to changing the way you experience the outdoors. (Mike has a great blog too) In the video above Celland touches on the philosophical and practical aspects of ultra lightweight backpacking, and this ought to get you started thinking about camping in…
Even the best-looking troop trailer designs can't hide ugly insides. You know the ones I mean: cavernous, unorganized spaces into which gear is deposited and never seen again. That's why many troops add the Scouting touch to their trailers, installing shelving and other improvements to make storing and finding gear a breeze - even if it's…
Timeless Attraction. The Mission and Purpose of the Boy Scouts of America are and shall forever remain unchanged. By the same token, the contribution that our heritage of outdoor skills makes to the richness of the Scouting experience is also unchangeable.
If your troop is planning an outing to Meadow Hot Springs anytime soon, consider these suggestions for camping in the area that can create a better experience for your scouts. The first year we explored Meadow, Utah, we decided to hit the hot springs on Friday night and the lava tubes on Saturday.
Adults keep an eye on things from a respectful distance and Scouts lead themselves. When we talk about boys planning, preparing and leading Scout outings some folks reply "Good grief, how can you leave the Scouts in charge when the troop is going on a strenuous hike to Jones Mountain and they have no experience?
On our high adventure canoe trip each crew packs and cooks food for a group of five to nine Scouts. Our menu is a combination of freeze dried and grocery store food that keeps the cost reasonable while providing good nutrition and good eating.
