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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 51–100 of 540 posts
The outdoor ethics guide, a troop-level position of responsibility for youth that in January 2016 replaced the position of Leave No Trace trainer, now has its very own handbook. The Outdoor Ethics Guide Handbook is available now as a free PDF download .
Along with welcoming new members into our packs and troops and starting the program year, fall is the time when many units collect updated health forms from their youth and adult members. The Boy Scouts of America recommends that each member have on file with his or her unit a completed copy of the General…
A big part of Cub Scouts involves introducing boys to the fun and adventure of spending time outdoors. And if you’re going to spend time outdoors, you’re going to want the right gear. The Cub Scout Six Essentials, learned as part of the Wolf Rank, is a list of a half-dozen items every Cub Scout…
Story contributed by Jane Parikh of the Michigan Crossroads Council Peter “Madcat” Ruth could stay in hotels when touring, but the Grammy-award winning musician and Eagle Scout says he prefers to camp like he did when he was a Boy Scout.
Scout Camp 2017 Time to carve: who cares it's Scout Camp Location: Rotary Scout Reservation #rsrbsa Finishing: at home 1.5 hour Summer Camp is one of those times when time passes effortlessly and I can just let the whittling knife take me to the things hidden in the wood.
You might think little Chess merit badge would get lost amid action-packed Jamboree activities like mountain biking, shotgun shooting and zip lining. But then you climb the hill to the Chess merit badge tent and see the truth. The main tent — plus a second, larger tent beside it — is full.
The number of overnight campouts required for a young man to earn the Second Class and First Class ranks will be reduced under new requirements that take effect Aug. 1, 2017. But the total number of camping nights a Boy Scout will experience in the program as he progresses toward the rank of Eagle Scout…
Scouts are brave, helpful and kind. All three qualities are symbolized in a single photo that comes to us from Boy Scout summer camp. This is a true story that happened last month at Woodruff Scout Reservation, part of the Atlanta Area Council.
They say becoming an Eagle Scout isn’t the end of a young person’s journey — it’s the beginning. Few go as far to prove that adage as Matthew Warrick. This summer, the 17-year-old from Troop 505 of Austin, Texas, is hiking the entire Appalachian Trail.
Sponsored post courtesy of Thermacell Summer camping season is upon us and while every Scout is equipped to embark on the great outdoors with the bare necessities, there are some modern-day camping items that have revolutionized the camping experience in ways Baden Powell couldn’t enjoy.
In rainy weather (and KonTiki frequently brings rainy weather), it can be a good idea to get your tent up out of the mud. Bush Hill Scout Troop built this four-tier stepped tent platform for their campsite at KonTiki 2017.
When your council contingents depart from the 2017 National Jamboree this summer, they can bring the equipment home to support local council/troop camping opportunities back home. If your council is not interested in acquiring the equipment, participants will be able to purchase the very gear they used at the Summit Bechtel Reserve!
Philmont is a land of starlit skies, aspen-covered hills and wind in whisp’ring pines. That’s how John Westfall, who wrote “The Philmont Hymn,” described the Scouting paradise in New Mexico. Westfall was a teenager in 1945 when he wrote the song.
Why buy separate gear items when things already in your backpack or trunk can pull double (or triple) duty? A Scout is thrifty, after all. So here, courtesy of our friends at Thermacell , you’ll find a list of 5 camping items that can serve purposes beyond the obvious.
It’s May, so summer is almost here, and many Cub Scout packs are wrapping up their school year meeting schedules with springtime events designed to cap off a year of fun with a lighter activity or a ceremony to mark the transition from one year to the next.
When it comes to camp cuisine, there’s no better food critic than a Boy Scout. Who better to judge the merit of food prepared outdoors than the inventors of the Cooking merit badge? The fine folks at the Fox show MasterChef Junior sure think so.
Scouts and Scouters, meet your repeat champion: the First Aid merit badge. After losing its top spot to the Cooking merit badge in 2014, First Aid retook the crown in 2015 and defended its title in 2016. That means more Scouts earned the First Aid merit badge in 2016 than any other badge.
The BSA’s 2017 Boy Scout Requirements book, detailing major and minor changes to Boy Scout ranks and merit badges, is now available. Inside you’ll find: Modifications to the Second Class and First Class ranks The new Exploration merit badge Major changes to four merit badges Minor changes to 32 merit badges The changes are the…
On a magazine assignment last summer, I joined Troop 7031 from Flagstaff, Ariz., on a canoe trip through Yellowstone National Park. (Shameless plug: Find my story in the May 2017 Boys’ Life and May-June 2017 Scouting !) The first day of paddling was the longest, and we arrived at camp exhausted.
It seems like an ideal troop outing. A trip to a local ski area for a weekend of snow sports. The slopes are not too steep but still full of fun and challenge. They offer downhill and cross-country skiing trails, snowboarding runs, ice skating and tubing.
At councils across the country, Ten Commandments hikes help Scouts and Venturers learn more about their faith and the faiths and cultures of others. An upcoming example: the 10th annual Ten Commandments Hike in the Baden Powell District, part of the North Florida Council.
As Scouts, camping is an important part of our identity. At some point, you went on your first camping trip… then you went on the next one… and then the next. These experiences became memories which in turn shaped your understanding of the true purpose of Scout camping.
In some packs, troops and crews, adults pay nothing to attend weekend camping trips. Instead, as a way to thank the Scouters for their service and time, their costs are included in the campout fee for the Scouts/Venturers. In other words, instead of paying $12 to cover food and supplies during a weekend trip, Scouts…
In this Saturday Quick Tip video.. I show a quick and easy way to store your sleeping bag. Your sleeping bag is an essential piece of gear. Part of the "Big 3", your sleeping bag is a piece of gear that you count on when you are in the woods.
Here is our year-end camp summary for 2016: 1) Jan – 2nd annual Winter backpacking on snowshoes in Little Cottonwood Canyon 2) Feb – Last minute change to Crystal Hot Springs* 3) Apr – 2nd annual April outing to White Rock near Dugway** 4) May – 6th annual May backpack outing to Rudy's Flat 5) Jun – Exploring Coyote Gulch…
Check out my North Country Trail 100 Miles patch! Any scout can receive this patch and certificate by hiking at least 100 miles on the North Country National Scenic Trail by the end of 2016. So, you've got a month remaining to get out on the trail and rack up some miles.
Everyone I know that camps has been at least a bit scared by something going bump in the night. My scare was one night on the Arizona Trail, all alone, when I heard coyotes howling - not from one direction, but all around me.
It's that time of year when all good scouts take on the extra challenge of camping in cold weather. Whether 'cold' to you is 30 degrees or -30 degrees, preparing and educating scouts is a big part of a successful outing.
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…
It's 2016. The smartphone doesn't detract from the Scouting experience; it enhances it. Where in the past there was a debate over whether smartphone use is appropriate in Scouting, these days most Scouters see the devices like pocketknives. They are multitools that - with guidance to prevent misuse - are an important part of the Scouting experience.
This hike has been on my “to do” list for a long, long time – as long as when my own sons were working on their Hiking merit badge and completed the Smith & Moorehouse Trail back in 2010. I don’t know why I haven’t done this trail before now, but I finally did it with my…
The troop trailer Jim Rosensweet inherited when he became Scoutmaster had seen better days. The year was 1987, but this trailer must have been from the 1950s or 60s. Inside the rickety old thing, Rosensweet found heavily used gear that needed replacing, too.
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.
We’ve been doing a lot of hiking this summer and felt that maybe parents needed to know why in order to help support their boys from home, so here’s what I sent to them in email: 10 miles in Coyote Gulch (Jun) 5 miles at Camp Steiner (Jul) 4 miles on Red Butte / “The Living…
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.
As a happy gear nerd I enjoy writing camping gear reviews once in awhile, especially when that gear stands the test of time. When I write about gear it's usually stuff I have used for at least a year or two, and often a decade or more.
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.
Today is National S’mores Day! And what better way to celebrate than with a bite full of chocolate, gooey goodness? Any s’more aficionado (or Scout) will tell you the most authentic way to prepare this quintessential camping treat is over a campfire.
The Lofty Lake Loop trail is a great one to do from Steiner during your week at scout camp. The actual loop trail is only 4 miles, but that extra mile needed to make it a 5-miler is easily accomplished.
If your Summer of Scouting 2016 included (or will include) a trip to a BSA high-adventure base, you're pretty lucky. And not just because you experienced the adventure of a lifetime in New Mexico, Florida, Minnesota, Canada or West Virginia.
The Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 have completed their weeklong summer camp for the year. Once again, the troop went to Many Point Scout Camp which is located northwest of Park Rapids in Minnesota. Only four Scouts of the troop attended camp because the older boys will be going on a high adventure trip…
Is it a good idea to wear cowboy boots on a hike? Q. Is it OK to wear cowboy boots on a hike? I have a pair that is very comfortable. - B.J. the Cowboy, LeHigh Acres, Florida Interesting question. I've definitely never been asked that one before.
June is National Camping Month! Are you already planning your overnight adventure to celebrate? You don’t have to be a wilderness expert to partake in the fun. We’ve got the where, why, how, and more, so round up your friends and family and get ready for the camping adventure you’ve been waiting for.
Attention council marketers! Just in time for summer, we’re freshening up BSA’s Cub Scout recruitment tools, starting with some brand-sparkling-new visual assets. The BSA Brand Center brings you Camping with Cub Scouts —the latest Build an Adventure toolkit, created to help you take your council’s Cub Scout membership to the next level.
Boy Scouts go camping. Everybody knows that, right? Camping is the universal activity that ties the program together. Outsiders are likely to think that camping is the raison d'être of Scouting. It's been with us since the very first camping trip that Lord Baden-Powell took Scouts on back at Brownsea.
My troop just spent the weekend camping at White Rock near Dugway, for the second April in a row. We like this destination in April for a few reasons. First, it's generally warmer and drier out in Utah's west desert as my scouts "transition" between winter camping and summer backpacking.
My troop just spent the weekend camping at White Rock near Dugway, for the second April in a row. We like this destination in April for a few reasons. First, it's generally warmer and drier out in Utah's west desert as my scouts "transition" between winter camping and summer backpacking.
My troop just spent the weekend camping at White Rocks near Dugway, for the second April in a row. We like this destination in April for a few reasons. First, it’s generally warmer and drier out in Utah’s west desert as my scouts “transition” between winter camping and summer backpacking.
It's Time to Get Cooking Outdoors When the weather changes and your day dreams turn to spending more time in the beautiful outdoors, there's one universal question that comes with camping season: What to eat?? Well, Scouting Wire has mined the archives of Scouting magazine and drummed up five recipes that call on that ol…
How about your Scouts? How about their parents? This podcast features advice for Scouters attending summer camp and parents who are staying home. I'll discuss ten things that will make life at summer camp smooth sailing for you and your Scouts, and also share some things parents can do to prepare their Scouts and themselves…
