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Philmont treks, Northern Tier canoe routes, Sea Base sailing and The Summit. Crews came home with stories, gear lists and training plans, and wrote them all down.
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Some of my favorite Scouting memories are from my trips to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. I have been lucky enough to attend Philmont six times: once for scoutmaster training and five times on a trek with the Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68.
Now is the time to register for your Philmont 12-day or 7-day adventure of a lifetime! Philmont is currently accepting crew reservations for the 2015 camping season. Registration will close Dec. 1, 2013.
This was past on to me and I have to share it with you all… I wanna go back to Philmont!
High adventure comes in many forms. It can mean hiking the New Mexico backcountry or exploring your local state park's trails. It could be scuba diving off the Florida Keys or going off the diving board at your local YMCA.
Our members have an amazing diversity of opportunity for outdoor adventure at our national high-adventure bases and local council facilities. Our new Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base at the Summit is no exception. To learn more about what is offered, go to www.summithighadventure.org . As always, please share your thoughts using the comments function.
Just like your favorite film, Wood Badge is even better the second time around. Last month, I served as a Troop Guide for Wood Badge course S2-571-13-3, known within the Dallas-based Circle Ten Council simply as Wood Badge 106. Loyal blog readers will remember I had a mountaintop experience as a participant of Wood Badge…
Are your council's units still trying to figure out where to head for some high-adventure action and excitement next year? Check out these new promotional videos from our high-adventure bases at Philmont, Northern Tier, Sea Base, and the Summit … and start planning! Northern Tier Philmont Sea Base The Summit
It seems like just about everyone wants to go (or go back) to Philmont. And so when it comes to the hiking mecca's 12-day and seven-day summer expeditions, demand far exceeds supply. That's why Philmont Scout Ranch has in place a lottery system, giving interested Scout troops and Venturing crews a fair shot at scoring…
So. The Summit. For the last three years we've been talking about all the cool stuff there, all the activities that would be available for the 2013 National Scout Jamboree. And now, with the jamboree under our belts, it's time to take a deeper dive into the Summit.
Hello again! As a steward to the outdoors, the Boy Scouts of America has a big responsibility. We're not only responsible for making sure our young people have a strong appreciation and respect for our outdoor resources…we also want to make sure that we leave the world a little better than the way we found…
The view from our campsite on Lake Hogan It's time for show and tell! What high adventure trip did your Scouts participate in this summer? ( I am sure the Jamboree was great, but I am looking for reports on wilderness treks) Where did you go?
Kent, before his Philmont-inspired transformation. See the after photo after the jump. Sometimes to gain, you have to lose. Kent Cantrell, a Scouter from the Houston suburb of Bellaire, knows that all too well. Kent wanted nothing more than to hike at Philmont with Luke, his Life Scout son.
The Pioneering Area was named Peschke Field after Adolph Peschke , who through the years had motivated and inspired so many with his high standards, creativity, and pioneering know-how. The following layout is a depiction of the pioneering projects and activities featured at the 2013 national jamboree up on Garden Ground Mountain at the Summit Bechtel…
Consider it the ultimate leap of faith. Over the past three years, the Boy Scouts of America asked tens of thousands of Scouts, Venturers, Scouters and parents to trust the organization's vision to reshape the national jamboree. Not only was the Summit Bechtel Reserve the first new location for a jamboree since 1981, but also…
BSA has gone from green to "deep green." We've been a leader in conservation for more than a century. Our LEAVE NO TRACE ® philosophy has been followed by generations of Scouts as we camp, hike or conduct other activities with a potential for leaving litter or waste.
When we talk about " Prepared. For Life. ™ " in Scouting, that's what we teach. We provide the skills necessary to help America's young people meet the challenges of today's society, and then use those skills to mentor others behind them from generation to generation.
Think of the Summit as a puzzle," said BSA Chief Scout Executive Wayne Brock. "But the final piece was not in place until yesterday. That piece was the Scouts and Venturers of the Boy Scouts of America." The Summit has been a complicated puzzle indeed, one that volunteers and professionals have poured their time, talent…
More intense! Big and wild! These are words that we've been sharing for months – yes, even years – about how we'd like to deliver a quality Scouting experience at the 2013 National Jamboree . And now, it's here. Hello again, everyone! We are planning to generate some serious energy – more than any previous Jamboree – as we launch…
The summer edition of Training Times has been published and is available online (and as a downloadable PDF ). In this issue, you can read more about staying current on your Youth Protection Training, proposed updates to the Venturing program, the new Rayado Ridge Leadership Camp at Philmont Scout Ranch, and the first-ever NAYLE course planned…
Hello again! As we count down the final days and hours to the opening of our 2013 National Scout Jamboree , I got to thinking about how we are breaking ground on many new traditions for our Scouts to carry on for future generations.
Without an underlying system of core values, the Paul A. Christen National High Adventure Base at the Summit is just another camp to do fun stuff. Really, really fun stuff. As the new 2014 high adventure programs at the Summit take shape, you might be asking, "What does all this high adventure mean for Scouting?"
Forget everything you think you know about conferences. Forget the long lines at the buffet, the windowless meeting rooms at hotels, the boring PowerPoints, and the awkward social gatherings. Conferences at the Philmont Training Center , Scouting's paradise in the mountains of New Mexico, are anything but typical.
Welcome to Chief's Corner! I'm Wayne Brock, Chief Scout Executive for the Boy Scouts of America, and I'm really looking forward to this cyber-exchange of ideas. I've found that social media is a great tool for reaching out to folks who want to hear more about how we serve America's young people.
When your Scout or Scouter leaves home for the inaugural Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, they'll be ready for high adventure. But will they miss some of the creature comforts of home? If so, here's the answer: The Jambox, a BSA Survival Pack.
The Silver Buffalo Award recognizes leaders whose service to youth is broad-reaching-whether it's the creation of exciting new programs, the organization of high-magnitude events, or bringing Scouting to under-served youth. The award is Scouting's highest honor, and this year's class joins previous recipients such as Bill Gates, Robert Baden-Powell, Bob Hope, William Hillcourt, and many…
When summertime fires break out in northern New Mexico or southern Colorado, there's understandable concern within the Scouting community about Philmont Scout Ranch, located in northeastern New Mexico. First, the good news: There are no fires on Philmont property or on areas hiked by crews at Philmont.
(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.)
Perhaps the better question would've been where are Scouts not going this summer? Earlier today on our Facebook page , I asked where packs, troops, teams, and crews are headed for their summer adventures. More than 175 responses later, the answer is "far and wide."
The BSA's Messengers of Peace initiative was launched in May 2012 to recognize the efforts of Scouts who are working for peace, whether it's on projects that strive to solve conflicts in their schools, building links between divided communities, teaching their peers about health and wellness, or repairing environmental damage.
John Pratt from Crossroads of America Council wrote via the feedback form to suggest that maybe there ought to be a new square knot for Scouts and Scouters that complete High Adventure events like the Philmont Trek. We chatted about it a bit and came up the idea that maybe there should be a knot…
Wood Badge + Philmont = Happy Land I interrupt my regular blog programming for this important Wood Badge Wednesdays announcement… I'm staffing Wood Badge this summer at Philmont Scout Ranch, and there's a spot on our course for you and your Scouting friends.
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.
Modern portage packs have an advanced suspension system that is much like a normal backpack. At the beginning of a high adventure canoe trip our portage packs our packs weigh about 60-70 pounds. This is quite a load for some of us but time has proven that even our smallest Scouts can handle them very…
As preparations for the 2013 National Scout Jamboree continue, we have been simultaneously working on the development and marketing of the 2014 high adventure program that will be headquartered at the Christen High Adventure Base here on The Summit. In a previous post I outlined the four crew programs that will be offered: The River…
Any high adventure canoe trip requires selecting the right gear and clothing. I am pretty specific about what we carry on our trips because I know one thing for sure; in the case of where we are going: It's All About Portaging In a place like Algonquin you'll be traveling from lake to lake, and…
Click to view slideshow. For the last nine years every summer our Scouts pile into a van and drive north to Ontario's Algonquin Provincial Park for a week-long high adventure canoe trip. Our crews typically cover 40-50 miles of paddling and portaging during our stay.
Troop 676 of Bozeman during their August 2012 traverse across Spanish Peaks in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness of Montana, standing atop Indian Ridge listening to our oldest Scout tell an animated story about another adventure from the past. (Photo from Ryan Jordan) Scouts need some structure and direction but they also need the opportunity (plenty…
There's another side to Philmont where training, not trekking, takes center stage. The Philmont Training Center , the BSA's national volunteer education facility, hosts more than 5,000 Scouters and family members each summer for its signature weeklong courses. But even though everyone's heard of Philmont - aka "Scouting paradise" - not everyone knows about the conferences designed to…
Tucker Prescott , the mind behind the video. What's it like to spend a summer as a Philmont Ranger ? Incredible seems too weak a word, and amazing doesn't quite cut it either. When words fail, try video. That's the approach Tucker Prescott took with his magical, transcendent short film called "Philmont: A Ranger's Summer."
Why are you here and what do you expect to get out of this course?" That's a pretty different way to kick off a BSA training course. Truth is, I signed up for the Philmont Leadership Challenge after learning these five things: It was at Philmont It builds upon the training you receive during Wood…
The Ocean Rules. No Pun Necessary. Is there a better place for high adventure than the high seas? Not likely. That's why Sea Base exists. If it has to do with the ocean, and it's fun, it's probably something you can do at Sea Base.
Would you like to serve on Wood Badge staff?" It was one of the easiest questions I've ever been asked. It sounds sentimental, but the truth is I had never really left Wood Badge, at least in my mind. That made saying "yes" to Debbie Sullivan, course director for the upcoming Wood Badge course this…
Going to Philmont this summer? Congratulations! Your final payment to Philmont is due in less than a month. In just a few weeks, your crew will need to submit trek choices. Of the 35 various treks available, you'll need to decide on your top 5 and hope you get the one you want.
