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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.
567 posts · 2008–2020
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A Scout’s promise “to help other people at all times” doesn’t take spring break off. That’s why hundreds of Scouts, Venturers and adult volunteers will gather at Philmont Scout Ranch in March and early April for Philbreak 2019, a chance to help the legendary Scouting destination recover from the Ute Park Fire.
Two Boy Scouts check out an exhibit at the National Scouting Museum – Philmont Scout Ranch. Photo by Shane Mrozek When Scouting Heritage merit badge debuted in 2010, Scouts completing requirement 4B were asked to “write or visit the National Scouting Museum in Irving, Texas.”
Welcome to High-Adventure Week on Bryan on Scouting! Our annual celebration of the BSA’s four national high-adventure bases is now in its fifth year! Here’s a look at why, how and when to secure a spot for your Scouts. Step aboard for high adventure on the high seas at the Florida Sea Base .
The New River Gorge Bridge is a stunning backdrop for SBR treks on the New River. Welcome to High-Adventure Week on Bryan on Scouting! Our annual celebration of the BSA’s four national high-adventure bases is now in its fifth year!
Do you wanna go back to Philmont? Or, go for the first time? I have enjoyed the Philmont experience twice, once with each of my sons. There is a lot of planning and preparation that goes into a trek. You have 1 month to get registered in the lottery drawing for crew slots in the…
Photo by W. Garth Dowling Welcome to High-Adventure Week on Bryan on Scouting! Our annual celebration of the BSA’s four national high-adventure bases is now in its fifth year! Here’s a look at why, how and when to secure a spot for your Scouts.
Welcome to High-Adventure Week on Bryan on Scouting! Our annual celebration of the BSA’s four national high-adventure bases is now in its fifth year! Here’s a look at why, how and when to secure a spot for your Scouts. Paddle away from the stresses of everyday life at the Northern Tier National High Adventure Program…
Brian Frailey was elated last October when he and his son Alex signed up for a 2019 Philmont trek together. Frailey last visited Philmont in 1993, when he was a Scout. Now, a quarter-century later, he’d get to return with his son.
How can a bunch of 8-inch disks tied to ropes save the million-acre Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness in Minnesota? When you put them in the hands of a bunch of conscientious, conservation-minded Scouts. A little-known program at the BSA’s Northern Tier high-adventure base has a significant impact on studying lake pollution in one of the…
In the past few months, the Scouting family has been hit with a one-two punch of natural disasters. In the spirit of doing a Good Turn, many of you have reached out asking how you can help. In July, wildfires in New Mexico damaged 27,000 acres at Philmont Scout Ranch, forcing the ranch to cancel…
More than 600 people, including New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and BSA Chief Scout Executive Mike Surbaugh, helped formally dedicate the National Scouting Museum – Philmont Scout Ranch on Saturday in Cimarron, N.M. In attendance were BSA volunteers and professionals, families from nearby towns, members of the media, and donors whose generosity made the museum possible…
Paul Salopek (left) and Christopher Sherman (yellow hat) talk with some residents (and a camel) during their adventure. Photo by Chris Sawyer. Scouts and Venturers who participated in summer 2018 programs at the Summit Bechtel Reserve or Northern Tier, plus young people who had their 2018 Philmont program canceled because of backcountry fires , are invited…
Updated Sept. 14 : The Summit Bechtel Reserve and more councils have extended this offer to displaced families. Several Boy Scouts of America camps in Tennessee and Georgia will open their camps to Hurricane Florence evacuees who need a place to stay during the storm.
Boy Scouts of America is joining forces with Ducks Unlimited at the Summit Bechtel Reserve’s Joe Crafton Sportsman’s Complex to help educate Scouts about the importance of waterfowl and wetlands conservation. Ducks Unlimited is now the official conservation sponsor of the BSA for wetlands and waterfowl conservation.
Dave Alexander and his parents were standing on their front lawn watching Neil Armstrong drive away. They thought to themselves: Did that just happen? The year was 1959 — 10 years before the Eagle Scout landed on the moon and became a household name.
The Scouts of Troop 3 from Goldsboro, N.C., switched to a hiking trip on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail in their home state. Ronnie Meeks got the call nine days before he and his Scouts were scheduled to begin driving to Philmont from North Carolina.
Even as Wood Badge prepares to turn 100 next year, it’s still charting new territory. Last month, a group of Scouters from across the country held the first Wood Badge course in the history of the Summit Bechtel Reserve. While the syllabus for this essential leadership training for Scout leaders was unchanged, this was a…
Crew 514 of Lawrenceville, Ga. Want to feel good about the future of this country? Spend a week talking to a bunch of Venturers. I did just that last week at VenturingFest 2018 at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.
The title is the Philmont Ranger motto, and the way of life for everyone associated with Philmont this season. Whether Philmont staff, youth participant, or volunteer adult, many people have had their summer plans turned on end by the closure of the Philmont backcountry due to extreme wildfire danger.
Philmont Scout Ranch announced Thursday that extremely dry conditions and the continuing risk of fire have forced it to close its backcountry for the remainder of the 2018 summer season. This means all seven- and 12-day treks scheduled for this summer are canceled.
Summer 2018 has just begun, but excitement continues to build for next summer’s premier Scouting event. The 2019 World Scout Jamboree is less than 400 days away, and it’s not too late to join this global Scouting celebration happening in our backyard.
Due to fire, many Philmont treks have been cancelled and the crew advisors contacted. In case you're still thinking of alternative adventures, or just to be aware for future treks, here's some other cool places to Scout around the country.
Philmont staff members camped at the Colfax County Fairgrounds during their evacuation over the weekend. While staff members were permitted to return to base camp, the condition of the backcountry has not drastically improved. Update, 8 a.m. June 6 : The Ute Park Fire spans 36,800 acres and is 30 percent contained.
We recently bought some new patio furniture. If you’ve ever done the same, you realize that it most likely comes to you in pieces and you need to put it together yourself. The large Swedish-based retailer whose logo shares colors with Cub Scouting (you know who I mean) is well-known for their quality and price…
The National Scouting Museum – Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico will open to the public beginning June 8 — just in time for trekkers, families attending conferences and visitors to be among the first to venture into this 19,500-square-foot home of BSA history.
If you’re the man or woman who tracks advancement for your Scout unit, here’s an opportunity to get trained, have fun and spend a week at one of the greatest places in the Scouting universe. In other words, I think you’ll find these Philmont Training Center courses will meet all of your requirements and more.
When you’re on a list that includes Neil Armstrong, Hank Aaron, Gerald Ford, Bill Gates and Walt Disney, you must have done something right. But “something right” doesn’t begin to describe the 10 volunteers who join the list of Silver Buffalo Award recipients this year.
Ashton Kutcher, star of TV and movies and the original social media influencer who in 2009 became the first account to amass 1 million Twitter followers, was a Scout and hiked at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. The star of That ’70s Show took to Twitter on Thursday to offer his support for the…
The Philmont Training Center isn’t the exclusive home of high-level BSA training. Excellent opportunities await at the Summit Bechtel Reserve’s John D. Tickle National Training and Leadership Center in West Virginia. The center has a long name but a simple purpose: Help adults and youth make an even bigger impact on their unit, district or…
From left: Hartley, Darcy and Mykal Phinney went on a Philmont trek together in July 2015. On May 12, 2012, Darcy Phinney’s life changed forever. Darcy and her entire family were headed home from a golf tournament when a teenager who was texting while driving hit their minivan head-on.
Cheerful service doesn’t take a week off — not even for spring break. Arrowmen from as far away as Minnesota and Colorado traveled to the Florida Sea Base in March to complete a week of hurricane cleanup. They called this giant spring break service project SeaBreak.
Six conferences being offered at the Philmont Training Center this summer are about training. Getting trained on training at the Philmont Training Center? Now that’s meta. If your Scouting job involves training other leaders, you should consider attending one of these volunteer development conferences, supported by ScoutingU’s Learning Delivery Team.
The six young people selected to serve on the 2018-2019 National Venturing Officers’ Association will play a critical role. With the support of adult volunteers and professionals, they will shape Venturing’s future, make important decisions and serve as Venturing’s public face.
Please join us in congratulating Chasity McReynolds, who will serve as Director of the Office of Philanthropy at the BSA National Service Center, effective April 1, 2018. Chasity has served with distinction in this department as a major gift director since January 2010.
Photo by Clay Helfrick Those dense crowds, long wait times and expensive ticket prices can take a hike. This summer, choose the ultimate family vacation. Choose Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. Philmont Family Adventure , new for 2018, gives families the chance to experience Philmont however they want.
You and your entire family (yes, you read that right – the whole family!) are invited to experience the best that Philmont Scout Ranch has to offer by attending this summer’s new Philmont Scout Ranch Family Adventure program! Whether you’ve been to Philmont or not, this summer experience is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced in Scouting.
Leave your good jeans at home. The Summit Bechtel Reserve’s Polaris ATV Trek , a new offering for 2018, puts Scouts and Venturers in control of their own all-terrain vehicle for a gritty week of riding the trails. Participants get hands-on-handlebars training in safe ATV operation before heading out for 60-plus miles of riding.
Photo by Kaitlyn Chaballa It’s one of the most relaxing, affordable and memorable ways to get to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. And thanks to a new federal grant, the Amtrak Southwest Chief will continue transporting Scouts to Philmont for the foreseeable future.
When you hear the word “adventure,” what comes to mind? Maybe it’s a trek across new terrain. Perhaps it’s the wide-open sea. Or maybe it’s even a journey through the world of STEM. Everyone has a different idea of adventure, and just as every adventure is unique, so is every family.
To show our thanks to all adult volunteers, unit leaders, and BSA staff members, the National Jamboree and Outdoor Adventures teams are excited to announce the first Adult Adventure Weekend, planned for June 20-24, 2018 , at the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve.
Throughout your time as a Scouter, you’ve helped young people shine. You’ve watched them plan trips — and then driven them safely to their destination. You’ve mentored from the sidelines as they take on top leadership roles. You’ve smiled with pride as they enjoyed one life-changing adventure after another.
A Boy Scout from Washington, D.C., and a Venturer from Cincinnati were selected to join a leg of National Geographic Fellow Paul Salopek’s 21,000-mile walk around the world . Christopher Sherman and Miciah Thacker penned thoughtful essays reflecting on their experiences at Philmont and the 2017 National Jamboree, respectively.
Sea Base Capt. Steve Cansler, who ran the Bahamas-based sailing adventures at the BSA’s Florida Sea Base, died Dec. 24, 2017. He was 65. During Capt. Steve’s time in the Bahamas, countless Scouts and Venturers arrived with high expectations but little sailing experience.
