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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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After the 2018 Ute Park fire, Philmont Scout Ranch is back in a big way. More than 24,000 campers visited there last summer — Philmont’s largest summer ever. The base is best known for seven- and 12-day treks that challenge participants mentally and physically.
Grab your paddle and venture into pristine wilderness as part of the Northern Tier National High Adventure Program . During a 6- to 14-night trek of 50 to 150 miles, Northern Tier crews explore the natural frontier of Minnesota and Canada.
October 2019 Time to make: 3 hours Finishing: 1 hour Original design: Philmont / Bill Macfarlane Days till Philmont Countdown So lets combine a couple of last few slides into another well recognized symbol of Philmont. Carved from reclaimed white oak pallet wood, I purposefully left this on the rough side because I liked the thought…
October 2019 Time to make: 3 hours Finishing: 1 hour Original design: Philmont / Bill Macfarlane Days till Philmont Countdown Another widely recognized symbols of Philmont is the black bull. There was also a white bull for female advisors that was available until sometime in 1980's (or so I'm told).
As the Scouts in Troop 1776 of Plano, Texas, get older, their interest in traditional summer camp activities starts to wane. They want to challenge themselves further, to venture deeper into nature’s mysteries. They want high adventure. A year ago, with that in mind, Scoutmaster David Wille approached the patrol leaders’ council with a suggestion.
September 2019 Time to make: 3 hours Finishing: 1 hour Original design: Philmont / Bill Macfarlane Days till Philmont Countdown One of the most recognizable symbols of Philmont is the Arrowhead with the Tooth of Time on it. First issued in 1957 , the Arrowhead patch is awarded to each participant who compleats a 7 or 12-day…
It started, as great ideas sometimes do, as a joke. Back in March, Chris Mahn was sitting at a troop committee meeting with fellow volunteers from Troop 26 of Wilmington, N.C., part of the BSA’s Cape Fear Council. The leaders started to discuss the troop’s epic summer calendar, where two separate groups of Troop 26…
For many Scouters, a high-adventure base is like a second home. Anyone who has spent time at Sea Base, the Summit Bechtel Reserve, Northern Tier or Philmont understands what I mean. These places change you, challenge you and build memories that stay with you for life.
September 2019 Time to make: 3 hours Finishing: 1 hour Original design: Philmont / Bill Macfarlane Days till Philmont Countdown Yes, I'm headed to Philmont as a part of a Council Continent and I thought I would come up with a series of Philmont inspired neckerchief slides.
Hurricane Dorian has slipped off the North American coastline after leaving a wake of death and destruction, primarily in the Bahamas. Prior to landfall, Florida Sea Base staff stationed in St. Thomas and St. Croix were evacuated to safety and crews to those areas were called off, says Tim Stanfill, Sea Base Director of Program…
By Corey Siegfried, Troop 45 Bolivar, MO I’ve never seen morning fog settle in a mountain valley. Where I live in Missouri, it’s pretty flat. The view at the Summit Bechtel Reserve definitely made getting up early on a summer morning more pleasant and the 15-hour bus ride to West Virginia well worth it!
Article contributed by Jim Rushton, Team Lead, Summit High Adventure Base Gauley Season – September/October 2019 Come visit the Summit Bechtel Reserve for our inaugural Gauley Season. This is a great Unit High Adventure program as well as a great team building opportunity for local councils, districts and volunteers.
The 24th World Scout Jamboree , a World Organization of the Scout Movement event held this year at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, had opportunities for Scouts to try activities they’ve never experienced before, as well as meet some impressive Scouters, like astronaut and Distinguished Eagle Scout Greg Johnson , who spoke to Scouts about…
The Philmont Training Center experience you love just got an upgrade. With its new Deluxe Tents — complete with a queen bed with premium linens, electricity and ceiling fan, and covered porch with cozy chairs — the Philmont Training Center is broadening the appeal of its world-class conferences and Family Adventure Camp like never before.
What better setting to receive a Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award than with Scouts from all over the world? More than 200 youth from nine countries earned bronze, silver and gold distinctions of the internationally-recognized honor during the World Scout Jamboree.
Boy Scouts of America volunteers and professionals are relentless in their pursuit of outdoor programs that are exhilarating, enriching and safe. That explains the popularity of the National Outdoor Conference , held every other year at Philmont Scout Ranch. This September, volunteers and professionals from across the country will travel to the mountains of New Mexico…
An aerial photo from April shows the soon-to-be-finished Bunkhouse at Pigott Base Camp. Gone are the days of BSA properties being open for a few weeks each summer and a weekend or two in the spring and fall. The newest trend in the Boy Scouts of America: finding ways to use BSA facilities in all…
An inventive new Wood Badge course, scheduled for January 2020 at the Summit Bechtel Reserve, will give participants a chance to experience the “linked troop” model used by many Scouts BSA troops. Everything about the course breaks the Wood Badge mold in exciting ways.
They’ve led giant corporations and highly ranked universities. They’ve skied at the North and South poles and chased eclipses around the world. They’ve volunteered with music education programs and at their places of worship. Impressive stuff, but there’s something even more remarkable on the résumés of the 13 men and women receiving the Silver Buffalo…
Photo by Alex Zarynow Watch your daughter reel in her first rainbow trout. Join your son on horseback and mosey around like New Mexico cowboys. Hike with your entire family to the site of a Tyrannosaurus rex footprint — one of only two such tracks in the world.
Are you looking for a training opportunity that will take your volunteering experience to the next level? District and unit volunteers are invited to visit the Philmont Training Center to explore unique ways to better serve their Scouting communities. The Philmont Training Center (PTC) is the national volunteer training center for the Boy Scouts of…
Wildfires forced Philmont Scout Ranch to cancel treks in 2018 , but the BSA’s hiking paradise in New Mexico will be ready to welcome trekkers in 2019. To get ready for the busy summer season, Philmont staffers and volunteers are clearing debris, mitigating the risk of future fires — and preparing to give the Tooth of Time…
Are you just waking up from your winter hibernation? Did you put off finding a summer job for too long? With all your leadership qualities, outdoors skills, and interpersonal communications learned in Scouting, many opportunities are out there for you to work in exciting, adventurous settings.
This summer, get a taste of the worldwide fellowship of Scouting without even leaving the country. Day passes for the 2019 World Scout Jamboree are now available , giving everyone a chance to experience this summer’s global gathering of Scouts. If your summer plans don’t involve attending the World Scout Jamboree or serving on staff (known…
BSA pioneer William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt (left) with Scouting founder Robert Baden-Powell in 1935. Be a part of BSA history while preserving and promoting BSA history. Youth and adult Scouting historians (or aspiring historians) are invited to attend the first-ever National Scouting Historian Summit this June at the Philmont Training Center in northern New…
Troop 121 in Granite Bay, Calif., celebrated its 50th anniversary last fall with a special program, featuring a video presentation, group photo and ice cream and cake afterwards. More than 300 Scouts reached the Eagle Scout rank in those five decades, and more than 255 of them were mentored by Scoutmaster John Hooten, Jr.
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…
