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This page will be a summary collecting the entries documenting the various days we spent at the Florida Sea Base. The first installment will be coming tomorrow. (we've already taken the trip, I'm just catching up on documenting it). Day 1 - Sunday night / Monday Day 2 - Tuesday Day 3 - Wednesday Day 4 - Thursday Day 5…
While some people seem to be natural leaders, it's generally held that leadership is something that can be learned. The esteemed football coach Vince Lombardi believed that Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that
We need to have a talk about chafing. I know, I know. Just thinking about this irritating side effect of outdoor adventure is enough to give you panicked flashbacks to the last episode. The burning ! But a Scout is brave.
Outdoor Skills Tower to the Moon August 2016 Cafe Press Items KNOTS Cartoons Books, e-Books and CDs and Merchandise Copyright - U.S. Scouting Service Project | Visit us at http://usscouts.org | News at http://usssp.blogspot.com
Day 1 (July 10-11) Day 1 started early the night before as we met at Sacramento airport for a short flight down to LAX and then the red-eye flight to Miami overnight. The lay-over in LAX was brief, and they boarded our flight early, so much so that everyone was on board before the Nystroms…
On the third weekend in October, 1 million Scouts from 150 different countries will unite to celebrate the global power of Scouting. And they'll do it without leaving the neighborhood. Join the fun by involving your pack, troop, team, post, ship or crew in the 2016 Jamboree-on-the-Air and Jamboree-on-the-Internet - held concurrently Oct.
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.
Day 2 (Tuesday July 12) We left port early in the morning and had a cold cereal breakfast at sea. Maneuvering in and out of Sea Base requires navigating a small channel since the water is shallow in that area.
At least five members of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team competing in Rio de Janeiro this month are Eagle Scouts, the National Eagle Scout Association has confirmed. Before they wore red, white and blue uniforms for Team USA, these men - two swimmers, a race walker, a triathlete and a beach volleyball player - wore the red…
Day 3 (Wednesday July 13) Breakfast consisted of eggs and sausage. Our talented cook-captain prepared over-easy, sunny-side-up, and scrambled all in one pan. He even managed to get a serving of Eggs Bendict in the center (note: they all looked liked scrambled eggs to the rest of us).
The opening ceremony for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro is happening this Friday. The historic day marks the start of some spectacular global competition that joins the best athletes from around the world – including at least seven Eagle Scouts representing the U.S team!
Last week, Explorers from around the country gathered at BSA’s National High-Adventure Base, the Summit Bechtel Reserve , for the first-ever Exploring Summerfest 2016. A first-time camp experience for many of the attendees, the experience was made possible thanks in part to a donation from Wenzel.
If your council is ramping up for BSA’s newest pilot program, we’ve got some exciting news for you – Scoutbook has added the Lion pilot program function to its roster of web tools! Scoutbook , the unit management web application for the Boy Scouts of America, has added the new Lion feature just in time for fall…
________________________________________ Hi Andy, Can to explain to me the rationale behind this anomaly in the BSA's GUIDE TO SAFE SCOUTING? Here it is: In Venturing and Sea Scouts, if you have a coed group on an overnight outing, you need both a male and a female adult leader.
The creative minds behind some of your favorite outdoor gear brands came together tonight to race at the Outdoor Retailer Pinewood Derby , hosted by the Boy Scouts of America's Scouting Works team. Fifteen cars competed in two categories, "Classic" and "Unlimited," and Granite Gear took first place in both with two separate (and impressively designed)…
The National Eagle Scout Association wants to make college more affordable for more than 100 worthy Eagle Scouts across the country. The window for 2017 Eagle Scout scholarships opened Aug. 1, 2016, and will slam shut on Oct. 31, 2016.
If you’ve been trekking in the glorious New Mexico wilderness of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at Philmont Scout Ranch , you no doubt carry those memories with you everywhere you go. Carrying memories, however, is not the same as carrying a photograph that offers you and others the ability to see how you were at…
Know any Eagle Scouts who could use scholarships to help support some higher education? Good news! The National Eagle Scout Association (NESA) Scholarship application process is now open. NESA has shared an overview with more details on its website . The application process for Eagle Scouts to access hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarship money…
Day 4 (Thursday July 14) This was our mid-week day, where we headed back to Sea Base to restock on ice or other provisions the ship needed and have to activities around the base. Breakfast was (????). We got into base at about 9:30, but had free time until about 10:50.
Venturing turns 20 in 2018, and you and your crew are invited to the party. The BSA's high-adventure program for young men and young women has announced that the next VenturingFest, celebrating the program's 20th anniversary, will take place July 1 to 6, 2018, at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.
As the Eagle Scout on Team USA's beach volleyball team, Casey Patterson has built up quite a reputation. "I am the guy who has everything when we travel. I fix the net, court and anything else needed to travel the world," he says.
Every year, outdoor gear manufacturers from around the globe show off their latest and greatest at the Outdoor Retailer summer market in Salt Lake City, Utah. Our gear experts spent the last few days combing the floor to find the coolest gear to update your wish lists for your next Scouting outing.
Day 5 (Friday July 15) We had omelettes for breakfast at the dining hall before heading back out to sea. We sailed again briefly in the morning, but the weather was not in our favor and encountered rain which delayed our dives a bit.
At the U.S Olympic Swimming Trials in June in Omaha, Neb., nobody was talking about Ryan Held. Even NBC's colorful analyst Rowdy Gaines, usually prone to hyperbole, called Held a "no-name." But there he was, on the blocks in the 100-meter freestyle final.
Day 6 (Saturday July 16) Our last day on the ship we had pancakes for breakfast, cooked up Logan (the only meal the scouts actually cooked). We then spent the morning sailing for a good hour or more, everyone got a chance at the helm.
Day 7 (Sunday July 17) We got up and had breakfast in the dining hall and then Steve and I went to pick up rental cars at Marathon airport. When we returned, we loaded up and said our farewell to the Florida Sea Base.
Chances are, if you're a Scouter, you enjoy what you're doing. You're helping your son and his friends have fun while they learn things like survival skills, leadership, citizenship and being helpful to others. You're enjoying some of that yourself – as your son learns how to tie knots, you're getting a refresher too. You
Eagle Scout. Arrowman. Olympic gold medalist. Personable Today show guest. Is there anything Ryan Held can't do? The 21-year-old, who is one of seven Eagle Scouts on the 2016 U.S. Olympic roster , won a gold medal Sunday night as a member of Team USA's 4×100 freestyle relay team.
I've told you about 2016 Olympians with Scouting ties , but today we step back 120 years to uncover Scouting connections at the very first Olympics of the modern era. In 1896 in Athens, Robert Garrett of Baltimore became the first modern Olympic champion in discus throw and shot put.
As recruitment festivities kick up, many Scouters are organizing Exploring posts and clubs for the very first time. If you’re one of these rookie Exploring leaders, don’t let planning a new program overwhelm you. Map out those essential to-do’s with the help of ExploringCast— a new podcast series that delivers everything you need to know…
For the first time, the Summit Bechtel Reserve served as the site of the annual UM Scouters Workshop. The June 17-24 event was held at the 5-year-old High-Adventure base and permanent site of the BSA National Jamboree. Gale winds and torrential rain storms pounded the 10 by 12-foot wall tents of the 22 participants during…
I partook in Wood Badge training way back in 1990. From what I hear, the current Wood Badge course is a little different than the one I attended. I did not plan to go to a course that year until another Scout leader decided to give me a kick by registering me.
John Erickson had the feeling he was being watched. The then-Scout Executive was buying milk inside a convenience store in Baton Rouge, La., when he turned to see a boy staring at him. "Are you a Scoutmaster?" the boy asked.
Do you want to encourage more and more Scouts to join Scouting in your local area? Of course you do! But how do you do it, you ask? Take note of how the North Florida Council spruced up the traditional idea of sign-up nights and in turn, boosted Cub Scout recruiting by 18%!
Seven Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 recently participated in a trek at Philmont Scout Ranch. I was there to see them off when they left and wished them a good trip. After I returned home I was in a Philmont mood and noticed I had an email from the Tooth of Time Traders website…
The Youth Protection team is pleased to be joining Scouting Wire. With the broad reach of BSA’s Scouting Wire, and the frequency of its communications, it will be the appropriate way to release information covering youth protection activities to a wide population.
Are you looking for a summer full of the same old thing? Or, are you looking for one-of-a-kind adventures and experiences that you can’t get anyplace else? We can’t help you with the former. But if it’s the latter, then you need to make plans NOW to attend the 2017 National Jamboree .
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.
Looking to add a dose of leadership training to your next big Scouting adventure? Integrate Kodiak Challenge into the plan, and you'll double the impact the trip has on Scouts and Venturers. Kodiak Challenge invites young people to step outside their comfort zones to experience hands-on leadership training.
Back in 2010 our scout council did a March to the Capitol (convenient that the state capitol is in our council). The march was a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the BSA and scouting in America. It was a grand event drawing in nearly 4000 scouts and scouters (if I recall correctly).
I recently had the privilege to spend some time at the international Akela 2016 camp outside Pretoria, and this is the main gateway to the campsite - built by Harmellia Gardens Air Scouts . The camp was held to celebrate the centenary of the establishment of Cubs , and the gateway was designed to resemble the head of…
Eight-man rowing, more than any other Olympic sport, rewards flawless teamwork. So it's exciting, though not shocking, to learn that one of the members of Team USA's eight-man rowing team is an Eagle Scout. Rob Munn, one of seven Eagle Scout Olympians in Rio, will race for gold in Saturday's finals.
There are countless reasons why Scouts love attending summer camp: meeting new friends, conquering challenges and earning merit badges, to name three. But when Chief Seattle Council's Camp Parsons polled its campers this summer, one Scout gave a gloriously perfect response when asked why he's glad he went to camp.
I have heard from several people how fun kayaking can be, but I never really tried it. Well, not until earlier this month. My sister and her son invited me along on a kayak trip down the Sauk River, which runs through Melrose, Minnesota.
This is my second summer as the cubmaster of Pack 68. I have had a good time and have agreed to a third year in the position. The pack does not have meetings during the summer months but we do have a pack activity each month.
The handy printable Cub Scout information cards are great to give the boys and their parents to help them remember important information. And they're FREE!
As fall recruiting season nears, we're putting together our plans to make sure every boy has an opportunity to join Scouting – scheduling Join Scouting nights, polishing our presentations and getting ready with another year of fun, adventure and enrichment. You can tell that fall is approaching because our competition is getting their act in
7 Ways Pokémon Go Changed the World Pokémon Go became so popular so quickly, even Nintendo was surprised at its success. Here's how Pokémon Go is changing things beyond games. 1. Pokémon Go is being used for tourism. The Swiss city of Basel made a video that showcases the town's beauty and resources.
When I was at the Philmont Training Center a few weeks ago, one of our instructors told us that the Outdoor Ethics Awareness Award and the Outdoor Ethics Action Award had been retired. This wasn't a secret, but I didn't want to share with you until I had some documentation. The news has now been
Swim, bike, run … and earn the highest award in Scouting. All in a life's work for Greg Billington, an Eagle Scout who will compete in Thursday's Olympic triathlon. Billington, 27, says you don't have to be Superman (or, in his case, Aquaman) to succeed in school, sports and Scouts.
________________________________________ In my previous column (No. 497 – August 3rd), Jim Byers asked, "In Venturing and Sea Scouts, if you have a coed group on an overnight outing, you need both a male and a female adult leader. Okay so far, but then what's the reasoning that says a Boy Scout troop (or team) can go on…
We've heard from Ryan Held, the Eagle Scout who won a gold medal at the Rio Olympics and says Scouting gave him a welcome respite from the stress of competitive swimming. Now we get to hear from his parents, who say both of their Eagle Scout sons are proof that Scouting helps prepare young people…
The new troop tee shirts have arrived! After a few months of discussing logo designs, and type and color of shirt, the order of the new shirts has arrived. The troop ordered 80 shirts, all adults sizes from medium to extra large, in case a few adults would like to purchase one.
Finishing the longest track and field race in the Olympics takes perseverance. Same with finishing the journey toward becoming an Eagle Scout. Just ask John Nunn - one of the few to have done both. Nunn, 38, is an Eagle Scout who will compete in Friday's 50-kilometer race walk at the 2016 Olympics in Rio.
When a Scoutmaster suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed on a nearby trail, Scouts Drew N. and Jacob E. ran to his aid. The Scouts, who are from the Boy Scouts of America Mount Baker Council , were working as lifeguards at their local Scout camp and had to run barefoot along a gravel trail to reach…
If there was one simple action you could take to amplify your local recruiting efforts, would you take it? Obviously that question is a no-brainer and the answer should be a big ol’ YES! Even better, it only takes a few seconds to complete.
There are two crucial elements to every Exploring post— youth members and adult leaders. Both are what make Exploring possible and the stories of Didi and Tim show just how youth and leaders work to make a difference for themselves and in the lives of others.
By Aaron Derr Photographs by W. Garth Dowling When you are a Boy Scout, you will get to do all kinds of amazing things on the water. Things like sailing, kayaking and rafting on fast-moving water, as well as sailboarding and scuba diving.
By Aaron Derr Photographs by W. Garth Dowling Sailing is tricky. For first-timers, there's lots of stuff to learn. Even the language - words such as bow, starboard and port - is confusing at first. But once you get the hang of it, there are few things cooler than cruising across the water, powered only by the…
Hiking around your neighborhood wearing a brick-filled backpack is a good way to get your body in shape for Philmont. But what about your mind? That's where the Philmont Advisor Skills School and Philmont Advisor Workshop really shine. These courses - offered both at Philmont and in a city near you - are designed for adult advisors…
Serving on a staff of a Wood Badge course? Frustrated with dealing with the DVD that has all of those movie clips? Do you wish you had just normal movie files like .mp4 or .mov files that you could embed in a Keynote or Powerpoint presentation?
Deadly flooding in Louisiana has affected at least 40,000 homes - many belonging to Scout families. Scouts and Scouters in the Evangeline Area Council in Lafayette and the Istrouma Area Council in Baton Rouge have been displaced. "I can't begin to describe the widespread devastation but am overwhelmed with pride for our community as I witness…
At the recent Akela 2016 camp, I was involved in running outdoor activities for the Pack Scouters, alongside the community service and crafts bases that were run. Alongside a tensegrity cube , I ran this challenge- to build a raft using staves, light cord, cardboard boxes and dustbin bags, and float a member of their team…
Jared Ward is an elite-level marathon racer, a statistics professor at BYU, a father of two and a member of Team USA's 2016 Olympic team. So, yeah. The 27-year-old has experienced some incredible things in his life. That makes it all the more remarkable to hear him say this: "Some of my best memories came…
It wasn't adrenaline or horsepower that first got Pat Currie interested in all-terrain vehicles. It was the potential these four-wheeled machines have to recruit new Scouts and to retain older Scouts and Venturers. Currie, Scout Executive of the Dallas-based Circle Ten Council, learned of the Polaris ATV program after the BSA's National Service Center conducted…
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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.
School Night To Join Scouting will be held throughout Minnesota on Thursday, September 22nd. This year's theme is "Heroes Start Here", which nicely fits in with the current wave of superhero movies and television shows. I have to say, I like this theme better the the Rocket Into Scouting used over the last few years.
It's that time of year again – popcorn season! And soon, our Scouts will be knocking on doors, standing on street corners and in front of grocery stores offering the tasty treats of popcorn and other goodies as a thank-you gift to our friends and neighbors for their financial support of Scouting in our communities,
I hope you had a great summer… The picture for this week's podcast is one of my favorite campsites on Proulx lake in Ontario Canada's Algonquin Provincial Park. We took twenty people in three crews this year and had a great time.
Time for a new uniform? Or how about a new pair of boots? If a visit to your local Scout shop is imminent, take this chance to put some extra cash in your pocket. Test your knowledge of U.S. geography in the Scouting magazine Where Am I?
It is that time of year again. Hallmark stores have started selling the 2016 Christmas ornaments. And yes, once again, there is a Snoopy the Beagle Scout ornament for us involved in Scouting to enjoy. This month's ornament features Scout Leader Snoopy and three of his "Scouts" as they head out on a white water…
In all Scouting activities, safety must come first. In and through the challenges, fun, and rewards that go hand in hand with Pioneering, there can be no substitute for prudent behavior and common sense. As you begin your pioneering activities, safety must be your first consideration.
This post is a component of the revised pioneering module in Program Features for Troops, Teams and Crews. Related Advancement First Class Tools requirements Pioneering Merit Badge What is Pioneering? – Pioneering is the knowledge and skill of using simple materials to build structures that are used in a wide range of Scouting activities.
These are some ideas for a Main Event from the revised Pioneering Module of Program Features for Troops, Teams and Crews. Click above for an enlarged view. The following three sample outing outlines can serve troop leaders as a point of reference, or as an actual framework, for the monthly main event relating to the…
I am always keeping an eye out for Beagle Scout Snoopy items. I just like the combination of Scouting and Peanuts, I guess. After writing the last article I decided to have a quick look on eBay to see what other Beagle Scout Snoopy items were being offered for sale.
Plan ahead. Talk to the Scout's parents. Be smart about storage and labeling. Taking these steps and others when dealing with a youth member's medication is a vital part of keeping our Scouts and Venturers safe and healthy. Here's the latest: The July 2016 update to the Guide to Safe Scouting includes some new guidance…
Members of the International Service Team (IST) who will staff the 24 th World Scout Jamboree (WSJ) at the Summit Bechtel Reserve (SBR) in 2019 will come from more than 160 National Scouting Organizations. The geographic diversity of the IST means that there will be limited staff slots for members of the Boy Scouts of…
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.
August 25, 2016 is the one hundredth anniversary of America's National Park Service. Just two months after he signed the congressional charter for the Boy Scouts of America, President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act, formally establishing the National Park Service.
To inspire curiosity and help youth unlock their potential, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) expands its popular STEM Scouts pilot program to seven new councils this fall. Available in 20 BSA councils nationwide, STEM Scouts is a coed program designed to captivate young people as they discover science, technology, engineering and mathematics and pique…
Outdoor Programs is pleased to present the 2017 National Camping School schedule . With your budget planning process currently in full swing, we know it is important to have these dates ahead of time — please pass along to your program team.
For every two open STEM jobs right now, there's only one qualified candidate. And while lots of people are talking about the dearth of hands-on STEM experience for young people, the Boy Scouts of America is doing something about it.
Looking for merit badge counselors? Then the newest Scoutbook feature has the answer! At the National Annual Meeting in May, Scoutbook announced the creation of the Scoutbook Council Administrator position and three initial features connecting councils with Scoutbook units: A Messaging feature for Scoutbook units, available for leaders, parents, and youth (with youth accounts) Sharing…
Are you one of the councils participating in the Lion pilot program? Or maybe you’re a passionate Scouter who’s eager to learn more? Well you’re in luck, because there’s a place you can go to check out all the Lion resources you might need.
This summer, more than 700 Venturers from across the country joined together for the first ever VenturingFest at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia. The event was a mighty success and the next VenturingFest has been officially announced for 2018—just in time for the High-Adventure program’s 20 th anniversary!
It’s back to school season which means your council is in the thick of recruitment! We’ve shared some easy tips and tricks to inspire your best recruiting efforts, and today, we’re taking you behind the scenes to introduce you to the man at the National Service Center who has made membership growth his biggest priority.
Carry a century of Scouting stories, knowledge and history everywhere you go by downloading the new Scouting magazine app. With the app, available for iOS, Android and Kindle devices, you can browse every issue of Scouting magazine ever printed - 1913 to today - for just $4.99 a year.
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Starting south bound on the Superior Hiking Trail at Cascade River wayside at 1:30pm
Thomas Donohue, a Distinguished Eagle Scout who is president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has a message for the 3 million businesses - companies large and small - who are members of the Chamber. He says Exploring , the BSA's hands-on career-development program for young people ages 14 to 21, is a powerful tool for…
I found this suspension bridge article written by L.C. Sands in the February 1937 Scouter magazine: No special credit is claimed for having succeeded in building the bridge described here, as it involves a principle in common use, but as the writer has not seen anything similar described in any of the books on pioneering…
It's the National Park Service's 100th birthday, but you get the gift. 2017 National Jamboree leaders this week announced the creation of 22 special subcamp patches, each celebrating a different national park. As first reported on the Summit Bechtel Reserve website , the 2017 National Jamboree subcamps have been renamed in honor of national parks - from…
Some requirements, like First Class Rank Requirement 1a, can be confusing; Since joining, participate in 10 separate troop/patrol activities, six of which include overnight camping. These 10 activities do not include troop or patrol meetings. On at least five of the six campouts, spend the night in a tent that you pitch or other structure…
The Scout motto – Be Prepared – has been with us since the beginning, when Baden-Powell encouraged his young charges to be ready for whatever life might throw their way. It came from his days as a military leader, training his soldiers to be ready both in battle and in peacetime. When asked the meaning of be
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While trying to light her camp stove, hiker Dawn Nakano severely burned her lower leg. What happened next was straight out of Hollywood. “If our story was a movie, no one would believe the part where, right after the accident, as we realize how difficult it will be to get to a hospital, along comes…
Explore Your Future with Exploring Some people know the answer when they're little. Some people don't figure it out until later. (Sometimes much later.) It's a question all of us are asked at some point: "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Story by Christine Rasure, Director of Marketing and Communications at the Greater St. Louis Area Council Scouting gives youth the freedom to explore a world of experiences beyond the boundaries of their everyday life. For a handful of Boy Scouts in the Greater St.
My son was frustrated, decided to change troops, and was elected senior patrol leader in his new troop. The Scoutmaster is a man of good intentions but with a commanding presence. Over time he has taken to leading himself because it's easier and less messy.
