New Scoutmasters Quick Guide to Not Worrying About a Campout

Many times, I've seen a scout light a twig and watch it burn out, wondering why it did not catch those twigs around it. Then, he'll light the next twig, and so on until he's out of matches. There's fuel and air, but no heat - all the heat went up into the sky rather than into the fuel laying around it.

Poof - The scout shaves some slivers, makes a nice pile, and lights it. Then, he drops a large piece of wood on and smothers it. ReDo - Flames quickly leap from the prepared fuel and the scout admires his work. When the flames begin to ebb, he realizes he needs more wood. While he's off gathering more twigs, it goes out and he's back to square one. Fire making certainly is a mixture of art and science. It's a skill that, once mastered, can serve a scout his entire life.

In any situation, he may very well be the only one knowledgeable and comfortable with quickly, safely, and consistently creating fire for heat, cooking, or just entertainment. Fortunately, a couple years ago, a scout joined the troop with a spark in his eye. He kindled that spark into many a fire - campfire in dry summer, fire for hobo dinners in wet spring, and early morning breakfast fire in 18 inches of snow in dead of winter. Matthew made fires himself.

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He gathered and prepped the wood, laid the fire, and brought it to life with no help. He renewed my faith that there is still hope for a fire-cooked meal, s'mores, and campfire stories. For lots more fire starting info, visit Campfire Dude. Hey, there's a lot going on today, but this is much more important and I just had to share. I love Portland, Oregon. I love dry humor. And, this video has it all! What's the proper way to eat an oreo? This project could be an idea for lots of merit badges - Art, Electronics, Engineering, Inventing, Metalwork, Robotics, and Welding at least.

Today is your last chance to enter this month's give-away on Contest page. Scout On See 3 comments Leave Comment. It's not so bad when you're right by the cars on a weekend campout, but if your food is lost while deep in the backcountry on a high adventure, you can be in big trouble. With a couple days hiking between your crew and the nearest trailhead, running out of food probably won't kill you, but it's a big step in that direction. How can a group LOSE their food? Water - Rain and crackers don't mix well. Dropping a food bag into a lake or stream can ruin unprotected items.

Fortunately, this is easy and light to prevent. Repackage everything into zip-loc bags. This reduces packaging weight and keeps everything safe from moisture. Putting multiple small bags into a larger 2. It also provides easy garbage storage. Dirt - When you drop your ritz cracker with honey on it, you know which side will hit the ground! You can blow dirt off many items, but not all. Being careful when opening packages, passing bowls, and stirring pots is the best protection against dropping and spilling food.

No one's going to want those ramen noodles after you tip the cookpot over, are they? There's not much concern about dirt getting into food while hiking, but spilling food at camp is a common problem. Stupidity - The food is forgotten in the car, along the trail, or at the previous campsite. By just not paying attention and double-checking yourself, you can forget your food. Yes, I have seen it happen!

Animals - Critters are opportunists. Anything that smells interesting gets investigated. And, they can find the smallest bits hidden far out of sight so sleeping with your food isn't a great idea. The most common stealers are mice, chipmunks, raccoons, other rodents and birds. Bears generally stay away from people, unless they've been habituated - learned to associate people with easy food. In those popular locations with problem bears, special regulations are in place for visitors which often includes use of bear-proof cannisters.

Whether it's bears or mini-bears rodents that are the concern, protecting food is handled in a similar manner. Storing it in a smell-resistant bag and hanging it out of reach keeps it safe. If bears aren't a concern, as when I hiked the Arizona Trail, there are wire mesh food bags available that mini-bears can't chew through, like OutSak. For those times when you need to hang, I've found the PCT Method just google it to be the best if there are large trees around.

Along the Superior Hiking Trail in Minnesota, I could often only find small trees and came up with my own way of hanging so the food is high enough and away from the tree. Throw rope with carabiner on end over high branch. Clip food bag to carabiner. Lift carabiner and food bag as high up the rope as possible and loop rope through carabiner so it doesn't slide. Walk the other end of the rope away from the tree to move the bag out from the tree.

Tie rope to another tree as high up as I can reach. This puts the food bag well over 10 feet up since I can reach up 8 feet. Well, at least I didn't lose any food! But, here's something new and interesting A couple guys at University of Wisconsin in Stout, WI have designed a new product for hanging food bags. It's supposed to be simple to use and secure from pesky food stealers. They made this video demonstrating how to use it.

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Unforatunately, there aren't any close-ups of the device or explanation on how it works. So, take a look and let us all know what you think - innovation or not? Scout On See 1 comment Leave Comment. That's a week to give folks a chance to enter. One will be randomly chosen and I'll contact you at the email address you leave in your comment.

One of the things I like about Scouting is how the entire program from Tigers or Lions now to Eagles gradually provides age-appropriate opportunities for growth in the areas of character, citizenship, and fitness. One of the many tightropes a scout volunteer leader, such as den leader, cubmaster, and scoutmaster, needs to walk is balancing the appropriateness of activities and tasks. For example, camping at the Cub Scout level happens in frontcountry settings and includes a parent or guardian for each scout while Boy Scouts have just a couple leaders and can explore into the wilderness as scout skills progress.

Earlier experiences are small and manageable, and lay a foundation for more challenging later adventures. Leadership is a core part of the scouting experience and all scouts should be offered opportunity to lead at all levels of scouting. The Denner role is a wonderful means by which individual scouts experience small doses of leadership, and the power, responsibility, and frustration that can come from it. Every den should use the Denner position. The denner is a den member that has been selected to the position for a short time. This is usually a month or two so he can participate in this role multiple times.

It's important that the den participate in the choosing of the denner, but selections can be handled different ways based on the age of scouts. Tiger and Wolf scouts may choose which scout will be the denner to fill a list of months.

Bears may elect the next denner with a show of hands. Webelos could have a secret ballot election. I had a life scout show up this past winter for a below freezing campout. His insulation consisted of a beach towel. Terry, I love this comment! Make it fun and approachable. I really like your idea of having a patrol tent handy. I do this for resident camping for changing clothes as an option. Still, I like having a tent for that reason. We started using hammocks for Scout camps here in UK a couple of years ago.

Then lately we invested in DD scout hammocks and tarps. Loads better then tents! Although tents still have a place in some situations. What is LNT principles. We are not all boyscouts or in my case it has been over 50 years. Using abbreviations in the middle of a blog that has no meaning is very frustating. The seven Leave No Trace principles are used by the national park service, forest service, and the Boy Scouts, to name a few.

Its wonderful to read about you being a scout leader and spending time taking youth out camping and giving them a chance to learn all sorts of important skills and life lessons. Great write up again Derek. Derek, what is that awesome boat-net contraption under the green tarp in the upper right of the introductory photo? Did you rig that up, or did you buy it? Also — our Boy Scout troop has lots of avid hammock campers, of which my son is now a strong advocate, as am I!

I ended up rigging and extra sleeping bag under my hammock for warmth and it worked great! There was another trip that got literally rained out, as our camp ground was flooded. Only myself and 10 boys were in hammocks, while all scout leaders and 13 other boys were in tents on ground that turned into mini-ponds. Again, a win for hammocks! Question regarding the tent policy for BSA in regard to hammocks. I assume, since I have read from multiple sources about hammocks and scouts, it is not an issue, but… With tents there has to be at least two scouts in a tent, and adult leaders cannot share a tent with youth.

My son and I have converted to hammocks, and at the next campout this Friday I assume some of the other boys may start leaning that way as well when they see us in the trees. Our Scoutmaster is getting a hammock for his birthday at the campout as well. And a second question regarding summer camps. How much pushback have you had in trying to use hammocks in established camps? Do most require portable stands?

Any problems with gear security? No where in BSA policy is this mandated. I know you can teach scouts the importance of teamwork, camaraderie, patrol spirit, etc. In fact, the most common thing I find when scouts bunk together is that they keep each other up all night talking and goofing off! The only rule is that they are not permitted to sleep with an adult unless that adult is his parent.

At one camp, they prohibit hammocks. Many change in their hammocks. Larger tarps do a pretty good job of screening for privacy. We usually have an adult in camp that watches over things. There are lots of ways to secure gear and provide privacy with hammocks. So my 2 cents on it and support that hammocks can help there as well.

My experience is it was always required local rule I know now. I have seen abuse by boys, and that is a real risk. A campout several years ago 12 year olds with new camera phones were a real issue with real consequences. The buddy system can give protection against false accusations against leaders or scouts, but more realistic protection from predatory leaders or others is why it has always been a local rule for us I have seen it in 3 different troops.

Hammocks remove that problem to a degree by being more open except when changing clothes or trips to the latrine primitive or improved. I totally support the youth protection which protects leaders just as much. Always a witness and in public. Several leaders I did not know passed us, and not once was I challenged. We do have a BIG problem with scouts getting no sleep and staying up all night thinking the tent keeps their voices contained, and some scouts who want to wander at night we have some challenging youth in our troop.

Again, hammocks help leaders to monitor night time excursions more easily in my opinion. Gear security — my intent was along the lines of your answer. Thanks for spotting this. I agree that a young person in this situation in any organization should be counseled promptly, so that he or she has a better chance to alter course and fulfill the responsibilities. But it sounded to me as if all the intervention in that troop, and in your response, was being done by the adult volunteers. That said, keep in mind that the SPL has a major ongoing role in being the top leader in the troop, including chairing all meetings and activities of the Patrol Leaders Council.

Often, Scout leadership positions seem to be just rubber stamped. I did come across something I thought was pretty useful; it was from another troop: New Scoutmaster—but learning fast. You really need to buy and read this one.

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• Integrating Hammock Camping into your Scout Troop.

They learn the answer when they discover it for themselves. The one thing the Summit Project specifically says is: If this Venturer wants to use a portion of his or her Summit project to be considered as a Ranger Conservation project as well, that would probably be alright, but the Summit project should stand on its own. So a Scout invites his 12 year-old classmate and friend to come along with his patrol on a troop-wide weekend campout, and ultimately invites his friend to join up and be a Scout.

His friend is for it, and his parents fill out the application and so forth.