As we confront the fallout of coronavirus let’s remind ourselves Scouting is staying connected and bridging the gaps.

Yep. we are in a pickle aren’t we?

We have very little idea of what our lives will look like this time next year. Coronavirus has shaken us all up and we are all doing our best to hold on.

Scouting will continue to be around, though, if we look for it in the right place.

This is a good time to remind ourselves what Scouting is and what it is not because much of what it is not may be going away for good or at least slipping below the horizon for a while.

Besides it’s so much easier to remember what Scouting is–

Scouting is the development of character in the individual Scout through the application of the Scout oath and law.

Everything else is not Scouting, it’s merely window dressing.

I like window dressing as much as anyone, but I don’t absolutely need it.

All levels of organization above the patrol; the various and sundry programs, meetings, and events; the trappings, gee-jaws and gimcracks – all of these window dressings will be out of hand for most of us for the uncertain future – and we’ll have the opportunity to hone in on what really matters: the development of character in the individual Scout.

How, exactly, will we do this?

I am not exactly sure, but we will.

If I were still a Scoutmaster I’d be asking my youth leaders for their ideas. I’ll bet they have some answers I never thought of. There must be many ways we can serve our communities and focus on what Scouting is even in these challenging times.

We’ll all be surprised at how resilient and flexible Scouting can be when you concentrate on the real power of what it is.  Many inspirational examples can be found in the stories from Scouts who were in occupied countries during WWII:

• Check out this post about one of my favorite Scouting books “The Left Handshake“
• Read about Kazimierz Piechowski.

Keep in touch, stay connected, bridge the gaps, we’ll all be fine – let me know what your Scouts come up with and I’ll share it with everyone.

Just when you think everything is going well, and you pat yourself on the back for being such an effective Scouter, you are confronted with a behavior problem.

Oh for Pete’s sake! Not again!

Yes, again… and again, and again.

We get disappointed, then angry, then sad. There are times it all feels like we are pushing water uphill.

You probably know what I am going to say next (and may find it as frustrating to hear as I often do); behavior problems are an opportunity, and a very important one at that.

In the posts and podcasts below I emphasize calming yourself down, shifting your perspective, and getting to work. Behavior problems are not uncommon, nor even unwelcome, in Scouting because we are uniquely equipped to resolve them into an opportunity for growth.

Yeah, I know, behavior problems are not anyone’s favorite part of being a Scouter, but they present us with a moment of great potential to make a difference.

Hope this helps!

Clarke

A weekend trip in 2006 to Baltimore. We stayed aboard the John W. Brown, a WWII Liberty Ship. This was a great bunch of Scouts, although twelve years later I can tell you some of the faces in this picture would be the source of some behavior “opportunities” for us.

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Posts

Constructive Scouting Discipline

Scoutmasters don’t punish Scouts who can’t or won’t follow the Scout Oath and Law, it’s not our responsibility, it is the responsibility of the Scout’s parents.

Essential Everlasting Gear

Over the years I’ve sorted through tons of jingle-jangle, gimmicky camping gear to find stuff that stands the test of time. My choices may not be the newest or cheapest, but they are essential everlasting gear I’ve relied on  for years.

We replaced our old propane gas lanterns five or more years ago with Coleman Pack-Away LED Lanterns. Like any Scout gear they’ve been battered, bruised and broken and we’ve decided it’s time they were replaced.

Overall the Rayovac Sportsman seems to be built more solidly than the Coleman Pack-Away.The telescoping feature of the Coleman Pack-Away turned out to be a weakness, as did the battery compartment cover; they simply didn’t stand up to regular (Scout) use.

After some research and testing we have decided on the Rayovac Sportsman LED lantern. It’s smaller, tougher, uses three rather than four D batteries, has higher brightness and longer battery life.

Comparing the cost of running a propane lantern to an LED lantern:

D Battery
Average cost $1.50 each, 3 = $4.50. Lasts 40 hours on high setting = .11 per hour
1 LB Propane cylinder
Average cost $3.50. Lasts 5 1/2 hours on high setting = .63 per hour

I think it’s safe to say that propane lanterns cost at least six or seven  times as much to run as an LED lantern when considering the cost of mantles.
To run a propane lantern for 40 hours you’d use at least 7 disposable cylinders, with an LED lantern you’d use three D sized batteries – the LED lantern creates far less waste.

The Rayovac Sportsman does have one minor problem (I hesitate to call it a flaw) and that’s closing the battery compartment. Two arrows must be aligned perfectly and it’s not quite so simple as it sounds, but you’ll get it with a little practice.

We’ve purchased six for our Scout troop. We’ll  see how well the Rayovac Sportsman  fairs over the next few years. Their solid build, value for cost and functionality look promising.

2019 Update This review was written in 2013, and after six years of heavy use in the hands of Scouts later these Rayovac lanterns are still going strong, just about indestructible.

Rayovac Sportsman LED Lantern  at Amazon

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Scouting is camping with your patrol, and one of my favorite ways to go camping is backpacking.

Reducing everything you will need to live for a couple of days to what you can comfortably carry on your back is a test of skill, and planning ; it challenges our moral, physical and mental abilities.

Don’t be put off by the logistics, start with trips designed for success. Leading a good backpacking trip begins with tailoring the route to the ability of the group. Mileage for mileage’s sake leads to an ordeal of endurance that Scouts may not want to repeat. Better to have the Scouts eager to challenge a longer hike or a tougher trail than feel reluctant to try again.

Make this happen for your Scouts, you’ll never look back!

Hope this helps

Clarke

2009, on the Appalachian trail in Pennsylvania again, the pinnacle is a favorite destination for our backpacking trips.

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Posts

Take Scouts Backpacking!

When I became a Scouter I knew that backpacking was an exciting, skill building, Patrol strengthening, activity for my Scouts. We’ve been backpacking at least once a year since I became our Scoutmaster in 1984.

Backpack Basics Infographic

This infographic measurement instructions and basic information on choosing the right backpack. The most important thing about a choosing the right backpack is getting a proper fit.

To carry correctly and comfortably a pack must fit both torso length and hip size. Torso length is measured along the spine between the base of the neck and the top of the hips and hip size is measured around the top of the hips, (don’t confuse this with waist size).

The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide

Andrew Skurka’s new book The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide will change the way how we sling a  pack on our backs and hoof it into the wild. Skurka’s stunning 30,000 miles of trekking over the past decade have resulted in The Ultimate Hiker’s Gear Guide. His writing is as focused, practical and essential as his twenty pound pack – there’s nothing in it you don’t need.

Hikesafe & Trek Safely

Measures to assure a successful experience are not elaborate or restrictive – indeed they are quite simple. Scoutmasters can help their scouts plan and lead safe hikes and backpacking trips without removing the challenge and adventure by using these resources.

Choosing Trail Gear

Here’s some advice from one of my old Scouts, Wade Bastian, on the Appalachian trail gear he carried on his hike.

Podcasts

Podcast 111 – Interview with Andrew Skurka

Andrew has probably hiked more miles than most of us have driven a car.

Eagles on the Appalachian Trail – Podcast 338

Two of my old Eagle Scouts who headed out for a hike last week. Bucky Kellorg and Wade Bastian join me from their “zero day” about fifty miles into a 2000 mile quest to reach the end of the Appalachian trail on Mt. Katahdin in Maine.

Hear an unvarnished account of their first backpacking trip and how it relates to their present challenge. I hope you have as much fun listening as I did talking to them!

Podcast 340 – On the Appalachian Trail Again

We visit with Bucky Kellorg and Wade Bastian as they make their way north along the Appalachian Trail. We’ll see how things are going , talk about gear, and see if they have trail names yet

Podcast 346 – On The Appalachian Trail Again

From a third of the way through their quest to complete the 2000 mile Appalachian Trail. Wade “Nutshoe” Bastain, Bucky “No Name, Buckminster” Kellorg, and their fellow Eagle Scout and hiking companion “Bear” join us from southern Virginia to relate their latest adventures along the Appalachian trail.

Essential Everlasting Gear

Over the years I’ve sorted through tons of jingle-jangle, gimmicky camping gear to find stuff that stands the test of time.  My choices may not be the newest or cheapest, but they are reliable solutions I’ve relied on  for years.The best internal frame packs I have found for Scouts and Scouters are the Scout 3400 and Explorer 4000 from Teton Sports. Since I first reviewed these packs in 2013 we have purchased dozens for our Scouts

Calling something ‘the best’ is different from calling something  ‘perfect’ and that’s never more true than when I evaluate camping gear for Scouts. The ‘best’ gear has the best set of features for the best price, and the Teton packs meet the test.

Three decades of taking Scouts backpacking have taught me that most important things about a Scout’s backpack is a proper fit and that it can be adjusted as a Scout grows.  A top-of-the-line $400.00 backpack that doesn’t fit properly or grow along with a Scout is not only a waste of money, it’s going to be so uncomfortable a Scout will think twice before he goes backpacking  again.

The Teton Scout 3400 adjusts from 15 -19.5 inch torsos (for people up to 5’9″ in height) and 26-60 inch hips,  the Teton Explorer 4000 fits 16-23″ torsos and 26-70 inch hips. This broad range of adjustment virtually guarantees a Scout can use these packs through his Scouting years and into adulthood.

The shoulder straps, hip belt and back pads form the suspension system. A proper suspension system includes a lumbar pad, ergonomically curved shoulder straps, a sternum strap, and load adjusting straps, all features of the Teton packs.

Features

Both Teton packs have side pockets, in my experience Scouts better organize, access, and pack their gear with side pockets. There’s space behind the side pockets on the Explorer 4000 to stow tent poles or other long items, on the Scout 3400 there’s provision for long items in the main compartment by unzipping the side of the divider between the upper and lower compartments.  Both have zippered pockets in the lid, a mesh pocket on the back and two water bottle pockets at hip level.  There are compression straps help stabilize and compress the load so the pack carries properly.

Both Packs have an upper and lower main compartments. Traditionally the lower compartment is for the sleeping bag, but the less expensive sleeping bags Scouts are likely to own may be too bulky to fit. In that case I recommend packing the sleeping bag a stuff sack, putting it in in the top main compartment and putting other gear in the lower compartment.

WHY ARE THESE THE ‘BEST’?

Outfitting a Scout for backpacking can be expensive, and a proper pack is a big part of that expense. At this writing the Scout 3400 is $60.00 and the Explorer 4000 is $80.00 on Amazon; excellent prices for packs with these features. Naturally these aren’t just used for backpacking, they can carry gear for just about any camping trip.

These packs are a little heavy (The 400o weighs 5 pounds and the 3400 weighs 4.5 pounds)  a lighter weight pack may be more expensive.

Scout 3400 Internal Frame Backpack at Amazon

Explorer 4000 Internal Frame Backpack at Amazon

After spotting these packs online and reading reviews I requested and received them from the manufacturer for evaluation.

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Scouter Training is closer to employee training than active Scouting. Sitting through scripted sessions punctuated by unrealistic, often dated, videos is one way to learn, but it’s not the best way to learn Scouting.

I’ve never been a good classroom student, I learn more by doing, so I tend to value hands on experience. Experiential, “on the job”, learning is more true to Scouting’s purposeful game than training administrators to deliver a scripted program.

Scouter training, however, is not without value. I encourage Scouters to avail themselves of training opportunities, and also acknowledge it is just the first step to understanding our work.

Scouting happens when we do what Scouts do, and very little of that happens in a classroom.

Hope this helps!

Clarke

Contact me with your questions

Scouting happens outdoors making things happen with your patrol, something training can describe but can not duplicate. Here we are in 2007 on the Appalachian Trail in Pennsylvania.

Posts

Scouter Training Do’s and Don’ts

I’ve headed up a number of Scouter training events, and been trained in several different volunteer positions. Scouters are typically gregarious, good-spirited folks; but the dedication and single-mindedness required to be a good Scouter sometimes makes us difficult trainees. Here’s my do’s and don’ts for getting the most out of a Scouter training course.

Three ‘Secret Weapons’ Every Scouter Should Have

When you have the answers conflicts, arguments and misunderstandings get resolved. These three “secret weapons” answer 95% of the questions! And they are free!

Six Online Training Courses Every Scouter Should Take

As a young Scoutmaster I felt a lot of the polices I learned in Scouter Training were limitations, but now I don’t see these safety practices as restrictive. Quite to the contrary I feel more empowered and confident that I can help my Scouts plan and supervise potentially risky activities.

Train Yourself

Your best asset is a resilient  calm, determined attitude. We don’t equate self-worth and accomplishment with immediate results – develop your tolerance for adversity and uncertainty. Value experience above skill. Experience helps us avoid the common mistakes, weed out shortsighted solutions, and take measures that work in the long-term.

Podcasts

Podcast 214 – New Adult Leader

What advice do you have for a Webelos Den leader who just crossed over with his Webelos into a Scout Troop? In this podcast I give my best answer.

Podcast 325 – Email Answers

Listen to my reply to the question – What tips do you have for a Scoutmaster who is new to the idea of having an active 18-20 year old in an Assistant Scoutmaster role?”

Podcast 336 | One Sentence Scouter Job Description

Over the past decade of writing the blog at Scoutmastercg.com I’ve been looking for a one sentence definition of Scouting. Something we can tell ourselves that focuses us on what’s important about our work as Scouters.  I think I may have found it, listen in and see if you agree. 

Essential Everlasting Gear

Over the years I’ve sorted through tons of jingle-jangle, gimmicky camping gear to find stuff that stands the test of time.  My choices may not be the newest or cheapest, but they are reliable solutions I’ve relied on  for years.

Winco Pot Gripper

There are all kinds of  pliers to mange hot cooking pots and pans on a fire, but these are the best I’ve found. Made for constant use in a commercial environment they ought to last a lifetime. The most important feature, though, is that there’s a spring that keeps the pliers open allowing you to use them one handed – something no other pot pliers I have used have.

Winco PPG-8A Cast Aluminum Gripper at Amazon

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Please feel free to share any of the resources I have created with your fellow Scouting volunteers and your Scouts. I ask only that you acknowledge where you found them.

If you are reading this you are a volunteer, and probably not just for Scouting. Volunteering for Scouting returns more satisfaction and joy than we really deserve, but there’s always a danger of getting spread too thin.

It’s a running joke among volunteers who keep running into each other at different activities there must only be about ten or twelve volunteers running every activity in town (this isn’t far from the truth sometimes!).

We all have a breaking point, and it’s best not to test exactly where that is, so be sure to establish volunteering boundaries.

Over the years I have visited the ideas of effective volunteering a number of times, most of what I know I learned the hard way. Hopefully the information below will help you avoid the most common volunteer pitfalls.

Scouts and parents don’t always remember to say thank you, and it’s easy for me to say thanks for doing what you do as a Scouter, but it’s a heartfelt thanks.

Hope this helps!

Clarke

2007 Annual Father and Son Weekend

If you are fortunate you get to work with some wonderful volunteers like these. A group picture of Scouters and troop alumni, some great stories and dear memories.

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Posts

Scouters are Extra-Ordinary

Ordinary folks bring their children to a Scout meeting. Extraordinary folks are already there to make the Scout meeting possible.

Now there’s no shame in being ordinary. The world needs lots of good, steady, ordinary people to keep things moving along.

But the world would be a much less interesting place without extraordinary people who freely give themselves to a noble cause like Scouting.

Assume Goodwill

Sometimes all we need to solve our biggest problems is a slight shift in attitude. What would things be like if our first assumption was goodwill?

Lack of Volunteers?

If your appeals for help aren’t having positive results it may be that you’ve convinced yourself that no one cares, that no one will help. People can sense that and it may be your attitude that keeps them away.

What Don’t People Get About Being A Scouter?

Volunteer Scouters often have to explain themselves and dispel persistent misconceptions.

Wearing Too Many Hats?

Frank Maynard’s excellent blog ” Bobwhite Blather ” addresses one of the most common problems in Scouting: wearing too many hats!

Volunteer Boundaries

Volunteering is a wonderful, generous  way to spend our time but we all have a breaking point. If we don’t have volunteer boundaries there’s a pretty good chance we are headed for a crisis. Call it burn-out fatigue, or what-have-you – it’s the point where it all piles up and makes us doubt whether we can keep going.

Are you Serving Scouts or Expecting to be Served?

When we grow impatient or become frustrated with our Scouts we need to remind ourselves in almost every case they are trying to make good rather than trying to make trouble. Find a way to cooperate with that effort and you’ll not only make your Scouts happier, you’ll be happier yourself!

Podcasts

Podcast 239 – Help!

Everyone needs help, right? Most Scouters, at one time or another, find ourselves overwhelmed, discouraged and helpless. Don’t worry, you aren’t alone, and there’s a way out! See if the email answer about getting volunteers to help in this podcast helps you.

Podcast 294 – Cooperative Volunteering

Not every Scouter is in a key position to effect change, not every scouter shares your exact understanding of the ‘right’ way to do things, so how do you volunteer cooperatively?

Podcast 201 – Thank You!

In this podcast a big thanks for the work you do.

Essential Everlasting Gear

I’ve sorted through tons of jingle-jangle, gimmicky camping gear to find stuff that stands the test of time.  My choices aren’t always the newest or cheapest, but ones I’ve relied on it for many years.

P-38 OPENER, CAN, HAND, FOLDING, TYPE I

The P-38 can opener was used by soldiers to open canned field rations from WWII though the Viet Nam war. A p-38 hangs, at the ready, from my keyring in the event of a can-opener-less emergency, although I must confess I have yet t0 find myself in one. Another p-38 is sleeping in my camping contingency kit waiting to be called into service when there’s no other alternative.

I continue to carry a P-38 even though, in a world of Swiss army knives, it is probably not realistically practical. I suppose I carry one out of a sense of tradition, fascination with its history, and a preoccupation with the idea the day will come when I heroically open an otherwise un-openable can.

A man has to dream, doesn’t he?

Available at Amazon

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Please feel free to share any of the resources I have created with your fellow Scouting volunteers and your Scouts. I ask only that you acknowledge where you found them.

Engaging youth leadership and helping them develop their skills is one of the most rewarding parts of our work.

Scouting may have many things in common with other youth activities but it is unique. We apply what we know from our professions and our own experiences to training and mentoring youth, but often miss the unique opportunities Scouting presents. Start by laying aside what you know and see if the ideas I have collected here help you get a better handle on working with your Scouts.

The posts I’ve selected for this newsletter lay out broad ideas and principles that have helped me. Every Scout a Leader is a good start. I hope it gets you to rethink your definition of  leadership and differentiate it from responsibility.

This won’t be the last newsletter about youth leadership, it’s a fascinating, fun, essential, aspect of Scouting that deserves your study.

Hope this helps!

Clarke

Live Long and Prosper

Leadership develops when it is practiced in real time, in the thousand small interactions that can’t be simulated in a training session. Here’s patrol at summer camp gathered around a picnic table logging their thoughts for the day. No adult interference, 45 minutes to do ten minutes worth of work, inefficient, chaotic, and the best thing that ever happened to a youth leader.

Contact me with your questions

Posts

Every Scout a Leader

We tend  to focus on directive leadership roles when engaging our Scouts in leadership, but every Scout exercises leadership skills. Here’s some thoughts you can use to encourage all of your Scouts to engage in leadership.

What is a “Youth-Led” Troop?

You’ve heard the assertion “we have a  youth-led Troop,” but what does that really mean? Truth be told young people lead themselves all the time, it comes quite naturally to them, and it would be surprising if you did not have a youth-led troop.

What adults do or don’t do has more to do with this than what Scouts do or don’t do.

Ten Ways to Frustrate a Youth Leader

How do I know what frustrates a youth leader?  I have been guilty of each of these ten things at one time or another.

Responding to Initiative

Imagine you are 13 and have just been elected patrol leader.

Perhaps you’ve watched how all this works for a year or two and have at least some idea of what patrol leader does. It’s likely that this is the first time you’ve had this kind of responsibility so you can’t really fully appreciate what it means. Perhaps you’ve received some formal training; maybe it made sense at the time, maybe it didn’t.

How the adults around this new patrol leader respond is crucial to how their skills develop.

Podcasts

Podcast 322 – Youth Engagement

Our ideal responsive leadership role as a barely perceptible influence empowering young people to do things for themselves. We accomplish this in a progressive partnership: adult and youth roles are collaborative, not hierarchical.

Podcast 286 – Positions of Responsibility

When we discuss positions of responsibility for Scouts we ought to ask if most of the things that happen in the troop at the adult level done according to a job description adhering to a chain of command or do adults mostly just work together cooperatively to do what needs to be done? Who makes sure the adults perform their duties? How does that happen?

Podcast 231 – Responsibility and Leadership

In this podcast I answer email questions about positions of responsibility , leadership and other subjects

Essential Everlasting Gear

I’ve sorted through tons of jingle-jangle, gimmicky camping gear to find stuff that stands the test of time.  My choices aren’t always the newest or cheapest, they are ones I’ve relied on it for many years.

Silva 1-2-3 Compass

Scouts must learn to use a compass and map together in order to advance in rank. It follows that they need a compass, but which is the best Scout compass?

Base-plate compasses like the Silva starter 1-2-3 are the best all-around, not the least expensive, but incredibly durable compasses. Resist the temptation to purchase a cheaper knock off – there are some significant differences:

• Dampening – the capsule (the round container with the magnetic needle) of a quality compass is filled with oil that slows or dampens the movement of the needle. Cheaper compasses take a long time to settle.
• Markings – cheaper compasses often do not have a direction of travel arrow or adequate degree markings.

Compasses come in many forms; some more useful than others.

Lensatic compasses are designed for military navigation methods that are different from Scouting or orienteering methods. A true mil-spec lensatic compass is several times more expensive and accurate than the cheaper knockoffs. Lensatic compasses are not as useful for Scouts as the base-plate compass.

Simple compasses like the Silva Trailblazer above are significantly more difficult to follow than base-plate compasses; they are also more difficult to use in taking bearings from a map.

Silva Starter 1-2-3 Compass available at Amazon

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ScoutmasterCG Backer

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Please feel free to share any of the resources I have created with your fellow Scouting volunteers and your Scouts. I ask only that you acknowledge where you found them.

Welcome to the ScoutmasterCG newsletter; selected posts and podcasts published every other Monday about a specific aspect of Scouting. We’ll get things rolling by asking an important question; why Scouting?

During my first few years as a Scoutmaster I was just kind of sailing along without really thinking too much about why we were doing what we were doing. Volunteer training teaches rules, regulations, and  procedures, but we don’t often ask ourselves exactly what Scouting is or why it is important.

Once I found some answers we started doing some things and stopped doing others.

After a while I started this blog, and a while later the Scoutmaster Podcast. The first post in this week’s newsletter titled “Why Scouting?”is the first post I published in 2005 (and have rewritten it many times).

Over the thirty years I spent as a Scoutmaster the basics became clearer, and I learned to devote my energy to what I have found really matters about our work.

Hope this helps!

Clarke

My Troop at Camp Horseshoe, 2005

This is the year I started writing the blog that would become ScoutmasterCG. These Scouts are well into adulthood now. We shared some great times at camp and watched as they have grown up and found their way in life (just last year my wife and went to one of their weddings).

Contact me with your questions

Posts

Why Scouting?

Scouting happens instinctively. Look at any group of young people anywhere in the world, anytime in history, and observe how they organize themselves. They form groups, adopt uniforms, establish standards, develop a credo, and create initiatory challenges.

Origins of the Patrol System

Understanding how and why the patrol system originated helps us define our role as Scouters: “someone who can do things beyond the patrol’s powers”.

A New Scoutmaster – Chapter One

I’ve based this work of fiction on the stories shared by readers and listeners, questions they have asked, and the advice I commonly share in reply. Scoutmasters can expect to encounter challenges and setbacks along the way. I’ve tried to avoid being unreasonable optimistic, or overly pessimistic about the progress we can make when we stick to the basics.

Why do Scouts go Camping?

Why do Scouts go camping?  Is it just to get outdoors? Most importantly, is camping essential to Scouting or is it just an option? Is there anything else we could do that would have the same benefits?

Scouting as a Game

Imagine you are watching your favorite sporting event as the game begins and the players take the field. They make a few mistakes and a few good plays as the game unfolds. No matter what happens during the game the coaches don’t leave the sidelines and begin playing.

Cultivating Scouting

Both Gardeners and Scouters collaborate with the the natural processes of growth.

Podcasts

Podcast 320 – The Garden

Scouting isn’t the science of management or military discipline, it’s much more like a garden.

Podcast 292 – Do What Scouts Do

When Scouts do things Scouts do they develop character as an after-effect. Don’t get sidetracked by anything else or you may miss  powerful experiential opportunities. If we get ourselves caught in the thicket of policies, procedures, and logistics it’s likely we are coming at the whole thing from the wrong direction, all of these things make sense when we do what Scouts do.

Podcast 297 – One Aim, One Method

We commonly hear about multiple aims and methods employed in Scouting, but I think you can reduce them to one each. Understand I am not suggesting we change things, but just presenting a (hopefully) better way of understanding our role as Scouters.

Essential Everlasting Gear

I’ve sorted through tons of jingle-jangle, gimmicky camping gear to find stuff that stands the test of time.  My choices aren’t always the newest or cheapest, but ones I’ve relied on it for many years.

Storm Alert Whistle

A reliable, loud whistle is the best analog signaling device; one of the ten essentials you’d want to have anytime you are camping.

The Storm Whistle is the loudest whistle in the world; 75% louder than an average whistle. I haven’t tested the claim that it can be heard fifty feet under water, but I believe it.

I’ve used this to signal canoes separated from our group by at least a half a mile, out of sight around a point of land. It was getting dark, a dicey situation, and  at the time I would have gladly paid several times the price for this whistle.

Ear splittingly loud (cover your ears) and highly recommended.  Available at Amazon

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Please feel free to share any of the resources I have created with your fellow Scouting volunteers and your Scouts. I ask only that you acknowledge where you found them.

]]> https://scoutmastercg.com/scoutmastercg-newsletter-1-why-scouting/feed/ 1 https://scoutmastercg.com/gifts-scouts-scouters-gear/ https://scoutmastercg.com/gifts-scouts-scouters-gear/#comments Sat, 08 Dec 2018 15:00:09 +0000 https://scoutmastercg.com/?p=26301 Here’s my recommendations for gear gifts for Scouts or Scouters that I have owned and used, some for many years.
Check out my gear guide for more in-depth advice.
If you follow my links and make a purchase I get a referral fee.

My Tee Shirts & Books

Check out my custom tee shirts for Scouts and Scouters at Amazon , and here are my books at Amazon too.

Rayovac Sportsman’s Lantern

I’ve tried out several different LED lanterns, and the  Rayovac Sportsman is built more solidly, is smaller, tougher, and has higher brightness and longer battery life than any of the others.

Rayovac Sportsman’s Lantern on Amazon

 Storm Matches

25 Stormproof matches and 3 strikers in a waterproof container. Unlike other “waterproof” or “windproof” matches, UCO Stormproof Matches are easy to light even after being submerged in water, and stay lit for up to 15 seconds.

Storm Matches on Amazon

Contingency Kit

I carry a kit like this on every camping trip. I rarely have to use anything in it but I can throw it in my pack and I know it’s there of I have no other options

“Contingencies” (someone forgot a flashlight, wet weather makes fire building difficult, etc.) are much more common than actual emergencies on Scouting trips.  I recommend a first-aid kit supplemented with a few other items on the ‘ten essentials’ list.

This kit is your Scout’s ‘air bag’ – it’s essential but you hope, like the air bag in your car, you’ll never need it.

While it is possible to assemble a first aid kit from things you have around the house or pick up at the pharmacy, I’ve found that a carefully chosen pre-made kit is usually cheaper.

Coghlan’s Trek II First Aid Kit is packed in a durable zippered pouch, add these items to build a great contingency kit.

• Spare flashlight, I recommend these inexpensive LED flashlights
• Spare whistle, I like these.
• Trail food, a couple of granola or energy bars.
• Matches like the storm matches above, and fire starters.

Dutch Oven Cooking

If you aren’t cooking in a dutch oven you are missing a lot of fun and some great food!

More Dutch Oven posts on Scoutmastercg.com

If you need to get outfitted here’s what you’ll need:

Lodge 8 quart pre-seasoned dutch oven	Lodge Camp Dutch Oven Lid Lifter	Welding Gloves
Lodge dutch ovens are the industry standard, it’s hard to beat Lodge for fit and finish.	Do you absolutely need a fancy lid lifter? I use one and would not be without it; it makes things a lot easier.	These Gloves cover your forearms and make handling stuff around the fire much easier. A couple of extra dollars for purpose built gloves is worth it.
Lodge dutch oven at Amazon	Lid lifter at Amazon	Welding Gloves at Amazon
Dutch Oven Lid Stand	Weber 7416 Rapidfire Chimney Starter	Lodge Pan Scrapers
You can park your lid on another pot or a couple of empty cans but having stand assures you wont soil the inside of the lid or loose the coals on the top.	A couple of crumpled sheets of newspaper on the bottom, charcoal on top, light the paper through the draft holes and you’ll have hot charcoal in a few minutes.	Two polycarbonate Pan Scrapers for cleaning the stuck on food from dutch ovens without scratching. Each corner of the scraper is a different shape to easily clean every crevice or corner.
Lid stand at Amazon	Weber 7416 at Amazon	Pan Scrapers at Amazon

Winco Pot Gripper

I’ve used many different kinds of pliers to mange hot cooking pots and pans on a fire, but this is the best I’ve found. Made for handling pizza pans they are designed for constant use in a commercial environment, so they ought to last a lifetime. The most important feature, though, is that there’s a spring that keeps the pliers open allowing you to use them one handed – something no other pot pliers I have used have.

Winco PPG-8A Cast Aluminum Gripper at Amazon

EcoZoom Dura Wood Stove

High efficiency wood burning technologies significantly reduce both health and environmental impacts. One of the leading innovators in this work, Dr. Larry Winiarski, developed the Winiarski Rocket Stove. The rocket stove is designed to burn the gases released from a wood fire as completely as possible so less fuel is required.

The EcoZoom Dura weighs 11 pounds and packs very neatly into a standard five gallon plastic bucket. I’ve had people ask me if it would be possible to build a similar stove. There are a number of tutorials and plans out there and I considered doing this myself but decided that by the time I did we’d have spent nearly the cost of a manufactured stove on the materials required and still wouldn’t duplicate the durability or features of the EcoZoom stoves.

EcoZoom Stove at Amazon

Cleaning Up

Having the right gear for cleaning up after cooking is important. If you are wondering how I wash dishes while camping, here’s my method.

Sanitizing Tablets	Campsuds	Dish Brush
Steramine tablets are used in the sanitizing step of washing dishes. They work in hot or cold water and are ideal for washing up on a campout.	Lots of cleaning power in cold water, super concentrated, I have lots left in an eight ounce bottle shared by a group of 7 over a week of canoeing.	My Oxo Dish brush is compact, durable and get;s into all the nooks and crannies of camp cookware.
Steramine Tablets at Amazon	Campsuds  at Amazon	Oxo Brush at Amazon

Cast Iorn Scrubber

When you first see the cast iron scrubber you’ll probably say the same thing I did; “it’s too expensive!” But the next time you have a crusty dutch oven to clean you’ll agree that it’s worth every penny.

Put some water in the oven while it’s still warm, and scrub away. The chain mail design won’t scratch, and is very effective at lifting tough baked-on residue. No soap needed, cooked-on crud will clean up easily and you’l have a clean dutch oven pretty fast without worrying about damaging the seasoning.

Inspired Basics Cast Iron Cleaner at Amazon

Collapsible Bucket

The collapsible PVC water bucket holds six gallons and weighs only 14.5 ounces and I think it makes an indispensable group camping tool. Handy for hauling water, washing dishes, clothes or yourself!

Collapsible Bucket at Amazon

Mountainsmith Lumbar Day Pack

Stoutly made and versatile I use the pack to carry my camera and other gear for short hikes, walks around town, and any other time I need to stow a few things. The waist belt stows away in its own compartment when using the bag with the detachable shoulder strap.

Load adjusting straps assure I can carry pretty heavy loads (15-20 lbs) without the pack flopping around or sagging. Two mesh water bottle holders hold a 1 qt Nalgene bottle or other gear. The pack has a front compartment and a generously sized main compartment with a zippered pocket that is ideal for stowing a wallet and there’s a clip for keys. There’s also a ticket pocket behind the well-padded back panel. Larger gear can be carried outside of the bag (most often I carry a wet raincoat or a waterproof map case) with an adjustable lashing cord.

Mountainsmith Day on Amazon

Solo Wood Stove

The double-walled Solo Stove is a “natural convection inverted down gas gasifer”. Air intake holes channel air to the bottom of the fire and direct warm air up between the walls creating a burst of preheated oxygen causing a secondary combustion of the gases (smoke) given off by the burning wood.

Follow that?

What it means is the stove turns the wood and gasses given off by the wood into a strong, concentrated, efficient flame that burns like a blowtorch! A generous handful of smallish sticks will boil 32 ounces of water in less than fifteen minutes

Constructed of stainless steel and Nichrome wire the Solo Stove measures a compact 5.7 x 4.25 inches weighs only 9 ounces.  You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to light and use. A few small (pencil lead sized) twigs and small sticks will fire up a pot of boiling water in minutes Very few embers and ashes are left and the stove cools off  quickly.

Solo Stove on Amazon

Coffee!

The first time a GSI java press showed up on a camping trip I scoffed, it seemed a little over the top. After I had a cup of coffee brewed in it though I changed my mind and ordered one right away. I don’t think I am a coffee snob, but I sure do like my Java press!

I bought a GSI infinity mug a few years back when my trusty old Stanley insulated mug gave up after fifteen years of faithful service ( I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away, so it enjoys retirement on a closet shelf nearby). The Infinity mug is well-designed, simple and as become an indispensable component of my camping kit.

Java Press on Amazon
Infinity Mug on Amazon

Anti Shock Trekking Trail Poles

While climbing Mt. Marcy in the Adirondacks years ago I watched other hikers fly past me using trekking poles. I had thought of trekking poles as sort of effete, fancy, accouterments for folks who couldn’t hack it with a good old hiking stick. A few hikes later one of my old Scouts who had through-hiked the Appalachian Trail let me try his trekking poles for a few hundred yards and I was hooked.

I bought a much more expensive pair than I am showing here, but I have found the less expensive poles to be of very good quality. Since we fly to our Switzerland trips with only carry-on baggage we can’t bring our trekking poles, so I buy an inexpensive set when we arrive. and they perform just as well as my ore expensive poles.

Trekking poles will save your knees and feet, something I have found helpful as I have grown older,

 Anti Shock Trekking Trail Poles on Amazon

Black Diamond Storm Headlamp

I’ve owned several LED headlamps, but the Black Diamond storm is my overall favorite. The Storm is fully water proof,  and sports 1 TriplePower LED and 2 SinglePower LEDs provide 100 lumens at maximum brightness. I especially like the ability to dimming feature that allows me to set the level of brightness to the task at hand. 2 SinglePower Red LEDs save night vision. The four AAA batteries last for 200 hours at maximum brightness and a led monitors the battery level. Finally the light can be locked so it does not accidentally turn on in your pack.

All these features come at a price, but I carry my Storm headlamp everywhere. It comes in handy looking under things or in dimly lit conditions like taking out the trash at night  and it has been very handy during power outages.

Black Diamond Storm Headlamp on Amazon

Fingerless Ragg Wool Gloves

I’ve worn out a dozen pairs of these gloves over the years. Most of the time when I am outdoors in winter I need to use my hands, and I have yet to find a full glove that keeps my hands warm and allows for the kind of dexterity required while camping or working outdoors. When the temperatures really plunge I can put a pair of mittens over my fingerless gloves. The wrist portion is long enough to cover your wrist and that tends to keep your fingers warmer.

FingerlessGlove on Amazon

Stormy Kromer Wool Hat

Nature makes a few perfect heads, the rest are covered with hair. Keeping my perfect head warm during the winter can be a challenge, but my Stormy Kromer wool hat performs admirably. An integral wool band can be slipped over my ears when the wind blows. I have a big head (my wife insists that it get’s bigger every year) but the Stormy Kromer hats are available up to XXL, so a good fit is assured. Crucial to my dashing old guy profile.

Stormy Kromer Wool Cap on Amazon.

Wool Watch Cap

If it’s good enough for Jack it’s good enough for me.

The design of the classic wool watch cap hasn’t changed in decades, and they are as near a perfect winter hat as you are likely to find. There are any number of stylish beanies out there (I wonder at the hipsters who wear them year round, what are they thinking?) but my favorite is the the simple wool watch cap without stripes, zig-zags, or clever sayings and corporate logos embroidered on them. They are a lot cheaper too;  the one I have set me back all of ten bucks.

 Wool Watch Cap  On Amazon

Victorinox Midnite Minichamp

I have a couple of full-sized Swiss Army Knives, but the Victorinox Minichamp (2.3 inches long) rides on my keychain. One of the most useful tools is the hooked ’emergency’ blade pictured on the lwer right above. It’s an excellent tool for opening that frustrating plastic clam shell packaging. Having a spare pen and led light has come in very handy on many occasions.

Midnite Minichamp Tools

• Blade
• Scissors
• Nail file with nail cleaner
• Cuticle pusher
• Screwdriver with ruler
• Emergency blade (package and letter opener)
• Orange peeler with scraper
• Bottle opener with magnetic Phillips screwdriver
• Wire stripper
• LED mini white light (18,000 MCD)
• Retractable ballpoint pen
• Key ring

Victorinox Midnite Minichamp on Amazon

Tilley LTM6 Airflo Hat

I’ve worn my Tilley Airflo it camping, backpacking, canoeing, and touring for about a decade and it’s one tough hat. It’s been crushed, soaked, washed and re-washed without showing any appreciable wear. I doubted my sanity spending what I did for it, but it’s been a solid investment.
Tilley LTM6 Airflo at Amazon

Neos Overshoes

I discovered NEOS overshoes (New England Overshoes) working on a film outside in cold, wet, snowy weather all late fall and early winter. Several members of the film crew wore NEOS and spoke highly of them.

A gusseted opening makes them easy to get on or off, and a drawstring closure snugs them up around the ankle to keep snow out. As the name implies NEOS are worn over shoes or boots. I have the insulated Voyager model and they are very warm, easy to put on or take off, and totally waterproof. I have worn them on snowy camping trips when temperatures didn’t get much higher than 20F day or night and they kept my feet nice and toasty.

The lighter-weight uninsulated Neos Villager is great for rainy or snowy days around town.

Neos Voyager at Amazon

If you follow the links and purchase an item on this page I get a referral fee.

A Sand County Almanac

I cannot gather wood and light a fire without recalling Leopold’s essay “Good Oak”:

We mourned the loss of the old tree, but knew that a dozen of its progeny standing straight and stalwart on the sands had already taken over its job of wood-making. We let the dead veteran season for a year in the sun it could no longer use, and then on a crisp winter’s day we laid a newly filed saw to its bastioned base. Fragrant little chips of history spewed from the saw cut, and accumulated on the snow before each kneeling sawyer. We sensed that these two piles of sawdust were something more than wood: that they were the integrated transect of a century; that our saw was biting its way, stroke by stroke, decade by decade, into the chronology of a lifetime, written in concentric annual rings of good oak. – A Sand County Almanac

A Sand County Almanac on Amazon

 The AMC Guide to Outdoor Leadership

There are significant differences between how groups function in an indoor and outdoor setting. Group concepts that work in a corporate training center fall apart in the campsite.

Most of our Scout training is based in the world of business, so it falls flat when you try to take it camping.

There’s a great deal of information about working with teens, risk management, and building risk management plans Scouters will find particularly valuable.

I attribute the success of our annual extended canoe trips with studying the first edition of the guide but the skills are equally valuable on our weekend camp outs.

AMC Guide to Outdoor Leadership on Amazon
Listen to my interview with Alex Kosseff on Scoutmaster Podcast 68

 Will To Live

As a Scout leader and outdoor program teacher I’ve been involved in a few (comparatively) minor wilderness emergencies. Anyone who has been in true danger in the wilderness does not want to repeat the experience. Reading Will to Live is an unparalleled opportunity to strengthen skills and learn an attitude of preparedness that will enable you to bring yourself and the people you lead safely home.

Interview with Les Stroud on Scoutmaster Podcast 58
Will to Live by Les Stroud on Amazon

 Medicine for the Outdoors

Our first duty as Scout leaders is the safety and well being of our Scouts. We need to know how to keep them safe and how to respond if they are injured or ill. There is nothing in this book that you don’t need to know. I don’t think you have to memorize this book but I would encourage you to know what’s in it and how to find it quickly. Make notes and practice the skills before you need them. I have a Kindle copy that I can carry on a smartphone, iPod or similar device.

Medicine for the Outdoors on Amazon
Hear an interview with Dr. Auerbach on Scoutmaster Podcast 57

Working The Patrol Method

Working the Patrol Method a Scout leader’s guide to youth leadership training is the best work on the patrol method since ‘Green Bar’ Bill Hillcourt’s Handbook for Patrol Leaders last published in 1965 or Baden Powell’s Aids to Scoutmastership originally published in 1920.
Authors Rob Faris,Ted Knight and Harry Wimbrough have written an indispensable book for understanding, implementing and maintaining Scouting’s centrally important concept, the patrol, in the 21st century.

Listen to an interview with the authors in Scoutmaster Podcast 40
Working the Patrol Method  on Amazon

 The Scouting Party

A thoroughly researched, unflinching account of the founding and first decade of the BSA focused on the lives of Earnest Thompson Seton, Robert Baden-Powell and Daniel Carter Beard. No one has so thoroughly analyzed the events and personalities that, despite their differences and rivalries, brought Scouting to the United States.

Listen to my interview with the author in Scoutmaster Podcast 20
The Scouting Party on Amazon

Camping’s Top Secrets

My first reaction to this title was “yeah, right”. I’ve been a camper all my life spending a thousand or more nights under canvas or on the trail. My camping education started forty years ago with Colin Fletcher’s book ‘The Complete Walker’ and expanded to the classics written by Horace Kephart, Nessmuk and Bradford Angier. I thought I knew all the tricks until I read ‘Camping’s Top Secrets’

Camping’s Top Secrets on Amazon
Interview with Cliff Jacobson on Scoutmaster Podcast 54

 Freezer Bag Cooking

The ingenious technique ‘boils down’ to this;  measure ingredients into a 1 quart freezer bag and add hot water, wait a few minutes and viola! – a great-tasting meal. Most of the recipes consist of ingredients you can find on the grocery store shelf Add a home food dehydrator and the possibilities really expand. Blogger and author Sarah Svien offers home made cozies (an insulating fabric envelope for freezer bags) and other supplies at the Trail Cooking Website that features a blog and quite a few recipes.

Freezer Bag Cooking on Amazon

 Woodcraft and Camping

‘We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it we go to smooth it. We have it rough enough at home…’‘ The temptation is to buy this or that bit of indispensable camp kit has been too strong and we have gone to the blessed woods handicapped with a load fit for a pack mule. That is not how to do it. Go light, and the lighter the better so that you have the simplest material for health comfort and enjoyment. ‘ – Nessmuk

Nessmuk is the pen name of George Washington Sears. In 1884 he wrote the book Woodcraft and Camping and it has been in print ever since. His approach to camping is satisfyingly philosophical and completely practical. Worthy reading for anyone who wants to take to the woods.

Woodcraft and Camping at Amazon.

To Build a Fire and Other Stories

‘He worked slowly and carefully, keenly aware of his danger. Gradually, as the flame grew stronger, he increased the size of the twigs with which he fed it. He squatted in the snow, pulling the twigs out from their entanglement in the brush and feeding directly to the flame. He knew there must be no failure. When it is seventy-five below zero, a man must not fail in his first attempt to build a fire…’
Jack London’s storytelling is as crisp and clear as a cold winter’s day. He wastes no words in drawing us into a the stark and challenging realities of the north woods. With each reading of ‘To Build a Fire’ I can feel the frost creeping into my fingers.

To Build a Fire and Other Stories at Amazon

Eric Sloane’s Weather Book

Eric Sloane explains the way weather works illustrated with his own drawings.A couple of hours spent with The Weather Book and you are thoroughly versed in the workings of the atmosphere and well on your way to becoming a reliable forecaster. Knowing the weather is an important skill for Scoutmasters and outdoorsmen in general and The Weather Book is a fine resource for developing your expertise.

Eric Sloane’s Weather Book on Amazon

The Scoutmaster’s Other Handbook

In this unique and highly personal book, Ray offers hundreds of proven ideas for building strong, successful, sustainable troops that truly achieve the promise of Scouting. Beginning with Scouting’s aims and methods, the book moves quickly through every aspect of the program, from troop meetings and outings to fundraising and administration.

The Scoutmaster’s Other Handbook on Amazon
Listen to my interview with Mark on Scoutmaster Podcast 72

Golden Guide to Trees

I have a couple of other guides but reach for my well-worn Golden Guide to Trees first because I find it easier to identify trees from illustrations rather than photographs. The guide features over 730 species of trees grouped in 76 families. Each species description includes characteristics-tree shape, bark, leaf, flower, fruit and twig-for quick identification. As with any guide one must learn how to use it properly. Become familiar with the family descriptions and nomenclature featured in the front of the book and you will be a tree expert in no time.
The Golden Guides have been around for decades and remain popular for their clarity, simplicity and utility.

Golden Guide to Trees on Amazon

National Outdoor Leadership School Cookery

Each year 3000 students spend two weeks to three months in the back country on National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) courses. Thats a lot of back country cooking! The folks at NOLS have developed a simple, varied and inexpensive diet that is based on staple foods that can be found at any grocery store. There’s also a wealth of information on planning, packing and preparing meals for extended trips or just a weekend.My particular favorite receipt is Thai Gado-gado Spaghetti featuring a peanut sweet and sour sauce.  Mixing peanut butter in spaghetti raises some eyebrows but I have never had any leftovers.

National Outdoor Leadership School Cookery at Amazon

How to Sh** in the Woods

Author Kathleen Meyer has written pithy, humorous, informative, completely frank manual about how and (perhaps more importantly) how not to sh** in the woods. Does such a evidently simple aspect of outdoor life deserve it’s own book? Anyone who has found themselves in the middle of the wilderness lacking key information about the subject would say yes!

How to Sh** in the Woods at Amazon

 Canoeing Wild Rivers

Anyone planning a canoe trip of a few days or a few weeks will benefit from studying the advice given in this book. Author Cliff Jacobson offers solid, tested techniques and then points out the many ways things could go wrong. He uses stories form his considerable experience to illustrate how important it is to plan carefully, not to compound mistakes and thereby opens up the possibilities of canoeing in some incredibly wonderful places.There is a section devoted to accounts of expeditions by different authors that serve to inspire and inform planning. A very engaging and thorough book, the premier one on the subject.

Expedition Canoeing at Amazon
Interview with Cliff Jacobson on Scoutmaster Podcast 54

Canoe Paddles: A Complete Guide to Making Your Own

I actually made a canoe paddle, and plan on making some more. My new paddle served me admirably on a decade of extended trips. This is as complete a treatment of the subject as one could hope to find. Making a paddle is a reasonably complex process but the authors explain every step with well-illustrated clarity.

Canoe Paddles at Amazon

Sturdy, reliable tools make a solid camping kit and  great gifts for Scouts and Scouters. There are cheaper alternatives to some of my choices, but I have chosen tools that I think are a are great value for cost.

If you follow the links and purchase an item on this page I get a referral fee. I have owned and used these exact tools, or have otherwise evaluated them throughly.

Pocket Knives

There is not one absolute best pocketknife for every Scout in every situation, but any one of the three Victorinox Swiss Army Knives below are an excellent choice.

A decent knife will last a lifetime but parents are tempted to buy cheap pocketknives because Scouts may lose a knife or two along the way. Cheaper knives don’t stay sharp, have loose joints, and I have seen them break or fold up and injure Scouts accidentally with normal use. A sharp knife is actually safer than a dull knife. Victorinox produces quality knives at a reasonable cost and guarantees them for life, a bit more expensive than cheaper alternatives, but well worth the additional cost.

A bright red knife is less likely to be lost, especially if it is attached to a lanyard or chain. Lanyards are great fun to make, and a cheap way to protect your investment in a quality knife.

Huntsman	Hiker	Recruit
Large blade Small blade Corkscrew Parcel Hook Wood saw Scissors Lanyard ring Toothpick Tweezers Can opener Small screwdriver Large screwdriver Bottle opener Wire stripper Reamer with sewing eye	Large blade Small blade Phillips driver Wood saw Lanyard ring Toothpick Tweezers Can opener Small screwdriver Large screwdriver Bottle opener Wire stripper Reamer with sewing eye	Large blade Small blade Lanyard ring Toothpick Tweezers Can opener Small screwdriver Large screwdriver Bottle opener Wire stripper
Hunstman at Amazon	Hiker at Amazon	Recruit at Amazon

Here’s a quick guide for using some of the tools on the knives I have chosen;

Best All-Around Pocket Knife for Whittlers

You’ll get change from a twenty dollar bill if you buy a Schrade two-blade jackknife, a great choice for whittling (see my post on other whittling resources here)
Schrade Middleman Jack 2 Blade on Amazon

Knife Chain

Keeping track of a pocketknife isn’t always easy, but a chain or lanyard certainly helps.

This 19.5″ long chain features a sturdy belt clip.  Pocket Chain Belt Clip  at Amazon

Fixed Blade Knife

The absolute best all around knife for cooking and other camp chores when you need more than a pocket knife. Mora knives are of excellent quality and utility without being costly. I like a brightly colored sheath and handle so it’s easy to find. Excellent stainless steel blade holds an edge for a long time.

Morakniv Companion Fixed Blade Outdoor Knife   at Amazon

 Saw

The Bahco Laplander is a fantastic, quick cutting saw I’ve used for years. It’s lightweight, sturdy, and not too pricy.

Bahco LapLander Saw on Amazon

Hatchets

A good quality new hatchet will cost more than lower quality tools, but they are worth the investment. Many highly touted hatchets and axes on the market are upwards of seventy to a hundred dollars, and I suppose they are probably worth the cost but they seem over-priced to me; these excellent tools that will do the same work for less than $40.00.

Estwing makes two great camping hatchets; the 16″ camper’s axe ( and the 14″ sportsman’s hatchet, either will last a lifetime. The larger camper’s axe is  better suited to heavier work.

Estwing E44A Camper’s Axe  on Amazon
Estwing E24A Sportsman’s Hatchet  on Amazon

Fiskars’ 14″ hatchet is a sturdy tool that get’s great reviews. At around $25-30.00 it’s a great choice for Scouts, and includes a plastic sheath with a carrying handle.

Fiskars X7 14 Inch Hatchet on Amazon

Splitting Mauls

Fiskars Splitting Axe (17 1/2″)	Estwing Fireside Friend, (14″)	Collins Kindling Splitter (18″)
At Amazon	At Amazon	At Amazon

A dedicated splitting tool is a useful camp tool for processing large amounts of firewood.

 Fireside Tools

Check out my dutch oven kit and other dutch oven related posts

A small shovel comes in handy when maintaining trails or doing similar work, but Scouts should not be digging new fire pits, or otherwise disturbing the soil in campsites. I have used small shovels like the Gerber to empty existing fire pits and load the lid of my dutch oven with coals.

Gerber Gorge Folding Shovel on Amazon

A whisk broom comes in handy for sweeping off picnic tables, tent floors, and clearing ashes off of dutch oven lids. A coal shovel doubles as a dustpan and handling hot coals for dutch-oven cooking. A fire poker comes in handy too!

18.5 inch long Steel Coal Shovel on Amazon
Whisk Broom on Amazon
26″ Fire Poker with Wood Handle on Amazon

  Edge Tool Maintenance

Sharp tools get the job done better, and they are safer. Your kit should include a sharpening stone, honing oil and I highly recommend the Lansky Blade Medic for quick touch-ups.

Be sure to check out my infographic on caring for hatchets and axes.

Honing Oil

Honing oil is used to lubricate and protect oil sharpening stones, carry away the debris (swarf) created when sharpening. Honing oil is easy to make yourself, and a lot less expensive. One part  mineral oil to one part  mineral spirits makes a great honing oil. Mineral oil is available at most pharmacies, and mineral spirits is found in hardware and paint stores.

Lansky Dual-Grit Tool Sharpener (Oil Stone)

The round shape of this coarse and fine grit carborundum stone is particularly well suited to sharpening axes and  hatchets but is also fine for pocket knives.

Lansky Dual Grit Sharpener at Amazon

Lansky Blade Medic

See my video review of the Lansky Blade Medic here.

The blade medic features two ‘crock stick’ sharpening tools, one in ceramic, one in carbide. They are two pieces of material configured in a ‘v’ shape that forms the proper cutting angle on just about any knife. In addition to these there’s a cone-shaped diamond rod and a profiled strip of ceramic for serrated blades. In the video I sharpen three different blades, a pocketknife, a serrated multi-tool blade and a sheath or kitchen knife blade.

Lansky recommends using the carbide tool sparingly and I concur. If you have a very dull blade the carbide tool will shape a good edge, then you’ll want to refine it with the ceramic tool. Nine times out of ten a well-maintained edge will only need a few passes over the ceramic tool to keep it sharp. I’d think anyone willing to spend a little time practicing will be able to sharpen just about every knife blade they own with the Lansky Blade Medic. It’s not just another gimmicky gadget, it’s a serious tool. It’s perfect for Scouts – simple, effective and quick with a much shorter learning curve than the traditional sharpening stone.

Available at Amazon

File and File Card

Sharpening axes and hatchets sometimes calls for a file to shape the edge and remove nicks or dings. An eight-inch mill bastard file and a file cleaning “card” or brush are great additions to your tool kit. The metal teeth of the file card remove the metal debris (swarf) removed from the blade that sometimes fills the grooves of the file.
File Card & Brush at Amazon
8-Inch Mill Bastard File at Amazon

Tool Bucket Camp Stool

A five gallon bucket with is simple, inexpensive, way to keep track of your camping tools, maintenance supplies and other things in your camp kit. The bucket is a tool in itself, handy for carrying water, dousing fires, washing dishes, and other camp chores. It provides waterproof storage for your tools, and makes a comfortable camp stool (tools up to 14″ long will fit into most buckets).
Lightweight Plastic Bucket Seat on Amazon
5-Gallon Pail  on Amazon

Tell me about it!

We get into difficulty when we look at advancement as our aim, or of central importance to Scouting.

It is neither.

We parse, measure and debate requirements endlessly as though getting them right will somehow make us better Scouters or our Scouts better people, but they are powerless to do either.

Advancement metrics, like the points on a scoreboard, indicate a certain type of achievement, but they don’t indicate players have grown by playing the game

Advancement requirements only define a universal, measurable standard of achievement. We mistake achievement of requirements for success rather than striving for our true aim – character development.

Character development happens when we examine our internal understanding of principles and ideals; when we interact with friends, counselors, coaches, and mentors. Character is not engineered, it grows organically. There’s a logic to this growth but it can’t be measured uniformly. This makes understanding Scouting a challenge for many of us.

We use the cycle of challenge and achievement advancement offers  to build character, but we may miss a more subtle opportunity for growth.

The patrol system is the central method for character building. Actual responsibility for one another in the patrol leads to thousands of interactions and decisions. Each interaction and discussion requires Scouts to reference their understanding of the Scout oath and law.

That process is what achieves our aim, not the completion of requirements or the measurement of advancement.

Advancement is a means to an end, not an end in itself.

If you haven’t achieved anything more than fulfilling a requirement you’ve missed the point.

We can further that process when we make youth leaders responsible for assessing advancement. Before you blow a gasket, their responsibility is not without adult oversight, and this oversight creates another opportunity for thousands of interactions and even more character development. I enjoyed asking my youth leadership many questions about how they were handling advancement, about what the requirements meant, and how they assessed individual Scouts. We talked about not only of  achieving First Class, but exactly why it is important, (something I explained in this post)

Character develops through active, ongoing, relationships; not by completing a list of requirements. We build character when we trust Scouts to be as committed to doing good and being good as we are. We build character through honest reflection and discussion aimed at internalizing the ideals in the oath and law.

Our aim is not consistent achievement in advancement; We have a greater challenge; to develop character as defined in the Scout oath and law.

How do we tap the vast, character building potential of the oath and law? By understanding how rules differ from ideals, and how conduct differs from character. Engineered language like that in the requirements is disappointingly powerless when it comes to building character.

Each of us measure up to the extent of our highest reach. Scouting is intended to develop an internal standard of self consciousness and self control. Achievement in advancement is not our aim, it is a result of having achieved our aim.

If we work to develop character our Scouts will achieve many advancement milestones, and (more importantly) form attitudes and ideals that will serve them throughout their lives.

Author and Scouter Mark Ray offers these thoughts on the the GSUSA lawsuit that’s been in the news lately;

Did you roll your eyes when you heard the news that the Girl Scouts of the USA was suing the Boy Scouts of America for trademark infringement? That’s perhaps understandable–until you dig into the complaint GSUSA filed.

… the words you use can … cause real harm to our movement (and to other youth-serving organizations) as well.

Read the entire post here

Also be sure to check out the resources Mark links in the article.

I get lots of email questions about…

… troop conflicts. It may be volunteers arguing with each other, parents arguing with Scouters, volunteers arguing with Scouts, they all have a common thread, and most have a common answer.

I also offer my simple advice for welcoming girls into troops, so simple you may not like it very much!

I also talk about what’s next at Scoutmastercg.com

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The project I mention in this podcast  ksqfilm.com

Create shared expectations and you’ll have a happy troop.

In this week’s podcast I answer an email question about a behavior problem. A problem that would never happen if those involved shared expectations.

Ask Scouts to analyze their behavior in light of the Scout oath and law. Listen carefully, ask questions, listen more, share your thoughts, and leave this discussion with a very clear set of shared expectations.

The same applies to evaluating the “judgement call” requirements like Scout spirit and active participation. We should not make judgment calls based on our own observations alone.

Evaluating Scout Spirit is a prime example. Ask the Scout to explain the concept to you, ask them to use points of the Scout oath and law to evaluate themselves and see if you agree with that evaluation. It’s very likely that 99 out of 100 times you will agree with the Scout.

If you don’t agree then tell the Scout precisely why, illustrating your thoughts with the oath and law. Continue asking questions until you create shared expectations of how the requirement will be met. Each Scout will have a slightly different take on the situation at hand, and if you listen long enough to what they say you discover a great many things about them and about yourself.

Most Scouters begin with the idea that they are responsible for shaping and controlling behavior and evaluating performance. They dictate a set of expectations that their Scouts may or may not share setting up a confrontation down the road.

When Scouts evaluate their own behavior and performance against the Scout oath and law they are actively forming their character.  You can actually see character forming, sometimes you can almost see smoke coming out of their ears as they reference and build an internal standard. You can see the lights come on.

Most Scout-aged children do not have any other opportunity to exercise this internal standard in any meaningful way. Most of what they do and how they live is dictated to them by adults or by the uncertainties of what is cool or acceptable to their peers.

When you begin doing this it will seem like another adult trick, they will not really understand what is going on. They have learned not to trust adults, because adults have absolute power and have no problem welding that power to get their own way.

When we recognize and trust a Scout we make the most of the Scout oath and law. You can’t hide from or lie to the Scout oath and law. Create shared expectations in this context and see what happens.

Scouters can’t allow all issues to hinge on their personal judgement. If we reserve the right to punish or sanction behavior with our own judgement we miss out on the most powerful and transformative potential of our work.

Naturally there are situations when you must be the adult and put a stop to dangerous or inappropriate behavior immediately. We also don’t accept every decision or every idea simply because it originated with a Scout. Everything we do has to be within the rules and aims of the game of Scouting. Scouters have to study these rules and be fully versed in the aim of our work to be the most effective guides for their Scouts.

We don’t wield the power of our own judgement to reward or punish our Scouts. Scouters don’t disqualify them or sanction them. We count on the Scout oath and law. When you step aside and allow it to be the most powerful player in the game things start changing for the better.

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Guide to Advancement

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When thinking about Eagle Scout advancement …

.. we ought to ask “what is an Eagle Scout?” rather than “who deserves to be an Eagle Scout?”

The answer to the question “who deserves to be an Eagle Scout?” is easy; any Scout who completes the requirements.

That’s it. No more and no less.

There’s no Eagle-plus, and no Eagle minus, only Eagle.

When you understand that Eagle Scout Advancement becomes less stressful.

None of the 55,494 Eagle badges handed out last year went to a Scout because they deserved it, but because they earned it.

Nobody becomes and Eagle Scout because they deserve it, it’s not the Nobel or the Pulitzer prize handed out to a few deserving winners. You don’t win Eagle Scout, you advance towards it. When a Scout fulfills all of the requirements and passes a duly constituted board of review they receive the award.

It was not my job to decide who deserves the badge, only to recognize they have completed the requirements.

The 55,494 Scouts who earned their Eagle last year did not do precisely the same quality or quantity of work. They were not all equally meritorious. Each had individual limitations and talents. Each had parents and worked with Scouters whose involvement and skill were all over the map.

A healthy percentage of them left a lot of work until the last few months of their seventeenth year.

When we present a Scout with an Eagle badge we recognize two things – achievement and potential. We are telling a Scout that what you have achieved is a strong indication you have potential to embody the ideals the award represents.

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Podcast Notes

BSA FAQ on girls in Scout Troops 

I am a Sasquatch music from last week’s podcast

Bobwhite Blather Spring Advancement Updates

Spring Advancement News Newsletter from the National Advancement Team

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Webelos dens as patrols and more older Scout issues …

Catching up on email questions this week I’ll talk about Webelos dens working the patrol method and discuss the causes of at least some older Scout problems. (If you listen very carefully you may detect a rant this week).

Over thirty years ago I had 18 Webelos in my Webelos den.  I survived that year (as did many of the Webelos). Webelos is challenging and fun, enjoy the moment, don’t get ahead of your Webelos and don’t treat the experience as junior boy Scouts. The next few years fly by, don’t miss a minute.

What do you do when you see all the older Scouts hanging around shooting the breeze at their own table during troop meetings? One Scouter tries to approach the problem. They are stymied by adults who don’t seem to see a problem and Scouts who, while willing, are prevented from making any headway by adults who do everything for them.

I’ll also share some messages from the mailbag.

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Working with older Scouts between the ages of 14-18 …

… is both challenging and rewarding. What interests keep them involved? Simply turning up the ‘wow’ factor doesn’t do much to keep them engaged, because they are looking for much more than fun. Respecting and understanding what older Scouts need takes patient observation and an open dialogue. 

Our expectations of older Scouts are often very different than what they are looking for. Older Scouts continue to need direction, but they want independence. They strive to win our trust and confidence while they develop decision making skills. They need us to be responsible, caring, and fair adults. Their interest in Scouting is still strong, but it is different than younger Scouts. Scouting can be a refuge from some of the expectations and pressures that push and pull on young people at this age.

When Scouters act like bosses, drill sergeants, or teachers older Scouts walk away. When Scouters join their journey towards responsible adulthood they will remain involved.  If we remain accepting and optimistic we’ll see the contributions they are making to their family, their community, and their fellow Scouts

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Email questions!

I’ll answer email questions concerning patrols and planning in this week’s podcast. I think what most of us want is patrols with long storied histories, stable membership, and high functioning Scouts.

It’s my suspicion these kinds of patrols only exist in the pages of handbook.

I had a dog eared copy the 1940’s era Patrol Leader’s Handbook as a kid. It’s illustrated with line drawings and cartoons of a bunch of cheery fellows doing great things in an orderly fashion. It depicts an idealized patrol that never was.

I chased that idealized patrol for a long time. None of my patrols reached that state of idealized perfection although I had even had a glimpse of it now and then. Eventually I learned to encourage my patrols without chasing an idealized version of something that never actually existed.

Another listener asks about patrols and planning when it comes to independent patrol camping trips. they want to know if I would consider limiting options for this sort of thing a usurpation of Scout leadership. I don’t have any argument with defining the choices. We play a specific game on a specific field of play and this limits our choices, you may say it lends focus to our activities.

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Scouting discipline is constructive… 

… because it builds character through applying the Scout oath and law. When we think of discipline we often think of  systems of rules and punishments. These things are more familiar to our Scouts than open-ended situation where they follow principles. Asking them to judge themselves rather than issuing judgments may be something new. They will catch the spirit of this, but it takes a little time, and a consistent message.

We don’t need rules and regulations when it comes to discipline, and we don’t want them. Scouts find all kinds of ways around rules and regulations. It’s not as easy to find a way around your own conscience. Rules and regulations are imposed impersonally, the Scout Oath and Law are adopted personally.

Constructive discipline is defined by the Scout oath and law. Scouts learn we are woking with living principles rather than words we repeat dryly during ceremonies.

How do we apply constructive discipline, require accountability and promote responsibility? My answer is twofold – be an adult and be kind.

When problems arise my best practical advice is working things out by asking lots and lots of questions and helping the Scout understand the implications of his actions. In almost every case the Scout will work things out with very little prompting.

Compassion and kindness are not weakness, they are a strong influence in our lives, and at the heart of applying constructive discipline.

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Why is Scouting designed around youth leadership?

Most Scouters think a youth led troop is the brass ring of Scouting. What exactly do we mean when we talk about youth leadership?

There’s much confusion and misunderstanding of this than nearly any other aspect of Scouting. Our perspective is often narrowly focused on things that aren’t all that important. 

If you’ve been following this series you won’t be surprised when I say engaging youth in leadership is a very simple, direct and uncomplicated thing to describe, and it’s actually very simple to do. Like most simple things it is also endless complex when you start to work with it. Somewhere I mentioned Scouting is like a game of golf or fly fishing. You can learn how to do either in a few hours, and spend the rest of your life perfecting your technique.

Our main goal as Scouters is not creating leaders. The main aim is developing character by applying the patrol method. If we focus on building leaders we miss the point. If we build character we can’t help but build leaders.

Youth leadership is not simply a cadre of Scouts sitting around a paper-filled table making plans. Young people lead themselves all the time, it comes quite naturally to them. You may not see this leadership if you don’t look for it, but it’s there.

We need to learn to recognize that leadership, and build on it, so Scouts have the satisfaction and character building experience of leading their own troop.

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How does Scout advancement achieve the main aim of Scouting?

Todays talk about advancement continues our foundations series. I’ve written extensively in detail about many aspects of Scout advancement, but this is different. In this podcast I ask how Scout advancement fits into the overall game of Scouting.

You’ll hear me read from Baden-Powell’s Aids to Scoutmastership –

If once we make Scouting into a formal scheme of serious instruction in efficiency, we miss the whole point and value of Scout training, and we trench on the work of the schools without the trained experts for carrying it out. We want to get all our boys along through cheery self-development from within and not through the imposition of formal instruction from without.

But the object of the Badge System in Scouting is also to give the Scoutmaster an instrument by which he can stimulate keenness on the part of every and any boy to take up hobbies that can be helpful in forming his character or developing his skill.

“Cheery self development” is all about building character, but if we aren’t specific in our aims Scout advancement can become anything but cheery.

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Baden-Powell’s thoughts on advancement “Proficiency Badges”

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What’s the difference between Patrol system and Patrol method?

I have never found any actual difference between those terms in Scouting literature, but I will share acouple of thoughts to differentiate between patrol system and patrol method in a way you may find helpful.

Over the next three podcasts we’ll continue our foundations series by examining three main things about Scouting: Patrol System, Advancement, and Youth leadership. Scouters spend the most time working with these three key pieces of the game.

We first want to ask why are they a part of Scouting, how they function, and define our role is in making them happen.

This week we’ll talk about the patrol system. Be sure to read John Thurman’s story in linked below in the podcast notes.

They formed a Patrol and they started to train themselves, using the book Scouting for Boys as the only guide, but they found, as Patrols have always found, that there were many things they did not know, many things they could not find out and many things they could not do without the help of some adult, and so the practice grew of a number of Patrols getting together, forming a Troop, and usually finding their own Scoutmaster.

John Thurman

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John Thurman’s Patrol Story in Why We have Scoutmasters

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Some aspects of the Scouting game look like flaws…

… but they are features we must not alter. Games restrict or constrain play through rules, the laws of physics, or human limitations and Scouting is no exception.

We Scouters often expend  lot of effort trying to fix things that don’t need to be fixed, or smooth over things that are intentionally challenging.

When you get to know the game, the dynamics, and understand the field of play things become clearer and you become a better coach. The Scouting game is complex, fascinating, and multi-layered but anyone can play. In this podcast I’ll bring together the information I’ve shared over the past three podcasts and explain exactly how simple it is. Spoiler alert – it has something to do with going camping.

Scouting is a game for boys, under the leadership of boys, in which elder brothers can give their younger brothers healthy environment and encourage them to healthy activities such as will help them to develop Citizenship.

Scouting is not an abstruse or difficult science: rather it is a jolly game if you take it in the right light.

Baden-Powell

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Thinking of Scouts as players …

… fills out the analogy of Scouting as a game. Players volunteer to participate in the game. The most important volunteers in Scouting have more power and influence than the highest official. Without their participation, Scouting would come to a complete halt. They bring endless energy, resources, and real transformational power to their role. They are the only volunteers we simply cannot afford to lose.

Scouts make a voluntary decision to participate and we Scouters have our positions only to serve the interests and goals of the Scouts. These simple things constitute the framework of Scouting, and they are all that is truly important. The rest is window dressing, it’s nice to have, but not essential to achieving the goal of the game.

Our work is maintaining a safe, secure environment for all this to work. We maintain focus, and work with one Scout at a time.

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Thinking of Scouters as coaches …

… can help us understand our role in the game. These are just analogies – we aren’t actually coaches, and Scouting isn’t actually a game.  Analogies are not exact copies, they only resemble what they represent. What a Scouter does may be similar to coaching, but Scouters hold an unique role in a young person’s life. We are part parent, part coach, part counsellor, part mentor, and part friend.

In this second installment of our fundamentals of Scouting series I’ll talk about our role, and the deceptively simple skills we need to master.  I may be able to explain observation, dialogue, discovery, and responsive application in a few minutes, but they take a lifetime to master.

Scouters as coaches apply these skills to an endlessly recursive process to facilitate the game of Scouting. Our game is not competitive, our game does not end in a zero-sum win or loss. Our game helping individual human beings to shape and define their lives.

Scouting is fascinating, fun, and sometimes frustrating work; but it is well worth our time.

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Frank Maynard’s Blog Bobwhite Blather

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We’ve heard this before, right?

Baden-Powell employed the “Scouting is a game” analogy long before anyone else, and it is the best analogy I’ve found for explaining the wonderfully complex, intriguing, idea that is Scouting.

We have to be careful because analogies break down at some point. While Scouting is a game in many ways, it’s actually something far more than that. In this podcast I’ll kick off a series of foundational talks about Scouting. I”d hesitate to call these talks introductory, because we’ll be trying to wrap our heads around some very big ideas. My hope is they help you make sense of just what we are up to as Scouters.

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All Time Favorite Boy Scout

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Thank you for being a Scouter!

Today I have a short story to share (with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore) I first read on Podcast 248 to wish readers and listeners happy holidays. The story includes Scouters in neckerchiefs, silence imploring, settling ourselves for a long winter’s snoring.

Next week is Christmas and the following is new year’s, so for the next two weeks the podcast will be on vacation right along with you as you enjoy the holidays with your friends and family .

I’ll return early next year with a new series of podcasts on the fundamentals of Scouting.

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[spp-timestamp time=”00:25″] Dan Dinkin, Scoutmaster of Troop 95, Baltimore Area Council, shared this story with me.

[spp-timestamp time=”02:30″] Twas our first night out camping (with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore)

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Get a PDF version of Twas Our First Night Out Camping 

Music on this week’s podcast by the Pine Street String Band Banjo Christmas

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No matter how we hard tried our Scout Troop planning seemed to be losing the battle for for space on crowded family calendars.

Participation in our program was all over the map, some events would be well attended, only a handful of Scouts would show up for others. Patrols were rarely at full strength and our youth leaders were batted back and forth between conflicting commitments.

After years of frustration I decided to find some answers. I looked hard at our Scout troop planning process. For two years I tracked participation metrics, and discussed the issue with parents and Scouts.

I came away knowing our Scouts don’t lack spirit and energy, our families are not indifferent or too busy, and our program is not flawed or irrelevant.

The real problem seemed to be how we built and managed our calendar, and that problem was easier to fix than I thought.

Before I explain on the solution I want to correct three common misconceptions:

The first misconception is our Scout troop planning is actually competing with other activities. We want to cooperate, rather than compete, with everything our Scouts choose to do. This requires our plans be flexible and accommodating.

These other activities outnumber us, fighting them is a waste of time and energy. If we cooperate with their schedules and commitments our Scouts and our program win.

The second misconception is our Scouts or their families are the problem. We think today’s Scouts are unwilling to make a serious commitment to the program, or their families just don’t get it. This is blaming the customer for not appreciating the product rather than looking at the product itself.

If we continue to blame the customer we’ll never find solutions.

The third misconception is the program is the problem. We hear that kids just don’t want to go camping anymore or Scouting is too old fashioned. We assume we have to have a new approach to attract them (aka STEM, or other non-scouting activities). Some cite poor participation as evidence Scouting no longer relevant, that there’s some basic flaw in the program.

Our outdated practices and habits are irrelevant, not Scouting itself.

If the problem isn’t Scouts, their families, or the program what is it?

Spoiler alert! The problem is how we create and manage our calendars.

To understand the solution I developed let’s begin with understanding how…

Participation Drives Everything

Scouting is all about showing up. Scouts who can’t or won’t show up don’t get much out of Scouting.

It’s frustrating when a mere handful of Scouts show up for a meeting or camping trip. When youth leaders are absent things fall flat. Half full patrols can’t function as intended. When patrols suffer so does the troop.

The program is full of energy when whole patrols and all the youth leaders are present. High participation makes us eager to improve the program. Strong programs lead to even higher participation.

A solid program is the first step to increased particpation, but that’s a subject for another article.

The next step is looking at how we create and manage opportunities. Our calendar defines opportunities, and participation drives the quality of our program.

That’s worth repeating – Our calendar defines opportunities.

Before we look at this we need to ask…

How other activities operate

Scouts often involve themselves in one or more extracurricular school activities. Most also do things like music lessons, tutoring, church groups, and sports leagues.

These activities don’t seem to have a participation problem. Most have two basic things in common;

1. A schedule roughly corresponding to school quarters.
2. A financial commitment (paying for a set of lessons, buying sports equipment, etc.)

Now lets see …

How Scout troops work

Our troop planned an annual calendar, and operated on an ala carte pay-as-you-go basis.

We built our annual calendar once each year, and tried to avoid conflicting events with mixed success.  We held a meeting to go over the calendar with parents assumed they would simply follow our plans. Within a few months we had to make at least one but often several changes to the calendar for various reasons. Try as we may our changes were never communicated effectively to families.

We handed out camping permission slips each month. No matter how relentlessly we chased parents down for signatures and checks we didn’t get most of them until the week of the trip. We often had to change our plans, or even cancel trips at the last minute.

Our annual calendar pulled in one direction, last minute changes pushed in another. This pushing and pulling created needless frustration and confusion.

Wait a minute, you may be thinking, what’s so difficult about following an annual calendar? I manage to plan around it, why can’t everybody else?

Remember what I said about blaming the customer? Is this actually their fault or can we create a less frustrating and confusing alternative?

When I looked at these things in my own troop it became clear we were serving the calendar more than it was serving us. We were doing things this way because it was what had always done.

Thankfully there’s a better way…

The Quarterly Solution

Step one is building the troop calendar around school quarters like other activities. This is easier than you think. We still have an annual plan sketched out, but we focus on quarters.

As it turned out we already had a well attended “cornerstone” event in each quarter. Backpacking in the fall, a winter parent and Scout weekend, a featured trip in the spring, and a week at summer camp. This leaves two trips each quarter our patrol leaders council plans. Our Scouts often repeat trips they enjoy, so planning them is easy.

How Scouts plan these trips deserves more space than I want to take here. I discuss planning in this post about fifteen minute patrol leader training.

Looking at this from a quarterly, rather than annual, perspective opens up other opportunities. We now have quarterly parent’s meetings, and exchanged monthly permission slips for quarterly permission slips.

Quarterly Parents meetings

We schedule a combined parent’s meeting and court of honor three weeks before the next quarter. Rather than trying to do this on another night of the week we do it in place of a troop meeting. We are trying to make things easier, and parents already have this night of the week on their calendar.

We tell parents to prepare to make commitments for the coming quarter at this meeting and bring their family calendar and checkbook.

As Scouts prepare for the Court of Honor their parents go over the next quarter’s plans with the Scoutmaster and committee chair. The Court of Honor follows and we have some light refreshments. We aim at an hour or less for the entire evening.

At the meeting we hand out a permission slip covering all three camping trips for the next quarter. We ask for completed permission slips and payments that evening, or within the next week at most.

Quarterly Permission Slips

Our quarterly permission slip eliminates the continuous stream of  individual permission slips. It also cuts our administrative load by more than half. For a troop averaging 30 Scouts ten outings a year means a potential of 300 permission slips and checks. We reduced that to 120.

Securing a payment for the next three trips creates a further incentive to participate. It is understood the payment is not refundable for any reason. That sounds harsh, but we’ll be spending that money on the outing whether the Scout attends or not. This is also consistent with the policies of other activities I mentioned above. If you sign a child up for six weeks of music or karate lessons and miss one because they are sick you most likely get no refund.

We need a completed permission slip from every family. We tell them we need this whether their Scout is attending any of the camping trips during the next quarter or not.

It is as important to know who is not going as who is going because we use the information to create a…

Quarterly Roster

We generate rosters for the next three camping trips with the completed permission slips. It’s a giddy feeling having a solid camping trip roster that far ahead. We can make final adjustments to our plans if participation is more or less than we expected.

The quarterly roster tells us who is participating, and this informs how we manage…

The quarterly plan for leadership development

When Scouts take on a key leadership role we expect a level of commitment to our calendar. Like it or not these Scouts do other activities. It’s inevitable they’ll miss at least a few meetings and trips. Absences of several weeks or even a couple of months are not uncommon.

A Scout who isn’t there isn’t developing leadership skills. Nobody is happy when this happens, but it does happen all the time. We can blame the Scout, we can blame the other activities, or ask ourselves if there is a way to make things work.

I don’t know about you, but I have had my more than my share of frustrations and resentments with this issue. I have tried a dozen different strategies to fix the problem and none of them worked.

A frank assessment of how we were doing things revealed a broken system. Our expectations were not merely unrealistic, they were impossible for most of our Scouts. We were doing what we had always done, and it wasn’t working.

Something had to change.

Finding a solution began with turning things around. Rather than expecting them to work with my calendar, I would work with theirs.

This led me to shape leadership opportunities around our quarterly calendar.

Quarterly Youth Leader Elections

Quarterly changes of youth leadership may sound like heresy to some veteran Scouters. Before we go on let’s be sure we understand advancement policy and positions of responsibility.

To advance Scouts fulfill four or six month tenure requirements in positions of responsibility (POR). Tenure does not have to be contiguous, Scouts can meet the requirement with more than one POR. For example a Scout can serve for three months in one POR and one month in another. They can also serve two months, take four off, and return to any POR to fulfill the remaining tenure required. Take a look at the Guide to Advancement for all the offical verbiage (see 4.2.3.4 Positions of Responsibility), and read my post on positions of responsibility.

Years ago like most troops our key youth leaders served year-long terms. A decade or so back we started holding elections every six months.

I talked with the patrol leaders council about making elections quarterly instead of every six months. At first they didn’t like the idea, but we talked it around for a few weeks. They soon realized the new approach would create more opportunities, they could make a real commitment to a shorter tenure, and they could have a broader experience. We also discussed how this change would help them choose the best candidates for key positions. They agreed Scouts in key positions of responsibility would ideally be on all three trips for the quarter.

We launched our new approach, and it started paying dividends right away. That first quarter four of our older Scouts decided to try out for marching band, a big commitment of time. They knew they’d miss all that quarter’s meetings and camping trips so they wouldn’t be considered for a position. They weren’t disappointed because they also knew they’d have the opportunity when they returned towards the end of November.

Most importantly – during the first year we used the quarterly plan our senior patrol leader and patrol leaders participated in about 90% of meeting and outings. I can’t recall enjoying that level of engagement during the first 30 years I was Scoutmaster.

If you are like me you’ll be thinking this all sounds great, but you are wondering…

Is three months long enough to develop leadership?

First, the quarterly plan does not limit the length of time a Scout can be in the same POR. A  Scout can continue in the same role from quarter to quarter if the patrol leaders council thinks it’s a good idea.

But, is three months is long enough to get the developmental benefit of a particular position?

I’ve learned the time required to reach developmental milestones scales to the time Scouts spend in a given position. A crew chief on a high adventure trip or a fill-in youth leader at summer camp reach the same developmental milestones in a week as others do in six months or a year. A week of 24/7 days is roughly equal to two months of meetings and camping trips during the school year. They go through the same steps, it’s just the steps are shorter in length.

If development isn’t hurt by this we have to ask…

Is three months is long enough to learn the job?

In some positions yes; in some, no. But we have to ask: is our goal Scouts learning to do a certain job well, or developing leadership skills? If it’s the latter the length of time in a given position is immaterial. The skills they learn in one position also apply to another.

There’s also a lot to be said about the benefit of three solid months of consistent attendance and dedication to the job. If a Scout can’t take part consistently over a six month term (think about how few can) they aren’t getting the full developmental benefit anyway.

Benefits for youth leaders

Even the most involved Scouts ought to be able to make a solid three month commitment to a position of responsibility that won’t be interrupted by commitments to other activities.

In the past we’d have to ask if Scouts were getting much out of three active months of a six month term interrupted by other commitments, and if that was the best way of fulfilling the tenure requirement. Now Scouts make commitments they can actually keep and there’s no question of what’s expected, or how to meet those expectations.

Our new approach relieves the pressure of feeling hassled by your Scoutmaster, or that you are letting your fellow Scouts down, when you aren’t there. The quarterly plan creates a positive “no harm, no foul” atmosphere and doesn’t penalize Scouts for doing other activities.

Benefits for Patrols

Scouting works best for Scouts in a patrol at critical mass with a patrol leader.

Under our old calendar it was not unusual for only two or three members of a patrol making it to an outing and patrol leaders were often absent. We’d end up combining patrols or appointing substitute patrol leaders. As a result patrols didn’t function as intended.

Under our old calendar we adjusted patrol membership once or twice a year when we had leadership elections. If a patrol fell below critical mass or had some other problem they could spend months languishing in limbo waiting for the next election.

Now we make adjustments to patrols based on our quarterly roster. If a patrol has few Scouts signed up for camping that quarter we adjust. We can also address other problems with patrols every three months. At first I thought this was too often, but most patrols experience fewer changes than before. More importantly we see full patrols with their patrol leader present at meetings and camping trips.

Principles, Practices, and Rules of Thumb.

We had some fits and starts along the way, but our first year applying the quarterly plan was a tremendous success

If you think we created a many absolute rules and procedures for quarterly plan, you’d be mistaken. Instead of a fixed set of rules we apply common sense principles and rules of thumb. Our ruling principle is fairness in applying the Scout oath and law. When we start with that in mind the solutions are clear.

Ninety days is just about the perfect length of time for our Scouts and families to make future commitments and plans. A month is too short, and a year is too long.

The most difficult thing we had to do was shift our inside-out perspective and look at what we doing from the outside-in. When we did we found we were planning and managing a calendar based on assumptions that haven’t been true for a decade or more (if, indeed, they ever were).

We also had to question some long held assumptions about developing youth leaders and the patrol method. Was our old approach serving the best interests of our Scouts, or serving traditions and outdated habits?

Once we summoned the courage not only to ask the questions, but hear the answers, the rest was easy.

Imagine two Scout troops, troop A and troop B.

Both troops have “average” Scouts (whatever that means) who do what average Scouts do. Both have a well defined procedural approach to discipline and misbehavior.

Troop A publishes a guide that defines the rules, how they are enforced, and penalties for breaking them.

Troop B has no written rules, so they don’t have any measures for policing them or penalties for breaking the rules.

An average Scout in troop A decides to misbehave in precisely the same manner as an average Scout in troop B.

Listen in to hear what happens next, two very different responses to identical situations, it’ll stun the Dickens out of you.

Listen to this week’s podcast

[spp-timestamp time=”00:27″] Troop 38, New Berlin Wisconsin, takes a tern for the wurst.

[spp-timestamp time=”03:19″] A Tale of Two Troops.

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Podcast Notes

Podcast 355-When Scouts Misbehave

Constructive Scouting Discipline.

Happy Wanderer Opening Music

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

See all of my tee shirt designs!

Scout advancement is not adults judging Scouts…

… it’s Scouts meeting requirements with the support of adult volunteers – in Scout advancement we are all on the same side.

We did not write the requirements. We don’t personally embroider patches to present to them. It’s tiresome and self-defeating to devise our own hoops for Scouts to jump through or impose our judgement on Scouts. 

Most advancement requirements are defined metrics, a few are judgement calls.

There are two basic approaches to advancement judgement calls. The first is establishing a metric all Scouts must meet. The Second is setting an individual goal in consultation with the Scout.

Having tried both approaches I strongly prefer setting an individual goal with, rather than for, the Scout.

The whole thing should take about ten minutes. Sit down and talk to the Scout about the goals he would set for himself to fulfill the “active” and “responsibility” aspects of the requirements. Listen carefully before you speak. Ask him to explain how he arrived at that goal. See if it makes sense to you, and if it doesn’t ask more questions. If you do more listening than speaking you’ll get some insight into his life and help him find a way to make things work.

Listen to this weeks podcast

I’ll answer two related email questions in this podcast:

[spp-timestamp time=”00:17″] Orienteering Points

[spp-timestamp time=”03:14″] I think mom and dad doing too much of the merit badge work and he is not getting anything out of the program. What do I do?

[spp-timestamp time=”07:26″] We have an ambitious Scout with ambitious parents driving hard for Eagle, the Scout is involved in many other activities and there are concerns about being active and fulfilling the leadership requirements.

This podcast is brought to you by Patrons & Backers

Podcast Notes

The Guide to Advancement required reading for every Scouter

Check out these sections –
4.2.3.1 Active Participation

4.2.3.4 Positions of Responsibility

Happy Wanderer Opening Music

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

See all of my tee shirt designs!

Kevin Callan is here, it’s time to go winter camping!

Canada’s Happy Camper, our friend Kevin Callan, author of the new Complete Guide to Winter Camping joins us on this podcast with his welcoming way of sharing his knowledge of the woods in winter. You’ll see right away how Kevin has earned the name “happy camper”, he’s a passionate, devoted outdoorsman.

Whether it’s your first or 101st winter camping trip you’ll find the guide a fantastic resource. Kevin draws on a lifetime of experience and compiles the expert advice of many other seasoned winter campers and explorers.

As you’ll hear us discuss ideal winter camping begin when the thermometer hits freezing and well below. The guide presents shelter, clothing, and sleep system options, and teaches you how to venture into the “paradise below zero” safely. Learn how to track animals, check ice thickness, make white pie tea and enjoy in comfort, rather than survive, the wintery world waiting for you.

Visit Kevin’s website

This podcast is brought to you by Patrons & Backers

Podcast Notes

Get your copy of  the Complete Guide to Winter Camping

Gear and books discussed in this podcast –

Calvin Rustrum’s Paradise Below Zero

Garrett Conover’s Snow Walker’s Companion

Read my review of Cliff Jacobson’s Expedition Canoeing

The “killy kittle” Kelly Kettle Camp Stove

Merino wool long johns from Woolpower and Minus 33

SOL Bivy for upgrading your sleeping bag

Really cool 1970’s Glacier Glasses

Neos over boots read my review here

Lure of the North Anorak Kit

Happy Wanderer Opening Music

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

See all of my tee shirt designs!

Here’s some advice from Wade Bastian on the Appalachian trail gear he carried on his hike. Wade set out on 

Bucky completed the trail in July, here he is on Katahdin with fellow hiker Brightside 

You can listen to Wade and Bucky from the trail on the Scoutmaster Podcast –

338 – Eagles on the Appalachian Trail

340 – On the Appalachian Trail Again

346 – Back on The Appalachian Trail Again

I asked Wade to share what he carried and how his choices changed over the months he spent on the trail, (he also shared some trail lessons in another article).

Here’s what I carried and why. You can spend as much time and money as you like researching and buying “perfect” gear. The higher the investment the more likely you are to put up with stuff that doesn’t work 100%. I chose things I had used and tested myself in Scouts and afterward. We stuck with simple, proven gear rather than experimenting with new gadgets.

Cooking

We kept our cooking simple. Stove, pot, and two plain old stainless steel teaspoons. We were told a few times how much weight we could save with plastic spoons and politely thanked people for their advice.

We prepared tons of dried meals that we had mailed to us as we went along. These meals were the backbone of our menu supplemented with your average, run-of-the-mill food we picked up at grocery stores along the way. We carried salt, pepper, curry powder, old bay, chili powder, and one I spice I can’t recall that seemed like something you’d want to have but we didn’t use much.

MSR WhisperLite	MSR PocketRocket

Since we started in February we decided to carry two stoves in the beginning. Liquid fuel stoves are reliable performers in cold weather, canister’s not so much because the canister can freeze up. Liquid fuel is cheaper and easily available (sold by the ounce at outfitters along the trail), but pressurizing the fuel bottle and priming the stove is a pain. The MSR PocketRocket was our backup stove. It would have been adequate except for the few days it was too cold and the canisters were slow. Eventually I sent the WhisperLite home because the canisters were so much easier to use.

MSR WhisperLite Stove
MSR PocketRocket 2 Stove

GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pot

The 1.8 liter pot was just big enough to prepare a meal for two hungry hikers. The lid is kind of wonky; the rubber gasket fell off every other day.

GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Pot 

Outdoor Research Durable Dry Sack, 20 Liter

This was our food storage bag. Heavier than the lightweight green dry bag I used for clothes (see below). Hung it in out in the rain quite a few times. 20 liters was just big enough for all our food, toiletries, pot, stove, and anything else that might attract bears or (more importantly) mice.

Outdoor Research Durable Dry Sack, 20 Liter

Water

1.5 L Nalgene Wide Mouth Bottle

My water bottle wasn’t clean and new like the one pictured above. It’s an old, sticker-covered, friend I have carried for years. The 1.5 liter size is bigger than the average Nalgene, but I drink lots of water, so the bigger the bottle the better. I started with a hard-sided version, but it fell from the second story of the Partnership shelter in Virginia and the top broke off, and I replaced it with a soft-sided 1.5 liter.

1.5 L Nalgene Wide Mouth Bottle

Water Filters

MSR Miniworks EX	Katadyn Hiker Pro	Sawyer Mini

I started with the MSR Minworks EX and my hiking partner had a Katadyn Hiker Pro. We found the Katadyn was easier to use so the MSR filter was sent home early on (no need for two water filters).

Along the way we had a store credit to spend so I got the Sawyer Mini. I ended up using it more often because it was even faster and easier to use than the Katadyn.

MSR Miniworks EX
Katadyn Hiker Pro
Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System

Aquatabs

Aquatabs was our backup purifying method. Convenient and light.  The chlorine taste doesn’t bother me, especially after living in a swimming pool working at our Scout camp for nine summers.

Aquatabs

Shelter

EMS Sugar Shack 3

I’ve had this tent for a few years, it’s a fantastic tent, but just a little too heavy for thru hiking. We divided carrying it between two of us (one carried the poles and one the fly and tent). This is sold for three people, and is actually big enough for 3. With two people we had plenty of room to bring our packs inside or dry out wet gear.

The Sugar Shack 3 is no longer available, check out the similar Limelight from Marmot.

Big Agnes Lost Ranger Sleeping Bag

This bag has served me for more years than I thought I would. It’s a little worn now, but nothing patches couldn’t fix.

Because down insulation on the ground side of a bag is compressed to the point it’s no longer useful, Big Agnes bags only have a sleeping pad sleeve on the ground side of the bag. My upgraded Thermarest Neoair pad did not quite fit the sleeve, but the bag still performed admirably.

Big Agnes Lost Ranger Sleeping Bag: 15-Degree Down

Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad

This is the greatest sleeping pad ever. Light, packs in the same space as a water bottle, and it inflates to pure cushiony goodness.

Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite Sleeping Pad 

Sleeping bag in Sea to Summit stuff sack

Upgraded my sleeping bag stuff sack 100 miles in. Freed up space in my pack, more durable, definitely a change for the better.

Sea to Summit Stuff Sack

Clothing

Outdoor Research Ultralight Dry Sack, 35 Liter

I packed my clothes and sleeping bag (in it’s own stuff sack) in this monster bag and never came close to filling it up. It was wide enough to fill the bottom of my pack but a smaller bag would do fine.

Outdoor Research Ultralight Dry Sack, 35 Liter

Transcendent Down Hoody

I wanted a down insulated “puffy” jacket because it would be light and pack small. Based on the good reputation Outdoor Research gear I gave the Transcendent down hoody a try. Now it ranks as my favorite piece of new gear.

Comfy and incredibly warm; the first thing I put on in the evening after reaching camp and the last thing I took off before leaving in the morning. I added a base layer when it was cold enough, otherwise the jacket alone did the job. The hood cinched down tight and was a great thing to have on cold mornings. The jacket served double duty as a pillow (in my sleeping bag stuff sack) making it easy to find first thing in the morning.

Outdoor Research Men’s Transcendent Hoodie 

Helium II jacket, Helium pants

Lightweight options I’ve carried on day hikes and weekend trips for a few years

No matter how breathable it may be If I wear a rain jacket and pants sweat pours out of the sleeves. Rather than worrying about my rain gear being breathable or absolutely waterproof I chose gear that would wear well and give me plenty of protection from the wind.

I was impressed with the Helium II jacket and got the pants too. I patched a hole I put in the pants the first time I wore them. Both the jacket and pants performed well.

Helium II
Helium Pants 

Under Armor base layer

I got it this long sleeved base layer during my first years in Scouts (it’s probably 15 years old) and now it’s stained and weird. Very light, dries fast.

Under Armor base layer

Long sleeve sport science red shirt

My go-to long sleeve camp shirt. The poly-cotton blend is surprisingly warm (I kept this after I sent my base layers home) and it has a cool retro old man backpacking design (I was often asked where I got it). This wasn’t a hiking shirt, I kept it dry to wear in camp, and it was nice enough to wear in town.

I also carried polypro long underwear bottoms to wear as a dry layer in camp. These are so old I can’t tell what brand they are.  I’ve had them forever, they are nice and warm, one of my favorite cold weather garments.

See the polypro long underwear tops and bottoms in the Gear Guide

Compression Shorts

I may have mentioned I sweat, maybe more than average, so chafing is always a problem. I started with  EMS synthetic boxer briefs. They did minimize the problem, although I eventually mailed these home and started wearing compression shorts, they were more comfortable than the boxer briefs.

Compression Shorts

Darn Tough Men’s Hiker Boot Sock

Simply said these are great socks. A friend who wore a hole in her Darn Toughs got a free replacement pair at a store in Damascus, they’re guaranteed for life, no problem. Comfortable, the best socks hands down.

Darn Tough Men’s Hiker Boot Sock

Liner Socks

liners socks wick moisture away and prevent blisters. Have I mentioned I sweat a lot? On hot days in heavy boots these were a godsend.

Liner Socks 

Outdoor Research Mitten Shells

I wore these over my gloves on a few cold days and they did keep my hands dry and warm. The only problem was the XL size was too big, so I’ll get either smaller shells or thicker gloves.

Outdoor Research Mitten Shells

Minus33 Merino Wool gloves

I don’t get cold hands most of the time, so I went for a lightweight glove. These were thinner than I thought they would be, but they kept my hands warm, especially on the cold nights. They were a little small, I’ll get the next size up or a thicker glove.

Minus33 Merino Wool Gloves 

Pack Cover

Sea to Summit Siliconized Cordura Pack Cover

The pack cover I started with disappeared somewhere in the Smokies. I replaced it with a sea to summit pack cover in Hot Springs. I got the heavier version because a pack cover gets a lot of wear and tear from trees and bushes, let alone setting down and picking up my pack on rainy days. Some fellow hikers used heavy duty contractor bags as pack liners rather than using a pack cover.

Sea to Summit SN240 Ultra-Light Siliconized Cordura Pack Cover

Lighting

Luci Solar Lantern

This was a gift I would not even have considered buying for myself. Now I have it I love it. It’s easy to charge, lightweight and puts out enough light to illuminate most of a shelter lit up if it’s hanging from the ceiling.

Luci Solar Lantern

Black Diamond Spot Headlamp

Serviceable, simple, durable. Spend a little more than you would at the discount store, it’s worth it.

Black Diamond Spot Headlamp

Electronics

SPOT 3 Satellite GPS Messenger

My mom asked me to get this. The first one was broken, I got a replacement but it wasn’t very useful. I sent “I’m OK!” messages for a while, and eventually stopped using it altogether.

SPOT 3 Satellite GPS Messenger

Anker PowerCore 10000 milliamp external battery and cables

Picked this up before we got into the Smokies so I could use my phone as my main camera. Kind of heavy, but charged my phone 4-5 times (depending on temperature). Worth the weight.

Anker PowerCore 10000

Miscellaneous Gear

SAM Splint

I’ve been carrying a regular sized SAM splint since I took a Wilderness First Responder. I’ve never had to use it, and I eventually sent it home, but it made me feel good having it.

SAM Splint

My first aid kit was a simple homemade kit with two ACE bandages, one roll of medical tape, several sizes of band-aids, gauze pads, moleskin, Ibuprofen, Tylenol, Neosporin, and gloves (could have trimmed some stuff at the beginning)

Compass

Basic compass, only needed it once but I wouldn’t go without it.

Silva 1-2-3 Compass

Rite in the Rain All-Weather Top-Spiral Notebook

Kept a log each day for the first six weeks, this was reduced to noting funny quotes and memorable things as they happened.

Rite in the Rain All-Weather Top-Spiral Notebook

AWOL’s A.T. Guide Northbound 2017

Most through hikers use the AWOL guide or the Guthook App. One hiker I met took pictures of each day’s pages on their phone to access while they were hiking. I did the same thing because getting the book out all the time was tiresome.

Both AWOL and Guthook have an elevation profile, road crossings, water sources, shelters, and towns. Guthook has a neat GPS feature that tracks your location on the elevation profile so you know where you are and how far it is to the next shelter/water source/whatever.

AWOL’s A.T. Guide Northbound 2017

Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap

Highly contracted, refreshing, used it for everything, really does a great job.

Dr. Bronner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap

Tiger Balm Red

The best for any sore muscles. Small jar lasts a long time.

Tiger Balm Red 

Don’t miss the ScoutmasterCG.com Outdoor Gear guide

Check out these helpful gear infographics

Outdoor Clothing 101

Outdoor Footwear 101

Ten Essentials

Backpack Basics

Expertise and experience are overrated

Scouts need Scouters with energy and vision more than Scouters with expertise and experience. Scouts don’t care what you know, they respond to who you are.

In this podcast I answer three email questions.

The first (begins at 1:05) comes from a new Scouter contemplating becoming a Scoutmaster, but is concerned they are inexperienced. I was a very inexperienced Scoutmaster, so I know you can do this. You’ll will make plenty of “mistakes” but those are really the joy of it all. What you really need  to be a good Scoutmaster is energy and vision.

What some experienced Scouters believe is important is really just window dressing. Aim your energy and vision at making it possible for Scouts to go camping with their friends and everything else will follow.

The Second email answer (begins at 9:45) suggests how to resolve a standoff with a Scoutmaster who refuses to do their part for an Eagle candidate. Another concerned parent blindsided by a, no doubt, well-intentioned, but wrongheaded Scoutmaster. Spoiler alert – another classic ambush where the Scoutmaster does not think the Scout has been active enough.

Notes for the second email answer –

• Boards of review under disputed circumstances – Guide to Advancement

I discuss who decides merit badge requirements are fulfilled, and how to make those decisions in the third email answer (begins at 14:20). Many times these sorts of things do require making a judgement call, but there’s no reason a merit badge counsellor or Scouter make that judgement call on their own. Our work is developing character, and this is a great opportunity to do just that. We ought to make the most of the opportunity to apply the oath and law to these situations.

Notes for the third email answer – 

• Counselor’s decision whether to accept work or activities completed prior to the issuing of the signed blue card – Guide to Advancement
• Fulfilling More Than One Requirement With a Single Activity- Guide to Advancement

This podcast is brought to you by Patrons & Backers

Podcast Notes

Happy Wanderer Opening Music

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

See all of my tee shirt designs!

These Appalachian Trail Lessons come from Wade Bastian, one of two of my old Scouts hiking the 2200 mile trail. Wade and fellow Eagle Scout Bucky Kellorg started in February. As planned, Wade interrupted his hike to spend the summer employed as a peak steward in New York’s Adirondack mountains

Bucky completed the trail in July, here he is on Katahdin with fellow hiker Brightside 

You can listen to Wade and Bucky from the trail on the Scoutmaster Podcast –

338 – Eagles on the Appalachian Trail

340 – On the Appalachian Trail Again

346 – Back on The Appalachian Trail Again

I asked Wade to share what he learned on the trail, (he also shares some great gear tips in this article).

Here’s a seven Appalachian Trail lessons I’ve learned from the first few months of my through hike –

• Hiking every day is hard, but not how you’d expect
• Sometimes you can’t eat enough
• Good Eats – Good Attitude
• Pace yourself, there’s no shame in zero
• Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
• Gear wears out fast
• Be Prepared; more than a motto

Hiking every day is hard, but not how you’d expect.

I expected challenging, even brutal, physical challenges, and had plenty. They were not difficult as I imagined. I dreaded the idea of setting up camp, cooking, and the more mundane chores of the trip but they made for a pleasant routine. The hardest thing to accept, the most difficult part of this endeavor, was overcoming the sheer monotony of hiking every day, for 2200 miles.

I had no idea this was even a thing.

Hiking with a friend two is great, talking and joking your way along. I couldn’t imagine doing this alone. Solo hikers say they want to collect their thoughts, find themselves, figure out what they want to do with their life. Some listened to audiobooks, others listened to music or podcasts, but even those distractions grew monotonous.

That kind of solitude isn’t for everyone.

Sometimes you can’t eat enough

Within a week or two of starting northward I met a southbound hiker who was just days away from completing his hike. He advised me to stock up on food that I liked because I’d find getting enough to eat difficult.

Eating enough difficult? Really? Most of us think in terms of eating too much and I couldn’t imagine not being able to eat enough.

As a Summit Steward in the Adirondacks I experienced “Hiker Hunger” (insatiable, crazy, rampaging, dinosaur hunger) carrying heavy loads up steep trails. I knew I should snack at 2 to 3 hour intervals, and I did when we started.

As our daily mileage increased, my energy levels dropped. It took a while to figure out I wasn’t getting enough calories.

After I started snacking constantly my energy levels and attitude improved.

1300 miles later I slam down tons of candy, energy bars, anything I can get, and still lose weight.

Good Eats – Good Attitude

Eating well is important to your health, but it also has a huge effect on your attitude.

Bucky, my hiking partner, and I prepared great dried dinners before we started. Plenty of veggies, various proteins and carbohydrates. Because we had a tasty dinner nearly every day, we felt better, and our attitudes were better too.

What really drove this home was three days at an organic farm in Virginia. It was remarkable how good we felt after feasting on the healthiest farm-raised meats and other goodies. We returned to the trail with great attitudes, ready for anything.

Gear wears out fast

Many nights in camp we fixed worn-out gear hoping it would last another hundred miles.

Gear takes a real beating when you are hiking every day for months, and wears out faster than you’d expect. I started with brand new, high quality, gear but I was constantly fixing or replacing something.

I punched a hole in my rain pants the first day. Add a ripped jacket, holes in a dry bag, and diminishing waterproofing in nearly everything in differing degrees of severity. I bought new socks and pants (people occasionally say unkind things about my favorite shirt but I am keeping it). Boots that normally last for years of regular hiking barely made 1300 miles.

Pace yourself, there’s no shame in zero.

I read most through-hikers planned to cover 15 or 20 miles a day and take one zero day (that’s what we real hikers call a day off) a week.

Wait, a day off?

Blasphemers! Anyone who takes days off can’t call themselves a true hiker, right? What a bunch of babies. Me? I can hike 20 miles a day nonstop for months.

Yeah, I know, I am young and foolish.

I was starting off in pretty good shape (in my own mind). I’m an Adirondack Mountain peak steward, I eat miles for breakfast!

I ignored 20 pounds I gained during 4 months I did little more than sit around prior to the hike. I ignored the weight of my backpack and just kept adding stuff to it.

We hiked 17 miles our first day, a day now celebrated as The Day I Wrecked My Knees.

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should

On the second day, trying to cover 15 miles, I folded from extreme pain and stress in my knees.

The third day we covered 5 miles to a hostel, took a zero day, hiked two more days, and I was forced to stop.

I overestimated my abilities. I was a wreck.

After a full week’s rest, my knees felt better. When we reached Franklin North Carolina, we stopped at Outdoor 76, an outdoor store that prides themselves on being foot care experts.

I asked the expert at Outdoor 76 if there were insoles or exercises that would help my knee problem (inflammation of the IT band).

He said that’s not what I needed, that my trouble was pushing too hard in the beginning.

He likened through hiking to baseball; “Baseball pitchers take spring training slowly. If they try to throw a 100 MPH pitch in the spring they’d blow out an arm for the season, if not the rest of their life. They build up to the 100 MPH pitch slowly.”

Okay, that makes sense, I thought.

He continued; “Right now, you’re in the spring training phase of your hike, aim for 10 mile days. Most hikers doing 15-20 mile days push too hard, many develop injuries, and some will be forced to leave the trail. I see it all the time.”

I came away understanding if you push too hard because you think you have something to prove leads to getting hurt. Slow down and rest or be forced to, or to give up the trail.

Hikers who have nothing to prove go easy, build up their endurance, and finish the trail.

I had started out having something to prove. Besides, I hate sitting around when I could be out hiking! I decided then and there I wanted to finish the trail, even if it meant resetting my expectations.

Patience paid off. Back on the trail at a more realistic 5-10 miles a day my knees were soon back to full strength.

Before long we started logging twenty mile days regularly, but still took zero days at least once a week. It was nice having a day to relax, shower, and recover.

Now that I don’t feel like I have anything to prove I know I can finish the trail and I am truly enjoying the hike.

Be Prepared; more than a motto

My appreciation for being prepared comes from being a Scout who was allowed to be as miserable as he wanted.

We were told what to bring backpacking, what to expect, and the skills we would need. Naturally we didn’t listen, our Scout leaders knew we didn’t listen, they knew we’d be miserable, but thankfully they let us be as miserable as we wanted. My health and safety were never in real danger, they wouldn’t let that happen, but I had the opportunity to experience things for myself.

I remember blubbering from pain and exhaustion during my first ever backpacking trip. I remember hating those stupid adults and their smug smiles. It would take a while to understand how having less than pleasant experiences would make me better at backpacking (and a lot of other things too). Experience has become my most trusted and honest teacher.

In addition – three trail-related life lessons that go beyond hiking –

• Little things mean a lot.
• Uphill climbs don’t last forever, and neither do downhills.
• If you are making progress you’ll never stop being sore.

What do I do now?

A Scout misbehaves, makes a mistake, or even consciously does something wrong, and things spin out of control, now what?

If you hang around long enough your Scouts misbehave, and you’ll will be confronted by this sort of incident, so what is your plan?

I’ll discuss an incident shared with me some time ago to illustrate some core ideas about the crucial things a Scouter ought to know.

You can read more about the subject in Constructive Scouting Discipline.

It is a continuous struggle to measure supervision against granting the latitude required to grow and understand the oath and law. We can’t compel compliance if we expect the oath and law to have lasting effect. We only have a lasting effect if they internalize the ideals we champion voluntarily as a shared belief.

When I have had problems, and there have been plenty in 35 years, I am reminded that Scouting should be a very safe space for Scouts who fail, make mistakes, even those who consciously do bad things. Hopefully we surround our Scouts with compassionate, caring adults who have a sense of proportion and experience in addressing behavior problems in young people.

In This Podcast

0:09 The steaks are too high
1:37 A Wedding Story
3:34 When Scouts Misbehave

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Podcast Notes

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I did not start out as a believer in co-ed Scouting. For most of the last 35 years I’ve been a volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America the status quo worked fine for me, co-ed Scouting was a big unknown, and being unknown it was something to resist.

Three Things That Changed My Mind.

First – during a week-long international Scouting trip several years ago (and two more since) I watched co-ed Scouting at work. Almost every other Scouting association in the world is co-ed. Most of us haven’t seen co-ed Scouting in action on that scale. It wasn’t complicated, a Scout is a Scout, it was that simple.

Second – I’ve talked to Scouters from many different parts of the world at length about co-ed Scouting. I probed for problems or regrets, I didn’t find any.

Third –  and most important, nearly six years ago our first grandchild was born. Before long she’ll be old enough to have the same experiences and advantages Scouting afforded her Eagle Scout father.

I know and admire Girl Scouts and Girl Scout leaders but the Girl Scouts of the USA does not offer the same experience her father had. The GSA and BSA are separate organizations with meaningful differences between their programs. Some Scouts will do better in one versus the other, not because of their gender, but because of their interests and ambitions.

There’s no reason gender should limit the opportunities my granddaughter (or any child) has in life. I think my granddaughter and her parents ought to be able to choose the Scouting program and organization that best fits her interests and ambitions.

A week ago it seemed she’d have this choice, but now I am not so sure.

It’s been a weird couple of months.

Let me explain.

Background

I retired as a Scoutmaster four years ago. I returned to the role for a year because our next Scoutmaster wasn’t quite ready to take over. My fill-in year ended in August when I, along with many unit volunteers, received an email invitation from our local Council Executive:

There has been much talk about “Family Scouting” and ways to perhaps serve girls in the elementary and middle school years. On Thursday, after the rather “canned” national presentation, there will be an opportunity for discussion. More importantly, there will be an opportunity for you to send you thoughts and comments directly to the National team that is tasked with studying this opportunity.

Our Committee Chair and new Scoutmaster told me they would be attending. I decided I’d stay away because I am fidgety and impatient at meetings of any kind. Besides, given the chance, I end up talking too much.

I did, however, have something to say on the subject, so I decided I’d write a blog post.

I Write A Blog Post

Blog posts begin with an idea, and several hours writing a first draft. I usually let that draft sit for a few days or weeks, sometimes months. When I look at them again I may decide not to publish them at all. About one in three drafts aren’t published for various reasons.

My recent post, Girls in The BSA?, wasn’t something I came up with on a whim. I’ve been thinking, talking, and writing about co-ed Scouting for years. In addition to the usual draft and revision regimen I also asked a professor of developmental psychology to review the post. I asked them to check the accuracy of my statements about gender. After a few more hours of revisions I published the post earlier this month.

Girls in the BSA? asks if gender ought to define Scouting. I answer no, a Scout is a Scout, and tell how I arrived at this conclusion. At 640 words it is an intentionally brief post. I was aiming at writing why I think this is the right thing to do as simply as I could.

Many people responded to the post. The majority were positive, a significant number disagreed and a few who did got angry and/or called me names.

A week later in podcast 354 Gender and Scouting I talked about the post and responses.

Two days after that, to my great surprise, the BSA announced girls could become Cub Scouts beginning next fall. The announcement went on to say older girls would be allowed to participate in troops a year after that. The details were sparse, but the direction was clear (or so I thought). There was no connection between the timing of my posts and the announcement.

I hurried to put together links to the announcement and associated resources.

I was overjoyed the BSA made this decision, and stunned at how quickly it had happened.

Not So Fast!

After a few days it became clear things were not as I had hoped.

At first I thought chartering organizations would choose from three options –

1. Remaining as they are now, boys only.
2. Separate units for girls and boys.
3. A fully co-ed program.

In the ensuing discussions, online and off, I had growing concerns.

I never imagined the BSA intended to limit girls to a separate but equal plan. After all, they had to know that’s exactly what people would call it, and the uncomfortable associations it invokes. I thought they’d at least recognize this was a much more complex and unworkable than a co-ed plan. How is this consistent with why the BSA offers membership to girls in at all age levels?

Before long readers and listeners sent links to things like this email from the BSA’s Key 3 (National President, Chief Scout Executive, and National Commissioner) that says in part:

While our curriculum is relevant both to boys and girls, our commitment to single-gender offerings remains the same. Our decision does not make our programs co-ed. (Emphasis in the original.) We acknowledge and celebrate that boys and girls develop differently, and there are times that single-gender learning is most appropriate. We will maintain the experience boys have had in our organization while at the same time expanding our time-tested programs to girls and young women.

(It’s understood, I suppose, this announcement does not affect coed Venturing.)

I had read things wrong. There’s definitely no co-ed option.

One Step forward, Two Steps Back.

Take a step forward if you accept the premise that “that boys and girls develop differently, and there are times that single-gender learning is most appropriate.”

Take two steps back if you don’t accept this premise.

I am not out to stop you if you want to build your Scouting program on this premise.

I am not advocating that the BSA mandates a fully co-ed organization.

Families have legitimate differences in how they want to raise their children. Chartering organizations should have the choice to be fully co-ed, create separate girls-only groups, or remain boys only. This would be consistent with our history. Scouts from different religious backgrounds have had wide latitude in applying the program in a way consistent with their values for decades. Scouting should support any application of the program that helps young people in a way consistent with the oath and law.

Now it’s clear the BSA separate but equal plan closes the door on the option of having fully co-ed packs and troops.

Separate Isn’t Equal

The emerging details of the BSA plan places girls in separate “girl only” dens and troops. The BSA has categorically stated there will be no fully co-ed program for girls in packs or troops.

This plan invites association with the troubled history of “separate but equal”.  An unfortunate, unavoidable, yet totally accurate definition of the plan announced for girls.

To borrow a well-known phrase from the legal holding reached in the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education; separate is inherently unequal. Although the BSA is not subject to the kind of civil rights laws in Brown v. Board of Education the fundamental moral principle is identical.

I am, by far, not the first to make this association. Others have used it before and after the announcement. While the BSA has not used the phrase the decision embodies the same concept.

Why no Fully Co-Ed Option?

What I find really puzzling is why a fully co-ed plan isn’t even an option. What evidence for or against the idea was studied? Was it even discussed? If so why was it rejected?

Assuming chartering organizations can choose to remain boys only, or have separate but equal units, what does the BSA lose by permitting those who want it to have a fully co-ed program?

One defense of the separate but equal plan is the assumption girls are more developmentally advanced than boys between the ages of 11-14.  It’s assumed this difference gives girls in a co-ed troop an unfair advantage, they will run roughshod over the boys, and the boys will quit in despair. If this is the justification why can’t younger Cub Scouts be in fully co-ed dens? If differences in developmental stages are so important, why do we not separate boys in troops over 14 from boys under 14?

Are our Scouts or our organization so entirely different from the rest of the world we can’t meet the challenges or reap the benefits of a co-ed program? The Scouts Association in the United Kingdom, (founded by Baden-Powell in 1907) rose to those challenges twenty six years ago when they became fully co-ed. So did Scouts Canada nineteen years ago, Scouts South Africa eighteen years ago, so has almost every other Scouting organization in the world. As of today only 13 of the 160-plus member organizations of the World Organization of the Scouting Movement, of which the BSA is a member, remain ‘boys only”.

Valid questions remain about how the decision was reached, the motives behind it, it’s potential effects on other organizations, and the way it was announced, but they aren’t the most important answers we need.

Can the BSA separate but equal plan actually work?

How Will This Work?

The BSA announcement mentions the goal of creating convenient programs for busy families. It’s difficult to see how the separate but equal plan achieves this goal.

Establishing and serving separate but equal troops and Cub Scout dens will demand significantly more effort than accommodating 8 or 10 new Scouts in an a fully co-ed pack or troop.

That additional effort and inconvenience is justified if it is the choice of families the chartering organization serves, but what if they prefer a fully co-ed program?

We don’t yet know to what extent we’ll have to keep the girl troops and boy troops separated so we don’t know what the current plan does to our already crowded schedules. Will boy troops and girl troops share meeting space and time or go on camping trips together? Can they attend summer camp at the same time? Can they share existing volunteers or will we need to recruit a whole new set of volunteers?

In Cub Scout packs scheduling looks less complicated. But requiring separate dens in Cub Scouts means recruiting additional den leaders to maintain smaller dens when it would otherwise make sense to combine them were a fully co-ed option available.

These are just a few of the many questions that come to mind.

At this point plenty of volunteers are asking themselves how they can possibly make this work.

Wrestling With the Decision

I understand if you find all this troubling. This is a big change.

As the details become clearer I think a majority of volunteers are likely to disagree, in one way or another, with the BSA separate but equal plan.

I think a lot of families won’t like it either.

Someone defended the plan with the old chestnut “a good compromise leaves everyone equally dissatisfied”. Surely we can do better than that.  Truly good compromises require the consideration opposing viewpoints to create a good agreement. It’s very hard work, but it can be done. People voluntarily comply with a good agreement because their concerns are equally satisfied. If everyone is dissatisfied it’s not”good”.

We can, and will, find a way to work together on this, we are Scouters after all.

The Greater Aim

Maybe one thing we can all agree on is the greater aim of our work.

Whatever our disagreements all of us strive to make it possible for our Scouts to embrace and live out the oath and law.

From that perspective everything else is window dressing. The uniforms, badges, jargon, paperwork, hallowed traditions, and even the organizations themselves only exist to serve the greater aim.

I support a fully co-ed option because I am confident boys and girls are strongest and safest working together as Scouts.

You may choose to work with your Scouts differently. I don’t want to restrict how you work towards the greater aim.

All I ask is the BSA extend the same courtesy.

Can you define Scout leadership without using the words “lead”, “leader”, or “leadership”?

The Scout oath and law does a great job of defining leadership without any of those words.

Look at the simple promise “to help other people at all times”.

That’s where Scout leadership begins: helping other people at all times, by serving others and making things happen.

Once you see the oath and law as a definition of leadership, things start to open up.

To be a Scout is to be a leader

Every Scout leads all the time. Sounds impossible right? It would be if we limited our definition of leadership to being in charge and directing others.

My post “Every Scout a Leader” presents four kinds of to leadership;

1. Lead yourself.
2. Follow cooperatively.
3. Assist your fellow Scouts.
4. Direct your patrol and troop.

Some situations demand a specific kind of leadership, yet all four ways are equal in importance. In many situations we are all four kinds of leader at once.

We build skills, attitudes and perspectives that inspire Scouts to lead by helping other people. Promises in the oath and ideals of the law create a strong sense of duty, responsibility, and resolve aimed at serving others.

When you are a Scout being a leader isn’t something you will become someday in the future, you are a leader right now.

Things go off the rails if we view leadership as something granted to certain older Scouts, or we associate leadership with power and privilege rather than service. Scout leadership is not defined by organizational job descriptions, patches, and charts. Scout leadership is not a structure of power and privilege.

I’ve never liked isolating leadership training into a special event because Scouting is always leadership training. If you are A Scout you simply can’t avoid learning the lessons of leadership.

From the youngest Cub to the oldest Scout or Venturer we are training leaders.

Every Scout is a Leader

Today the BSA announced Family Scouting starting next fall with girls in Cub Scouting, and “a program for older girls, which will be announced in 2018 and projected to be available in 2019, that will enable them to earn the Eagle Scout rank.”

There are certainly a number of things to discuss but today I just wanted to post links to key resources about the announcement:

BSA Press Release 

Family Scouting Factsheet

Family Scouting Website

Bryan On Scouting Post

Family Scouting FAQ

Also check out my two recent posts on the subject:

Girls in the BSA?

Gender and Scouting  (Podcast 354)

I want to reiterate that I am not a BSA offical, nor sponsored or endorsed by the BSA. This announcement is as much of a surprise to me as it likely is to you.

I’ll be reading through the resources, start there to answer your questions, I won’t be much help because I don’t know any more about the specifics of these plans than anyone else.

The best advice I can offer is just take a couple of deep breaths, there are always a lot more questions than answers at first.

Should gender define Scouting?

This week I want to discuss responses to a post I published last week about gender in Scouting: Girls in the BSA.

The post garnered lot’s of responses both for and against the idea of the BSA becoming a co-ed organization, and I’ll discuss some of the objections in this podcast.  The question of gender and Scouting can be an explosive one since gender issues have caused much consternation and disagreement over the years. Fortunately nearly all the Scouters who replied to last weeks post did so in a reasonably level tone, something uncommon in the average online discussion.

A rough calculation of the responses revealed that 45% favored the change enthusiastically, 37% disagreed with equal enthusiasm, and 18% thought it was a good idea but expressed varied concerns.

Organizations usually embrace cultural change slower than their individual members. Any organization of national scope and more than a century of service is likely to have found itself behind the curve because they are reluctant to face cultural realities – especially when championing a set of values and ethics trumpeted as unchanging and unalterable. It’s clear, however, that Scouting organizations have changed how they interpret and express their values many times.  The motivations for change come from internal discussions and external pressures, things evolve, things change and these changes are not all bad.

In This Podcast

Gender and Scouting

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I want the BSA to be a fully co-ed organization with no limitations on how girls participate.

Before you lose it understand I don’t think girls in the BSA should be forced on anyone. More about that later.

I think we can and must make this happen for one simple reason: it is the right thing to do.

I can’t say I always thought this way.

We first visited Kandersteg International Scout Center in Switzerland six years ago. The vast majority of World Scouting is co-ed. How would my Scouts react to girls as Scouts on an equal footing with boys? Turns out I needn’t have worried. My Scouts accepted a Scout is a Scout regardless of their gender very quickly. It took me a little longer, but not much.

I guess seeing is believing, at least that’s all it took for me. A Scout is a Scout: it really is as simple as that.

I know it may take more to convince some folks this is the right thing to do. Before I talk about one caveat to having girls in the BSA here’s a simple question:

Should Gender Define Scouting?

Scouting in the United States is divided by gender. This division assumes girls and boys are fundamentally different and develop differently. This division also indicates we are okay with having gender continue to be a major determining factor in our children’s choices and futures.

It is easy to find hundreds of studies documenting gender-based developmental differences. These studies may not explain the difference between biological sex characteristics and assigned gender roles. Fact is many of those developmental differences are caused by assigned gender roles, not biological sex characteristics.

We are born with biological sex characteristics, but we learn gender roles.

The taboos, definitions, and expectations of assigned gender roles woven into our religious beliefs, our families, our politics, our careers, and ourselves, are very powerful.  Gender conditioning begins right away (pink for girls and blue for boys) so we accept it as the natural state of things.

Gender roles are not biological, and they have not remained consistent. Within my lifetime they have changed considerably. I am old enough to recall when women first entered many traditionally male roles. This was remarkable enough to be newsworthy: “Town Hires First Lady Policeman”. Let’s also acknowledge enforcing gender roles as we do almost exclusively benefits men – that’s not an opinion, that’s our history.

People of goodwill agree character, talents, and abilities should define our children’s future rather than things like gender, skin color, or sexual orientation. If that is true it follows we’ll stop dividing our children into gender based groups and treating them differently.

One Caveat and Two Minor Issues

One caveat: I support allowing chartering organizations to choose how they incorporate girls in the BSA. Some would choose to become fully co-ed, some would choose to remain as they are, some would have boys and girls in separate groups.

Two relatively minor issues; the logistics of personal privacy in accommodations, and inappropriate fraternization.  Both sound terrifically complicated until you realize somehow the rest of the world of Scouting and our co-ed Venturing program successfully manages these two issues.

Negative reactions to what I am writing here are predictable. Asking for equality from the privileged causes the privileged to react in fear and anger as though they are being oppressed or stand to lose something.

Before you react negatively tell me if it’s okay to define your child’s opportunities by gender, skin color, or sexual orientation.

If your answer is “no” why would you want that for any child?

If you’d like to read more about the gender from a man’s perspective I recommend Robert Webb’s insightful, hilarious, contemporary, and liberating discussion of gender in his memoir How Not to be a Boy.

I’ll be brief, well, kind of…

… join me as I talk about two key ideas for Scouters I hope you find helpful .

This podcast condenses into one talk the answers I wrote to several common email questions I had this summer. I want to share two key ideas I have talked about many times before, but I think are always important to emphasize. You can’t talk too much about these two ideas for Scouters, I hope!

Scouters are in the opportunity business, we create opportunities for young people to do things. How we approach our work is all important, our attitudes, perspectives and methods are important – because we are believers in the ability of young people to make our world a better place.

We do our work in a relentlessly positive atmosphere – the Scout oath and law are about who to be and what to do, not who not to be and what not to do.

Young people yearn for leaders to take them in a positive direction, one that points them towards love and goodwill, they do great things, and become great leaders themselves if we create the opportunities and encourage them to understand and apply the ideals of Scouting.

In This Podcast

Two Key Ideas for Scouters

This podcast is brought to you by Patrons & Backers

Podcast Notes

Happy Wanderer Opening Music

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

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Hey! I’m still here, are you?

My summer break stretched into the fall a little! Spend some time catching up with me in this briefer edition of the podcast, lots to talk about!

We had a great trip to Kandersteg International Scout Center in Switzerland, the troop had a great week at summer camp and have laid the foundations for a great year of activities for our Scouts.

The BSA began a listening campaign around the idea of “serving the whole family” and allowing girls to register in all of our age divisions, hooray!

We held a National Jamboree where the President’s speech became an issue, and in we’ve seen troubling events on a national scale, how do we approach things like this as Scouters?

What;s happening at Scoutmastercg.com? Working on redesigning teh site and adding functions I hope you will appreciate.

In This Podcast

Catching up! 

This podcast is brought to you by Patrons & Backers

Podcast Notes

Kandersteg International Scout Center

Happy Wanderer Opening Music

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

See all of my tee shirt designs!

A virtual question and answer session with Green Bar Bill about the patrol method from the December 1943 Edition of Scouting magazine. If you aren’t familiar with Bill “Green Bar Bill” Hillcourt check out these articles to learn more.

Download this article as a PDF document below.

The Boys Ask Green Bar Bill About the Patrol Method

GENTLEMEN, we’ve been pushed entirely out of the picture this month. We invited a bunch of Patrol Leaders to this Round Table, because we wanted to find out what questions boys ask about the Patrol. Then to make them feel at home we asked Green Bar Bill, the BOYS’ LIFE expert, to join us. Before we realized what was happening the boys turned their backs on the rest of us and started asking Green Bar Bill questions. All we can do is sit back and let them talk it over. And that may be good for us! ·

Lincoln Jones, Patrol Leader, Troop 75, Columbus, Ga., leads off with:

“How important is it for a Patrol to hold Patrol Meetings outside of the Troop Meeting and what should the fellows do at these meetings?”

GREEN BAR BILL: “Let me say right off the bat that these are my own ideas and you may not agree with them. But this is a Round Table and we’re here to exchange ideas. The answer to Jones’s question is: VERY. What can be accomplished during a Troop meeting of an hour and a half in training the fellows? Not very much. So if the weekly Troop meeting were all the Scouting your fellows got for a whole week, they wouldn’t have much. But there’s one thing the Troop meeting can do. It can inspire the Scouts to get busy and do something about their Scouting; it can suggest to them things to do until they meet again for another Troop meeting. That’s where the Patrol meetings outside of the Troop meetings come in. It’s here the fellows can really settle down to work on advancement, on projects, to train for stunts and demonstrations to put on, to fix up camping equipment, and to plan the big events that are ahead for the Patrol.”

Monroe Fisher, Patrol Leader, Troop 20, Concord, N. C.:

“Should the Patrol Leader be selected by the members of his Patrol or by the Scoutmaster?”

GBB: This is my opinion – your Troop may not agree. “In a brand-new Troop where the boys don’t know each other too well, it may be advisable for the Scoutmaster to pick the temporary Patrol Leaders. But the ideal arrangement is to have the Scouts select for their leader the fellow they look up to and want to follow. Scouts are generally pretty smart and usually pick the boy best suited for the job. If they pick the wrong one – well, then I’m in favor of having them stew in their own juice for a while until they can find a way of solving the problem that will meet with their Scoutmaster’s approval. That will teach them what to look for in a leader.”

Jack Eskridge, Patrol Leader, Troop 1, Lawndale, N. C.:

“What are some of the things you can do to get your Scouts interested in advancement?”

GBB: “Take ’em hiking! Get them out-of-doors. Give them real Scouting. Follow a compass direction. Have them use a map. Cut fire wood and light a fire – by permission, of course, and cook a meal. Learn the trees, the birds, the stars. Try Scout’s Pace until everyone has mastered it. Signal with flags or smoke or fire. Follow the animal tracks you come across. Judge distances and heights. Fake some accidents that may occur in the wilderness and have the fellows care for the ‘victims.’

If you go on like that for a while, before you know a word about it, all of your Scouts will have done most of the things that are required for Second and First Class advancement. Then it’s a matter of a little pushing on your part to get them to finish up and a bit of pinning them down to be ready for the date of the next local Board. ‘Element’ try, my dear Watson,’ as Sherlock Holmes would have said.”

Jesse N. Margolin, Patrol Leader, Troop 198, Woodmere, N. Y.:

“ls it necessary to have Patrol Leaders’ meetings with Troop officers and why?”

GBB: “BUT DEFINITELY! Without those meetings your Troop wouldn’t be using the Patrol Method – that’s why. Patrol s are gangs of boys led by boys. The Troop consists of those Patrols working together. But how can they work together unless the leaders meet with each other and decide what needs to be done? So, the Patrol Leaders sit down with the other officers of the Troop to plan Troop meetings, hikes, camps and service projects. The Patrol Leaders report on their Patrol activities and get help · and advice on improving them. But those meetings have another very important function: It’s here that the Scoutmaster trains his boy leaders for the job of leadership in Patrol and Troop. The Patrol Leaders’ Meeting, or Patrol Leaders’ Council or Green Bar Council, as it is often called, is the heart of the Troop, the key to the Patrol Method.”

Jim Kiser, Patrol Leader, Troop 2, Bessemer City, N. C.:

“Is a boy a Patrol Leader because he wears two green bars?”

GBB: “Bingo! Here, right off the bat, we have the $64 question! The answer is NO – most emphatically NO! Some may insist he is – technically, at least. Well, I don’t give a hoot for technicalities like that. A badge alone does not make a boy a Patrol Leader. His actions do! It is the way he can get his boys to follow him, the way h e thinks up ideas and l e t’s the gang execute them, the way he keeps the fellows on the go that proves him a leader. Unless a boy is a REAL LEADER OF A PATROL he should never be given the privilege of wearing those two green bars.”

Anthony J. Murphy, Patrol Leader, Troop 18, Lowell, Mass. :

“In many Troops the Patrol Leader picks the Assistant Patrol Leader. How should this be done? Should it be the highest ranking Scout or the most capable Scout, for in many cases the highest ranking Scout is not the most capable of the Patrol?”

GBB: “I, too, believe in having the Patrol Leader pick his Assistant. Of course, while picking, he should think of the good of the Patrol and not so much of his own preference. He might have a very good friend among the Patrol members, but if he were smart he wouldn’t pick his friend unless that fellow were a good leader and acceptable to the other Scouts of the Patrol as a leader when he himself couldn’t be present. The Assistant, like the Patrol Leader, should be picked for leadership first, rather than for rank or age.”

Bill E. Jenkins, Patrol Leader, Troop 1, Maiden, N. C.:

“Should the Patrol Leader be older than the boys in the Patrol or should he be highest in rank?”

GBB: “It all depends. It would be a simple matter if the oldest boy were of the highest rank and also had the greatest amount of leadership. There are fellows like that. Such a fellow would be the one to pick. But if you don’t have any like that around, I’d put leadership first, rank next and age last. I’ve met First Class Scouts that weren’t worth a hoot as leaders. I’ve met fifteen-year-olds that couldn’t get along with twelve-year-olds on a bet. So give me a fellow with leadership and I’ll take a chance on his age and rank.”

Delbert G. Schmidt, Patrol Leader, Troop 21, West Bend, Wisc.:

“What can I do for discipline at meetings?”

GBB: “My Grandmother would have had the perfect answer for that one. When I was a tiny tot I wasn’t quite the angel I am today (no interruptions, please!). At times I’d cut up and make a nuisance of myself. What did my Grandmother do? She smeared my fingers with molasses and gave me a feather to play with. The result was that I got so busy trying to pick off the feather that I didn’t have time to be a nuisance. Get the point? Have your meetings so packed full of things to do that the fellows just don’t have the chance to stop for a moment to get into mischief.”

Fred Ellert, Patrol Leader, Troop 7, New Britain, Conn.:

“Should a Patrol Leader divide the work and responsibilities among his Patrol members or should he be in charge of everything?”

GBB: “An emphatic YES to the first part of the question and an equally emphatic NO to the last. For two reasons: First, to produce an effective and efficient Patrol, and, second, to give each fellow a chance for leadership. A Patrol is a small democracy. But a democracy can’t be strong unless each member of it accepts his responsibility and does his part. Give each fellow a chance to help in planning the work and a job to perform in working the plan. There’s a swell chapter on this Patrol organization in the Handbook for Patrol Leaders. Look it up.”

Walter Levine, Patrol Leader, Troop 38, New Haven, Conn.:

“How do I get my Patrol members to come to Patrol meetings?”

GBB: “Why do you go to the movies? Because movies show something you want to see! Why do Scouts go to Patrol meetings? Because they contain things they want to do! There’s your answer. The trouble is that in many Patrols the fellows would be much smarter if they stayed away; there’s nothing but fooling around. In the good Patrols it’s different, for two reasons. First of all, because they themselves have helped to plan meetings that are crammed full of things they want to do. They know they’ll have fun. And second, because they have accepted the responsibility for parts of the meetings and have to be there to carry through their job. In Patrols that work this way the fellows don’t want to miss a single meeting.”

Stephen Rumeny, Patrol Leader, Troop 3, Gardner, Mass.:

“Should the Patrol led by the Patrol Leader be able to go on hikes?”

GBB: “This is where I am going to stick my neck out. There are lots of Councils where the general rule is ‘No Patrol Hikes without adult leadership.’ They had good reasons for making that rule. They had had reports of irresponsible Patrols running wild, scarring up trees with axes, starting grass fires, destroying gates, chasing farm animals, ruining crops. So they said ‘nothing doing.’ And the rest of us have had to suffer for it ever since.

Fortunately, the Patrol Leaders in our Troop have become more mature and better trained. They know their responsibilities. They can make their fellows see sense and can get them to act like Scouts. So I feel that a qualified Patrol Leader should be able to get the permission of his Scoutmaster and h is Council to take his Patrol hiking. What do I mean by ‘qualified’? This: That he is a First Class Scout; that he has taken part in at least three Troop hikes and a hike of the Patrol Leaders’ Council; that he has been a successful Patrol Leader for several months. Besides, before taking the hike, he should insist upon written consent of the parents of each boy; he should be familiar with the country to be covered and he should have secured permission of the property owner if fire building and cooking is on the program.”

“Well, that was quite a dose for one session, wasn’t it?”

“I would like to say one word before we give this meeting back to the Chairman of the Round Table: I have expressed my own ideas in answer to your questions. I think they are sound, because I have tried them out. But some of your Troops may do it differently. I’m not saying my way is the only way, I just know it’s the way that works best for my Troop. It was good to have this chance to get together with you fellows. I hope we can do it again sometime to talk over our Patrol problems.”

Well, Green Bar Bill, we’ve enjoyed listening to you answer Patrol Leaders’ questions. There are a lot of questions we would like to ask you, too, hut it’s time to close now, so we’ll have to discuss the whole subject with our own Troop Staffs and see if we agree with you and how we can make our Patrols click better than ever. The meeting is adjourned.

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 Some Scouting problems are just nettlesome…

… they aren’t discipline problems, or particularly disruptive, just nettlesome, irritating, like stinging nettles.

Everyone thinks it’s the Scoutmaster’s responsibility to fix nettlesome Scouting problems, truth is it isn’t, at least not directly.

Most Scouters run into a situation like this, it bothers them, and then they create a rule thinking this will fix things.

It doesn’t.

Rules are powerless to change underlying attitudes, they can only compel compliance. Once rules are made you put yourself in the role of policing them, judging consequences, and then dishing them out. Once you go down that road it takes over your thinking and you end up squandering your energy on a useless enterprise.

Remember the aim, to develop character using the patrol method. Assume that you are powerless, don’t make rules or think that you have to resolve every nettlesome thing that happens.

Make a habit of praising Scouts publicly by name when you see good behavior, ignore nettlesome behavior, and champion the Scout oath and law at every opportunity.

In This Podcast

0:18 Trails and cots.

1:09 Mailbag, Intro 

7:01 Nettlesome Scouting problems.

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Podcast Notes

FISCAL POLICIES AND PROCEDURES FOR BSA UNITS

Get the song Sasquatch by Bucky’s band Los Festingos.

Happy Wanderer Opening Music
Yancey’s Bugle Call Closing music
You’re my favorite all time Boy Scout
The Scout Law
Boy Scout in Switzerland
Boy Scout Boogie
Camping Christine Lavin

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

See all of my tee shirt designs!

 Who “owns” the pack, troop or crew?

Scouting Charters are held by a chartering organization owns all of the assets of a Scout unit. 

As for whether or not they will dictate how the money is spent; the chartered organization is responsible to make sure finances are administered properly.

In practice most chartered organizations do not get very involved in the management of the finances or the program, they entrust those decisions to the volunteers involved.

Someone is registered as the chartered organization representative, they handle the relationship between the packs volunteers and the chartered organization. 

Most of the time the charter for a unit predates the present volunteers and many of the people at the chartering organization. Nobody may know how any of this is arranged because they weren’t around when it was set up. See the Chartered Organization Representative Guidebook link in the podcast notes to learn more.

In This Podcast

0:19 How do you make a mosquito repellant?

1:07  Mailbag, Intro 

5:44  Andrea Kuperman’s advice on working with Scout parents

7:20 Scott Williams asks about parents driving Scouts to activities.

10:45 Who “owns” the pack, troop or crew?

This podcast is brought to you by Patrons & Backers

Podcast Notes

Chartered Organization Representative Guidebook 

Get the song Sasquatch by Bucky’s band Los Festingos.

Happy Wanderer Opening Music
Yancey’s Bugle Call Closing music
You’re my favorite all time Boy Scout
The Scout Law
Boy Scout in Switzerland
Boy Scout Boogie
Camping Christine Lavin

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

See all of my tee shirt designs!

Should we ask Scouts to sign “leadership contracts”?

A couple of decades ago I tried Scout contracts, it was a mistake.

I guess at the time that I would teach my Scouts a thing or two and demand that that sign a Scout contract before they took on a role of responsibility. Of course they signed it and then they did not behave any differently, they missed meetings and trips just like before. I don’t know what I was going to do with that contract other than make Scouts feel bad for being teenagers, there are plenty people who do that in their lives anyway, so why not join in?

What I came to realize is that the Scouts were volunteering their time just like I was. I was not there to be their employer, their boss, or their drill Sergeant, I was there to make the opportunity to be Scouts possible.

In This Podcast

0:19 A wisk he was willing to take.

1:23  Mailbag, Intro 

8:03  A Scout who hates camping.

11:59 Leadership contracts.

17:16 Parents on boards of review?

This podcast is brought to you by Patrons & Backers

Podcast Notes

In the mailbag Jeremy refers to my Ten Essentials PDF

Get the song Sasquatch by Bucky’s band Los Festingos.

Happy Wanderer Opening Music
Yancey’s Bugle Call Closing music
You’re my favorite all time Boy Scout
The Scout Law
Boy Scout in Switzerland
Boy Scout Boogie
Camping Christine Lavin

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

See all of my tee shirt designs!

If the Scouts are leading themselves who is leading the Scout leaders?

This week I’ll field a couple of email questions that ask the question “who leads the Scout leaders?”

Scouting is a team sport, while we all work to build consensus it’s not a democracy. It is, as BP said, “a jolly game” that depends on families, scouts and Scouters working together in a collaborative process.  When people understand their roles in the process, their positions on the team that plays this “jolly game”,  things get energized.

A clear understanding of the dynamics of leadership amongst Scouters is important to good Scouting for our youth members. Scout leaders advise, mentor and council Scouts, but the adults involved need leadership too. 

In This Podcast

0:17 Tutankhamen Effect 

1:32  Mailbag, Intro 

6:50 Who decides who goes to NYLT?

9:22 Assistant Scoutmaster wants to see some changes 

17:45 Should I send this email to our Scout’s parents?

This podcast is brought to you by Patrons & Backers

Podcast Notes

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

Get the song Sasquatch by Bucky’s band Los Festingos.

Happy Wanderer Opening Music
Yancey’s Bugle Call Closing music
You’re my favorite all time Boy Scout
The Scout Law
Boy Scout in Switzerland
Boy Scout Boogie
Camping Christine Lavin

See all of my tee shirt designs!

You’ve used an iterative process before …

… whether you know it or not. Iteration means trying something out in a slightly or wholly different way if it does not succeed when first tried.

I have some email questions to answer this week and one got me thinking about iteration. Scouting is an iterative process, we repeat the same class of experiences in an effort to gain knowledge and that knowledge foments growth, it goes very deep, but the practice is very simple. Boys are Scouts to go camping with their friends. The goal is going camping, that’s all, they aren’t there to learn anything or do exercises.

In This Podcast

0:16 Stew tasting  

1:13  Mailbag, Intro 

6:08  Scouting Alumni

7:38 New troop needs direction – this is about iteration.

18:18 Eagle Scout Project Proposal Advice

20:41 Quarterly Program Question

This podcast is brought to you by Patrons & Backers

Podcast Notes

The story I mention in the mailbag is here Why We Have Scoutmasters

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

Happy Wanderer Opening Music
Yancey’s Bugle Call Closing music
You’re my favorite all time Boy Scout
The Scout Law
Boy Scout in Switzerland
Boy Scout Boogie
Camping Christine Lavin

See all of my tee shirt designs!

Another visit with our favorite through hikers …

… from a third of the way through their quest to complete the 2000 mile Appalachian Trail. Wade “Nutshoe” Bastain, Bucky “No Name, Buckminster” Kellorg, and their fellow Eagle Scout and hiking companion “Bear” join us from southern Virginia to relate their latest adventures along the Appalachian trail.

In This Podcast

0:17 Scout Zombies

1:45 Mailbag, Intro 

10:35  Bucky, Wade, and Bear report on their trail adventure.

This podcast is brought to you by Patrons & Backers

Podcast Notes

The story I mention in the mailbag is here Why We Have Scoutmasters

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

Happy Wanderer Opening Music
Yancey’s Bugle Call Closing music
You’re my favorite all time Boy Scout
The Scout Law
Boy Scout in Switzerland
Boy Scout Boogie
Camping Christine Lavin

See all of my tee shirt designs!

We encourage active Scouts a number of ways …

… but at the heart of the matter there’s only two things that make a difference, and  I’ll discuss those two key points in this week’s podcast. The same things that make active Scouts can help us increase activity at roundtables and other functions like courts of honor. We may be looking for answers in all the wrong places, or think low attendance or interest is caused by things beyond our control, I think it’s simpler than that.

What do you advise Scouts who need to fulfil requirements for conservation related service work? I have a couple of ideas, but I’d like to hear yours – get in touch here.

In This Podcast

0:16 Rounding up Scouts

1:11 Intro 

8:06  How do I get more Scouters to a roundtable?

11:57  How do I get more parents to a court of honor?

24:45 What is “conservation related” service?

This podcast is brought to you by Patrons & Backers

Podcast Notes

See Bucky and Wade (my old Scouts through-hiking the Appalachian Trail) in this YouTube video. Wade is interviewed with three other hikers, and Bucky follows on his own.

Get my book The Scouting Journey

Get my book So Far So Good

Happy Wanderer Opening Music
Yancey’s Bugle Call Closing music
You’re my favorite all time Boy Scout
The Scout Law
Boy Scout in Switzerland
Boy Scout Boogie
Camping Christine Lavin

See all of my tee shirt designs!