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Have any plans with your pack, troop, or crew for Halloween?
Whether you're dressing up your Cub Scouts for a fun afternoon activity, taking a weekend camping trip with your Boy Scout troop, or volunteering at a haunted house with your Venturing crew, we hope you have a fun and safe weekend!
Dinners at the jamboree have always been tasty, but they're about to get a whole lot better. Bring on the theme nights!
At the 2010 National Scout Jamboree next year, organizers have planned eight different theme nights for participating troops. The themes are:
It's clear that boys and adult volunteers won't go hungry at this year's jamboree.
It's Halloween next week, and the search for costumes inevitably leads you to the staples of the season: witch, ghost, zombie, or vampire. But each season, some people consider dressing themselves as Cub Scouts or Boy Scouts. And apparently it's enough of a problem that at least one Scout Shop has chosen to address the issue head-on.
At the excellent (and massive) Scout Shop located in the National Scouting Museum, there's a sign at the entrance that reads: "Scout uniforms WILL NOT be sold as Halloween costumes."
So we want to know your take. Should Scout uniforms be sold for use as Halloween costumes? Let us know in the comments area below.
With millions of Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venturers heading to national parks, state parks, and other public land each year, there's bound to be some irreversible harm done to nature.
But the point of Leave No Trace is to minimize that harm. The organization, whose Web site is available here, travels the country to educate Scouts and Scouters about the best ways to enjoy the outdoors without abusing it.
Cracker Barrel heard a presentation from two LNT Traveling Trainers at a conference at Philmont last week. The presenters told us that the BSA spends a combined 30 million days outside each year. That's a lot of impact!
And even though your unit may be practicing responsible use, other units aren't so courteous, we were told. Here are four common complaints LNT hears about Scouting units:
So what can be done to get back on the right track? Start with Chapter 7 of the new Boy Scout Handbook. The chapter, which starts on page 244, discusses the principles of Leave No Trace and how boys can implement them in their troop. The BSA has taken a proactive approach to the program, making Leave No Trace a requirement for Second Class and First Class.
Looking to do even more? You can ask the LNT Traveling Trainers to make a visit to your crew, troop, or pack meeting. If they have time and are in the area, they'll stop by for free to give a presentation. Just click here for details.
Chime In: What is your unit doing to minimize its impact on the planet? How can you be doing better?
You already know that the 2010 National Scout Jamboree will be the best, most exciting, fun-filled, and safest jamboree ever. But now there's another superlative to add to the mix: "most connected."
Thanks to a unique partnership with AT&T, the site at Fort A.P. Hill, Va., which in the past has had spotty wireless coverage, will become a hub of communication for the 45,000 participants and staff and more than 250,000 visitors expected to attend.
John Alline, the jamboree's director, recently announced the plan to create a three-level wireless canopy that will cover the entire site. The first two levels will be for the medical and administration teams, but the rest of the coverage is for the participants and staff.
"If 45,000 Scouts and Scouters all press send on their phones at the same time," Alline says, "their messages will go through."
Instead of the long banks of payphones you might remember from past jamborees, the 2010 jamboree will feature AT&T kiosks at which you can recharge cell phones of any brand. Don't have a cell phone? No problem. AT&T will also have tethered phones boys and adults can use to call home for free.
Can't go 10 days without checking your e-mail? Wi-Fi hotspots will support your smartphone or laptop computer, and a computer bank will be available for adult leaders to use in 10-minute blocks of time.
Because the wireless carrier T-Mobile uses the same technology as AT&T, those phones will work on the site as well. Verizon has also announced that it will provide coverage. There's no word on Sprint just yet.
Cracker Barrel sat in on a presentation about the 2010 jamboree last night, and there's some breaking news to report.
The jamboree committee has brought on five familiar food vendors to serve visitors, participants, and staff at the jamboree.
The vendors are: Burger King, Chick-Fil-A, Subway, Dunkin' Donuts, and Freshens smoothies.
These vendors will give all in attendance an alternative to kiosk lunches while they're out enjoying the jamboree.
Climbing pioneer Royal Robbins was the
first to solo climb El Capitan in Yosemite National Park, but he
conquered another mountainous hurdle long before he ever donned a
climbing harness: the mean streets of Los Angeles.
After a crime-riddled start to his childhood, Robbins found a new passion: the Boy Scouts. At age 14, he joined the program and found a different sort of adventure there.
“The Scouts got me off the streets of Los Angeles,” he said. “Into the out of doors. Into the mountains. Out into the good stuff.”
Robbins addressed a gathering at this week's National Outdoor Adventure Summit at Philmont Scout Ranch. Cracker Barrel is here all week learning about tips and techniques for outdoor activities.
But before the sessions began, Robbins' keynote address helped inspire the crowd.
He owes much of his success in the outdoors to a three-word motto: “Attitude, Perseverance, and Love.”
“Attitude”
Robbins' “attitude” came into play when he was trying to climb a large boulder without the assistance of ropes. After falling off five times, he was ready to quit, but then he had a vision of the route to the top. He knew he could make it.
And what happened on his next try? He made it, of course.
“I told myself: Climb as if you were gonna make it,” he said. “And then, I had done it! I had made the first ascent of what I thought I couldn't do. Was that ever a lesson for me in attitude!”
“Perseverance”
His second tenet came into play when preparing to solo climb El Capitan. Even before he ascended one foot up the massive rock face, he remembered being ready to reconsider.
“It was 500 times higher than me. And a lot fatter,” he said. “I wanted to back out, but what was I going to do?”
But on sheer skill and adrenaline, he made it 2,000 feet up—with just one-third left to go. But Robbins, with his arms weak and his head filling with thoughts of defeat, began to question himself.
As he was putting up anchors to rappel down, a feeling of sickness overcame him.
“I couldn't let my dream go,” he said. “I asked myself, 'Why don't you climb the next five feet? You can get down just as easily five feet up as from where you are—and you'll have a new high point.”
This mind game continued until he could see the summit above him. By then, he didn't need to trick himself anymore.
Conquering El Capitan taught Robbins an important lesson: “Sometimes our dreams are so far out there that we can't see how we're going to do them,” he said. “You may not see the end result, but if you keep trying, you might get there. If you give up, you won't, for sure.”
“Love”
His final point, “love,” wasn't a climbing story, surprisingly. This time he recounted the tale of one of his many kayaking adventures. You may know Robbins as the first to ascend several mountains, but he was also the first to descend several river runs.
One in particular didn't go smoothly,though. While kayaking a river in Chile, he capsized and was caught in a “maytag.” Like the washing machine that shares its name, a maytag throws your body around in a cycle from which it is difficult to escape.
Robbins fought for air each time the cycle brought him near the surface. But each gasp yielded less and less air. Eventually, he was certain he wasn't going to make it.
“But just as I was about to give up, I saw a vision of my family,” he remembers. “That was just enough to release some emotion. Some adrenaline. I just swam. I decided right then and there that if was going to kick the bucket, I was going to do so swimming and trying. I was not going to give up.”
Once he made it to dry land, he knew what had kept him alive.
“Fear didn't do it,” he said. “It took the love of my family. That made the difference.”
OK, prepare to be jealous after we tell you this: Cracker Barrel will be spending all of next week at Philmont Scout Ranch.
We're heading to the 2009 National Outdoor Adventure Summit, an outdoor forum for professional and volunteer Scouters. We'll learn about programs, techniques, and equipment that can make Scouting better for youths and adults.
Even though we'll be on the road, we'll still be posting to the blog and providing you with regular updates on our Twitter account. If you have anything you'd like us to keep an eye out for while we're there, e-mail us.
We're looking for great trips to feature in What a Weekend, recognition-worthy volunteers for Scouter Spotlight, and tricky questions about BSA policies or procedures for Ask the Expert.
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