Author Archives: Gretchen

SeaScouts_ScoutFleet2012

ScoutFleet to celebrate Sea Scouting’s 100th anniversary

20 July 2012

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Hoist the main sail!

Starting today, 28 vessels and 230 Sea Scouts arrive in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor for Centennial ScoutFleet 2012. 

The event, which celebrates this year’s 100th anniversary of Sea Scouts, will put the program on full display with events including an exciting ScoutFleet Regatta starting at 9 a.m. Saturday. The regatta—visible to those on land in the harbor area—will feature uniformed Sea Scouts sailing boats of all variety and lengths, including the flagship boat of the Chesapeake Sea Scout Flotilla, a 46-foot Morgan Ketch sailboat, Der PeLiKan.

After the regatta, an exchange of cannon salutes from the Der PeLiKan and USS Constellation—the Navy’s last wooden warship—will echo throughout the harbor as the Scouts undergo a review of ships. A parade of ships will follow. Then, the group will celebrate Sea Scouting with a gala birthday party—the highlight of which will be a cake with 100 candles! Keith Christopher, national Sea Scout director, will also speak to the crowd.

This visible display of Sea Scouting in such a prominent and busy harbor honors 100 years of tradition in a program that keeps older Scouts active by teaching how to “cruise large boats, operate large diesel engines, and make lifelong friends,” says Joshua Gilliland, national Sea Scout Centennial chairman.

Learn more about ScoutFleet and find a Sea Scout ship near you by visiting newseascout.org. Plus, you can find a recap of this event, including photos of the regatta, in the November-December issue of Scouting.

PlaceToHang_blog

Enter daily to win one of 10 hammocks

2 July 2012

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We’ve all been there: waking up in a haze of discomfort after sleeping on a rocky, uneven surface in a tent. It’s not pleasant.

Derek Hansen says it doesn’t have to be that way. Instead, he says, try sleeping in a hammock. Hansen, a Scoutmaster and longtime “hammock enthusiast,” breaks down all you need to know about hammock camping in his new book, The Ultimate Hang: An Illustrated Guide to Hammock Camping.

Find two suitable trees, adjust the tethers and the nylon hammock, and you’ve got yourself a one-way ticket to a good night’s sleep—on a campout, no less!

Still skeptical? Read through Hansen’s article “Ten reasons why you should try hammock camping” on Scoutingmagazine.org.

And to get you started on this latest endeavor, you can enter to win your own hammock in the PLACE TO HANG GIVEAWAY, ending July 31. Continue reading »

Where Am I - Golden Arches

May-June ‘Where Am I?’ winner and location revealed

26 June 2012

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The May-June “Where Am I?” contest was tough, judging from the relatively small number of guesses. Only 315 entries were received, compared to 666 in the March-April contest. Many readers guessed “Arches National Park.” However, the true location of this picture is thousands of miles away from the sunburnt-orange Utah arches.

The answer? Twin Arches at Big South Fork National River and Recreation area in Tennessee. Congratulations to our winner, Lynn Jaffe, a committee member with Troop 719 in the Old Hickory Council, North Carolina.

And, just because we know you like a challenge, try your geography skills at a new “Where Am I?” contest starting today. Scouting magazine takes a break from printing in the summer months, but we’re still hosting a contest to keep our readers sharp. The same rules apply: Read the clues, examine the photo, and submit your guess. We’ll randomly select a correct guess to award one winner a $100 Supply Group gift card.

The “Where Am I?” — Sculpted Solace contest ends Aug. 13.

Good luck!

GotYourBack_BlogImage2

Enter daily to win one of three gotta-have backpacks

1 June 2012

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Who’s going backpacking this summer? (Yep, I’ve got my hand raised, too!)

After you’ve collected the essentials—like a great stove, sturdy boots, a lightweight tent—did you remember the most important item for a long-distance trek? … a comfortable backpack?

We’ve got your back. Literally. This month, we’re giving away three—yes, three!—backpacks in our GOT YOUR BACK GIVEAWAY, starting June 1 and ending June 30.

The prizes include: A Deuter AIRCONTACT backpack ($270) for the first-place winner; an Osprey Atmos backpack ($240) for the second-place winner; and a Columbia SilverRidge Weekender backpack ($120) for the third-place winner. The first-place prize will also include a MSR Pocket Rocket stove, a Tilley Outback Hat, and a SnowPeak “Snow Miner” headlamp, too! (Read more about the prize packages.)

Your odds of winning increase the more you add your name to our pool of entries. So, enter daily through June 30. And don’t forget: You can tell others about the giveaway using the referral link displayed after you enter. You will receive one extra entry for each friend who enters the contest using your link.

The winner of the GOT YOUR BACK GIVEAWAY will be announced the week of July 1 (along with a new July giveaway that you don’t want to miss!).

Good luck—enter now!

Gordon Strawn, a Scoutmaster from Las Cruces, N.M., won the May 2012 JUST ADD WATER GIVEAWAY. Gordon reports that his troop will use the water-filtration gear during their trip to Philmont next year. Congrats, Gordon!

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Photo Fridays: Funny Moments (16 photos)

1 June 2012

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Happy Friday, everyone! Bryan is in Orlando this week at the National Annual Meeting. (Follow Scouting magazine on Twitter for his live updates!)

But just because he’s away doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun—especially with Funny Moments photos that you’ve captured during your Scouting adventures. This post is a part of the Photo Fridays series, a feature highlighting real photos submitted by real Scouters.

So far, this series has covered Cub Scout Fun and High Adventure. We hope the 16 Funny Moments photos below add some laughter to your Friday!

Continue reading »

WaterGiveawayBlog

Enter daily to win awesome water-filtration tools

8 May 2012

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Thirsty? If you’re not now, you will be in a couple months—summer is right around the corner!

Be prepared for thirst with this package of water-purification gear offered in the JUST ADD WATER GIVEAWAY, starting today and ending May 31.

One random winner will receive a Platypus GravityWorks water-filtration system, one SteriPEN Adventure Opti, and one Camelbak All Clear bottle. While the purification technology varies item to item—from gravity-driven water filtration to UV rays—each of these devices deliver clean water when you’re out on the trail. The total value of this package is $300.

Enter daily to increase your chances of winning the JUST ADD WATER GIVEAWAY and read more about the water-purification gear. Don’t forget: You can tell others about the giveaway using the referral link displayed after you enter. You will receive one extra entry for each friend who enters the contest using your link.

Good luck!

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Ten lucky winners were randomly selected from a total of 762 entries to win a Buff in the GOTCHA COVERED GIVEAWAY, which ended May 7. The winners are: Sandy Carpenter, Paul Kautz, Perry Harris, Todd Messenger, Keith Carpenter, Stewart Stryker, Danny Culver, Jeffrey Hoppe, Don Robinett, and Alan Spangler. Thanks for entering! Don’t forget that Scouting magazine hosts monthly gear giveaways at scoutingmagazine.org/contests.

Buff-Giveaway-Blog

Enter to win a Buff in the Gotcha Covered Giveaway

1 May 2012

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When our gear guru Stephen Regenold (founder of thegearjunkie.com) selects items for Scouting magazine’s “Great Gear” column, he uses two important criteria when making his final selections: style and function. Buff headwear—featured in our May-June issue—meets both of these standards.

That’s why we decided to snag a handful of Buffs to give back to our readers: Enter our GOTCHA COVERED GIVEAWAY for a chance to win one of 10 Buffs. This contest will end in one week, on Monday, May 7.

Continue reading »

WhereAmI_MarApr12

March-April ‘Where Am I?’ location, winner announced

25 April 2012

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Take a peek at the photo from our March-April “Where Am I?” contest and you might think you’re standing in Wind Cave National Park.

But take a closer look at the clues: You can find “frosty, crystal-like adornments” in Jewel Cave National Monument, located in South Dakota’s Black Hills.

We received 666 responses, and randomly selected a winner—Greg Caporale, assistant Cub Master of Pack 326 in Smithtown, N.Y.

For winning, Greg receives a $100 gift card to use at his local Scout shop or at scoutstuff.org.

Didn’t win this time? Try again in our May-June “Where Am I?” contest. You have until June 25 to enter. Good luck!

Photo by Thorsten Scheuermann

Central Park, shown above, is considered the ultimate "urban forest" as it sits in the heart of New York City.

Submit your ‘urban forest’ photos to win U.S. Forest Service contest

13 April 2012

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While you may dream of a picturesque backyard—dotted with mountain peaks, green trees, and acres of land for you to explore—more than 80 percent of the U.S. population resides in urban areas.

And, as our cities grow, it’s more important than ever to appreciate, conserve, and cultivate urban forests in our neighborhoods. That’s precisely the goal of the U.S. Forest Service’s “My Neighborhood Forest Photo Contest.”

Snap a digital photo of your favorite urban green space—including parks, gardens, greenways, natural areas, and more—and submit your photos at urbanforest.challenge.gov.

After the contest ends July 22, three winners and 12 finalists will be selected by U.S. Forest Service judges. The “Grand Prize” winner will take home $200 worth of outdoors gear (including a daypack, trekking poles, and more); the “Runner Up” will take home $25 worth of gear; and 12 finalists will receive a U.S. Forest Service T-shirt, pen, and water bottle.

Continue reading »

Scouting Pinterest

Scouting magazine is now on Pinterest.com

12 April 2012

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Have you ever run across a great Cub Scout activity on the Web and wished there was an easy way to file the information for later use? (And I’m not talking about writing down the URL address on last night’s dinner napkin.) Enter Pinterest.com.

This clean-cut Web site, with its all-white background and crisp tableau of images, allows users to create their own visual “pin boards” to capture ideas, stories, and scraps of inspiration themed around a topic (like “Great Camping Destinations”) for later use and/or to share with other “Pinners.”

Because the editors at Scouting aim to arm volunteers with the best resources needed to help lead pack, troop, team, and crew activities, we’ve launched our own Scouting magazine Pinterest page. What does this mean? Now you can “follow” Scouting-themed pin boards relevant to your interests—whether it’s “Great Gear,” “Cub Scout Snacks,” “Scouting Cakes,” “Boy Scout Activities,” and much more.

Continue reading »