Camping on ScoutmasterCG Archive

Why do Scouts go Camping?

Sat, 25 Jun 2016 00:00:00 +0000

I was dumbfounded when the parent of a Webelos visiting our troop asked; “What about a Scout who doesn’t really like camping?” How would you answer that question? The best I could come up with was; “I don’t really know what Scouting is if we aren’t camping, I don’t think it’s an option.”

I couldn’t really explain why we go camping beyond the typical answers about having fun, teamwork, physical activity, and I realized a lot of activities could accomplish those ends. 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?

B-P's Blog - Camping and Hiking

Sun, 30 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

SPRING is here, though to-day, with a bitter east wind blowing, you might not know it! Now is the time for overhauling your camp gear, for planning where and when you are going to give the boys their heart’s desire in a jolly and healthy camp life. But above all it is the time when, through having his boys directly under him for days on end in camp, the Scout-master has his real opportunity for studying each boy’s individual mind and temperament, and for drawing out– expanding– educating– the good that he finds therein.

B-P's Blog - Bad Camping

Sun, 09 Aug 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

I HAVE been GLAD to see a good many reports of bad camping by Groups who should by this time know better.

I say I am glad because it means to me that Commissioners are now really looking into the camping that goes on in then districts, where formerly such inspections were more sketchy and indulgent. The fact that the efforts of Scout-masters to have their camps well organised are appreciated by Commissioners cannot fail to encourage them, and I am glad to note that these form the very large majority.

B-P's Blog - Camping

Sun, 26 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

ALMOST every night for the past few weeks Scouts and Rovers in twos and threes have been camping at my home in their hikes about the country. It is a real joy to me to see them and to note their various forms of camp kit and cooking, and their ingenious gadgets which show the true backwoodsmanship that is developing more widely among them. When one looks back twenty years there was no such thing among our boys, and now already it is becoming widespread. If we Scouters did nothing else than promote this side of Scouting it would be worth while. Look at the open air, the health, the enjoyment of life, the happy friendships, the appreciation of Nature, the knowledge of our country, the self-reliance and resourcefulness, and the many other attributes that camping brings in its train.

B.P.'s Blog - Camping Again

Thu, 09 Apr 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

The year of Peace has been looked forward to by every man, woman, and child in the land as a release and change from the overclouding horror of war — and nobly the weather has played its part in making it so. For us Scouts in particular it has given the very best encouragement in the direction of camping — and I am bound to say we have not missed the opportunity.

B.P.'s Blog - Real Camping

Sat, 21 Feb 2015 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

Not long ago I was shown a pattern schoolboy camp where there were rows of bell-tents smartly pitched and perfectly aligned, with a fine big mess marquee and clean well appointed cooks’ quarters with a kitchen range.

There were brick paths and wooden bathing houses and latrines, etc. It was all exceedingly well planned and put up by the contractor. The officer who organised it all merely had to pay down a certain sum and the whole thing was done. It was quite simple and businesslike. My only complaint about it was that it wasn’t camping .

B.P.'s Blog - Camping Season

Sun, 30 Nov 2014 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

LOTS of Woodcraft and Nature Study should be our Aim.

Autumn is already upon us again. How suddenly it comes, and how it catches us if we haven’t laid our plans, in time!

I am glad, however, to feel that Commissioners and Scoutmasters generally appear to have Been Preparing for it with their camping schemes and fixtures.

Scout Cuisine (or Lack Thereof)

Mon, 25 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

Boys are pragmatic vestiges of our hunter-gatherer past who see little reason to linger lovingly over the preparation or consumption of food. Left to themselves I believe they would gravitate towards gobbling down whatever fistful of uncooked food was most convenient.

Prepared meals, as we know them, would grow ever more rare. As a matter of fact if it were not for microwave ovens and instant macaroni and cheese cooking would be in danger of disappearing altogether. The menus our Patrols develop for a weekend camping trip are studies of efficiency in time and motion.

B.P.'s Blog - Real Attraction of Camping

Sun, 24 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

As regards camps, I am delighted to see Scout camps being held in every county, if not in every parish, in the land. The camp is the real attraction to the boy, as it is also the real opportunity to the Scoutmaster. It is the one practical school for moulding the Scout spirit and for character-making. It is a great thing to have got the camp recognised as the great feature of the year for Boy Scouts. The next thing is to ensure that, having got into the way of having camps, we do not, as has been rather often the case, confine our programme to the same line year after year. It is best to change one’s locality each season, as this in itself alters to some extent the routine, and also suggests new subjects for training, according to local conditions. The daily routine should be progressive and new, and so should, as far as may be possible, be the successive annual or other camps.

B.P.'s Blog - On Camping

Sun, 03 Aug 2014 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

I SHOULD like to urge upon all Scoutmasters the great importance of getting their boys into camp during this summer. The camp is the thing that appeals to the lads. It is in the camp that the Scoutmaster really has his opportunity. He can enthuse his boys with the spirit that is required; the spirit is everything. Once that is developed, everything comes easy; without it, success in training the boys is practically impossible.

B.P.'S Blog -In Camp

Sun, 15 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

I WRITE my notes this month from camp.

I hope that many a Scoutmaster will have been able, like me, to take his holiday this year in camp. If he has enjoyed it half as much as I am enjoying mine, he will have done well.

B.P.'S Blog -The Value of Camp Life

Sun, 01 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings.

I CANNOT impress on Scoutmasters too highly the value of the camp in the training of Scouts; in fact, I think that its whole essence hangs on this. Many Scoutmasters who value the moral side of our training are almost inclined to undervalue the importance of the camp, but the camp is everything to the boys. We have to appeal to their enthusiasm and tastes in the first place, if we are ever going to do any good in educating them. An eminent educational authority assured me only to-day that our school education is all on wrong lines; that book learning was introduced by the monks in order to kill the more manly training in skill at arms and hunting which, in the Middle Ages, occupied the time of the boys, and which undoubtedly produced so large a percentage of men of character among them. It was done with a narrow-minded aim, and although it has done some good in certain lines, it has done infinite harm to our race in others. He said: “You should first of all develop the natural character of the boy by encouraging him in the natural athletic exercises which tend to make him manly, brave, obedient, and unselfish; later give him the desire for reading for himself which will eventually lead him on to study for himself. The fallacy of trying to force him to read what the pedagogue wants him to know is the secret of so much ignorance and absence of studious work amongst our lads to-day.” This same authority would like to see Scouting or some similar scheme introduced into our continuation schools, and attendance at these made obligatory for all boys of fourteen to sixteen.

B.P.'s Blog - Object of Camping

Sun, 30 Mar 2014 00:00:00 +0000

During his lifetime Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the worldwide Scouting movement, wrote many books and articles directed to Scouters. Here’s a selection from his writings in the hope that you’ll draw inspiration and understanding from his timeless ideas.

THE object of a camp is (a) to meet the boy’s desire for the open-air life of the Scout, and (b) to put him completely in the hands of his Scoutmaster for a definite period for individual training in character and initiative and in physical and moral development.

What is a Scout Vacation?

Fri, 11 Oct 2013 00:00:00 +0000

A Scout vacation doesn’t fit most people’s definition of a ‘vacation’. We were out walking uptown at our hometown art stroll last night talking to our friends (most of them present or past Scouts and Scouters). We chatted about the usual things; how the kids are doing, vacations, the weather. One couple was headed off on a Mediterranean cruise, some of our friends follow the annual migration to Disney world as reliably as the Canadian geese.

Bannock

Sat, 10 Aug 2013 00:00:00 +0000

From Bannock Awareness : … Bannock, is common to the diet of virtually all North America’s first peoples. The European version of bannock originated in Scotland and was made traditionally of oatmeal. The bannock of Aboriginal people was made of corn and nut meal, and flour made from ground plant bulbs. … Some rolled the dough in sand then pit-cooked it. When it was done, they brushed the sand off and ate the bread. Some groups baked the bannock in clay or rock ovens.

Ten Causes of Scouting Disasters in the Wild

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

A wall cloud like this is never good news. (The storm that followed caused tornadoes, thankfully a good distance from where we hunkered down!) Scouting disasters in the wild loom when things start to get sketchy, the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, you get that feeling that something is not quite right. It’s time to stop, sit down and think.

Bravely pushing ahead against all obstacles, having the grit and determination to keep on going, not giving in are all qualities we’d like to see in our Scouts. But there are times those qualities will get you killed. Read that last sentence again. It’s not intended to be gratuitously shocking or dramatic, it’s the absolute truth. We ought to be prepared to withstand some discomfort, but we don’t want to put ourselves or our Scouts in danger needlessly.

Scouts and Backpacking

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Our Scouts enthusiastically take on the challenge of preparing, launching and completing a backpacking trip. As a Scoutmaster I appreciate the Patrol and skill building opportunities but the real reason we go backpacking is the sheer joy (often achieved through great effort and discomfort) of the experience.

Backpacking requires an expanded set of skills and attention to detail. Here are some resources that help us prepare for successful trips: Naismith’s Rule Scotsman W.W.

5 Quick and Healthy Breakfasts for Camping

Tue, 18 Dec 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Oatmeal, again? Pop Tarts?

Doughnuts? A good quick breakfast while canoeing or backpacking (or car camping for that matter) is as important as it is elusive.

Bryan Hanse at the Nessmuking shares five simple yet nutritious ideas for a lightweight breakfasts: On my first paddling and camping trips, I often overlooked making a good breakfast in favor of eating a few quick snacks, like Pop Tarts … Essentially, they’re just empty carbs and eating them in the morning creates high blood-sugar levels, which will eventually crash throwing the body into a battle that’ll will last all day. Now there’s really nothing astounding or new about his five choices but they are well thought out and look very tasty. For example: Super Charged Couscous 1/3 cup dry couscous 1/2 cup water 1 tbsp almonds, sliced 2 tbsp raisins 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/6 cup dry milk Honey to taste Calories: 340 Fat: 5 g Carbs: 64g Protein: 14g Instant couscous cooks in five minutes, and when augmented with tasty ingredients, it makes a great breakfast. Mix everything, except the optional honey at home. Boil water in camp and add the mix.

Ten Tips for Camping in the Rain

Sat, 25 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Camping in the rain sounds awful – and it is if you aren’t prepared! Here’s ten tips for surviving rainy camping trips: 1. AVOID IT I have canceled or rescheduled weekend camping trips if heavy rain or horrendously bad weather is forecast. We aren’t Marines and the safety of the free world does not depend on our withstanding really awful weather. That being said camping in the rain can be great fun if you are prepared for it. Our high adventure trips are long enough that we usually get a day or two of rain so we are sure to be prepared.

Bear Bags - How To by Kevin Callan

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Kevin Callan on bear bags from the Paddler’s Guide to Happy Camping Keeping your food safe from bears (and other critters) is an important element of any camping trip. Not only do you want to reduce the chance of having an unwanted close encounter with bear, raccoon or field mouse – but you also don’t want to loose your food. Your food is an important part of your trip.

There’s a number of ways to store your food. The most notable, however, is hanging it.

A Scout's Campfire

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 00:00:00 +0000

ASM Ken has a fairly new BLOG A Scout’s Campfire : I’m an Eagle Scout, 1975.

I am an Assistant Scout Master for a Troop in Raleigh, NC.

I have loved camping since I was a boy.

I was overjoyed when our Troop needed leaders for our Philmont crew in 2005.

I was never able to go as a boy, but have dreamed about it.

I will admit I had never done any truly rugged camping as an adult.

Walden

Thu, 01 Dec 2005 00:00:00 +0000

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

Thoreau Walden is a record of Thoreau’s experiment with transcending ‘normal’ living in an attempt to understand the intrinsic nature of our existence. A weekend in the woods is Walden in miniature, a philosophical retreat. We build our home on a piece of ground and explore life devoid of schedules, petty distractions and expectations.

One Good Reason to go Camping

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 00:00:00 +0000

I would escape from the increasingly mechanistic world with its march hare preoccupation with witless production and mindless consumption; its disruptive infatuation with change for its own sake; its idiot dedication to the bitch goddess, progress.

Farley Mowat