High Adventure & Canoe Trips
Extended expeditions, backcountry travel, canoe treks, and the adventures that define a Scout's career.
Seven Appalachian Trail Lessons Plus Three
These Appalachian Trail Lessons come from Wade Bastian, one of two of my old Scouts hiking the 2200 mile trail.
What is Wilderness First Aid Training?
What is Wilderness First Aid?
Wilderness First Aid expands on basic first aid training with advanced emergency management and assessment techniques.
Troop Based High Adventure Programs | Part 6
Detailed preparation is the key to any successful high adventure program.
Troop Based High Adventure Programs | Part 5
The success of any high adventure program is more about the people you go with than the place you go .
Troop Based High Adventure Programs | Part 4
Training and skill development is important to the success of a Troop based high adventure program.
Troop Based High Adventure Programs | Part 2
Where to go and what to do for your high adventure program? The simple answer is just about anywhere and just about anything.
Troop Based High Adventure Programs | Part 1
Philmont, Seabase and Northern Tier are the three most familiar national High Adventure Bases, there are dozens of other Council Based Programs.
Build Your Own High Adventure
High Adventure trips are generally thought of as long-term camping experiences in remote or otherwise remarkable areas for experienced Scouts and Scouters.
Thorns and Roses
Dave Wortendyke, ASM of Troop 78 in Boulder, Colorado – Longs Peak Council — has to say about the value of “Thorns and Roses,” and how to do it… (from Ask Andy ) “While many Scout Troops/Venture Groups either attend National High Adventure Bases, or conduct their own long-term adventures, and almost all Scouts have a fantastic time on the trips, once in a while a dark cloud can occur to spoil the trip for one or more of the participants.
An Ontario Scouting Adventure
John Wiebke Scoutmaster of Troop 358 in Zionsville, Indiana, shares his summer plans (and what great plans they are!) Nothing makes the winter pass quicker than looking forward to a great summer adventure!
Every other year our troop travels to Ontario, Canada, for summer camp at Haliburton Scout Reservation (three hours north of Toronto on Lake Kennabi) and a simultaneous high adventure trip just a little north of Haliburton at Algonquin Provincial Park.
Choosing a Backpacking Route
Leading a good backpacking trip begins with tailoring the route to the ability of the group.
High Adventure and Wilderness First Aid Training
I lead an annual high adventure trip to Algonquin Provincial Park .
Biting Off More than the Crew Can Chew
The first couple of times we went canoeing in Algonquin up in Ontario we bit off a little more than we could chew.
What is a Scout Vacation?
A Scout vacation doesn’t fit most people’s definition of a ‘vacation’.
High Adventure Canoe Trip 3 - Portage Details
Modern portage packs have an advanced suspension system that is much like a normal backpack.
High Adventure Canoe Trip 1 - Overview
For the last nine years every summer our Scouts pile into a van and drive north to Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park for a week-long high adventure canoe trip.
High Adventure Canoe Trip 2 - Gear and Clothing
Portage pack and day bag (the waist or lumbar pack) The canoe never gets lighter, but the packs do.
High Adventure Canoe Trip 4 - The Kitchen
On our high adventure canoe trip each crew packs and cooks food for a group of five to nine Scouts.
High Adventure, Friendship and Loyalty
Troop 676 of Bozeman during their August 2012 traverse across Spanish Peaks in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness of Montana, standing atop Indian Ridge listening to our oldest Scout tell an animated story about another adventure from the past.
Scouts and Backpacking
Our Scouts enthusiastically take on the challenge of preparing, launching and completing a backpacking trip.
The Island Will be There Tommorrow
Several years ago a local Scout Troop ( I swear it wasn’t us) suffered through a period of infamy they flipped several canoes while paddling in some heavy weather and had to be rescued.
Kandersteg International Scout Center
Kandersteg is a picture postcard town in the Bernese Oberland region of Switzerland that is home to Kandersteg International Scout Center (KISC).
High Adventure Plans
If you read and listen regularly you know I am a big promoter of High Adventure in Scouting.
High Adventure Facts and Myths
Conversations of high adventure trips usually center on the B.
High Adventure Destinations
We all know about the big three – Philmont, Seabase and Northern Tier – but how about the many other opportunities for our Scouts to participate in a high adventure experience?
Philmont, Seabase and Northern Tier are great places with great programs.
Managing Risk - Maintaining Program Integrity
At the end of a portage last summer I met a party of canoe trippers who were beating a hasty retreat.
The Portage Lexicon
Today 18 Scouts and adults are off to our annual high adventure trip to Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park.
Keeping a Scoutmaster's Log
A couple of years ago on a Venture Canoe trip one of my fellow leaders kept a detailed log of the outing.
No Canoe Can Hold Me
Had a fantastic week canoeing in Canada last month.
Podcast Clips
Episode 346 — INTERVIEW
Third check-in with Eagle Scouts Wade Bastion and Bucky Kellogg, along with fellow thru-hiker Bear (Eric Hapeniebi, Troop 45, Farmington, MI), at mile 727 of the Appalachian Trail — covering weight loss, food strategy, gear changes, and trail life.
Episode 340 — AT THROUGH HIKE INTERVIEW
Recorded conversation with Eagle Scouts Bucky Kellogg and Wade Bastion, currently through-hiking the Appalachian Trail near Fontana Dam, NC — covering miles hiked, knee injuries, trekking poles, resupply strategy, gear shed, and the origin of Wade's trail name 'Cloud Nut Shoe'.
Episode 338 — INTERVIEW
Wade Bastion and Bucky Kellogg, former Eagle Scouts from Clarke's troop, call in from a zero day in Hiawassee, Georgia during their northbound Appalachian Trail thru-hike. They discuss trip preparation, their memorable first backpacking trips as young Scouts, the lessons Scouting taught them about leadership and humility, and their first grueling week on the trail.
Episode 280 — INTERVIEW
Kevin Callan, Canadian author and canoeist known as the Happy Camper, discusses canoe routes in Ontario (Algonquin, Temagami, Ottawa River), portaging, bears, black flies, Grey Owl, and his guidebooks and Happy Camper video series.
Episode 279 — INTERVIEW
Les Stroud, creator and host of Survivorman, discusses his book 'Will to Live,' the survivor's mindset, additive factors in survival, gear recommendations, and advice for leaders taking young people into the wilderness.
Episode 255 — SCOUTMASTERSHIP in 7 MINUTES
High adventure planning: making trips affordable, flexible in length, and accessible without relying on national bases — encourages troops to explore local options within a 2–3 hour radius.
Episode 220 — SCOUTMASTERSHIP in 7 MINUTES
Debunking myths about High Adventure: it doesn't require an official base, exotic location, expert leadership, or expensive gear — challenge and attitude matter most.
Episode 182 — INTERVIEW
Cliff Jacobson, distinguished Eagle Scout, environmental science teacher, and author of over a dozen books on camping and canoeing, discusses his Scouting origins in Chicago, wilderness judgment and survival, memorable Arctic canoe expeditions, and top camping tips including the ground cloth inside the tent.
Episode 152 — INTERVIEW
Andrew Skirka, adventurer of the year and author of the Ultimate Hiker's Gear Guide (National Geographic), discusses long-distance backpacking philosophy, gear selection, and a transcendent encounter with the porcupine caribou migration.
Episode 132 — HIGH ADVENTURE PLANNING
Rebroadcast of episodes 23-25: comprehensive guide to planning a troop-based high-adventure trip, covering vision and leadership, logistical details, crew preparation, training requirements, safety, gear, food, and finances.
Episode 111 — SCOUTMASTER'S MINUTE
Vision to make multi-day wilderness experiences happen for Scouts — leaders must commit now before the window closes.
Episode 108 — ALGONQUIN CANOE TRIP REFLECTION
Clarke describes his troop's annual canoe trip to Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada — the journey north, the landscape, and the experience on the water.
Episode 83 — INTERVIEW
Mike Malone, ASM of Troop 466 in Sunnyvale CA and author of an upcoming BSA book on Eagle Scout history, and Life Scout David Bauer discuss their Lewis and Clark bateau expedition on the Missouri River in Montana, plus three prior once-in-a-lifetime troop adventures (Wainwright Walk in UK, Chisholm Trail cattle drive in Oklahoma, Civil War reenactment in Virginia). Topics include how to pitch, plan, and execute historically immersive service-centered adventures for older Scouts.
Episode 54 — INTERVIEW
Cliff Jacobson — wilderness guide, author of Expedition Canoeing and Camping's Top Secrets, Eagle Scout class of 1956 — discusses his scouting roots, Northern Canada expeditions, wilderness judgment, and his top camping tip of placing a ground cloth inside (not under) the tent floor.
Episode 50 — INTERVIEW
Kevin Callan — Canadian author and the Happy Camper — on paddling Ontario wilderness, Algonquin Provincial Park, and why a long portage keeps wilderness wild
Episode 25 — HIGH ADVENTURE PLANNING
Part 3 — training requirements, safety preparation, and what it takes to run a troop-based high adventure trip
Episode 24 — HIGH ADVENTURE PLANNING
Part 2 — building out the details: crew formation, gear, permits, and transportation
Episode 23 — HIGH ADVENTURE PLANNING
Part 1 — what is a high adventure trip and how to start building a troop-based program