FW: [CDBSA] The River, December 2010 PDF [1 Attachment]

12 2009 Edition of The River.pdf

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· Youth Religious Emblems

· OA Ceremonies Team and Announcement

· New Merit Badges

· Nearly Free SAT/ACT prep Software for Scouts

From: CDBSA@yahoogroups.com [mailto:CDBSA@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of ftrooper93
Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2009 1:28 PM
To: CDBSA@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [CDBSA] The River, December 2010

December Edition of The River

…

Youth Religious Emblems

Youth Religious Emblems are earned by fewer than 5% of scouts. These represent a significant achievement in a scout fulfilling his Duty to God and deepening his relationship with his faith.

God and Church Religious Emblems Opportunity

For the first time in 4 years the God and Church Program is being offered in our District!

General Description

The God and Church program will lead young people on a journey. It will be a faith journey with three parts: meeting Jesus, worshiping God, and witnessing and ministering for Christ. Participants will create either a video or a photo album to share what they have learned on their faith journeys. Young people will have the opportunity to work with their pastor or other Christian adults as they study the church's structures and objectives and participate in service projects that will give them a better understanding of the mission of the church.

Interdenominational Resource
The God and Church curriculum was developed without theological bias. Therefore, all students use the standard God and Church curriculum regardless of church membership.

Curriculum Goals:

· To strengthen young people's relationship with Christ

· To challenge young people to learn about and participate in the worship and ministry of the church

· To have young people make a plan for daily Bible reading and memorize a creed or statement of belief or passage of scripture

· To provide the opportunity for young people to experience the joy of serving others

Eligibility Guidelines:
Girls and boys in grades 6-8 are eligible to participate in the God and Church program even if they do not belong to a Girl Scout or Boy Scout Troop. This program requires that students have original workbooks and present their work to the pastor for final approval.

The Program will be held on Thursdays from 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM in Building D starting on January 7^th thru March 25^th. (No meeting February 11th). Cost for materials is $12.

Roswell United Methodist Church

814 Mimosa Blvd.

Roswell, GA 30075

The link for directions to the church and the site map is: http://www.rumc.com/page.aspx?id=79224

For the Leadership Position of Chaplain's Aide, BSA National states; "the Boy Scout seeking the position of chaplain's aide should have earned or be in the process of completing his religious emblems study program".

Please forward this information to the Scouts in your Troop.

Any Scout or Parent interested in participating is to contact by email at: LKoleos@Bellsouth.net.

GOD AND SCOUTING

When asked where religion came into Scouting and Guiding, Baden-Powell replied, It does not come in at all. It is already there. It is a fundamental factor underlying Scouting and Guiding.

One of the key tenets of Scouting is "duty to God." While Scouting does not define religious belief for its members, it has been adopted by and works with youth programs of all major faiths. Each of the major faiths breeds hope, optimism, compassion, and a belief in a better tomorrow. Scouting encourages each young person to begin a spiritual journey through the practice of his faith tradition.

Cub Scouts have the opportunity to earn a Youth Religious Award for participation in youth program of his faith. This award is a knot patch and like the Arrow of Light Award is worn on a scouting uniform throughout the stages of the scouting program. In the United States less than 5% of the scouts earn this prestigious award, which makes it all the more special. Faiths vary in their execution guidelines and requirements for the award, but in each case it requires a passion and commitment from a group of volunteers.

We are happy to announce that group of passionate volunteers will be running the following Protestant programs starting January 2010:

· God and Me Grades 1-3 (Roswell Presbyterian. Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. January 7^th, 14^th, 21^st and 28^th)

· God and Family Grades 4-5 (Rivercliff Lutheran Church. Saturdays at 10:00 a.m. January 17^th – February 21^st)

· God and Church Grades 6-8 (Roswell United Methodist. Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. January 7^th – March 25^th)

· God and Life Grades 9-12 (Roswell Presbyterian. Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. Janaury 7^th – April 8^th)

If you are interested, please contact us: juha.m.harkonen@hotmail.com

Due to pent up demand in the district classes are filling up quickly, but we are already planning for a second run later in 2010.

We would very much like to hear from families that belong to any faith and help in finding a program that will meet your spiritual needs.

OA Ceremonies Team and Announcement

Greetings from Lowanne Nimat, Chattahoochee's Order of the Arrow Chapter. We are pleased to announce that we are training an Order of the Arrow ceremonies team which will be available to conduct Cub Scout Crossovers coming up. Our ceremonies team practices tirelessly to ensure a quality experience for everyone involved. There is no cost for our services, however, donations are appreciated; Our regalia has to be maintained so that we can continue using it! If you are interested, please contact our Vice Chief of Indian Affairs, James Deaton (jamesdeatonmail@gmail.com) or our adult Chapter Adviser, Mr. Craig Barnwell (770-789-6471).

To all Lowanne Nimat members: If your Troop has an OA representative, please encourage him to attend meetings. The point of an OA rep is to act as a bridge between the Troop and the Chapter and that includes attending meetings. If your unit does not have an OA rep, please consider applying for the position. We encourage all members to attend our meetings, which are held on the second Thursday of every month behind Roswell Baptist Chirch at 7:30PM.

The next meeting, December 10, will be a Holiday party. All Lowanne Nimat Arrowmen are invited. There will be games (including a Wii!) and pizza (please bring money for the pizza) and lots of fun and fellowship. We look forward to seeing you there!

New Merit Badges

Scuba Diving is the first new Boy Scout merit badge in three years; it will become available in December. Click here for a brochure about the badge that you can share with your volunteers.

Four other new merit badges will appear over the course of the coming year:

• Inventing (First quarter 2010)
• Geocaching (Second quarter 2010)
• Scouting Heritage (Second quarter 2010)
• Robotics (Fourth quarter 2010)

These badges are being introduced because they received positive feedback in a youth interest survey.

If five new merit badges seems like a lot, it is. By comparison, the BSA introduced just six new merit badges between 1992 (Collections) and 2006 (Composite Materials).

When you have an idea for a new merit badge, the first step is to complete a proposal form, which you can get by e-mailing merit.badge@scouting.org . Proposals that fit merit-badge criteria and rank highly with youth members are sent to a volunteer task force and the Program Content Committee for review and development.

But the new badges aren't the only innovation. In the past it took three years to create a merit badge. Now, that time has been cut to just less than a year, helping to keep the badge topics and content fresher than ever.

Please help spread the word about the new merit badges, belt loops, and pins through Web sites, newsletters, e-mails, social networking, roundtables, and events. As always, www.scouting.org is your best source for the most current information about these awards.

Nearly Free SAT/ACT prep Software for Scouts

NFL and MLB players support eKnowledge donation of free SAT/ACT software to Boy Scouts of America families

In alliance with the Boy Scouts of America, eKnowledge is offering SAT and ACT test prep programs valued at $200, free to Boy Scout families. The eKnowledge Sponsorship Alliance is made up of educationally focused foundations, as well as a group of professional athletes from the National Football League and Major League Baseball that includes Warrick Dunn and Chipper Jones. The eKnowledge Sponsorship Alliance has provided more than 120,000 SAT/ACT prep programs to families all over the United States.

"I believe in using my gifts and public image to help the community," said Chipper Jones, six-time All-Star and future Hall of Fame baseball player.

Now in its fourth year, the eKnowledge Sponsorship Alliance has donated more than $26 million of SAT/ACT test preparation programs. In response to the donation, eKnowledge has received more than 40,000 thank-you letters from those who have benefited from the test preparation programs. The PowerPrep™ program helps prepare students to take the exams and increases student confidence, which can result in higher test scores and thousands of dollars in scholarships.

EKnowledge recently announced the arrival of the new v6x SAT/ACT PowerPrep™ software; v6x was in development for more than two years at a cost of $1.5 million. It includes more than 20 hours of video instruction, 3,000 files of supplemental test prep material, thousands of interactive diagnostic tools, sample questions, practice tests, and graphic teaching illustrations. The new PowerPrep™ v6x software is Mac- and PC-compatible.

Families interested in obtaining the FREE $200 v6x SAT/ACT PowerPrep™ Programs may order online at www.eknowledge.com/bsa or by calling 951-256-4076.

There is a fee of $13.84 (per standard program) which enables eKnowledge to provide technical and customer support, registration, licensure, processing, handling, and worldwide shipping. This nominal fee allows the sponsorship alliance to continue helping thousands of students each year.

For more information, please contact Lori Caputo, ESA Programs, at LoriCaputo@eknowledge.com or 951-256-4076.

December 2009 Newsletter

Please select this link to open the letter.

Jamahrae Jackson's on Google's Blog

Below Jamahrae is featured on Google's internal blog for the FUSE program he was invited to in NYC last summer.

Click on the picture to see the article. Congrats Jamahrae!

Jamahrae is a sophomore at Howard University majoring in Systems and Computer Science.

• Bloomberg flew him to NYC a couple of weeks ago for interviews - airfare, hotel, car service, etc..
• Last Monday they offered him a summer internship in NYC!
• So he has two to choose from - State Farm in IL and Bloomberg in NYC.
• He is still waiting to hear from Google and Apple, but says he wants to go to NYC.

·
Jamahrae Jackson

Howard University '12
Systems and Computer Science

Sea Base Selection

While there are several sea adventures we can take, we must pick one.  We will use the multi-voting process.  The adventure with the most votes will be selected.  Please have your parents consent and select all adventures that you would like to attend.  Voting closes on January 14, 2010.  Please see the links below for more details on each adventure.  Please see previous post for more details.

High Adventures Must pass the BSA swim test for most adventures Most adventures are 7 - 8 days  BAHAMAS TALL SHIP ADVENTURE Fly directly to the Bahamas! Experience all the Bahamas Adventure has to offer aboard a Tall Ship. This Advventure is for groups of 18-20 people who are willing to explore the Sea of Abaco in a vessel equipped with kayaks for reef discovery. Crew members must be 14 years of age by September 1 of the year of participation. This is a seven day event. Every participant MUST have a valid current United States passport. BAHAMAS ADVENTURE The Sea Base is offering an exciting adventure based in Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island. Your crew can snorkel the beautiful, pristine reefs surrounding Marsh Harbour, wade ashore on the many small cays (pronounced keys) in the area, learn their unique history, and fish for the gamefish which are abundant in the Abacos. There's plenty of time for fishing, snorkeling and swimming. Crew members must be 14 years of age by September 1 of the year of participation.  Every participant MUST have a valid current United States passport. OUT ISLAND ADVENTURE You think Survivor is tough? Check out Big Munson. The Out Island Adventure combines camping on a remote 100+ acre island, snorkeling on pristine coral reefs, trolling for sportfish, kayaking through red mangroves, and exploring the flora and fauna of Big Munson Island.  If your crew has strong camping skills and enjoys rugged camping, then the Out Island program is for you. Crew members must be 14 years of age by September 1 of the year of participation. CORAL REEF SAILING A 40- to 50-foot sailing yacht will become your home for a week. Your captain will instruct you in navigation, fishing and sailing, and will remain on board for the entire trip. This trip offers one-of-a-kind snorkeling and abundant fishing.  Crew members must be 14 years of age by September 1 of the year of participation. FLORIDA FISHING Come enjoy the fishing you’ve only dreamed of, spending a week in the beautiful Florida Keys exploring the ocean as you try to hook that trophy fish! Play in the largest Scout camp in the world, spanning from the Gulf of Mexico to the Florida Straights in the Atlantic Ocean. The Florida Keys boast several different ecosystems you will have the opportunity to fish and explore.  Participants must be 14 years old by September 1 of the year of participation.   SCUBA CERTIFICATION Discover the excitement of SCUBA diving in the warm, tropical waters surrounding the Florida Keys. Crews are trained by professional instructors in our specially designed dive tanks. Crew members must be 14 years of age by their date of arrival. FLORIDA KEYS ADVENTURE PROGRAM The essence of the Keys Adventure program is to offer as much excitement and variety of activities as possible within a seven-day period.  This adventure has the flexibility to include activities that personally interest your crew, such as night trawling to examine marine life, a possible overnight, great boating days visiting fabulous fishing and snorkeling areas. Crew members must be 14 years of age by September 1 of the year of participation ECO-ADVENTURE If you are looking for an up-close, hands-on educational adventure, then the Eco Adventure is for you.  Your crew’s home and base of operation for the week will be two 40’ – 45’ sailboats.  From there you will launch into your undersea world of exploration by means of snorkel, mask and fins; kayak; fishing pole and glass-bottom viewer.

Sea Base Blessing

Bless the creatures of the Sea
Bless this person I call me
Bless the Keys you made so grand
Bless the sun that warms the land
Bless the fellowship we feel
as we gather for this meal
Amen

Troop 206: POPCORN Information (send replies to popcorn.troop206@gmail.com)

Click on HERE for more info.

October 2009 NewsLetter

Please select this link to open the letter

Seabase

Troop 206 youth leadership has decided that they would like to go to Sea Base in the summer of 2011.  The Florida National High Adventure Sea Base is owned and operated by the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America to offer unique educational aquatic programs to our members. Located in Islamorada and on Summerland Key in the beautiful Florida Keys, as well as Marsh Harbour , Great Abaco Island , Bahamas , the heart of the Florida Keys , the near shore reefs and crystal clear waters offer unparalleled opportunities for long term and short term programs year round. The process is beginning now:

 

1. Select the adventure and desired date
2. Bid for the adventure and date desired January 15-Febraury 15, 2010 by troop representative.

 

General criteria:

1. Must be 14 years old by September 1, 2010
2. Must pass BSA swim test (comfortably)
3. Limited number of adults  allowed

 

More information:

Parent’s meeting

Call K. Barton at 770/475-0385

http://www.bsaseabase.org/seabase/default.aspx

http://www.bsaseabase.org/Adventure.aspx

 

Scouts make arduous trek

Scouts make arduous trek

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12U North Ga Heat Jeremiah MVP

This is a brief profile of the season for the North Ga Heat 12U Jeremiah was awarded MVP for the entire National Tournament in Florida.

 

2010 Rank Requirement Changes

Also, note the following revisions to rank requirements effective Jan 1 2010, more information on how this will apply to current scouts will be coming out soon.

2010 Rank Requirement Changes

The centennial edition of the Boy Scout Handbook will soon be available, and with the new handbook come several rank requirement changes that will be in effect as of January 1, 2010.

Tenderfoot

A Scout must teach another person how to tie a square knot using theEDGE model (explain, demonstrate, guide, and enable). He must also be able to discuss four specific examples of how he lived the points of the Scout Law in his daily life.

Second Class

A Scout must discuss the principles of Leave No Trace and explain the factors to consider when choosing a patrol site and where to pitch a tent.

He must explain what respect is due the flag of the United States.

He must again discuss four examples of how he lived four different points of the Scout Law in his daily life.

He must earn an amount of money agreed upon by the Scout and his parents and save at least 50 percent of it.

First Class

An additional requirement to the 10 separate troop/patrol activities states he must demonstrate the principles of Leave No Trace on these outings.

He must discuss four more examples of how he lived the remaining four points of the Scout Law in his daily life.

Life

A Scout must use the EDGE model to teach a younger Scout a specified skill.

Star, Life, and Eagle

Troop Webmaster and Leave No Trace trainer are two new leadership positions.

Sylvester's Philmont Article

Article

The day we arrived in Philmont was the start of the biggest adventure of our lives. The day we started was a challenging day for us. Not because of the hike, but for use to come together as a group. The next day the hike was long, difficult, and wet. That day was probably the worse day of Philmont. The next was at a rock climbing camp. When we arrived at the camp some went rock climbing some went to sleep. The fallowing day we climbed tooth of time it was a nice view but a hard hike. At the camp we had a chuck wagon dinner. The next day we picked up more food to eat. When we got to camp we participated in burro racing. Two days later we got pizza when we crossed a highway. Two days after that we arrived at Miranda a camp at the base of Baldy. The next we went up Baldy. It was very challenging. Two days later we were on our way back to base camp. The adventure was finally over.

Sylvester W

Philmont article by Jonmarc

Jonmarc W

On my Philmont expedition Trek, I learned a lot about myself and life. One of the lessons I learned was to value how lucky and fortunate I am to be living the real American dream. Another would be knowing that anything in life is possible if you have the right attitude and mindset. And also, when living in an environment where it's completely different from life at home, it is important to stay true to yourself lose control of emotions or you will suffer deeply. Hopefully these life changes will influence my self to become a better person in life.

Being away from all of my possessions and luxuries was very annoying, but it taught me to value what god gives you. For example, on of the most basic things in life I learned to value the most was living in a house and having my own room. Out in the wilderness you don't have things like toilets and air conditioning, and the usual stuff that we take for granted. Living with only the basic tools for survival made me very humble to my life back in civilization.

Usually, when someone faces a very tough task in life, they are expected to give up and not finish. But at Philmont, were we faced an 80 mile strenuous trek, we had no choice but to keep going and persevere over our struggles. At times, I admit that I really wanted to go home and quit, but I knew I had no choice. That in turn taught me that when I'm facing a difficult struggle in life and want to give up, to continue it until I'm finished.

At Philmont, not only did I have to stay strong physically, but I had to stay strong mentally. Out in the wilderness for two weeks takes a toll on the mind in reference to your attitude and motivation. At sometimes you think you're going to crack and loose all will power and become very difficult to deal with when you find that need to stay mentally tough.

At Philmont you find a lot about yourself and become stronger. Like when the going gets tough you'll always know that you can do it. You'll know that you'll stay mentally fit too. So would I do Philmont again? Defiantly not, but I learned that I'm glad I did it

Troop 206 Philmont Lamplight newsletter article

Inspired by a vision of Dea. Frank Edwards with logistics lead by Mr. Ken Barton, Jr, Crew 704-F of Troop 206 successful completed Philmont trek 29 in Cimmaron, New Mexico and returned home safely on July 16th making Troop history. Prayer, preparation, and perseverance allowed us to complete this 85+ mile hike with 40 - 50 lbs backpacks. We prepared by hiking over 1,100 miles during 11 hikes and 3 training treks since winning the lottery on November 29, 2007. There is an old proverb that says sharpen many times and cut once. That hard work paid off!

The weather was somewhat fickle but we were blessed. On the way, we had an exciting train ride up to Pikes Peak in Colorado. The elevation was 14,110'. We experienced a small hail storm. It was very cold at the summit and a few of the Scouts played in the snow during the month of July. I can still smell the ponderosa pines and hot donuts. The Philmont crew had to use and polish outdoors skills and work together as a team. In addition, to climbing the highest peak and completing one of most difficult treks at Philmont, troop 206 scouts earned the Philmont Duty to God award and gave back by completing a conservation project. Philmont is scouting at its best! I now understand why the region of the Rockies Mountains in New Mexico is called the "Blood of Christ". This place is God's Country. It is absolutely breath taking.

The desire of Troop 206 Scouts to go on this expedition was strongly influenced by the parents. Each of these young men had humbling learning and leadership experience that is very rare in our community. It will help them though their life adversities. Sadly, we were the only visible African American troop on arrival, departure and on the trail of over 350 Scouts that arrived daily.

The troop 206 Philmont 704-F crew members were blessed to have had the opportunity to have the experience to participant and complete such a wonderful adventure.

For a play-by-play of the Scoutmaster journal and pictures, please visit http://troop206news.blogspot.com/2009/08/philmont-crew-704-f-summary.html for additional highlights.

Special thanks to Rev. Dr. Lewis, the layman, parents, and Zion Missionary Baptist for your prayers and support. Special thanks to Ken Barton for entering us in the lotto. Thanks to Randy Gray, Kevin Platt and the FedEx team for their support. Thanks to Darryl Percival for your daily spiritual quotes. Thanks again to Frank Edwards for your inspiration. Thanks Sylvester Williams and Ken Barton for flying with us to Denver and driving us to the Philmont ranch. The stars and planets aligned perfectly.

I've been in the Scouting program for 8 years. Scouts learn life skills wrapped with reverent character development in the outdoors and along with great leadership skills. After understanding the program, it's very compelling not to make a contribution to the movement. I have been personally blessed in more ways than I could ever imagine. For more information on our Troop or to join us, please see our blog (http://troop206.blogspot.com) or Contact at Ziontroop206@gmail.com.

Philmont Crew 704-F summary

Select image above to see pictures!

We were on the trail for 11 days on Philmont trek 29. We hiked over 85 miles in rugged terrain at elevations from 6,000' to 12,441'. I made this trek with the grace of our father. I had a temporary crown on my tooth with a pulled hamstring and calf. While I spent as much time laying on the ground as hiking, I persevered. An amazing God!

Day 1 - Friday, July 3
After 2 years of planning and preparation, we are on our way to backpack 80 miles in New Mexico for two weeks. Getting ready to unplug the phone, email, media,...We made it to Denver and drove to Pike Peek's train depot. Rode the train the summit (14,000') Very cool ride....history, ponderosa and alpine trees, and breath taking Vista's. We actually saw the mountains that we would hiking at Philmont. It was 43 (38 with wind chill) degrees at the summit. We even got some hail while at the top. The boys had a small snow fight and enjoyed some doughnuts. Finished the day with dinner at the Ultimate Buffet on Bloomington Avenue in an outlet mall in Colorado Springs. We slept at HEARTLAND CHRISTIAN ACADEMY OF COLORADO SPRINGS' gym. The boys played a little basketball that evening. Lights out...
Day 2(1) - Saturday, July 4
Breakfast at McDonalds and off to the ranch. Lots of paper work and logistics. Checked into tent city. Attended Chapel and opening campfire. Picked up lots of food from base camp...we thought we were not going to be able to carry all of it.

Day 3(2) - Sunday, July 5
Enthusiasm - high, skills - low, procured more crew gear and took the bus to Zastro. Got a little rain and hail. The weather is truly fickle. Ranger training and hiked 2 miles to Rimrock. More training and camped. Stop by Woodbadge (Zastro). The boys attended a orienteering course. - We also stopped at Abreau and had some root beer.

Day 4(3) - Monday, July 6
5:30 wake up and hiked 7 miles to Urraca. Arrived at camp late and it was raining. We took the long route and saw some nice views. Betty's bra (Miners Park-repelling rock), Tooth of time, Urraca Mesa and the Sun rise from Urraca. One of the best I've seen. On the way from the Mesa we saw a few deer. One actually staked us. This area is know for ghost and mountain lions. Our ranger (Danika Foster from WI) gave a motivational story as we watch the sun rise. She reflected on her challenges and preservation of Philmont. It's the same trail her father hike many years ago. Preston fail on the trail and bumped his arm. We carried his pack for at least 1/2 of the trail.
Day 5(4) - Tuesday, July 7

5 O'clock wake up to hike about 13 miles. We have hiked to Shaefers point (9'900') and made it to the Tooth of Time base. Then to Clarks Fork for a very good chuck wagon meal and peach cobbler. We were too late for showers, but we will have another opportunity on Monday after the hike to Baldy.
Day 6(5) - Wednesday, July 8
We hiked at least 8 hard miles from Clarks Fork to Harlan by the way of Ute Gulch to pickup a lot of food. On the way we stopped at the hunters lodge. On the tour we got some cinnamon biscuits with honey...yummy. Phillips was know to only stay there six times with his wife. The lodge was built in 1941. It was very impressive with several interesting trophies and furniture pieces - expensive wood stove ($10k), yoke for a chandler, black bear (they are brown?)...beautiful lodge. We understand that Phillip had 15 miles of power lines run for one light bulb. The lodge is bear proof with chicken wire on the windows and extra locks on the door. We learned a lot about the animals in the area and the early days. Hunter come once a year for a fee of $10k. The hunters pay for every animal they kill, $10k for Buffalo and less for others.
Ellis discovered that that he had lost his life (our itinerary-named baseball equipment by Ellis), which we needed to get our food. Ellis, Mr. Jones, and Mr Chandler hike backed to Clarks Fork to discover they did not have the life. They did not give it back after dinner. Lilly at the Hunters lodge helped us to get a copy from HQ.
We arrived at Ute Gulch noon. We had to wait until 1PM to get our food. What a lot of food! We dumped a full dinner, part of a lunch and breakfast. The hike from Ute Gulch to Harlan was brutal on the ridge in the heat of the day. Preston had another thought day, but we made it to Harlan at 6 PM and got a site in the meadow. Site 1 was very windy. I thought my tent was going to blow away. At Harlan the boys enjoyed shot gun shooting, burro racing, and some baseball. The boys won 1st place in the burro races. The boys are doing well and are starting to form as a team.
Day 7(6) - Thursday, July 9
Matt from Harlan allow us to complete our conservation project this morning. We created a rock trench in the burro pen. This saved us at least six additional miles of hiking. We hiked 8 moderate miles from Harlan to Vista Grande. The views were breath taking. Beautiful views of the plains and North. We could see Baldy. We were hoping to eat a Philmont traditional meal but we were too late...maybe for lunch. The crew is starting to gel as a team.
Day 8(7) - Friday, July 10
We hiked about 6 miles from Vista Grande to Santa Clause. We stopped at Bears Canyon for a traditional Philmont lunch under the rock. ;-). We also washed our shirts in the cool briskly Cimarron river. What a great feeling! From the river we hiked uphill with ~1000' of elevation changes with a rather fast pace and made it to camp by 3PM. We got a great view of the South country with Urraca Mesa, Tooth of Time, Black mountain and Shaefers point. Today was a good day. The boys appear to be having fun. We discussed how we present ourselves and why Scouting is important to us. They were a little loud in camp today. They made a camp fire. We did thorns, roses, and buds as fire died down.
Day 9(8) - Saturday, July 11
We hiked 11 miles from Santa Clause to Miranda. We were up at 5:15 and on the trail by 7:30 and stopped twice in 30 min's. We were on the trail for 8 hours and 16 min's today as we took a wrong turn at The Head of Dean. We hiked to the Baldy Skyline. Just before camp we crossed a stream. The water look so good that I took a swig before my chlor tab dissolved...hope I don't get Giardia. The camp was another breath taking view. We finally made it to Miranda. Wow...what a sight to see. A meadow surrounded by Aspen and Ponderosa trees with lodge at the top of the hill. We got a tour of Miranda's trading post of 1838. We learned about the beaver pelt and how trades occurred (tea, knife without handles, concentrated liquor-"big fire", ink, and condiments). The term sleep tight was derived from the fact the the bed lashing would come loss every couple days and need to be tighten for a good nights sleep. Our ranger surprised us with Ice Cream for Preston's birthday. That was very thoughtful. Getting ready for bed for a 4:30 wake up to hike Baldy (the highest peek at Philmont).
Day 10(9) - Sunday, July 12
Up at 4:30AM and on the trial by 6:15AM. It was a long day hiking 13.5 miles. The climb to 12,441' was a challenge. The last 800' was shell rocks at 30 - 45 degree grades. From the bottom, it looked like a Pilgrimage. It was worth every step. We made it. At the top I wondered how one man could own such real estate to marvel at heavenly views all around...this is certainly Gods country. It's great he decided to share. At the top the air was so thin a few crew members (Joshua, Justin, and Preston) took a nap. We made our way down on the Copper park ridge trail marked by cairns (rock stacks indicating direction). Some of the trees were angled like in books. Some were gray with gray moss and no leaves...very different from home. We finally made our way to Baldy town. The commissary gave us apples and oranges with grub for the next few days. We hiked thru Ute Meadows back to Miranda for the evening around 6PM. The boys prepared spaghetti and bacon cheddar mash potatoes...not too bad. They needed a little help on what's next.
Day 11 (10) - Monday, July 13

We picked up burros at 8 to take to Flume Canyon then drop at Ponil on Wednesday. A few guys shot black power rifles. We finally hit the trail at 12:30 after lunch. It was a fairly easy hike. There were a few good views at The Head of Dean...we could see mountains in Colorado. Our burro #38 moved pretty well. The last group that had him called #38 Optimist Prime. We arrived at Flume Canyon. It was not a pretty camp. Site 4 looked the best but it was occupied. We made a spot and set camp in and unmarked spot. As we wanted to reduce smellables, we ate breakfast for dinner. Justin checked out the red roof an advised that it was all good. This seemed not to be such a great camp. As far as camps on trek 29, this was my least favorite next to Rimrock the Santa Clause (great view, but no red roof...just an open toilet). The boys played cards and called it a night. During roses, thorns, and buds we talked about the Philmont experience and encourage the boys to reflect on the positives with our Scouts back home. They really started to perform like a team by knowing what to do. They still lack punctuality on execution.

Day 12 (11) - Tuesday, July 14

Last day on the trail! We made it thru the night. It actually turned out okay listing to the Ute Stream flow thru the Canyon during the night. We were up at 5. We grabbed the burros and broke camp by 6:45. We made it to Ponil by 8. We got brands and grabbed some ice cool root beer. The boys finally formed a good pack line at Ponil and the bus stop. Joshua spoke about his Philmont experience and compared it to preparing for a game...it's hard, but it will prepare them for life. Well the bus is here. Base camp we are on the way!

Day 13 (12) - Wednesday, July 15
Complete most of the logistics, packed and took shower! Ken and Sylvester made it for the closing (outbound) campfire.

Day 14 (13) - Thursday, July 16
Ate breakfast and off the airport!...There's no place like home.

Other buzz words

• Mini bears
• Oops bag
• Smellable...5PM
• Who's not ready
• Cat hole
• Porch talk
• Bearmuda triangle
• Trekking, slowing, stopping
• Com' on
• Cloud formations
• Taking a walk...find a rock

Troop 206 May Philmont Lamplight newsletter article

Scouting is a about leadership. They learn skills (outdoor survival and life), teach and lead others. On July 3rd a crew of six Scouts (Jordan, Ellis, Justin, Jonmarc, Joshua, Preston and Sylvester) along with four adults Scout leaders (Al Washington, Joe Hale, Jock Chandler, and Ralph Jones) will make Troop history on an experience of a life time. The adults are there for safety only, therefore the Scouts will have to lead this expedition. They will plan and traverse over 50 miles at elevations from 6,000 to 12,000 feet in the magnificent Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Rocky Mountains carrying all their gear for 12 days. This place is known to have a magic oar that’s full of heavenly gifts.

Philmont is now a full working ranch. It was a place where the Jicarilla Apache and Moache Ute Indians lived, gold discovered and the footprint of a T-Rex dinosaur still exist. The scouts will participate in programs such as Duty to God, conservation, horseback riding, .30.06 rifle shooting, archaeology and see various wildlife such as elk, coyote, antelope, mountain lion, and buffalo. Most of all the scouts will be presented with real life physical and mental challenges. In conquering these challenges, troop 206 scouts will gain confidence experiencing self discovery, team work and leadership.

For more information on Philmont or our Troop, please see our the blog (http://troop206.blogspot.com/)

Please keep Troop 206 Philmont crew in your prayers for safety and personal development as we prepare.

I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. Confucius: Chinese philosopher & reformer (551 BC - 479 BC)

Genesis 1:25: God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.