A Scoutmaster's Blog

Several years ago, when Myspace was the social network that everyone seemed to belong to, I created a profile and decided to join the fun. I found some of my friends, started building up a network, and joined a few Myspace groups. Eight of those groups were Scouting related. For awhile, I kept checking things out, including the groups, to see what was happening in this new virtual world. I hate to say it, but I was never quite impressed with what Myspace offered, and it seemed that most of my friends felt the same way.

I still have a Myspace profile but I seldom go to it anymore. Facebook and Twitter have taken over my virtual social life. I actually had a little time tonight so I thought it would be interesting to check out Myspace again and see what has been happening in those groups I had joined. Nothing much, I discovered.

For example, there is a group called Boy/Girl Scouts of America. It states that it has 2013 members. But yet, only 4 or 5 messages have been left in the forums this year. In 2010. Out of over two thousand members! Not very active in that group. So I checked out another group, The Boy Scouts of Myspace America. It boasts of having 1981 members. Only two of them have posted anything on the forums this year so far. And I was one of the two.

Each of the groups I checked had the same results. It appears that many of the people that once used Myspace to keep in touch with other Scouts around the country and the world have left Myspace for other social media. I guess I can not blame them. I did the same. Now granted, most people do not leave comments on group forums very often unless something catches their interest, but I have to say that I do see more activity in the other social sites.

Do I plan to drop my Myspace site? Not yet. You never know what could happen down the road. It may not currently be as good as Facebook, in my opinion, but I think it is better then another (national) Scouting based social network that some of us have tried and have been disappointed with. But my feelings about that network is another article.

Greg, our ranger,  left our crew today, August 7, 1986. Before he left he had us sit along the ridge line that overlooked the valley and talked to us about how Philmont is able to stay beautiful and bountiful. He described some of the ways the camp staff preserves the wilderness for future crews to enjoy. He told us of what we must do to preserve the beauty and splendor of the Philmont wilderness, and not mess it up for the others who would follow our tracks. Then, he had us take the Philmont Wilderness Pledge. The pledge states:

“Through good Scout camping, I pledge to preserve the beauty and splendor of the Philmont wilderness.  I commit to: a litter free Philmont; and absence of graffiti; conservation and proper use of water; respect for trails and trail signs; proper use of campfires.”

After the crew reviewed the pledge, and understood what each of the parts meant, we accepted it. Greg signed the pledge cards as our ranger, and gave them to us to sign and keep. He then left us to experience the rest of the trek on our own.

That was over 23 years ago. I have returned to Philmont four more times since that first trek, the latest in 2004. I am amazed each time how little the country has changed, even though tens of thousands of campers hike the backcountry every year. The Philmont Wilderness Pledge works very well.

Now, if we could get everyone who attend our national parks to follow the same guidelines…

“Good morning Vietnam!” blared through the speakers as the Boy Scouts of Troop 68 were awakened Sunday morning. As Robin Williams continued to do his “radio show” the Scouts quietly crawled out of their sleeping bags and began packing their gear for the trip home. Our weekend at Camp Stearns was nearly at an end.

Four of the troop’s seven members participated in the activity. Three of them left town Friday evening and the fourth joined them Saturday afternoon. It was a laid back, fun winter outing. We rented one of the heated buildings at camp but we still had fun activities outdoors.

It was already dark when we arrived at Camp Stearns Friday evening. The boys kept busy playing Risk and watching the 1970’s movie, The Posieden Adventure. (Yes, we do bring a television and dvd player with us on our winter outing.)

We worked on advancement Saturday morning after a breakfast of bacon and french toast. In the afternoon we played nine holes of disc golf while wearing snowshoes. It was a very warm February day, probably in the upper 30’s. I thought it was funny that we were walking through mud and water puddles while carrying snowshoes in our arms on the way to the golf course.

Most of us had never worn snowshoes. It took us a few moments to get them strapped onto our boots. We discovered that we still sank a few inches into the snow. A couple of the boys made a comment that they did not think the snowshoes helped very much. When a shoe came off the boot of one of the boys they discovered that the snowshoes helped out quite a bit.

On the way back to the building we noticed that the broomball field had no ice, but plenty of mud, so the boys decided to watch a another movie, The Mummy. This was followed by a religious service and supper.

In the evening we dressed in warm layers and walked to Camp Stearns’ well lit sledding hill. It is a large hill which provides great sledding. Unfortunately, walking back up the hill can wear out a person after several trips. The boys had fun sledding for nearly ninety minutes before they declared it was time to play another game of Risk.

That brings us back to Sunday morning. The boys barely said a word as they packed their gear. This group of 14 to 16 year olds have already been on plenty of weekend outings. They knew the routine. Within a short amount of time things were packed and we were sitting down to breakfast. We were on the way home before 9:00.

Don’t you just love it when the Scouts work well together and get things done without having to say anything to them?

Last week the Melrose City Council passed a proclamation recognizing the one hundred year anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America and the thirty year anniversary of Boy Scout Troop 68. Five Boy Scouts, and the scoutmaster and assistant scoutmaster, attended the meeting. It was great to see the council support Scouting within our community. After the council unanimously passed the proclamation the senior patrol leader stepped forward to accept a copy from the mayor. It made for a nice photo opportunity.

Here is what the proclamation states:

WHEREAS, the Boy Scouts of America has served our youth since 1910. Thanks to dedicated adult volunteers, more than 100 million young people have learned Scouting’s lessons of patriotism, courage, and self-reliance over the past 100 years, and millions more have benefited from the service, inspiration, and leadership of the Boy Scouts.

WHEREAS, former Scouts have gone on to become leaders in all fields, including business, education, and government. The values they have learned through Scouting have given them the confidence to make ethical choices and to realize their full potential as active and responsible citizens.

WHEREAS, America’s young people have always been treasured as our most precious resource. Since Scouting has had a strong positive influence on young people, it has played a vital role in shaping America’s future.

WHEREAS, The Boy Scouts have clearly shown that it is possible to be innovative while remaining faithful to their principles.

WHEREAS, the Melrose Boy Scout Troop No. 68 and Cub Pack No. 68 are celebrating their 30^th Anniversary.

WHEREAS, this national youth movement has made serving others through its values-based program its mission.

THEREFORE, I, Eric Seanger, Mayor of the City of Melrose, Stearns County, Minnesota, do hereby recognize February 8, 2010 as the 100^th Anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. The Council urges all citizens to join them in recognizing the dedication and hard work of the members of this organization.

FURTHERMORE, I, Eric Seanger, along with the entire City Council and citizens of Melrose, commend the dedicated volunteer Scout leaders and institutions that assist the Boy Scouts in benefiting the youth in our community.

IN OFFICIAL RECOGNITION WHEREOF, I hereby affix my signature and caused to be affixed the official seal of the City of Melrose this 18th day of February, 2010.

Scoutmaster Steve and Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, return in episode twelve of the Around The Scouting Campfire podcast. Listen in as the guys talk about how the Scouting program was discovered by William D. Boyce during a trip to London in the early 1900’s. There are quotes from Lord Baden-Powell. The Boy Scouts of Troop 68 perform the radio skit. Buttons reads the last letter to Scouts from Lord Baden-Powell. There is even a short story from an early National Jamboree.

The story of how Scouting came to America is from the 1943 edition of the Boy Scout handbook.
The Radio Skit can be seen at Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast #70 – http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Buttons’ reading of the last letter to Scouts from Lord Baden-Powell can be seen at Melrose Scouting Productions #50.

Boots Hanson was the first caretaker of Many Point Scout Camp. In fact, he and the other council leaders created a new style summer camp in which Boy Scouts would camp together with members of their own troop. His hard work and great love of the outdoors and Scouting brought this new idea to reality. According to the Many Point Alumni website (http://mpalumni.nsbsa.org/lanternslight/SU1991.pdf):

Click here to DOWNLOAD this podcast.Subscribe to Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast through iTunes.
or at the RSS feed: http://feeds2.feedburner.com/melrosescoutingproductions
Check out other great Scouting podcasts at PTC Media, including The Leader’s Campfire and Around The Scouting Campfire.

Last week I wrote about the displays I planned to place around town for Scouting Week. Three of the four were set up. I have not got around to the fourth one yet. I thought you may enjoy seeing pictures of the exhibits so here they are: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevejb68/sets/72157623361768222/

Let me know what you think about them.

February 8, 2010, marks the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America. This year is also the 30th anniversary of Melrose Boy Scout Troop 68, of which I am the scoutmaster. We usually set up displays around town during Scout week so I have some serious work to do in the next couple of days.

Four local businesses have given us permission to place exhibits about Scouting in their lobbies: Central Minnesota Credit Union, Freeport State Bank, US Bank, and the City of Melrose. Each display is designed to fit on an eight foot long table. The displays include literature, books, patches, memorabilia, and photographs.

During the last patrol leader council, we discussed themes for each of the four exhibits. We wanted a different one for each place so people would get to discover more about Scouting. Besides, I do not have enough stuff to do four displays of the same theme. This year’s themes are:

High Adventure – This will highlight the BSA’s high adventure bases but will concentrate on Philmont Scout Ranch. It will include mugs, plaques, posters, and photo albums.

National Jamboree – Since this is the year of the National Jamboree we added this as a theme for one location. I attended the 2001 Jamboree as the scoutmaster for Central Minnesota Troop 1417 so most of the display will feature items from that trip, including the uniform and tee shirt, photo albums, patch collection, and a new shadow box with various memorabilia.

Scouting History – I have collected quite a bit of Scouting memorabilia during the last thirty years and some of it will find its way into this display, including a 1932 Boy Scout handbook and fictional novels from 1911. Last night I put together a shadowbox featuring Boy Scout rank patches from the 1980’s, the current patches, and the special 2010 anniversary rank patches. (See the picture above.)

Boy Scout Troop 68 – This will probably be the largest of the exhibits since I have collected the most on this subject. The hardest part will be deciding which of the thirty photo albums will be a part of the arrangement.

The displays will be set up this Friday and Saturday. Each of the businesses is allowing the exhibits to be in place for two weeks. I have been told that past displays have been popular, especially the photo albums. I will take photos of each of the displays and post them online for you to see. Check back to this blog for an update with the link.

Mike, a former member of Troop 68, recently posted a quick note of our troop’s forum about something I thought was awesome, but mothers may not appreciate. Boy Scouts like guns. Every summer camp has rifle and shotgun ranges. Many Boy Scouts hunt for game when they are old enough. It seems one company has decided to do something a little special for those Scouts during the 100th anniversary celebration. Henry Rifles has created a couple of special commemorative rifle to celebrate not only the Boy Scouts of America, but also Eagle Scouts.


The first rifle (quoted from the website)- The Boy Scouts of America celebrate their 100th Anniversary in 2010. To commemorate this occasion, Henry Repeating Arms announces the release of its Henry Golden Boy “Boy Scouts of America® Centennial Edition” licensed rifle. To mark this milestone, this special rifle features the Scouts Oath, Scouts Law, scrollwork and traditional Boy Scouts of America logo embellishing the receiver, as well as a 100 Years of Scouting logo and Centennial Edition gold filled etchings in the buttstock and forearm.
http://www.henry-guns.com/press_bsa100.cfm


The second rifle (again from the website) – The gleaming nickel-plated receiver is adorned with spectacular engraving hand cut by Henry engraver Rob Bunting. The right side is highlighted by the image of a majestic bald eagle accented by distinctive American scrollwork and a banner proclaiming the proud sentiment of all Eagle Scouts: Once an Eagle, Always an Eagle. The left side bears the image of the famous Eagle Scout™ medal and banners reading Eagle Scout and Boy Scouts of America. The engraved images on both sides and the winged leaf border are selectively plated with brilliant 24-karat gold.
http://www.henryrepeating.com/h004es_eaglescout.cfm


Check the links for pictures of these guns. They are gorgeous. I wish I had a couple of thousand dollars laying around to buy them, but unfortunately, I am saving to replace my car this summer. Besides, I don’t think I could ever bring myself to actually fire one. Have any of you purchased one of these rifles?