A Scoutmaster's Blog

I have to thank Scoutmaster Jerry from the SSM Blog for this video suggestion. He posted this video on his blog and I agree that it is a great one. To quote the description on the video’s page: “Inspiring video on persevering no matter how many times you have failed in life.” If you have not failed, you have not lived. Enjoy it.

100 Days of Scouting: Day 92.

It has been said that Boy Scout leaders will do nearly anything for a patch. I guess I may fall into that grouping. I have been to many camporees and Scouting activities over the last three decades, and yes, I attended a few of them just to get the patch, but I have to add that I did have fun at the events. Many of the activity patches I have collected are found on a 4′ x 4′ sheet of paneling that is hanging on a wall in my basement family room.

However, the sheet was filled a few years ago and now I am looking for a different way to display them. A patch blanket quickly come to mind, but I do not like sewing. There are probably about 150 patches on the sheet of paneling and another 30 or so patches waiting for a home.

How many patches do you have? How do you store or display them? Leave a comment and let us know.

100 Days Of Scouting: Day 90.

Three years ago the troop began building a treehouse at our Camp Watchamagumee. It was to be an eight foot square house with three foot sidewalls, built eight feet off the ground. It was to be built between a few trees along the main path of the camp. A local lumber yard donated the treated lumber and plywood. I donated the cedar lap siding for the walls.

I thought this would be an excellent project for the Boy Scouts and their fathers. The boys did start out working on the treehouse but we soon discovered the project was not large enough to keep everyone busy. By ones and twos the boys disappeared and began finding other things to do around the camp. It was soon down to two Scouts and the fathers to built the treehouse.

We did not finish building the treehouse that afternoon. We did complete the floor framing, applied the floor plywood, and built two of the walls before we ran out of time. No problem. We would finish it the next year. Unfortunately, we did not go to Watchamagumee in 2009. We did not allow any time in our 2010 schedule to work on the treehouse.

When we went to camp this year I asked one of the fathers, who also happens to be a contractor, to bring some cordless power tools along so we could finish the project. He and I were able to complete the final two walls and build a ladder while the Scouts were working on their Fireman Chit skills.

So, we now have an 8′ x 8′ treehouse at Camp Watchamagumee. I am not sure exactly what we are going to do with it but the landowner already has an idea. He plans to use it as a deer stand during the fall hunting season.

(The picture above shows the treehouse nearly completed.)

100 Days of Scouting, Day 90.

I know there have been quite a few books written about that magical place we Scouters know as Philmont Scout Ranch. I own a few of them. Four to be precise. Here is a quick description of each of them.

Return To The Summit Of Scouting is “A Scouter’s midlife journey back to Philmont” written by William F Cass. It follows Mr. Cass’ return to Philmont as an advisor and father after having left the ranch as a summer staffer over two decades earlier. Not only does the book follow the expedition of him and his son, but it also gives great nice in-depth outlook from the staff and rangers point of view. This book was first printed in April, 1993.

Head For The High Country was written by David L. Caffey and published in 1973. Mr. Caffey was a member of the Philmont Scout Ranch staff for several seasons. He is also an Eagle Scout and has received the Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow. The book covers the five years he spent working on the staff in various camps around the ranch.

The oldest Philmont-themed book in the collection is The Tooth Of Time, A Philmont Adventure, written by the radio scoutmaster the 1940’s, Gray Sterling. This book was published in 1955. I picked up my copy at a used book store which must have received it from a library because it still has the sign out card on the back cover. I have not read it yet but when I skimmed it for this article I noticed it may be a fictional account of a Scout crew’s trip to Philmont Scout Ranch. I also noticed one more thing today. The book appears to have the author’s signature on the first page of the book, under his picture. Cool.

Beyond The Hills, The Journey of Waite Phillips, written by Michael Wallis, is really not about Philmont Scout Ranch. It is about the life of Waite Phillips, the man who donated to land to the Boy Scouts of America. It is a fascinating book that belongs in any collection of Philmont-themed books. This book does contain a lot of photos.

The final two books, The Scoutmaster and The Scoutmaster II, are not actually books about Philmont. They are written by scoutmaster Jim Boeger who was one of two excellent instructors for Scoutmaster’s Fundamentals, a course I took at the Philmont Training Center in 1984. The books are about Mr. Boeger’s experiences as a scoutmaster. (By the way, he is 6′-9″ tall, which brings some unique experiences to the Scouting table.) The first chapter about his first experience going on a camping trip with a troop of Boy Scouts had me laughing out loud. Mr. Boeger did sign my copy of The Scoutmaster before I left Philmont.

What Philmont-themed books do have own? Do you have any suggestions for us. or a special book perhaps? Leave a comment and tell us about it.

100 Days of Scouting: Day 84.

I sometimes think I do not fit the typical requirements for holding the position of scoutmaster. For example, I do not drink coffee. I do not need to have a cup or three of java to get going in the morning. Yet, I do have a coffee mug collection. Which brings me to today’s memorabilia topic, high adventure coffee mugs. I currently own three mugs from Philmont Scout Ranch, one from the Charles Sommers Canoe Base, and one from the Blue Ridge Mountains High Knoll Trail base.

And that brings me to the end of today’s Memorabilia Monday, which actually was supposed to be written last week on Monday, but I fell behind on my posting. Happy Scouting!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 83.