A Scoutmaster's Blog

You have heard of Youtube. You may have heard about Godtube. But have you ever heard about ScoutTube? It is one of the newest video sites on the internet to promote Scouting. In fact, ScoutTube is a video site which only contains (so far, at least) twelve films, each one covering one point of the Scout Law. Each video features real Scouts talking with real people who exemplify one point of the Law.

The films are professional done, and look very sharp. They were produced by Arrowhead films with funding provided by the Brock Family Trust and the Capital Area Council. The site is sharp looking without a lot of useless bells and whistles. The only thing I do not like about the site is that the browser window immediately expands to fill the whole monitor. I hate it when a site does that.

Check out ScoutTube and see if you do not agree that this is a site that could be very useful to Cub Packs, new Boy Scouts, and even to help promote Scouting. (I would like to get a dvd of these videos.)

I bought the “Boy Scout” version of the Monopoly board game a few years ago. I enjoy playing Monopoly. It is one of my favorite board games. Granted, the Boy Scout version was a bit pricey, but I thought it would be fun to play with the Scouts. It would be similar to the “Lord of the Rings” Risk board game that they like to play.

The first time we played the Monopoly game we discovered that a few of the boys had earned one of the awards listed on the board. One boy landed on a piece of yellow property called “World Conservation Award”. He asked what a Scout needed to do to earn the award. I knew it involved earning three merit badges, but I was not sure which ones were needed, so I pulled out a requirement book. We discovered the Scout had completed the merit badges needed for this award. I discovered that two other troop members had also earned the World Conservation Award.

It was a little ironic that it took a board game to discover that bit of information, I thought.

In the late 1980’s, I bought a game called Scout Trivia. It included a book that contained one hundred questions in each of six different “Scout Knowledge” areas. We would use the book for patrol competitions during troop meetings. We also used it a couple times during courts of honor in which a team of Scouts challenged a team of parents.

Somewhere, somehow, over the years I lost the trivia book. Although I wish I still had it, I am not worrying about it much. Many of the questions found in the book would be outdated in today’s Scouting program. For example, we do not use skill awards as part of the advancement program any longer.

Recently, in one of the Scouting forums found online, there was a discussion about what should be included in a video game with a Scouting theme. Several of us had fun adding suggestions to the list. A few were very “tounge in cheek”.

It got me thinking though. There are virtually no Scouting related toys or games widely available on the market today. A quick search on the internet did show that in the early days of the BSA there were several toys available.

I hate to say it, but I think the reason we do not see Scouting related toys today is that there would be little interest in them. It is just not the same today as it was ninety years ago. A well designed video game could be a success, but it would have to be designed to interest boys outside of Scouting, which may not be a bad thing. It could introduce them to the fun Scouting offers.

Maybe they were onto something with a Scouting version of Monopoly. Maybe more established games could have a Scouting version. How about a Scouting version of Scrabble? Or maybe a World of Scoutcraft multi-player online game?

I read a news article on Yahoo News that saddened me, and I am sure that many Troop 68 Boy Scouts and alumni will also take note of the news. Gary Gygax has died.

What? You say you do not know who Gary Gygax is? Why, he is the co-creator of a little game called Dungeons and Dragons.

I began playing D&D when I was in college in 1979. When I became the scoutmaster in the early 1980’s I introduced the Scouts to the game, and it became an instant hit with them. I have been the troop’s unofficial game master for over twenty five years. The boys enjoy playing the game as much today as they did twenty years ago. In fact, it is the number one activity that the Scouts ask for outside of regular troop activities. Many former troop members still come over a couple times a year to get in a game.

I have thought about writing a few articles for this blog about how the game of Dungeons and Dragons has affected the Scouts of Troop 68 for quite awhile now, but just never got around to it. I may have to give that subject some serious thought.

The guys are already leaving messages on the troop’s forum that we need to play a game in honor of Gary Gygax’s passing, so I guess I better start thinking about some game scenarios.

My jaw is still painful as the crew arises at 6:00. Surprising, I slept quite well. The skies are clear. It is 51 degrees. A beautiful morning. During breakfast Paul traded his slim jims for my oatmeal. I think we each thought we got the better end of the deal.

Today we will go to Clarks Fork Camp. There are several ways to get there from Harlan. We could go back around Deer Lake Mesa and then take the trail by Cathedral Rock and the Cimarroncito Reservoir. This would long hike and would be difficult. The crew decided not to go this way because too much of it would be backtracking what we did yesterday.

The trail chosen was a four wheel drive ‘road’ that would take us off Deer Lake Mesa, into the Nash Gulch area, and past Webster Lake. I am glad we left camp early, 8:00 a.m., because it was open plains once we got off the mesa. The sun was brightly shining as we headed toward Webster Lake. I would be willing to bet that it would have been a hot hike if we would have taken this route during the afternoon. As we passed the lake the scouts noticed a deer next to a fallen tree getting a drink.

I was relieved when we arrived at the Cimarroncito Turnaround by 9:30 a.m. I am not sure but I think Philmont staff frown upon crews using the roads to get from one camp to another if a trail is available. We could have gotten in trouble if we would have met a vehicle along the way.

It was about 10:15 when we arrived at Clarks Fork Camp. Tracy welcomes us to camp and explains the program that is available to us. One of the things we are really looking forward to is the shower. Corey has gotten so filthy that Tim has started calling him Pig Pen, after the Peanuts comic strip character.

We are given the campsite next to the one we used three years ago. It is near a stream and the Red Roof Inn (latrine). The bear cable is not far away. Even though the ground is a bit inclined it looks as if it will be a nice campsite.

Due to the fact that tomorrow’s camp will be a dry camp we ate a supper for lunch. The crew is pretty quiet as the meal is prepared. In fact, they act as if they are near death. They must be really tired. The turkey noodle supper is good. A peach pie is our desert. Corey, Nathan, and I play a bit of Frisbee afterwards.

The shower house opened for business at one o’clock. At 12:40 I grabbed my towel and clothes and headed out, hoping to beat the rush I was sure would occur. I was not more then a hundred feet from our campsite when I saw it … a short distance to my left in the woods… A bear!

The creature just stood there and looked right at me, and me at it. It was only about thirty feet to the right of the trail that I was on. It stood about three feet tall at the shoulders. The color of its fur was brown. It had a light brown necktie mark down the front of its neck. It looked like a young bear, but was a lot bigger then a cub. We stared at each for about twenty seconds. He (?) never moved but I backed off a few steps. When I got about fifty feet away from it I called back to the crew to grab a camera and bring it to me. “We got a bear,” I yelled.

“I probably should not have said that” I thought to myself as I saw most of the crew headed toward me. Tom and Nathan both had their cameras along. I waved them back as they approached. I did not want them too close in close the bear decided to try something. Slowly they came forward, awed at what they were seeing before them. Tom handed me his camera, the telephoto already set. As I brought the camera up to my eye the bear decided that that was enough. He turned and walked off into the woods.

Some of the scouts wanted to follow it, especially Nathan. That surprised me. Nathan was the one who was so worried at the start of the trek that something was going to happen, that we might get attacked by something. Now he wanted to go chasing after the very creature that caused him so much anxiety only a week ago. I told them not to follow it. That would be a bit too dangerous.

That bear sure was cute, however. And that cuteness made the bruin that much more dangerous. People are not as afraid of cute things. Cute things attract folks, especially kids. I am rather surprised that no one made a comment about trying to get close enough to pet the creature. I think I will need to talk to the crew when we are all back together. Precautions will have to be taken.

I stopped by the staff’s lodge on the way to the showers to report my siting. The staff was not pleased with the way I handled the situation. They explained that we should have made a lot of noise and chased the bear away. They asked me if I had seen a collar or an ear tag. No. Was it aggressive? No. Was it in camp? Yes. Did it get at our food? No. Etc., etc. Once the form was filled out I was free to go.

I was excited that I had finally seen a bear. It took three trips to do it, but I was happy. Now, I only hoped that it would not raid our camp during the middle of the night.

It was finally time to get to the showers and wash off six days of dirt and grime. Several other members of the troop had beaten me to it. It felt great to be clean again. On the way back a couple of us tried our skills at lassoing.

The afternoon became a lazy, laid back one. Several of us took out our sleeping pads, set them on the ground, and laid out under the trees. Pete and Nathan made a game of throwing the Frisbee over Paul, trying to see how close they could get to him without actually hitting him. Then they tried throwing it over me. Every time I was able to get a hold of it I took the thing and threw it as far away as I could. It did not take long before it was being thrown inches above our prone bodies again.

(This article is an except from my 1992 Philmont journal. You can read the whole journal of the trip HERE. And by the way, that is picture is not of the bear that we saw.)

It has been a month since the last podcast was posted, but there is a reason for that. I wanted to make a film with Buttons, the radical Boy Scout, that showed him participating with Boy Scouts on an outing. I felt it was time for Buttons to leave the safety of the house, and play a game with the Scouts.

I have mentioned in previous posts that I wish the national office would do a more advertising to promote the Scouting program. Or maybe the councils should be doing it. I know I do enough of it on a local level. I have been collecting Scouting commercials for the past twenty years. Lately, I have been inserting them into Scouting films I produce for the local television channels. Hey, anything to promote Scouting, you know.

Here is one commercial that features Cub Scouting. I think it is a cute film, and one that contains a little humor. It is short, to the point, and best of all, shows a father and his Cub Scout son working on an advancement requirement together. Watch it yourself and leave a comment about what you think about it.

The weather was perfect as the Boy Scouts of Melrose Troop 68 gathered for their winter outing on Friday, February 22. The seven Scouts and three adult leaders were looking forward to a weekend of winter fun.

Camp Stearns is owned by the Northern Star Council, which is headquartered in the Twin Cities. The camp is located east of Fairhaven, Minnesota. The camp borders on a few lakes, has some great wooded camping areas, and plenty of open areas for various activities, including a disc golf course.

The Melrose troop stayed in one of the heated buildings during the weekend, but they spent a lot of time outdoors enjoying the mild winter temperatures on Saturday. In the morning the Scouts worked on various advancement requirements, including an orientation course.

The troop headed out to the rink after lunch for a game of broomball. The temperature was warm enough, and the action was intense enough, that winter coats soon started to pile up along side the rink. The Scouts had a great time playing this non-skating version of hockey. The boys even took the time to film a few scenes for a new video which should appear online sometime in March as part of the Melrose Scouting Productions Podcast. The video may also appear on Youtube.

The highlight of the weekend came after chapel service and supper. It was time to head to the hills! The sledding hill, that is. Camp Stearns has a great sledding hill that is lit for evening use. And boy, did the Scouts from Troop 68 put it to use. The Scouts were able to move along at pretty good speeds, and able to get some pretty good air from the jumps. (See the picture) Of course, there were a couple good wipe-outs to go along with it. The long steep hill prompted one Scout to comment that there should be a tow rope to get back up the hill. The evening ended with watching a movie before heading off to the sleeping bags.

I have written hundreds of newspaper articles about the troop and its functions during the last three decades. When I write the articles I concentrate on the Boy Scouts and what they are doing. I try to leave myself out of the stories as much as possible. I do not want to promote myself. My job is promote the boys and Scouting.

So when I local newspaper reporter contacted me a year ago for an interview about being a scoutmaster for over twenty-five years, I kind of shrugged her off and said I would do it someday in the future. Well, I guess the future arrived. She remembered that I said I would do it later, so called me about it again earlier this month. She wanted to run an article for the issue that came out during Scout Week, but we could not find a time to meet. She did not give up though. The article finally came out in this week’s issue.

I thought I would bite the bullet and let you all (or at least those of you who would be interested) read it on the newspaper’s website. It can be found HERE. Don’t laugh to hard when you read it, okay?