Scouting Adventure

The Patrol Method

10/6/2015

One thing I really like about scouts is that we get to do the planning for the things we do. It does have its problems though. It is a learning experience, but can be very frustrating.

For example, we had elections, so we have a new Patrol Leader. They picked a new Assistant Patrol Leader and are also responsible for picking a Grubmaster, Quartermaster and Scribe. I'm now Grubmaster, but we still do not have a Quartermaster or Scribe. I don't know why, but our chuckbox for camping is a mess and without a Quartermaster, no one wants to take care of the chuckbox. I'm not excited about doing it either, but it has to get done, so I just asked if I can pick it up so it can get cleaned. I asked everyone who will help, so hopefully someone will come help with it.

Last night our troop meeting was a bit chaotic, so we didn't get to go through the requirements we need to finish to advance. When I got home I decided to go through my list and realized, I have 17 requirements to finish to complete Scout to First Class. I'm starting to understand that I need to plan things if they're going to get done.

So I made my list and then broke it up into what area each requirement is in (knots, first aid, fitness, etc.) and today I'm figuring out how to get them done. Our patrol leader isn't planning any patrol activities to do requirements, so I'm hoping that if I let others in my patrol know I'm working on requirements that some will want to do them with me. It's definitely more fun to do them together than by myself!

We have a bike ride camp out coming up in a couple of weeks. I'm really excited about that, even though how many miles we're going to go sort of scares me. We'll do 20 miles the first day! Yikes!

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Popcorn Goals

9/21/2015

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Today I started working on my popcorn goals for this year. I set up my popcorn account the other day, and have been thinking about what I can really do this year. I'd love to sell $20,000 in popcorn, but I'm not sure that is realistic. So I'm going to try to sell $7,500. To start my scholarship account, I have to sell $2,500, but I only have to do that once. Once I do it, then every year a full 6% of all sales will go toward my college expenses!

I've set up a Popcorn Page, please visit it so you can learn more about how buying popcorn support scouting and can also support our troops!

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Court of Honor

9/21/2015

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Last week we had our patrol elections, and my Assistant Patrol Leader was elected to be our next Patrol Leader. I am really happy for him!

This week we had our Troop Court of Honor. That's where we receive recognition for the work we do with merit badges and moving up in rank. Tonight I got my swimming merit badge, along with beads for 8-hours of service. I realized, I need to finish my woodcarving for my woodcarving merit badge!

The big surprise tonight was that my patrol received an award honoring our overcoming adversity at summer camp. We really worked hard at camp, and the homesickness almost made us fall apart, so I'm really glad that we received this. I think it'll help our patrol going forward to keep working together!

Jackknives Patrol with their Award from Summer Camp

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New Scout Year

8/17/2015

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We've kicked off our new scout year, coinciding with the school year here in Columbia. I'm really excited since I've looked through my scout handbook and think I can finish my rank requirements for first year through First Class before the end of December. It's a big goal, but I think I can do it since I have many of the requirements already done! The hardest one is going to be participating in 10 Troop or Patrol activities. In the coming weeks we'll have Troop elections, so I won't be Patrol Leader anymore, so can't make plans for the patrol to do things. I can only hope the new Patrol Leader we elect plans so things since troop meetings don't count and there are only so many troop activities and camp-outs between now and December!

I am really looking forward to this year. When I was a cub scout I didn't sell popcorn; our pack did, but I wasn't really interested in selling it. I'm not sure why? But I didn't sell it. This year, after reading more about the popcorn drives, I'm excited to set a goal and work to achieve it with popcorn! Through the popcorn sales, I can offset the cost of so many things I do in scouting, and I can have a scholarship account started if I sell enough popcorn. That's my real goal, a scholarship account for when I go to college!

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Summer Camp Adventures

6/29/2015

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I survived most of summer camp. My first day there, I thought, "what am I doing here?" as I realized I was two hours from home and I had no way to leave if I didn't like it. But, I looked around and realized everyone else in my patrol, and the other first year patrol, were in the same situation, that we'd survive.

We all did well the first night, but in mid-morning of the first day, most of us were homesick. Really homesick. Some of the boys in my patrol got packages, I didn't the first day and that made me wish I was home. By Tuesday we were all really, really homesick - most of us had not been to summer camp on our own, and we were starting to just not want to be at camp. The assistant scoutmaster called our parents, and almost everyone's mom or dad came down for a visit, even my mom! She made me stay, but just having a couple of hours with her and my little brother made staying easier. I also received her package from home before she arrived to visit, so that made my morning!

Wednesday wasn't much better with the homesickness, everyone was still not too happy to be at camp. But, we were doing things to keep busy and work on our first-year program. I was having fun, even if I wanted to go home, and Wednesday was a lot easier since I knew my mom was going to stop in for lunch, only lunch, with my little brother. And she did, and I was fine after that. I'm not sure why summer camp seemed so hard, but it was.

By Thursday though, everyone seemed to turn around and not be so homesick. We all had parents visiting, and one parent wound up staying at our site just so my patrolmate wouldn't leave. I'm glad she stayed, since it was important for him to stay. By Thursday though, my knee, which I injured a couple of months ago, started to hurt really bad. To the point where I could hardly walk. Other scouts were practicing the Fireman's Carry to cart me around camp, so I wouldn't have to keep walking.

Thursday was parent's night. I really just wanted to go home! But I was torn, since I really did start to have fun and my patrol was figuring out how to work together pretty well, finally! During parent's night, the doctor who was in our troop suggested that I go home because my knee really needed to be looked at. My mom thought about it, and eventually did agree to take me home. By then though, I wanted to stay, but couldn't convince her or doc to let me stay!

So I went home that night. I missed the last day of camp, and the morning departure, but I did get most of my first year program finished, my swimming merit badge completed, and all but one requirement finished for my woodworking merit badge. All in all, I can't want until next summer - once the homesickness was over, I really started to enjoy camp!

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Getting Ready for Summer Camp

6/8/2015

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Am I worried? Yup. I've never been to summer camp! This is going to be six nights, 80-miles from home, and we can't take our cell phones. If something happens, how can I call home?

I have to pack an entire week's worth of stuff into one footlocker, I'm wondering if everything I need is going to fit in there, or will I just have to live without stuff I think I need?

My mom got me a cot, and a bug net, since Camp Hohn is buggy and the tents are on platforms, so sleeping on the ground in a tent won't work since the tents themselves are open-flap tents, so bugs will be in and out all the time. I'm not a fan of bugs.

Now I need to put together my list of gear to take with me. So far I have:

Cot
Bug pop-up
Clothes
Boots
Swimsuit
Towel
Water Bottle
Knife
Mess Kit
Socks
Flip-flops
Soap
Beef Jerky (don't know how the food will be, so need to have some just in case)
Sleeping bag
Pillow
Sleeping mat (for on the cot, it's really hard)
Chair
Handbook

Any ideas of other things I may need?

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Pinnacles It Was

5/11/2015

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After looking at so many options, my patrol decided to go to the Pinnacles to camp over the weekend. Wow, it was really cool! I didn't even know it was in Columbia, and I'm glad someone suggested it, it reminded me of a mini-Bryce Canyon.

I was really busy leading up to Friday night since I planned the menu, made the list, then acted as our patrol grubmaster. Over the weekend I did a lot of cooking too since I was working on one of my rank requirements, First Class requirement 4). That was a lot of fun since I picked my favorite foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and I think my patrol liked them too!

On Saturday a few dad's came to take us hiking up the Pinnacles, while the mom's hung out at camp or left to do things. It was really nice, but long hike since we got ourselves lost at one point taking a wrong turn. Once we realized our mistake and turned around, we finally made it back and up to the top of the Pinnacles and it was amazing! I'm so glad I did the hike even though my knee really hurt.

The next morning, on Sunday, I wasn't so sure the hike was worth the pain though, my knee was killing me and we had to break camp. I'm so glad my mom helped, I never would have been able to pack up all of my stuff without help! All in all, I think it was a great weekend, and a great first patrol camp out!

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Patrol Camp Out

4/27/2015

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One thing is for sure, getting everyone to agree on a campsite isn't easy. My patrol is trying to decide where to go and our mom's keep trying to help, but I think they need to let us figure this out, it is boy-led, not mom led. We keep changing places because everyone wants to do something different. I really hope we can figure out something that will be fun. For now, we have that we're doing it on Mother's Day weekend. Thank you Mom, I know you don't want to be camping that weekend!

Patrol camping is the one time we need parents to join us. Mine agreed to camp that weekend so we have enough trained adults so we can camp, but also do things were we might leave the campsite. The adults are still supposed to keep to themselves and let us figure out things on our own when we do patrol camping. I hope they do!

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Camporees Are Awesome!

4/20/2015

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The Great Rivers Council hosted a Camporee this weekend. Boy Scouts from all over our area joined together to camp and compete using old fashioned games, like the bolt toss and two scouts sawing a log with a huge, two-man saw! Our troop was one of more than a dozen that camped this weekend.

The highlight of our weekend was our Troop's cooking contest. For the last few years, one patrol has won. This year they didn't. My patrol didn't either, but we came in second place - not bad for the new kids!

The weekend was great, and I hope we have more camporees with a lot of other troops joining ours since it was a lot of fun to meet other scouts from across mid-Missouri.

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Cold, Wet and Muddy!

3/9/2015

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Our first camp-out was a cold, muddy mess! I earned two beads - one for the cold overnight (less than 32F), the other for the mud. It was so muddy!

This was our first Troop Camping and I loved it! We pitched our tents in the rain on Friday, then learned about how the patrols work, setting up our kitchen, and then got ready for bed. It got so cold! Saturday morning the ground was frozen when we woke to make our breakfast. Cooking outside while it's cold is not all that much fun, but we managed, and cooked bacon and eggs.

Our biggest problem? Broken eggs. We shared the ones we didn't lose, about three between us, and then we realized almost all the bacon was almost gone! We each got one piece since one of our patrol members ate all the other bacon that was cooked! Yes, I was hungry; so was everyone else, but we had to clean up and get started with the troop for the day!

During the day we all learned about making fires and fire safety, earning our Fireman Chit. We also practiced with our knives and earned our Totin' Chit. The Fireman Chit lets us start our own stoves to cook, or build a fire without an older scout or adult with us. The Totin' Chit lets us carry our pocket knives, cut food with knives, and use an ax in the ax yard.

Lunch was much easier, and dinner went well too. In the evening, after dinner my patrol came in second place in the fire building contest. Not bad for first year scouts!

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<<Previous

Welcome to my Scouting Adventure

The Patrol Method

Popcorn Goals

Court of Honor

New Scout Year

Summer Camp Adventures

Getting Ready for Summer Camp

Pinnacles It Was

Patrol Camp Out

Camporees Are Awesome!

Cold, Wet and Muddy!

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