BSA Camping - In the Rain This Weekend

Oh Joy. Heading out this morning for a little car camping with my Scout Troop (I'm Scoutmaster). We're taking our 4 new Webelos crossovers out for some basic knife, ax, camping, fire building(hopefully) practice.

High in mid 70's, so not cold, just forecast for off and on rain all day, at some times heavy.

Love Scouts. Best program outside of church for teaching character and leadership, although YMMV.

Sounds very nice! Have fun!

Enjoy your time! Sounds like good weather to teach in. Be prepared in all weather conditions.

I'm hoping to get our crew of Bears out this summer to a real backpacking experience. Definitely keeping it short and flat.

Wish I had a better experience in scouting. Had a couple of drunks as leaders. When other dads took over, we did some great stuff, but the two guys that were usually leading just sat around drinking beer while the scouts played with power tools (we made a lot of bird houses).

That's pretty funny, Mike. I loved my scouting days

Hope you have tarps. 70 degree weather helps. It's a great deal of work to be SM. It's not just the one hour per week that BSA claims. I was an assistant SM for 10 years, as well as the trip coordinator and principal fund raiser. I enjoyed camping and hiking. Summer Camp was the best time of all. Both my sons were in the scouting program, and both attained the rank of Eagle Scout. I'm very proud of them both. I do miss it, can't wait for my grandson to start scouting. He's only 4 1/2 though.

Mike, sorry that you were on the receiving end of a sub par scouting experience.

I was more fortunate to have a wonderful Scoutmaster, Al Phelps. We learned about leadership, teamwork and learning to do things the right way. There was a lot of emphasis on developing boy leadership including planning and execution. To this day, I still carry those concepts with me.

So for you present Scoutmasters, keep in mind (particularly on rainy weekends) that decades down the road, someone will be posting on a shave forum about how cool it was to be a Scout.

Mike,

So sorry that you had a bad experience with Scouts. Those "leaders" weren't leaders at all. I wonder why guys sign up for these roles with no intention of doing them properly.

Like any large organization, the BSA has a few duds. IN my 30 years of experience as a volunteer, thankfully, these have been few and far between, but they do exist.

Hopefully you had fun with and learned from the dads.

Wishoot said:

Wish I had a better experience in scouting. Had a couple of drunks as leaders. When other dads took over, we did some great stuff, but the two guys that were usually leading just sat around drinking beer while the scouts played with power tools (we made a lot of bird houses).

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BSAGuy said:

Hopefully you had fun with and learned from the dads.

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Thanks. The dads that helped out now and then were great. They were the ones that took us shooting, fishing and hiking once in a while. The leaders were two of the laziest SOB's I've ever encountered in scouting.

I help out with fundraising for local scouting and the leaders I see are vastly different from what I grew up with (thank goodness).

My two younger brothers were in Scouts along with myself and our Mom has three Eagle pins to show for it. Had a blast, so much so that my boys heard about it and wanted to do so themselves. I was an ASM for eight years, seven years at summer camp. Mostly the twelve year olds at camp - like herding chipmunks and loved it every year. Miss it even now but it is good for others to step up once your boy ages out. Both of mine are Eagles and I watched how it influenced the colleges they got into. To the point that the colleges noted such in the admissions letters, that their rank was the tipping point.

As is true with all of us the rain, sleet, freezing temps, mud, snow and the rest is part of the package. And you know what? THOSE are the outings the boys will always talk about. Have done Boundary Waters, dogsledding out of Ely, Philmont, Sea Base and enjoyed them all - well, Philmont a bit less. But it refines you and gives you skills you otherwise wouldn't have. The most important skill is not in any merit badge. It is the skill of perseverance that is the sum of Scouting. Too many in life quit far too easily these days. So a boy or adult who perseveres is valuable to a college, a company and a spouse.

Got my Eagle in '65. I cannot do much now. 2 liver transplants put a huge hurting on me. But, I guess I did it all. 3 Bead Wood Badge and Silver Beaver, along with Vigil Honor. Best times of my life, as a boy and as an adult.
keep it going!

Hello 23 Eagle. Thanks for your post. I agree with your last sentence 100+%. I am also OA, but just Brotherhood and Silver Beaver. Earned that in Atlanta in 1996. I have attended 2010 Jamboree as Scoutmaster, Philmont in 2011, and trip to Seattle/North Cascades National Park in 2012. Great times and fond memories with my sons and the other dads and Scouts.

Still remember my Scoutmaster from my youth and I hope that my current Scouts will remember me, fondly, I hope!!

I'm camping from Friday through Sunday with my Cub Scouts. All the dads are going too and my son is so excited he's wearing a Scouting t-shirt everyday this week. I'm hoping it doesn't rain but that might be a tall order for April in Georgia. We've got fishing, archery BB guns and other cool activities lined up. I am so proud my son is third generational Scouting and working on his Arrow of Light just like his dad and grandpa once did.

Very cool. Gotta love the enthusiasm of Cubs. To them, even little things are exciting. Enjoy this time with your son. Mine are 20 and 17 and the time just flies by. They earned their Eagles in 2010 and 2013.

What a great family tradition.

After pinewood derby I took my son to lunch at his favorite Chinese place and he brought his car in to show the owner. He wore his Webelos uniform all day and night. Refused to take it off "I look GOOD in this!" He said to the mirror.

BSAGuy said:

Hello 23 Eagle. Thanks for your post. I agree with your last sentence 100+%. I am also OA, but just Brotherhood and Silver Beaver. Earned that in Atlanta in 1996. I have attended 2010 Jamboree as Scoutmaster, Philmont in 2011, and trip to Seattle/North Cascades National Park in 2012. Great times and fond memories with my sons and the other dads and Scouts.

Still remember my Scoutmaster from my youth and I hope that my current Scouts will remember me, fondly, I hope!!

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That's what I tell all the adults. When the boys get older, they may not remember all the knots, but they will remember their Scoutmaster. Always strive to leave a favorable impression.
BTW, the thing I remember about my Scoutmaster was all he did at summer camp was sit and read comic books and detective magazines. But he always had time to answer any question you might have.

I remember my Scoutmaster TRUSTING me. With a pocket knife, a canoe, an axe and even firearms. You proved to the leaders you took things seriously and could follow directions and they got out of the way and let you become a man.