Summer camp is good to go with the exception of medical forms.
We have a total of 25 Scouts attending camp and will be asking for a couple of parents to serve as transporters to get all those Scouts up to San Isabele Scout Ranch. More information on that to come as we approach the date.
If you have not turned in your medical forms (annual physicals), please do so as soon as you can. These forms need to be mailed (hard copy) to the BSA office in Pueblo before the end of Jun. I would like to package them all and get them in the mail on 25 Jun.
T-shirts:
Here is the t-shirt order form. We are dropping off the order form on 14 Jun, so if you want a Troop 287 t-shirt, please print this form off, fill it out, and get it to the Scoutmaster before the 14th. He will give it to Mrs. Reiser who will turn it in for us.
If you all have any concerns ro questions, please let us know!
This week coming, the troop is sending out our guys to Philmont. Make sure you think of them while they are hiking 80-100 miles over a 10 day course! And congratualte them when they get back.
Hope you had fun and were successful selling camp cards. Now that we are at the end of the selling period, I need everyone to reconcile with me at tonights meeting. Please bring the money for the ones you sold and any ones you didn’t so we can settle up with the council.
BSA Honor Guard Patch, looking to fill this full time with members of the troop with SM approval.
Troop,
Apologies for the short suspense, the weather has played a part in this, but no worries, we will get it done.
Tomorrow morning, at 1030, at the Church, we will host Lance Warner’s Eagle Award COH.
We need a few Scouts to fill in as Honor Guard and perform the posting and retiring of the colors.
Please wear full Class A Uniform and be ready to post and retire the colors. It will only be about an hour ceremony. And there will be cake, so there is that.
Tonight at the meeting we will be holding elections for the next round of Troop Leadership and working on some bushcraft skills. This will allow those participating in a Board of Review to sneak away and level up!
If you would like to run for a position you will have the opportunity to address your peers prior to casting of ballots.
Whether running for office or crushing your Board of Review, remember to look your best…. Class “A” uniform.
Tonight, being the first meeting of the month, is…. you guessed it Uniform Inspections! This will help us get all ready for anyone performing a Board of Review next week on 5/10/22.
In addition we will be working on campout prep for the Lathrop State Park Trip, and working on those last few rank requirements before the Court of Honor on 5/17/22. (If you havent signed up…. the time is now. See the “Activity Signup” tab or links below.
With the Court of Honor rapidly approaching I look forward to all the awards, merit badges, and ranks we will be handing out. Tonight we will be working on those last odds and ends to assist you in getting to that next level. The Scout leadership will be working the EDGE method with those who need it. The Assistant Scoutmasters can sign off on rank requirements. I will be available for Scoutmaster Conferences and be taking signups for Board of Reviews with the Troop Committee to be held at the May 10th meeting. Lets do this!
I will also have Camp Cards available for those of you who want to sign them out or need another batch if you have sold all yours.
The new date has been set for Kobe’s COH. Here is the sign up for it. We are in need of a Color Guard (Class A with Sash) and a few ushers (double duty is allowed). Sign up and gt some cake! See what your efforts through Rank advancement can lead to!
I know this past couple of days were a little rushed in reference to merit badge selections. But I want to send this out as a thank you for being patient and working with your Scouts to get those selection sheets and information back to me so quickly. Truly, it will benefit your Scouts since nearly everyone got their first choices of badges. The only “alternate” choices made were substitutions for Shotgun Shooting for the first year Scouts. While there is no BSA requirement for age, many camps limit that badge selection because many first year Scouts are just a little too small to successfully shoot 50 rounds of 12ga ammo in order to qualify. At least it gives those Scouts something to look forward to next summer!!
So, now what? We have 25 Scouts signed up for camp, and all 25 have their Merit Badges chosen. I will send out the actual scedule in the next day or so.
The next focus is medical forms. Here they are in case you need them. These are the only medical forms the BSA will accept. If you have a current physical for your Scout, and it will remain current through our time at camp (they are valid for 1 year). then I would suggest transferring the information from your “non-BSA” form to the BSA form linked below. Then have it signed by your physician or whomever.
This morning I received an email from the San Isabelle Scout Ranch Program Director. It basically stated if a troop was paid in full, they can early-register for Merit Badges.
That being said, get me your Merit Badge Selections NOW!!!! This way I can grab your choices and make sure you are getting what you selected!! I currently have only three Scout’s selections in hand.
You can text me a pic, email me, or just text me the selections of what badges you all want and I will work it out the best I can.
If you still owe money, be sure to get your payments in as soon as you can. The final payment is due in mid-May.
Troop, the below link is to the San Isabelle Camp website for Forms and Resources. If you scroll down on that page, you will be able to download the required medical documents, Merit Badge Schedule, as well as a host of other resources. Parents, the leader guide will provide you with an idea of how the week will be scheduled. Scouts, there is a packing list on there as well.
So, to the business: our next hard date for Camp is April 28th. This is the day that Merit Badge Selection opens up. Please get me your #1, 2, and 3 selections for morning and afternoons (the sheet can be found at the link above) in the next couple of meetings, or email/text/ carrier parent, etc. Just get it to me! Otherwise, you will be in a merit badge session I select for you!
Medical: Scouts are required to have a medical examination, documented on the BSA Forms dated within one year of attending camp. Please schedule this out now so we don’t have any issues. We are required to mail the hard copies to the camp office in Pueblo no later than two weeks prior to camp, so we are setting a deadline in mid June for these docs.
Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
Camp Card season has started. Just $5 each! I just picked some up from the Council office yesterday. It runs from now until June 2nd. You may check them out from me starting next Tuesday in groups of 10 cards each. You may sell them and return the money to me during our Tuesday meetings and check out more as needed.
You will be responsible for any cards you check out, so keep them safe. I will have a check out sheet you will need to sign acknowledging receipt. If you lose the cards you will have to cover those costs. On the May 31st Tuesday Scout Meeting we will collect final funds and any unsold cards so we can give them back to the Council by June 2nd.
So, get ready and start raising some funds to put in your scout account!
Lathrop is Colorado’s first state park and there are lots of outdoor opportunities here including bike trails, hiking, kayaking or SUP, fishing, beach zone, and even a golf course in the park! We can come up with an activity plan based on feedback and interest from the scouts. I have 5 campsites reserved which will accommodate up to 30 people and 6 cars for the campout. I look forward to seeing you at the family campout May 13th-15th!
Following our strenuous adventure it’s time for some fun. Ultimate Cabbage at the Wilson Ranch Park just behind the barn. Class B uniforms or athletic attire (Don’t forget hoodies or light jackets). I’ll get the cabbages. We will meet at the barn as usual and walk as a group along the trail to the park for some fun and games. While the scouts are doing getting their game on, the Troop committee will be meeting in the church. Get some!!
Great job on the recent backpacking trip. It was a first for many, we had a great time, and we learned lots of lessons. Hopefully many more to come for each and every one of you. Here are some of the memories.
Austin, Hunter and I did some recon yesterday afternoon after hearing there may be additional road closures at the location of our new trek. The rumors were correct that Gold Camp Road is closed near Helen Hunt Falls, but we checked out and were successful taking an alternate route. We made it to the trailhead.
Even though there is a parking lot the plan is to be dropped off and picked up as originally planned. We do not want to leave any vehicles at the lot. We will meet at the barn tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 pm sharp, and plan to be on the road before 5:30 pm. We will caravan as a troop from the barn to the trailhead.
There is not a long drive, so those that usually eat in the car Friday night should keep that in mind. Come will a full (but not to full because we are hiking Friday evening) belly, or something snacky you can eat quickly during the drive, on the trail, or once you arrive at Friday night camp. An extra ramen in their pack never broke any ones back.
Patrol Shoppers should arrive with food rations broken out for each person in their patrol to carry. No flats of Costco muffins to carry down the trail.
Everyone should arrive with their packs completely packed minus the room you left for food and troop gear. We will hand out the divided gear (Personal ration of food, Jet Boils, Fuel, Tent parts, and Water filters) at the barn to have you add them to your packs. Remember to have plenty of water/water containers. While there are a number of watersheds shown on the map, we are not sure what the levels will be. There appears to be some snow patches still on the north slopes of certain areas, so we may be able to use that as a source as well.
Remember this time of year can be hit or miss with weather. It could be sunny and warm as well as rainy or snowy in the same day. Layers are our friends. Bring the appropriate gear. No big snowboarding jackets and snow pants. Instead a base, mid, and outer layer.
I have maps all printed for both treks.
The roster I have is as follows:
+/- 10 Mile Trek
Mr. Holpuch, Mr. Kunkle, Mr. Boydston, John, Ben, Madden, Jefferson, Alex, Hunter, Hayden, Nickolai, Sam, Zayden, Scott, and Miles
+/- 20 Mile Trek
Mr. Petree, Mr. Winslow, Austin, Evan, Matt
Drivers, Thanks so much for the assistance. Just for being awesome we reduced the drive time for you this one time from 2+ hours each way to about 20 minutes.
Look forward to it gentlemen!!!! remember to Be Prepared
Due to the wind and possibility of rain, let’s meet in the the chapel tonight. Don’t wanna mees up those nice uniforms. Hint Hint. Uniform inspection.
Things to remember… bring your books for tracking rank advancement and if you have a troop tent or other gear from a recent outing please bring them so we can return them to inventory.
Austin, Hunter, and I did some recon to prepare for the upcoming backpacking trip only to find that the last almost 8 miles of CO 56 are closed. This means we will not be able to drive to our drop-off point. Rather than adding 8 miles to each of the routes, we spent most of the day looking at other options. Here is what we came up with.
This route will be a loop and is located right in our own backyard. We will start near Helen Hunt Falls and in keeping with the original plan take off in two different directions. We will again meet up on Saturday afternoon and camp together and then finish as a Troop. While it was not what we were hoping for, this does have some benefits… first, it is about two hours closer. Second, because it is a loop we can leave vehicles at the trailhead and return to them reducing the headache of the drivers necessary for a thru trek and allowing some adults who might have wanted to come to join in. With that being said please reach out if you are an adult who wanted to go but couldn’t before. Finally, it is a bit shorter on both loops for those who may have been unsure about the distance.
Welcome to the website of Boy Scout Troop 287 at Wilson United Methodist Church, located on the northwest side of Colorado Springs, CO, in school districts 11 and 20. We are in the BSA Pikes Peak Council, Frontier District.
To the left, you can view our news and events. Below you can browse information about our troop, subscribe to our blog by email, download documents, and access useful links.
Mar Camp Out (TBD) March 14, 2025 – March 16, 2025
Golf Merit Badge (Council) 2nd Session March 17, 2025 at 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
First Tee — Southern Colorado, 525 N Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80909, USA
Troop Meeting March 18, 2025 at 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Troop Meetings
Every Tuesday, 7-8:30 p.m.
Wilson Ranch Community Church
Scoutmaster: Anthony Turner
