Troop, Here is the order form for Troop T-shirts. Several of you have ordered and paid. We are just about to place an order (minimum 12 units to place the order) so I wanted to push this out one more time to give you all one last opportunity to get your order in before we place it.
Print, fill out, and bring it to the game night on Tuesday, or email it to me (geren.mcguire@hotmail.com) to get your order in. I will place the order next Wednesday.
You can get any color shirt you want (standard is Forest Green). Geren said he is getting red; I am getting black because we both already have green ones. Just make sure you annotate the color you desire on the sheet so we know what to order. just so you know: the ink will be white, so if you pick a different color, make sure it is complimented with the white ink. There is a upcharge for different colored inks.
Anyway, enough from me for this post.
Deadline Tuesday night, 29 Sep at the game night for hand in, or via email.
Overdrive is closed on Tuesday; mini-golf was the Troop’s alternate event.
Troop,
Last night several decisions were made and we now have a plan to work out for the next calendar year of activities. Now the Adults will get together and see how we can best support your desires.
A few highlights: -the Scouts decided on Camp Cris Dobbins for summer camp in Jun. -2 14ers are included in the desired trips -instead of one car/family trip, it was upped to two. -1 Wilderness Survival Camp (three or four nights) -2 hiking trips -1 Lazy camp at the barn
Day trips: -Ski trip to Monarch/Copper/etc. (Jan) -20 mile bike ride
So, all that being said, we need to adjust our Game night to our secondary/backup option. Due to Overdrive being closed on Tuesdays, we have to move to our second choice, mini-golf. We can look at adjusting the date of our activity in the future, but I would rather keep our meeting times consistent for Family planning events and such.
Traditionally, we have a game night the week after a campout, but this time we are going to switch it up. Mostly because we forgot to decide on what to do last week, but also, because a couple of new Scouts may be coming tomorrow. We will hold game night next week, since we have five meetings this month.
So this is what I think should happen: Admin stuff at the beginning, then roll into annual planning brainstorm session. Then an IPA. Mr Petree and myself will be available for signing your books for what rank completions you did this last weekend, or whenever. I think Scoutbook is updated for the Scouts who attended the campout, but I want to make sure. Also, if you need a SM Conference, I will be available for that as well, as will other ASMs (Mr Petree, Mr Gilkes, etc.).
In addition, you will have to make a decision on what we are going to do for game night, on the 29th. Basically, we are just flip-flopping this week and next week.
Here is what we are looking at for annual planning:
-We need three options for day trips (Nov, Jan [usually Monarch ski day], and an extra one just in case -We need 8 options for camping (at least two cold weather themed options) and one family camp location; these camp ideas should include the type of camping (car, base camp, through hikes, loops, etc.) -Need to make a decision on Summer Camp for next year (we usually stay in-state, but can venture out of state if you like, Utah, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, etc.). -We need 10 options for Game nights.
We are not doing high adventure next year (all booked out until second week of August), so we should put our fund raising efforts into a cool summer camp experience.
Please brain storm and bring a few ideas. Nothing is really off the table at this point. We (the adults) want your ideas so we can tag adult support for each of them.
Over the past couple of years, we have had a calendar that looks something like this: JAN: ski day FEB: Freez-O-Ree or Snow Sports campout (cabin/snow hut, etc.) MAR: Sand Dunes/Family Campout (car camp) APR: Hike: through or loop MAY: Hike: through or loop JUN: Summer camp JUL: Hike: through or loop AUG: base camp/fishing, etc. SEP: 14er campout OCT: Fall campout/hike NOV: No campout-Day trip DEC: Lock-in
A good time (overall) had by all this weekend on our latest adventure!
Yes, there were some tears, some whining, some thoughts of turning around, but then I remembered there were a lot of Scouts counting on me, so I had to go on the camping trip!
As in our troop’s tradition, we got out and set out on our hike Friday afternoon. Hiked for a bit, then set up camp in the dark (like always on Friday night).
On Saturday morning, we set out after breakfast to the peak of a little known mountain west of Pikes Peak. After deciding that it should only take us a couple of hours to get there, we got to the peak of the trail at 12,523 feet around 5:30pm. (yup, a really long, rough route up some really, really rough and steep terrain). Behind the planned schedule, we had to traverse a wide open range well above 12,000 feet and a scree field with boulders and some real ankle-breaking scrub grass before getting back down below tree-line to find a spot to camp. Well, after a Marine .5 miles (about a mile or so to everyone else), we finally found the perfect spot to refill out water and get some rest, of course, this was done under the cover of darkness (it was really, really dark). Camp was established, and the Scouts made and ate dinner. The rest of the night, the Scouts were quiet because they were miserably tired.
We woke up Sunday morning with a short trail to our exfil point (parking lot) where the Scouts would finally be free of Ray and Dan screaming at them about burning daylight and wasting time, and all that stuff that never happened. We arrived about 9:45am, and we were able to off-load sweaty Scouts to their parents.
All in all, the Scouts reported having a good time, despite the terrain and some rough spots. They grew some, and they learned some.
I only hope they made some good memories they can share with their families.
Next on the agenda: Game night. The Scouts did not make a choice on what they wanted to do, so I will coordinate with the SPL and PLs to see what they want to propose and will put out a sign up genius for it.
They said it was just a day hike, so I brought my small bag.
Troop, here is the plan as told to me from last night’s meeting:
-Each Scout is responsible to plan, budget, purchase, and carry their own food and water. (If you need the requirement [1st Class] completed, make sure you write this stuff down and keep a copy of the receipt).
-Make sure to pack at least 2 liters of water (more is better). There are a couple of natural water sources, but the weather has been dry, and if the water sources are not available, you need to make sure you have what you need to drink and cook.
-The start/end point is the Crags Campground parking lot. It is 58 minutes from the church. Directions: Drive west on 24 to Divide, then turn south toward Victor/Cripple Creek/ Mueller State Park. In couple of miles, you will pass the entrance to Mueller State Park on the right. Get ready, because the turn off to the Crags Campground is a couple hundred yards past that on the left. Once you turn off of 67 toward the Crags, it is 3 miles to the campground. Easy, well maintained dirt road. Here is a link to directions:
-Class A uniforms are required to be worn for travel to and from Scouting events (camping, outings, etc.) This is A BSA insurance thing.
By the current Covid rules, we can not transport any one outside our “Family unit” to and from this event. However, if you arrange for other transportation of your child, to arrive at the event, that is done outside official Scouting parameters and should an incident occur, Scouting insurance may not cover it.
-I will have GPS, phone, paper maps, compass, and Ray to keep us straight and on the trail. We also have panic azimuth , just in case we get a bit off track.
-We will plan to meet up at the Crags Campground at 6pm, step off no later than 6:30pm to hike. PLEASE LET ME KNOW BEFORE 4pm on FRIDAY IF YOU WILL BE ARRIVING LATER THAN 6:30pm SO WE DONT LEAVE WITHOUT YOU!!!! We will hike for about an hour and select a campsite with trees that will support the number of Scouts and their hammocks (parents/adult leaders are on their own for pretty much everything). We will camp Friday night. Saturday we will pack up and hike up above tree line and across the ridge on the map up to 12,500 ft elevation (that’s a rank requirement-hike with 1000 foot gain), and back down into tree line to find our second night of camping. Sunday morning we will finish out whatever is left on the trail back to the Crags Campground for pickup by 10am.
-The route is only 7.2 miles, so we will have some time on Saturday to work on whatever the Scouts want to (Rank, SM conference, MB stuff, etc.).
-Teller County is in Stage 2 Fire Restrictions, so no camp fires. We can use propane stoves and such, just no open fires. If you leave a little room in your pack, the Troop will supply a jet boil for the trip.
-Remember the packing list in your Scout handbook should be a starting point for what you will be packing, to include the 10 essentials. Be prepared as always!
Requirement #16: Yeah, I’m going to need you to clean that up.
Troop, Last night many of you began the Home Repair MB. We went over Requirement #1. The remaining requirements are all for homework. Download and print off, or otherwise keep track of your progress using the attached worksheet. Your parents can verify what you have done on this badge, and just let me know via text, email, or in person (make sure I write it down). I will then update Scoutbook and make sure you get awarded when the requirements are completed.
Yes, that is my water bottle and stove! What is the problem? We are only hiking 7 miles. And, yes, a french press coffee maker is mandatory.
Troop,
Tomorrow night’s meeting will be focused on Camp Prep. This one will be slightly different than our camp prep meetings in the past since we wont be crammed into a small room with a whiteboard and having to smell markers while we try to figure out what we are going to eat along the trail. Soup is not a good idea, just sayin’.
After the opening, we will roll into a 15-20 minute session of MB work (Home Repairs MB) for those of you who want to start it. May as well, you are stuck in your homes anyway! Fix something!
After that, we will roll directly into CAMP PREP. The Scouts will discuss camping gear, as well as what to and not to bring and how to pack their rucks (backpack). Maybe a bit of gear differences in materials and such. The Scouts will decide on what meals and such they will have. Generally, we are on our own on Friday night (we usually do Subway or something similar). The Scouts are responsible for Sat breakfast, lunch dinner and Sun breakfast. Think about what you want to carry for 7 miles to eat on Sunday morning.
Due to covid, each Scout will have to source their own food and carry it themselves. In the past, we would have the Scouts cross load food items for everyone (no longer).
If you are new to the Troop, please make sure you bring your gear with you tomorrow night so we can discuss why we carry what we carry, and how to pack. I understand that some of you have a great deal of experience backpacking and such, but this is a learning environment for all of us, so please just bring your stuff (experienced or not).
After camp prep is done, the Scouts will pick a game night theme for next week, and will close out the meeting with an IPA and a closing deal.
If you have not turned in a COVID acceptance form via email or hard copy, please scroll down on the website and download/fill it out for me. This is required for any activity we do. The Scout cannot participate without the form, and if he does, and gets hurt, insurance is not required to cover it.
Right now we have myself and Mr Petree signed up for the campout, so we are covered for adult leaders, but if any other adult wants to join, please come on! (must have YPT completed), not required to have an adult application, but YPT is required. Adult applications are required for any event lasting 72 or more hours.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to let me know. Sorry for the long post, I will have the Scouts include potatoes in their menus. I’m sure I forgot something.
Troop, here is the link to sign up for hammock camping. I tried to use the RSVP form on our website, but we are just going to continue with the Signupgenius stuff. It works pretty good and only takes a few minutes to generate. Easier to track too.
If you are planning on attending, here are a few tidbits of info: On Tuesday, the Scouts will plan the meals and all that normal stuff we do during our campout planning meetings. However, each Scout will have to SOURCE and carry ALL of their own food, water, and gear (this is a COVID restriction). If you need to get a rank requirement, we can talk budget and will count your shopping experience as completed, even though you are not shopping for the Patrol/group. Just make sure you document what you’ve done.
IF YOU NEED A HAMMOCK, please let me know in the comments of the RSVP. This way I can source the hammocks and make sure you are getting what you need. I can get only SCOUT SIZED HAMMOCKS!!! If you don’t have a hammock, and you do not let me know, you will be sleeping on the ground, which is nice, but sometimes, you just need a hammock!
Anyway, more information to follow on Tuesday night during our next meeting.
Now that we have returned to our “regularly scheduled program”, we need to re-visit uniform guidance.
We, as a troop, decided to have uniform inspections (Class A) once a month with the remaining meetings being held in Class B (any Scout-related shirt). That being said, we will hold our Uniform inspections during our Rank Advancement meetings, basically, the first meeting of each month.
Our Class A uniforms consist of the Scout shirt with Troop 287 neckerchief, pants with belt loops (so you can wear a belt and a knife-if you have the Totin’ Chip). Jeans, hiking pants, or official Scout unifrom pants will be fine. To go along with this, shorts in the same fashion will also work (with pockets/ belt loops, etc.), for the same reasoning. Hats are optional.
Class B uniform- the t-shirt, should be Scout related (summer camp shirt, or similar, another Troop shirt (really?), or my favorite: our Troop 287 shirt/sweatshirt/long sleeve shirt.
As it comes down to it, if you do not have a Troop T-shirt, you can order one using the conveniently uploaded order form here:
The shirts and sweatshirts vary in price (listed). Just need to bring a filled out order form and your choice of payment (cash, check, Zelle app, or tell the treasurer to use your Scout funds).
Anyway, have a great rest of your week, the weather will be awesome this weekend, in the 70’s. So get out there and enjoy it!
Troop, Here is an opportunity to give back to our community. There are too many projects and opportunities to list out here, so check out this Facebook page/post to find out how you can support. We all need to get community service credit hours for rank advancement (1hr for Tenderfoot; 2hrs for Second Class; 3hrs for First Class; 6hrs for Star; and 6hrs for Life-half of which must be conservation related).
In line with D-11, we are cancelling tonight’s meeting due to inclimate weather.
Here is some more reasoning behind the cancellation: Our meeting site is outdoors (the barn, although inside has no heat). D-11 only had one event, but it was cancelled due to weather. Weather predictions have the temp at 32-33 degrees for the time period of our meeting. That, my friends, is cold. Especially since yesterday it was 94 degrees. Road conditions will deteriorate while we are in the meeting and I want everyone to be safe.
So, there is the deal. We will meet again next week at the normal time/location: 7pm at the church (Barn).
If you had a SM conference scheduled, give me a call and we will do it over FaceTime, Zoom, or Skype. We will get it done tonight so your rank date reflects it properly.
Tonight we will meet at the barn again, as the church is still on restriction from mass gatherings. If the weather is bad, we will move inside and be as distant as we can, there is plenty of room in there.
Remember that we follow D-11 school schedule, so if the “close or cancel after school activities” our meeting will be cancelled. Snow is supposed to start flowing around 1pm now. I think the weather folks are just playing with us to see how far they can go with this.
Here is the agenda for the evening: Opening at 7pm. +5 Announcements +10 Then roll into the Home Improvement MB for about 15-20 mins. Really talking about safety and stuff like that around the home. This is a chance to help out your parents around the home (they will verify what you’ve done via the checklist. This is a really easy badge to earn, it just may take a little time to finish up depending on the projects available at your place. +20 After MB work, we will breakout and work some EDGE training from the older –> younger Scouts and some rank verification stuff. (I have a SM Conference to conduct at this time–let me know if you are ready for one). Around 8pm, we will get to an IPA decided upon by the Scouts. 8:30: close the meeting.
Flags was successful yesterday, than you so much for those of you who volunteered and participated. We have one more flag session this year in November for Veterans Day. Then it is on pause until Memorial Day next year. Lets muster up some volunteers and get that day done (mark your calendars!). Each Scout earned somewhere between $60-$70 yesterday toward Scouting activities and supplies. Final tally will be calculated today or tomorrow.
Troop, We are looking to take our first camping trip in a looooong time as a Troop. We are looking at 18-20 September. Hammock camping, so we are within COVID guidelines not to share tents. Everyone will also have to source, package, and carry their own food and water (meals and such will be decided in the camp prep meeting, but individuals will have to source their own stuff. (Make sure you annotate what requirements you’ve completed for Rank ADV).
More COVID restrictions: We are not allowed to transport people who are not part of our family unit. Which means, parents have to transport their Scouts to this event and pick them up afterwards. Even with the signed waivers, and if you agree to take someone else’s Scout (not allowed). The SP (start point) is about 45-60 minutes from the church. This weekend I will reconnoiter the route and time it for you and provide feedback, so families can plan accordingly.
We are planning on having the drop off at the Crag’s Campground (or at least the turn off from HWY 67 to the campground-specifics later). Gear check and hike in from there on Friday night around 6pm. Hike starting no later than 6:30pm (once attendance is completed). We will hike a couple miles and [the Scouts will] find a spot to camp (in hammocks), then the next day (Saturday) we will hike and work Scout skills (orienteering, land navigation, camp craft, etc.). We [the Scouts] will find another camp location for the night. Sunday morning we will return to our start point for pick up prior to 10am.
The link below is to the PDF of the route we will be taking. It begins and ends near the Crag’s campground.
The loop is a 7.2 mile loop, moderate trail, so each day will be pretty easy going. That is the distance, not including from HWY 67 to the trail head.
More information to follow for this trip during the week’s meeting prior. That will definitely be an in-depth camp prep meeting – first time campers with the troop need to bring their gear for verification. 10 essentials is a requirement, as well as weather-dependent gear (proper rated sleeping system, etc.) If a Scout is in need, we have a lot of gear to lend, so no one will go without what they need to be comfortable, or at least survive.
Below I am trying out an RSVP system through this website. We will see how it works. If this isn’t working, then we will switch back to sign-up genius. Please, when signing up, let me know if you need a hammock. I will source some for those in need.
Last night was a successful restart for our in-person meetings. I am really excited that all of you participated and melded so well. There are a few notes taken away from last night’s meeting that I will address here, so please bear with me on this long(ish) post.
Scouts in Patrols: If you have access to Scoutbook, you can log in and see what patrol you are in. If you do not, let me know so we can get you sorted.
Meeting Schedule: For each month, we will generally follow this schedule of meetings (they may shift due to when we camp and stuff like that): Week 1: Rank ADV Week 2: MB work Week 3: Campout prep Week 4: Game night
Rank ADV: The Scout seeking rank, the process is simple: 1. Seek out a senior Scout and receive education on the skill/knowledge. 2. Practice skill/knowledge 3. Demonstrate skill/knowledge to PL (get initials in LEFT hand margin of handbook) 4. Demonstrate skill/knowledge to SPL/ASPL (get second set of initials in the LEFT margin) 5. Demonstrate skill/knowledge to and Adult Leader (ASM/SM) for final initials in the RIGHT hand margin, as a final check for the requirement.
**If you worked on rank advancement during the pause of in-person meetings since March, we will work with you and your parents. If your parents will sign off in the LEFT margin, we will work through getting all those requirements documented and you advanced as appropriate. I intend on having Scoutmaster Conferences with each of you to hash out what you have done, and what you need to work on to be successful.
MB Work: The Troop conducts Merit Badges throughout the year (we shoot for starting one each month, depending on the desires of the Troop). The process basically works like this: the MB Counselor will provide a 20-30 minute class/presentation/instruction/etc. on the selected MB. Then the remaining requirements are either done in subsequent meetings, or on the Scout’s own as homework. The Scout will leave the meeting, do the research, and bring back the results to the MB Counselor for verification (to his/her satisfaction). Once completed, the counselor will sign off on the blue card and turn it in to the Troop.
If the Scout wants to do a MB that the troop is not sponsoring: The Scout comes to the SM and requests “permission” to start a MB. The SM will provide a signed Blue Card with the MB annotated. The Scout seeks out a MB Counselor and conducts meetings with them. Once the requirements have been fulfilled, the counselor will fill out the Blue Card and sign it as completed. The Scout will then turn in the completed Blue Card to the Scoutmaster for recording and awarding.
Camp Prep: Just what it sounds like. the meeting will be focused on preparing for that weekend’s trip (camping/activity/etc.). This will include meal planning, location, attendance, etc. **type of trip will be decided on by adult leader ability to support, weather, and time of year. Scouts make a list of desired types of trips during the annual planning meeting (usually in August-this year will be this month or next.
Game night: The Troop decides on types of game nights to do during the planning meeting. During the Camp Prep meeting, the troop will decide what Game Night to do the following week (after the trip). This ranges from kickball at a park to stuff like Battlefield/Dartwars, Minigolf, Overdrive, etc.
If we have an extra (5th week) in the month, we will fill it with something Scout related, likely follow up conferences or somthing like that. We will cross that bridge when it happens.
If you have any questions, let me know. Also, if you made it this far in the post, thanks for reading!
No, you likely don’t know the reference photo above, and only some of your parents will.
Troop!
It is that time where we can meet up again in the great outdoors!
Time tonight: 7pm Location: the Barn (outside of course) Uniform: Class A (dust them off, pull them out from under your bed, or the corner of your closet – maybe throw an iron on it) Required: paperwork listed on the previous post, mask, and a temperature check at home before you come.
You can bring your handbook and you can start getting things marked off by your PL and SPL/ASPL.
The troop decided to do some tent races, so we will do that after we get into the swing of things.
Agenda:
7: opening, announcements, etc.; begin rank ADV stuff – at a distance (yes, this is going to be tough for us all); tent races; IPA.
Time is flexible and we may break out into the patrols to do this stuff. One patrol does rank, the other does races, then switch. Then at the end we will do an all together IPA.
We, the adult leadership, have completed the required training in order for us to begin in-person meetings again. So, up front, we need a lot of signatures.
You and your parents need to print, read and sign the documents available in the links below:
Tonight we must return to the Zoom platform once again. The required training was not available this past week in time for us to get trained properly to hold in-person meetings. The next available training is tomorrow night (via Zoom-so that is great).
This means we will be good to go after tomorrow, so we can do one of two things:
Option 1: Proceed with tonight’s meeting on-line and discuss/lock-in what we are going to do next week (although I think we have most of that covered)
Option 2: Cancel tonight’s meeting to allow for on-line decompression from all this on-line schooling that you were all just dumped into. I know since this is the first week of school for many of you, it is possible you are overloaded with school, or screens. But I also know you guys need a release with your Scouting buds.
Option 3: There really isn’t an option three, just checking to see if you guys read this far into my posts.
I will start the meeting at normal time tonight and if you guys show up, great, if not, no worries. We will hold it to a short discussion of what to expect for next week (when we will actually get to meet in person).
Troop, to continue on our trek to in-person meetings, we will have (presumably) our last Zoom meeting tonight.
Mr Petree will take lead on it since I am in limited connectivity in the mountains until tomorrow.
I would like to hear something back on how we are going to be successful during next week’s meeting at the barn! The idea of tent set up races was tossed around. Anyway, Have fun tonight, do some great planning, and let me know how it works out.
Geren and I will see you guys next week at the barn.
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.
