SPECIAL
OPPORTUNITY
Note – See item on “Whittlin’ Chip” cards under
Commissioner’s Corner
Trail Patches
Kommisioner Karl
The National office has been putting an emphasis on getting the “outing” back
into Cub Scouting. Every Cub Scout should have the opportunity for an outdoor
experience of some type within the first 90 days of joining a pack. That
outdoor experience may include a hayride, picnic, or bike or trail hikes. Cub
scouts love patches and many historic trails offer a patch and many points of
interest that boys will love.
Planning - Nothing works without planning. Decide if you should take a bike
hike or a walking hike. If the trail is longer than 2 miles, you will need to
have some distractions like points of interest, games/activities or lunches to
break up the walking. Everyone will need lots of water, and should have some
way to carry it other than in there hands. TAKE PICTURES! One fun thing may be
to get disposable cameras and let the boys take pictures too! Bring a basic
first aid kit, including moleskin to treat blisters (just in case). Are parents
going to meet there, or ride together? What about a rain date? All things you
need to plan for. How far are you willing to drive to get to the trail? Are
there any festivals or events close by that you can visit? Where is the closest
ice cream stand?
Finding
a Trail - If you are not an avid hiker, that is perfect. Chances are, your
8 year olds are not either. The hard part is finding a trail with a patch
program. There are several websites that can help. A great place to start is:
http://www.nationstrails.com/trails/index.html,
http://www.geocities.com/krdvry/current.html or
http://www.emf.net/~troop24/scouting/vcp-t.html .
These
websites list several well known trails in different parts of the country.
Another easy way find local trails is to put - trail patch (name of state) –
into your search engine. This will usually pull up several sites with local
trails that offer patches. Go to the links shown or search for the trail name
to get more information on the trail, points of interest and its history.
Picking a Trail - Cub scouts can usually take on 5-6 miles on a bike if
not too hilly, and 3-5 miles on foot. Look for a trail that has points of
interest. Many will have historic significance or local legends, like a warlock
buries in a graveyard, or a Native American camp or battleground. Having a
purpose will make the hike more fun for the boys, and don’t forget to use it as
a hook during the hike to keep up there enthusiasm. Make sure you check the
requirements for the trail patch, as there are often distance or other
requirements that your cubs will need to do.
Plan
some more - If your trail is off the beaten path, without a lot of
historical significance, you need to have some activities for the boys. Bring
some Frisbees, Nerf balls and such for some fun activities along the way. Plan
some games or a scavenger hunt for things to look for along the trail. Boys
will need a rest every 30 minutes or so, and fun activity about every other rest
period. A sack lunch is a great distraction, and what boy doesn’t love to eat!
Follow-up - Once completed, make sure you buy or order the patches for the
trail hike in time to give them out at the next pack meeting. Most boys will
proudly display them, as a hike is real accomplishment. The pictures from the
hike should be made into a display or scrap book to show off at the pack meeting
the night they get their patches, so everyone can see what fun they had. Don’t
forget to get the adults a patch too, without them, it would have been a whole
lot harder. Now, get outta here and take a hike!
Roundtable Staff Training Award
Knot of the Month
Kommisioner Karl
The
Roundtable Staff Award is available to all Scouters. By showing your skills and
crafts at Roundtable, you receive recognition for your extra effort to help
other Scouters in our District. Requirements include attending Roundtable
Training, staff meetings (4 times per year), helping with 6 breakout sessions
over two years, developing a display that relates to a Roundtable theme, doing
an opening ceremony, and doing a Roundtable presentation. Sound hard? It’s not
(or is it knot?). The Roundtable Commissioner is always looking for people to
help put on our great roundtables. We (Dave and Karl and hopefully, every other
RT Commissioner) value our friendships with those on staff. If you would like
to be part of the fun, ask your Commissioner tonight.
For a
progress record of the requirements, go to:
http://www.dacbsa.org/forms-BSA/34169-60-ProgressRecord-RoundtableHuddleStaff-1994.PDF
