Simsbury Troop 175

The Boy Scout Quiz

Backpacker Magazine is at it again. They ask their readers if they could you earn a merit badge in wilderness travel? Better ace this test, taken straight from the Scouts' own backpacking manual.

Check out and take "The Boy Scout Quiz" here.

Are You Smarter Than a Boy Scout?

Scoutmasters wrote the book on camping, and built an army of pack-toting teens. But do the troops truly rule when it comes to outdoor skills? Backpacker Magazine pitted three Scouts not from Troop 175 against three average readers to find out.

Check out the article "Are You Smarter Than a Boy Scout?" here.

BSA 100th Anniversary Award Adult Leaders Requirements

We want every Scout, adult leader, and Scouting alum to have the chance to be part of our biggest milestone yet—our 1OOth Anniversary Celebration. We want to fire up the passion for Scouting while giving everyone an opportunity to make a difference—and earn recognition. Through A Year of Celebration, A Century of Making a Difference, we will do just that. Individuals can earn awards by demonstrating dedication to five of Scouting’s core values—Leadership, Achievement, Community Service, Character, and the Outdoors. Participants can earn one award in each category. The program will be both fun and engaging and, most important, will show

America the impact of Scouting through its commitment to these values. A Year of Celebration will be in effect from Sept. 1, 2009, through Dec. 31, 2010

Here are the requirements for Adult Leaders:

LEADERSHIP

Complete three of the five requirements in each category to earn that award.

1. Help organize a new unit.

2. Compile a list of all adult and/or alumni e-mail addresses in your unit, get their permission, and submit the list to your local council Scout service center so Scouting communication can be improved.

3. Actively support a unit in at least two activities related to the BSA 1OOth Anniversary.

4. Recruit a new adult volunteer, or find a Scouting alumnus, who registers with the BSA.

5. Help any registered youth with their Year of Celebration Leadership award.

ACHIEVEMENT

Complete three of the five requirements in each category to earn that award.

1. Actively serve on one advancement review for any Scouting program or participate in any rank advancement award ceremony.

2. Earn any BSA training award, BSA Emergency Preparedness Award, or BSA Physical Fitness Award.

3. Help any youth member with advancement toward rank.

4. Be a registered member of a Centennial Quality Unit.

5. Help any youth member earn any 1OOth Anniversary Year of Celebration award.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

Complete three of the five requirements in each category to earn that award. * Make sure that all

1. Be an active participant in Scouting For Food or another food drive or help with a Salvation Army service project.

2. Be an active participant in the Nothing But Nets project found on the national 1OOth Anniversary Web site.

3. Be an active participant in a Take Pride in America project or a project benefiting the National Parks Stewardship Awards program.

4. Be an active participant in an American Red Cross or a Habitat for Humanity project.

5. Be an active participant in any unit’s service project.

CHARACTER

Complete three of the five requirements in each category to earn that award.

1. Work with any youth so he achieves a religious emblem.

2. Do a Good Turn for seven consecutive days.

3. Participate in a discussion on good character at a unit meeting.

4. Help any youth member achieve his Year of Celebration Character patch.

5. Learn about and participate in a flag retirement ceremony.

2009/2010 Calendar – the Challenges (and fun) Continue

Download Troop 175 Calendar (v5) for a complete listing of meeting and trip dates.

Camping trips are an important part of what makes Simsbury Troop 175 such a great place to be a boy scout. Here are the trips scheduled so far for the 2009-2010 year.

September - Bicycle trip to Block Island where we’ll camp on the Island.

October – We’ll travel to Well Fleet on Cape Cod and bicycle the National Seashore, clam, fish, and build a bonfire on the beach.

November - annual Weblos Challenge on our “home” turf, Onion Mountain in West Simsbury.
This is a great event where Cubs are invited for a full day of Scout activities, and to work with our
Scout patrols on making rope bridges, furniture, campfires, orienteering and zip lines. In the
evening, the patrols will cook a meal with the Cubs followed by a Troop campfire with songs and skits put on by the Scouts. Cubs are invited to spend the night camping (with a parent).

December - We will have a reunion trip of our alumni Scouts from college, many who earned the rank of Eagle, to do some backcountry skiing and camping.

January - Operation “Deep Freeze” will be in Southern Vermont, where scouts will build survival shelters and learn cold weather camping.

February - Our Annual ski and snowboard trip to Vermont.

March – This is our cross-over trip for Webelos joining our troop and we’ll be holding “Camping 101” at nearby at Roaring Brook. Dads/Moms invited – as  always.

April - Once again we will go to Tuckerman’s Ravine on Mt. Washington in the White Mountains. This is one of our most popular trips. In 2009, we had 65 scouts and parents join us.

May - We will be fishing and camping on Long Island Sound.

June - 4th Annual Boy Scout Adventure Race. This race was developed by Troop 175 and involves biking, running, canoeing, rappelling, orienteering and climbing in Simsbury in a 16 mile, 4 hour race. Last year we invited the other two Simsbury Scout Troops to join us as a fundraiser. We were proud that in this competition Troop 175 took 8 of the 9 medal categories and set new course records. Boys Life Magazine will run a full picture article of the race in April 2010.

After school ends, we’ll take a four day canoe trip in Maine on the Saco River. This is a mini expedition trip as we will carry everything we need with us.

2009 Registeration Package

Attached is a copy of the Troop 175 Registration Package for 2009. This PDF contains the forms required for new scouts to be a part of our scout troop.

If you have not done so yet, please get your forms in to the troop ASAP.

It also contains the Troop Advancement Policy, Committee Members (all parents are encouraged to join), a merit badge counselor application and list of merit badges.

Download 2009 Fall Registration

Originally Posted November 17, 2008 and again December 15, 2008.

John Wayne: What the Scout Law means to me

A great American, John Wayne, passed away many years ago. One of his last public appearances was at a dinner. He was riddled with cancer and knew he was close to death. The purpose of the dinner was to benefit a land purchase for a Scout Reservation called John Wayne Outpost Camp. At this dinner, Wayne recited the Scout Law. Then he did something unusual, he said the twelve points of the Scout Law are "nice words". "Trouble is," he continued, "we learn them so young we sometimes don't get all the understanding that goes with them. I take care of that in my family. As each boy reaches Scout age, I make sure he learns the Scout Law. Then I break it down for him, with a few things I have picked up in more than half a century since I learned it."

Then Wayne proceeded to explain the importance of the Scout Law, breaking it down for the guests at the dinner, much like he would have for his grandson.

TRUSTWORTHY	The badge of honesty. Having it lets you look at any man in the eye. Lacking it he won't look back. Keep this one at the top of your list.
LOYAL	The Very word is life itself, for without loyalty we have no love of person or country
HELPFUL	Part sharing, part caring. By helping each other, we help ourselves, not to mention mankind. Be always full of help -- the dying man's last words.
FRIENDLY	Brotherhood is part of that word. You can take it in a lot of directions - and do - but make sure and start with brotherhood.
COURTEOUS	Allow each person his human dignity which means a lot more than saying, "yes ma'am" and "thank you sir". It reflects an attitude that later in life you wish you had honored more... earlier in life. Save yourself that problem. Do it now.
KIND	This one word would stop wars and erase hatreds. But its like your bicycle, its just no good unless you get out and use it.
OBEDIENT	Starts at home. Practice it in your family. Enlarge it in your friends. Share it with humanity.
CHEERFUL	Anyone can put on a happy face when the going is good. The secret is to wear it as a mask for your problems. It might surprise you how many others do the same thing.
THRIFTY	Means a lot more than putting pennies away, and it is the opposite of cheap. Common sense covers it just about as well as anything.
BRAVE	You don't have to fight to be brave. Millions of good, fine, decent folks show more bravery than heavyweight champs just by getting out of bed every morning, going out to do a good day's work and living the best life they know how against the law of odds.
CLEAN	Soap and waters help a lot on the outside. But it is the inside that counts and don't ever forget it.
REVERENT	Believe in anything that you want to believe in, but keep God at the top of it. With Him, life can be a beautiful experience. Without Him, you are just biding time.

Source: Famous Quotes & Documents of Scouting.

Philmont: A synopsis

Philmont Scout Ranch – This past summer 9 scouts and 3 adults from Troop 175 traveled to Cimarron New Mexico for an unforgettable 2 week backpacking adventure in the Sangre De Cristo mountain range. Philmont was donated to the Boy Scouts in 1947 consisting of 220 square miles of high altitude terrain.

Our crew hiked approximately 65 miles carrying fully loaded backs enabling us to be self sufficient for our 2 week stay. Philmont is a wonderful experience not only for the outdoor adventure but also for the wilderness and leadership skills each scout mastered along the way.

Andrew Fletcher takes a day by day look at the trip from through the eyes of a scout.

Day 1: Day 1, we arrived at base camp. After meeting mike, our ranger, we dropped our equipment off at our tents. We picked up trail/ crew gear, and placed it in the tents. We went to a campfire after dinner (very corny). After the campfire, we spent rest of night playing Frisbee and eating junk food from the trading post.

Day 2: We woke up and after breakfast, distributed all of the crew gear and did equipment check. We waited for the bus to take us on trail, and later arrived at Zastrow Turnaround. After getting the "poop talk" from mike, we started on trail. Later that day, we arrived in Old Abreu (trail camp). Naturally, during the first nights dinner, one of our scouts puked and had to carry the contents of his stomach in his backpack for several days because we were not allowed to bury it. After dinner and cleanup, we went down to Abreu, a staff camp, and spent a little while eating chocolate and playing Frisbee, going back to camp for the night.

Day 3: Woke up, and after a relatively uneventful and gentle day on trail, arrived at camp for the night, the Crags (trail camp). We arrived fairly early, so mike drilled in our knots and whatnot for it was his last day with us. This camp was especially dusty, and we ended up getting most of our dirt from this night. Played cards for the night, Eddie spilled his Gatorade water meaning he had to carry it out. That's about it for that night.

Day 4: Another easy day, offset by the fact that we woke up to about 500 vertical feet of switchbacks. We arrived at Fish Camp (staff camp), set up camp, and took a fly tying as well as fly fishing program.

After buying our fishing licenses we tried our hands at fly fishing to no avail. However, Mr. Van Loon did find a snake halfway through eating a fish, which was interesting to see. This night was the cow chasing night. Cows invaded our camp so a few of us ended up chasing them all over the place which had to be one of the most fun things we did. Somebody from another troop yelled at us for chasing them, so naturally, when the cows trampled through their camp, we found no need to chase them out. After listening to their groans of devastation and trying not to laugh too hysterically, we went to sleep.

Day 5: Our longest so far, but still not all that difficult, day on trail. We arrived at Apache Springs around 11, and after lunch, did our trail conservation. This is required for all groups who pass through Philmont to do, however, our troop enjoyed it thoroughly. Although it was merely trail making, it involved dangerous tools, so we were right at home. Our crew removed a momentous chunk of stone from the trail, with a great amount of man power. This was also a very fun thing to do. After conservation, we had the rest of the night to ourselves, so we went to the giant open field and played ultimate Frisbee. The only other exciting thing of the night was that a certain person “slipped” into fresh cow poop. That was a riot. After a beautiful sunset over the grassy field, it became too dark to play Frisbee so we went to bed.

Our layover day. We woke up extra late, in fact, we had no real requirement to when we had to wake up except for when the voices of others woke you yourself. Today may have been our favorite day. We did two programs that day, Archery, and later in the day, the famous Sweat Lodge. Apparently, our troop isn’t all that great at archery, but it was still enjoyable. However, the highlight of the day was by far the sweat lodge. By now the phrase, “Everything’s funnier at 11,000 feet” had been circulating around, and it is fair to add “and at 110 degrees” to it. Honestly, I cannot describe the experience to you, but imagine 9 guys cramped into a dark room no larger than a cubicle, laughing at jokes that didn’t make any particular sense and sweating like pigs. Let’s just say that by the end of the experience, all we were talking about was how we were going to make our own. That was about all for that day, and after another round of Frisbee; sleep.

Day 7: Day 7 was a relatively long day, about 8 miles as I recall, but still not all too bad. Our day consisted of a very long trek before arriving at Crooked Creek, the last staff camp for a few days. Crooked Creek, certainly lived up to its name, the people there were certainly crooked, and the only water they had was a small very brown creek, which we had no intention of using. After being hackled by the staff for resting at the bottom of their hill, we took a decent break. Now, during this break, one of the staff members began to hassle Jake, so, one of our adult leaders stepped in by humming a little redneck jingle. The staffer, speechless, walked away, followed by restricted laughter from our group. After this, we began a very painstaking uphill path to our camp, and I’m not sure how many vertical feet we gained, but the switchbacks were steep and seemingly endless. After arriving at Wild Horse Camp (trail camp) very tired, we all ate and went to sleep.

Day 8: Day 8 was Mt. Phillips summit. We climbed 1500 vertical feet in a very short lateral distance and, out of breath, arrived at the summit. The view from the top of the mountain, although not 360, was spectacular. After taking a few photos, eating lunch, and harassing the local mini- bears, what New Mexicans call chipmunks, we were on a 5 minute hike from the summit to our campsite, Mt. Phillips Camp (trail camp), creative eh? Not much else happened day 8, for we were incredibly tired from the hike, and as soon as dinner and cleanup was done, we were asleep.

Day 9: Day 9 was a relatively short hike. We arrived at Cypher’s Mine (staffed camp) early enough to do a few programs. The nice thing about Cypher’s Mine was that it had shelters for us to sleep in, which meant no setting up tents. For programs, we went to a blacksmithing lesson and made a hook to hang things on. The blacksmith at Cypher’s Mine was a pretty funny guy, every time somebody hit his anvil (affectionately named “Betty Lou”), he would make them get on their knees, apologize, and give “her” a kiss. Also, we went to a mine shaft and learned about mining of the age. On the way out, however, the program guide turned off his light and lurked in the corners attempting to scare as. Only one scout actually let out a yelp, while the rest of the 175ers remained strong. Also, everyday at Cypher’s Mine, there is a strongman contest. Clearly, this was a talent for us. We spent all day planning how to do this, and eventually came up with a good idea; I was to lie down and be bench pressed by Rob Carter while I explained Einstein’s theory of relativity to the crowd. This way, we figured, we would be both mentally and physically strong. However, later in the day, it started pouring buckets, so we stayed in the shelter in our sleeping bags playing 10s and 2s as well as Set Back, both popular card games of the trip. After a warm dinner, it was to bed.

Day 10: Day 10 was another decently long hike, although it was only 4 miles to Cimarroncito (staffed camp) a group of 3 had to make a 3 mile side hike to pick up food for the last day. While the 3 man group made the side hike, the rest of us went rock climbing and repelling. What was nice about this was that from the top, you could see a great deal of Philmont itself. After we had finished that, we waited for the rest of the group to join as. For most of the rest of the day, we attempted a small traversing wall they had at the center of camp, for if you won, you got some sort of sugary treat, which was very motivating to us. However, it had just rained, so the wall was slick, and it was very difficult even without the rain water, so none of us made it. Otherwise, not much else happened at Cimarroncito.

Day 11: A very easy hike, by this time we flew through the few miles extremely quickly, arriving at Clark’s Fork (staffed camp) sometime very early, about 10 am. In Clark’s Fork, we spent the rest of the day doing programs, as well as playing a few hours of horseshoes. Our first program was branding, we brought our personal clothes and had them branded with the Philmont brands. Next, we had horseback riding scheduled, but when we got up there, it started pouring. And by pouring, I mean that the dry path we had just walked up was now a stream. So, to Eddie Cronin’s discontent, we did not ride horses. The outstanding thing about Clark’s Fork was that there was a freshly cooked dinner, beef stew, biscuits, and for desert peach cobbler. This may sound simple enough, but that had to be the best on trail food I have ever eaten, perhaps because we were used to freeze dried food. However, we ate until we felt sick, and were very content.

Day 12: This was, by far, the longest day on trail. The day began by gaining 2000 vertical feet. There was two ways to do this, a switchback path, and a steep road. We took the road. Although it was dreadfully steep, we seemingly cruised through it, for we passed many, many crews who had (foolishly) attempted the road. However, next was a long, flat haul out to the Tooth of Time. After an hour or two, we arrived at the base of the Tooth of Time. By this point, we were fairly exhausted, and the hike required to get to the top was very difficult, both because of the steepness, as well as the fact that any prospective hiker had to climb on top of jagged uneven boulders. At the top, we ate a quick snack, took some photos, and it was back down to the bottom. Finally, we were on the last stretch. All that was left was to descend a huge amount of vertical feet to the base of the mountains and to walk back to base camp. Now, there are two ways to do this, the long, excruciating, switch back filled path that everyone seems to take (correctly named the “Trail of Tears”), or the short and steep way meant for only rangers. Us being us took the quick way down. Once at the bottom, we walked on a flat road in the dry hot sun until we arrived at base camp. Once there, we returned troop gear, checked our phones, and bought lots of junk food. And so ended our on- trail experience.

Note: Although this gives you a rough idea of what went on in Philmont, there are countless other things that really made the trip, such as the long list of inside jokes. Only those who went on this trip can really understand what is so funny about the number 1.9, why Eddie Cronin wants to ride the donkey so much, or even “Sir-tucks-alot”. The real experience of Philmont is only be held by those who have been there.

New Merit Badges for 2009 & 2010

According to Scouting News, the National Council has been putting out the word to Councils about some new Merit Badges coming soon! Rumors of the majority of these being in developed starting

surfacing back in March, but now they have been approved.

So far we’ve heard about the following merit badges:

– Robotics merit badge approved. Requirements under development. Debut expected spring 2010.

– GPS/GIS merit badge approved. Requirements under development. Debut expected earl

y 2010.

– Scouting Heritage merit badge has been approved. Requirements under development. Debut expected later this year

– Scuba merit badge has been approved. Requirements under development. Debut expected late this year.

Scout Photos

As part of the Photography Merit Badge, Scouts from Simsbury Troop 175 have been submitting photo projects to complete their requirements for the badge.

Here are some additional Scout presentations for your enjoyment.

Summer Camp - A powerful presentation by Michael Duff showing summer camp from his perspective in a wheelchair.
Download Summer Camp

Flying Bikes - Proof positive from Lee Adamovicz that bikes can fly.
Download Flying Bikes

Enter the 2009 Boys’ Life reading contest

Write a one-page report titled “The Best Book I Read This Year” and enter it in the Boys’ Life 2009 “Say Yes to Reading!” contest.

The book can be fiction or nonfiction. But the report has to be in your own words — 500 words tops.

First-place winners in each age category will receive a $100 gift certificate good for any product in the Boy Scouts official retail catalog. Second-place winners will receive a $75 gift certificate, and third-place winners a $50 certificate.

Everyone who enters will get a free patch like the one on this page. (And, yes, the patch is a temporary insignia, so it can be worn on the Boy Scout uniform shirt, on the right pocket. Proudly display it there or anywhere!)

For more information and details on how to enter, go to the Boy's Life Contest page.

Troop Calendar 2009-10

Attached is a copy of the most recent Troop 175 Calendar of Events. It lists all troop meetings and trips from September 2009 through June 2010.

Download Calendar (v5)

Here is a summery of this year's trips:

© September - Bike trip to Block Island. We will camp near the beach and enjoy this Rhode Island island.

© October - Bicycle trip to Cape Cod, clamming and cookout on the beach.

© November - annual Weblos Challenge on our “home” turf, Onion Mountain. This is a great event where Cubs are invited for a full day of Scout activities; and to work with our Scout patrols on making rope bridges, furniture, campfires, orienteering and zip lines. In the evening the patrols will cook a meal with the Cubs and then will have a Troop campfire with songs and skits put on by the Scouts. Cubs are invited to spend the night camping (with a parent)

© December - We will be rock climbing on an indoor rock climbing wall. We also will have a reunion trip of older Scouts from college and our Leaders Group, which will do some backcountry skiing and camping.

© January - Operation Deep Freeze will be at the Burke Homestead in Vermont where scouts will build survival shelters and learn cold weather camping.

© February -  Our Annual ski and snowboard trip to Vermont

© March - Another trip for some cold weather camping at Roaring Brook.

© April - Once again we will go to Tuckerman’s Ravine, this is one of our most popular trips and we had 65 scouts and parents join us last year.

© May - We head to the Connecticut shore and go deep see fishing.

© June - We will sponsor the 4th Annual Boy Scout Adventure Race. This race was developed by Troop 175 and involves biking, running, canoeing, rappelling, orienteering and climbing in Simsbury in a 16 mile - 4-hour race.

       In June we are also planning a four-day canoe trip on the Saco River in Maine.

© July/August - We end the year with a caravan of scout families in RVs spending two weeks in Alaska enjoying some of the most spectacular wildlife and scenery in  the world.

2010 Rank Requirement Changes

The centennial edition of the Boy Scout Handbook will soon be available, and with the new handbook come several rank requirement changes that will be in effect as of January 1, 2010.

Tenderfoot

• A Scout must teach another person how to tie a square knot using the EDGE model (explain, demonstrate, guide, and enable). He must also be able to discuss four specific examples of how he lived the points of the Scout Law in his daily life.

Second Class

• A Scout must discuss the principles of Leave No Trace and explain the factors to consider when choosing a patrol site and where to pitch a tent.
• He must explain what respect is due the flag of the United States.
• He must again discuss four examples of how he lived four different points of the Scout Law in his daily life.
• He must earn an amount of money agreed upon by the Scout and his parents and save at least 50 percent of it.

First Class

• An additional requirement to the 10 separate troop/patrol activities states he must demonstrate the principles of Leave No Trace on these outings.
• He must discuss four more examples of how he lived the remaining four points of the Scout Law in his daily life.

Life

• A Scout must use the EDGE model to teach a younger Scout a specified skill.

Star, Life, and Eagle

• Troop Webmaster and Leave No Trace trainer are two new leadership positions.

Source: ScoutSource