[Philmont]: train travel

As a youth, my council contingent took the train from Chicago to Denver in 1970. One of the very neat aspects of train travel is the ability to mix with other crews from other parts of the country, all heading to the same destination. You don't have nearly the freedom to roam on a plane, nor the time.

Patch traders should make sure their patches are packed in their carry ons. You will find you have far more time to trade on the train than is available in base camp (and no one is lugging a patch collection on the trail).

Advisors should keep in mind that, unless one or more of the Scouts in your crew has attended a Jamboree, this may be the scouts' first experience with Scouting as a nationwide movement, rather than as a community activity. Patch trading fosters a type of camaraderie with other scouts, is an excellent "ice breaker", and the kids really enjoy it. Seeing scouts discover patch trading for the first time, and "strangers" become new "friends" reminds me of Tom Sawyer trading a pocketknife, marble, or other doodad-a link with America's past.

My 1969 Jamboree Scoutmaster, in my opinion, did not prepare us in the slightest for patch trading which, as many of you know, is BIG at a jamboree. This despite the fact that this was his third or fourth Jamboree. We were each (160 scouts) given 13 identical leftover Scout-o-
ree patches, with no instruction to bring any of our own or stock up at home in any way. We made the best of the situation (as Scouts will do), but that was a lot of inventory to move, when everyone you know had multiple copies of the same patch!

Many crews produce contingent strips which are excellent for trading. My preference is for a fair quantity of lower cost patches, rather than encouraging (inadvertently or otherwise) the youth to purchase one or two of a more expensive "limited edition" patch. Council strips will do fine in a pinch, as will camp patches.

If you have a scout in your crew who attended the 2005 Jamboree, by all means have him make a presentation on patch trading and SHOW HIS PATCHES. Show and tell is better than tell alone.

Well, that's all I've got on train travel.

YIS

Bill Sheehan, ASM
Troop 55, Pitman, NJ
Philmont '70,'72, Autumn Adventure '01,'03,'05 and hopefully '06

-------------------------------------------------------
Scouting E-mail Discussion Lists @ usscouts.org
Subscribe/Unsubscribe at http://usscouts.org/lists/
Listserv Commands at http://usscouts.org/lists/lc.asp
-------------------------------------------------------
Send listserv commands to: listserv@troop47.com
Send postings to: philmont@troop47.com
List FAQ found at: http://usscouts.org/lists/faq.asp
List Administrator: philmont_owner@troop47.com
-------------------------------------------------------
As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
-------------------------------------------------------

 
Received on Mon Apr 3 08:31:54 2006