[Philmont] training treks

The reason what troops don't do backpacking, even one trip a year is because the adults are uncomfortable with leaving the comforts of car camping, not because the kids don't want to do it.? Unfortunately, the current training offered by BSA doesn't help.? Its focus is on camping heavy, with chuck boxes, lanterns, coolers, lawn chairs, gateways, weather rocks, you name it.? How do I know this?? Well I was the Scoutmaster of such a troop.? Thank goodness we?were a rural troop with lots of pick up trucks that could move our gear.??As I?was finishing up my time as Scoutmaster, I took my first backpacking trip with some of our older scouts.? Boy?were we a bunch of rookies!!!? But we learned a lot and soon began shedding some of the?heavy personal and patrol equipment we had accumulated.? That summer, I took our older scouts to the Northern Wisconsin Canoe Base.? That was?my first high adventure trek as an?adult and I haven't?looked back.

Cooper Wright
Piedmont District Venturing Committee?

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Received on Tue Dec 18 10:34:09 2007