Board of Review update

5 Scouts completed their Board of Review last night and earned their next rank.  Troop 4 promoted two scouts to 2nd Class, two scouts to Star, and one to Life.  Congratulations all.  We look forward to presenting their ranks next week and celebrating these accomplishments together at our Court of Honor and Holiday Dinner.

Troop 4 in the Journal News 11/20/14

Not sure how this ended up in the paper but Troop 4 made today's Journal News.

A handsome looking crew!

22 Degrees

That was the temperature both mornings on last weekend's Lean To Campout at the Nooteeming BSA Camp in Salt Point, NY.  We didn't really need thermometers to tell us it was cold, our dishes, pots and utensils that were washed and set to dry froze to the tables overnight.

Fortunately firewood was plentiful and we managed some big fires.  The kind where you had to turn yourself around every few minutes because the side to the fire got too warm.

Dr. V arrived Saturday morning with hand warmers for the bottoms of everyone's sleeping bag which helped tremendously with foot warmth overnight.

Saturday we took a 4 mile hike around the perimeter of the Camp, and followed that activity up with some work on our 2nd Class requirements revolving around knife and ax care, use and safety.  Below they are learning about and setting up a proper ax yard for their work. 

Our Tenderfoot Scouts also cooked all the meals finishing the cooking requirements they had for their 2nd Class rank.

While each lean to was not too big they were clean and well maintained, each with its own fire ring for warmth.  These fire rings were all used with varying degrees of success.  We will continue to work on our firebuilding which seems to need constant practice.

Many thanks to Will O who led the planning for this event and to Quinn who stepped up as acting Patrol Leader and helped guide the scouts through cooking meals and doing chores (a thankless job).

For a full look at all the pictures from the weekend please check our the Troop picture site at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/114081196567743974684/CampNooteemingLeanToNovember2014

Vinecutting

Last Saturday we again set up camp at the Open Land Foundation's Baxter Road Preserve to continue our environmental project of battling the invasive vines choking the trees in the Preserve.

I was unable to attend so the following is a synopsis of the day provided by ASM Scott Jeffery:

"Vinecutting worked out great.  Charlotte was there from the Open Lands and drove the boys to where the conservatory wanted them.  Think the boys got the biggest kick out of riding in hers and Dr V's trucks.  They worked in the way way way back, straight past the pond and beyond in the far reaches, about a 10 minute walk from our base camp. 

Michael's set up worked out great.  He had the water, stove, snacks and tables all ready so we had a great camp.  We had a great scout turnout with 12 boys there for most of the day, and one bonus boy that I never got the same story twice on how he arrived.  The pizzas were devoured, and hot chocolate and soup always in demand (though lighting the stove proved tricky in the wind).  Henry SPL did a really great job of keeping boys together and equipment accounted for.  I presume everyone got their stuff back as I was not there for the conclusion.  He was really organized.

Weather was great for the time of year, reasonably warm with brisk breeze. 

All in all it was a great day.  The lessons from the past ones made this one successful and the lesson learned on this one is to get the word out on a broader scale and earlier.  Still seems we now have another great template for the next scout to build further on for this event."

And the Orienteering winner is:

Henry, who completed both the 1K and 2K courses with the fastest time on each course.

While the weather was cold and damp we still had 4 Cub Scouts and 4 non scouts take part in the competition, and a total of 11 teams of racers on the course, most trying both courses.

Overall a fun afternoon and a well planned activity.  Thanks to Quinn and Aiidan for the work they put into making this happen.

Battle of Hoyt 2014

For our Fall Campree the Scouts decided to try something different and attend a Camporee sponsored by a different district.  The Powahay District of the CT Yankee Council put on the Camporee we chose this year which was held at one of our favorite Campsites, Hoyt Reservation in West Redding. Powahay supports the towns of Darien, New Canaan, Norwalk, Wilton, and Stamford.  It is somewhat ironic that the only out of district unit in attendance happened to be located closer to the Scout Reservation than the district's own Troops.

While we were somewhat disappointed that the truck brining the horses for the Revelutionary War Dragoon reenactment broke down and our re-enactors were turned from a cavalry unit into foot soldiers, we still had a great time.

During the morning the Patrols worked themselves through a series of stations to test their scouting skills and compete against the other Patrols in attendance.

During the afternoon the Scouts could watch the renactors, wander through the historical sessions to learn about Revelotionary era history and life (n.b. Revelutionary era medicine was kind of gruesome), or just have some free time.

Troop 4 acquitted itself quite well at the Camporee winning first place ribbons in two of the competitions.  The first was the Dutch Oven cooking competition.  Each Patrol provided a portion of the meal we delivered to the judges, the Venturing Patrol made Beef Jerky Stew, the Scout Patrol made an Apple Crsip dessert, and the Adult Patrol made bread.  I think we really impressed the judges.  

The second ribbon, and the one I am most proud of our scouts for was the Best Campsite Inspection.  Each Troop had their campsite inspected by the Senior Patrol Leaders committee against a dozen or so criteria including neatness, cleanliness, organization, gateway, proper kitchen, first aid kits plus several additional ones I don't remember.  Our Scouts received a perfect score and received top honors.  What makes me the most proud was that our site was organized and run mostly by the scouts.  In the past the Scoutmasters had to chase the scouts to make sure chores got done and camp hygiene was maintained, very little of that was needed this weekend.  It seems the lessons are sinking in and they are making these activities that are critical to an efficient campsite part of their regular routine.  Of course when we get a new infusion of green scouts we will probably have to start all over again, but I am please at how fast our guys have matured since last year.

For all the pictures from our weekend please visit the Troop 4 web album at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/114081196567743974684/PowahayCamporeeOct2014?noredirect=1

Catamount Ropes Course

Last Saturday the Troop visited the Catamount Ropes Course and spent 3 hours climbing through the trees and another 30 minutes zip lining back to the base lodge.

For those of you who have never done a ropes course, it is a set of challenges in the forest canopy made up of various configurations of cable, wood, rope and zip lines to form bridges between trees that need to be navigated.

Catamount has 5 different levels of courses through the trees that become progressively less stable under your feet and requiring more balance, agility focus and arm strength as you progress through more challenging courses.

There is no right or wrong way to go about getting from platform to platform, each scout had to find the way that worked best for him.

All in all a perfect scouting day.  We were outside the whole day, we were physically and mentally challenged, and got to work together in teams to figure out the course.

 

As you can see from the looks on their faces they were tired when we were done.  I also hope they walked away with a feeling that they can conquer any challenges if they set their mind to it and work together.

UMC Tag Sale Set Up

Troop 4 pitched in this past Sunday to help our chartering organization, the United Methodist Church of Purdys, set up for the tag sale.  We had 9 scouts and several parents pitch in to help the Church set up their tag sale today.  The many hands made quick work of the task and we had the entire contents of their garage set up in under an hour and a half.

If you get a chance, stop by this week and help support the people who made Troop 4 possible.

Anyone who can help the Church take down the tag sale please meet at the Church at 3pm next Saturday 10/4.  The tear down should take under an hour.

Orienteering Update

The Orienteering Club posted our results on-line.  They can be found here:

http://hvo.us.orienteering.org/content/results2014/explore.html

Our teams are labeled either Purdys or Troop 4

Hudson Valley Orienteering Competition

For the second outing in a row we had fantastic weather.  

The Troop competed in an Orienteering competition today and the Scouts did really well.  The meet was run by the Hudson Valley orienteering Club and consisted of several courses the scouts could choose from.  Most of Troop 4 competed in two timed courses, a 1.3K and a 1.6K course.  We all got a chance to learn a few new skills and practice some old ones.

Unfortunately I took no photos so no link to our picture page this time.

For full results see the clubs web site here:

http://hvo.us.orienteering.org/content/results2014/explore.html

We are listed by Purdys #, and by Troop 4 in the results.

Housatonic Canoe Trip

Well, for the first time since June, Troop 4 has had an outing without rain.  It was warm, sunny and mild all day for a spectacular trip down the Housatonic River in Connecticut.  

Seven canoes made up the Troop armada and carried 15 of us down stream with only one scout getting wet.  All in all a pretty good day.

At the end of our trip was a really beautiful waterfall we got to explore.  The scouts even discovered a large cave hidden in the rocks and a small stream running under the rocks.  They spotted where the water entered the rocks at the top of the falls and found the exit point in the rocks at the bottom.

My favorite part of the afternoon was when my son Henry found some graffiti left by one of our ancestors 128 years ago etched into the rocks at the falls.

Clearly old George was not a Boy Scout and did not subscribe to the Scout ethos of "Leave No Trace", but it was still pretty cool.

For all the pictures taken on the canoe trip please check out the Troop photo page at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/114081196567743974684/HousatonicCanoeTripSeptember2014?noredirect=1

Updates to Troop Calendar

With the decision on activities the Scouts made on Monday I have some updates to the Troop Calendar.  The full updated calendar can be found on the Troop resource page here: 

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0BxIHiLq40PiGNy1xT3YyUUZjaW8/edit?usp=docslist_api

And on our online Google calendar 

The additions are:

Church Tag Sale set up 9/28

Church Tag Sale break down 10/4

Fall Camporee dates 10/24-10/26

Owl Prowl 11/1

Webelos Outdoorsman Weekend

Lately it seems like Troop 4 and rain go hand in hand.  Another campout and more rain.  This time the skies opened up on us during our hike with the Webelos from Pack 1, and even though we had rain gear we still all managed to get soaked.

Den 11 was our guest for the weekend at Hoyt Scout Reservation where the Troop 4 scouts led the Webelos through the requirements and skills development required for their Outdoorsman pin. 

Whipping and fusing of ropes, knots, rain fly set up, safe hiking rules, map reading, fire safety, and cooking were all part of the knowledge transfer our scouts helped the Webelos with.  Our Troop 4 1st year Scouts Tyler, Donato, Jasper, and Tony did a fantastic job teaching the scouting skills we covered and made the Webelos feel part of the group.

Everyone had a grand time and we are all looking forward to our canoe trip next week, hopefully without the rain.

For a full record of this weekend's activities check out our Troop 4 photo album at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/114081196567743974684/WebelosOutdoorsmanCampoutSep2014?noredirect=1

The New Scout Year Is Almost Here - September Updates

We are almost ready to start the new year.  As a reminder here are the dates that should be on your calendar for September:

Troop Meetings

9/8

9/15

9/29

Patrol Meeting

9/22

Outings

Webelo Campout (William O/Tyler) 9/12-9/14

Housatonic Canoe Trip (Will I/Tony) 9/20-9/21

Orienteering event practice Mt Kisco 9/27

Leadership

Greenbar meeting 9/2 (1st Tuesday of every month) - SPL, Troop Quartermaster, and Patrol Leaders

Committee meeting 9/9 (2nd Tuesday of every month)

Our full calander is on-line and can be found on our web page:

http://troop4purdys.blogspot.com/

A hard copy of the calendar can be found on our Troop reference info pages on Google Drive at:

https://docs.google.com/folderview?id=0BxIHiLq40PiGRUQ4dUllSTE1cVU&usp=docslist_api

You can also subscribe to the calendar if your calendar supports iCal with this URL:

https://www.google.com/calendar/ical/troop4purdys%40gmail.com/public/basic.ics

Looking forward to seeing some of you on the 2nd and the rest of you on the 8th.

Oswegatchie River Mini Venture

,

Rain, rain, and more rain.  4 days (3 on the river and one in a campsite preparing to launch) and we never saw the sun.  Rained on and off the entire first day on the water and down right poured each night.  Low temperatures in the low 40s and high temps in the upper 50s.  With all these handicaps we still managed to have a great time.  Why?  Preparation and proper planning.

This trip is the culmination and reward each year for those scouts who are at least a 2nd class in rank and participated in Troop activities and planning throughout the year.  The experiences gained helping our new scouts and planning our smaller activities carry over into this big event and provide the basis for succesfully carrying on under difficult circumstances.  The gear needed was planned meticulously (first time ever they didn't forget anything) and we remained dry and prepared for all Mother Nature had to throw at us.  The food was planned in great detail with an eye toward easy, fast, and minimal clean ups and we all had enough to eat and not much work to do.

The highlight of the trip was our visit to High Falls.  After canoeing in upstream over 9 miles in the rain the first day, we headed upstream another 4 miles pulling the canoes over beaver dams as we went to get to High Falls, an absolutely gorgeous spot which we spent hours exploring.

High Rock for lunch on our first and third day was also a highlight as was the peace and quite and knowing that we shared the 107,000 acres of the Five Ponds Wilderness Area in the Adirondack Mountains http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/34719.html with no more than a couple of dozen other human beings.

Total mileage - 26 miles.  Memories to last a lifetime.

For a complete photographic record of our trip check out our Troop 4 photo album: 

https://picasaweb.google.com/114081196567743974684/OswegatchieMiniVentureAugust2014?noredirect=1

A week at Camp Waubeeka in Curtis Read Scout Camp

34 Merit Badges started, 24 completed, 2 finished from partials started last year, 21 Second and First Class rank requirements earned by each 1st year scout, a whitewater rafting trip, zip lining, dry and wet caving expiditions, archery and rifle competitions, a firebuilding challenge, a team Triathlon (really a Quadrathlon), a trebuchet building contest, two 6:15 am Polar Bear swims, and many games of cards and Settlers.  It's a wonder our Scouts found any time to sleep, prepare their meals or keep our campsite neat and tidy but they did.

Waubeeka is one of three camps that make up the Curtis S Read Scout Reservation in Brant Lake NY and is the traditional destination for Troop 4 every August.  Waubeeka is a Patrol Method camp where Troop Patrols are responsable for themselves for the entire week.  Working together as a team, patrol members share the responsibility for the patrol's success.  The Patrol method is at the heart of Baden-Powels vision of how a scout troop should operate and is at the center of how Troop 4 is organized.  Our boys got their own food, did their own cooking, cleaning and camp upkeep and by and large were responsable for themselves and their patrol.  They even managed to clean the latrines and shower house.

Every scout who attended camp grew and matured a little bit last week and they all should be proud of  what they accomplished.  I am.

A link to all the pictures from the week can be found here in the Troop 4 web album:

https://picasaweb.google.com/114081196567743974684/CampReadAugust2014?noredirect=1