As a former scout and later scoutmaster, I agree with most of your critiques. OTOH, how many parents look at Scout troops as weekend day care? Or a night off during the week so someone else can be responsible for their kid? As an organization, Scouting has been thru the ringer lately and deservedly so. When it comes time to pick a troop, make sure you observe them in action before you join. A meeting in a church basement is not a good indicator of what it's like in the field. In my troop we had some very experienced dads who took an active role and older boys who knew their stuff. That combination made me look good. If nothing else the organization gives kids opportunities that most would never see. I smiled when the OP came back on and told about the leader thanking him for his helpful suggestion. BE PREPARED!
As a former scout and later scoutmaster, I agree with most of your critiques. OTOH, how many parents look at Scout troops as weekend day care? Or a night off during the week so someone else can be responsible for their kid? As an organization, Scouting has been thru the ringer lately and deservedly so. When it comes time to pick a troop, make sure you observe them in action before you join. A meeting in a church basement is not a good indicator of what it's like in the field. In my troop we had some very experienced dads who took an active role and older boys who knew their stuff. That combination made me look good. If nothing else the organization gives kids opportunities that most would never see. I smiled when the OP came back on and told about the leader thanking him for his helpful suggestion. BE PREPARED!
I agree completely.
There seem to be many of the scouting leaders that are completely set on on recreating their 70 hiking experience with incredible heavy monster packs and heavy duty boots. Water is treated using bleach drops! Only white gas stoves are used. Water is carried in Nalgene bottles and large collapsible buckets for cooking.
My help leading high adventures outings with a 40 liter pack, trail runners, canister stove, and a Sawyer Squeeze was viewed as a act of heresy. After trying it out, many of the boys did get the Sawyer filter.
We had a pack inspection (including adults) before a 50 miler. One of the adults leaders had four flashlights and three non-rain jackets for August. There’s a big difference between “Be Prepared” and “Be 50 Pounds Over-Prepared”
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...” ― Henry David Thoreau
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“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...” ― Henry David Thoreau
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