Disc Golf at Alum Creek

The scouts recently enjoyed a round of disc golf at Alum Creek.  This was definitely the first time trying this sport out for most of us.  We also discussed the Sports Merit Badge and the value in learning about and trying new sports.  Most of our scouts have already completed the majority of the requirements for this badge.  We encourage them to meet with a merit badge counselor soon to get it signed off.

Josh - Eagle Scout!!!

Congrats again to Josh for attaining the Eagle Rank! Josh had his court of honor back in May. He currently serves as the Assistant Senior Patrol Leader for Troop 900. Thanks for all you do Josh!

High Adventure - July '10

The boys went to Cook Forest State Park in Pennsylvania for their inaugural high adventure trip this year. We considered it a great success and all reports show that a good time was had by all.

This is the last day of the trip. We had great weather right up until the end. It rained so hard we ended up ditching camp for a few hours. We ran into town (Clarion, PA) for some food and entertainment. Be sure to notice the flooded parking lot and the unfortunate car parked behind the boys in the picture above.
The rain caused us to miss out on our horseback right and t-bone dinner. We were able to find an alternative though...




The boys did plenty of goofing around during the trip to town. It was tough not to purchase these golf hats that came with a new set of hair.
The boys anxiously awaiting the kayak adventure on the mighty Clarion River.








Here you see Ben, Cody, and Nate taking on the challenge of assembling the PBJ sandwiches. Those tasted pretty great during a day of paddling.
Our first adventure of the trip was a 10 mile canoe trip down the Clarion River. It doesn't sound like a long distance. But the boys learned quickly that these things don't move very quickly. There were plenty of sore arms and back that night at the camp site.


Boys + canoes = swamped canoes. This was a frequent picture of the day. Good times!!!



A friendly game of domino's back at the camp site.
Gabe showing off his body art and teaching a unique way to keep the mosquito's away.

Scout Camp

Good luck to Ian Brown and Jacob Bell this week. They were able to join up with Troop 132 for Scout Camp at Falling Rock. Hopefully they have a great time and return with a bunch of merit badges!

Orange Township Community Park Board Meeting

The troop was able to attend a community park board meeting last week at the Orange Township Hall. This was to fulfill requirement #3 on the Citizenship in the Community merit badge. The scouts seemed to enjoy the "public comments' section the most. We got to listen to some strong opinions on several different topics. We were able to identify a long term service opportunity as well. Our troop was asked to assist with the Horseshoe Garden. So hopefully we can make that happen.

Don Smith was able to make a few comments

Todd and Ben were soaking in every word...

Jared England took a chance to provide some suggestions for the Aquatic Center.

Outdoor Code & Scout Pictionary

At the scouting activity this week, the troop took time to review the Outdoor Code of the Boy Scouts of America. This is the code:

As an American I will do my best to

Be clean in my outdoor manners

• I will treat the outdoors as a heritage.
• I will take care of it for myself and others.
• I will keep my trash and garbage out of lakes, streams, fields, woods, and roadways.

Be careful with fire

• I will prevent wildfire.
• I will build my fires only where they are appropriate.
• When I have finished using a fire, I will make sure it is cold out.
• I will leave a clean fire ring, or remove all evidence of my fire.

Be considerate in the outdoors

• I will treat public and private property with respect.
• I will use low-impact methods of hiking and camping.

Be conservation minded

• I will learn how to practice good conservation of soil, waters, forests, minerals, grasslands, wildlife, and energy.
• I will urge others to do the same.

After we finished our discussion of the code, we moved on to a rip roaring game of Boy Scout pictionary. Some of the more popular terms included Sheet Bend, Dutch Oven, Blister, Hypothermia, Citizenship, Totin Chip, and Tenderfoot...

Service Project with the Wride Family

Several of the boys in the troop took the opportunity last week to do a little service in the neighborhood. The Wride family had a pretty good amount of dirt that needed to be moved from their driveway down into their backyard. It was good work for the boys and thanks to the Wride family for the service opportunity!

Scout Uniform

As a troop, we have a lot of work to do with our uniforms. I am in the process of picking up a new uniform. The one I have from my teens is a little snug. Please make efforts to obtain a new uniform for your scout. We have soem events coming up that we want to make sure we look somewhat official. Please let me know if you have any issues with this. You can get everything you need at the Boy Scout Office.

The BSA Centennial Uniform

Design for the latest boy scout uniform came out in August, 2008. The colors are pretty much the same so new uniform pieces can be transitioned as old ones are outgrown. A big difference is red shoulder loops and unit numbers are now forest green. The uniform is promoted as more versatile and wearable in the field instead of just for meetings.

Upcoming Events

4/23 – Overnighter cancelled
5/5 – Eagle court of honor for Josh Baumbach
5/19 – Prep for upcoming overnighter (Wilderness Survival Merit Badge)
5/21 - Overnighter
6/2 – TBD
6/16 – TBD
6/21 – 6/26 – Scout camp for Josh, Jacob, Ian, and Todd
7/7 – 7/10 – High adventure
7/21 – TBD

March Camp Out

Troop 900 ventured out on another overnight camp out in March. With snow still on the ground, we opted for a cabin at Camp Lazarus.

Here is Q capturing some solitary time.

Q was also in charge of starting the fire while the other boys gathered wood. Good work Q! I'm pretty sure you used only one match...

The troop kept warm by the fire as they prepared the coals for dinner.

Tin foil dinners for everyone. What a treat!

Todd went for a classic meal of beef, potatoes, and carrots. Old reliable!

Ian got creative. I'm not sure what it was but we know it was done. You can see the extra toasty outer crust. Yummy!

Jacob went for a quick and easy technique. Two frozen pizza's stacked on top of each other. He seems to be enjoying it...

The night ended with a few games. We started with Clove Hitch on a Tree. Here you see Q and Ben battling it out in a round of Bull Riders.