Boy Scout Troop 259bsa259.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/June-2010-newsletter.pdf · 6/2/2011  · Boy Scout Troop 259 Church of St. Therese June 2010 Volume 5, Issue 2 Whitewater

Boy Scout Troop 259

Church of St. Therese June 2010

Volume 5, Issue 2

Whitewater Rafting in W. Va.

28th Annual Ice Breaker Weekend

On April 9th, Twenty-six Scouts, Venturers and Adults from Troop and Crew 259 headed west for 2

nights of camping and a beautiful rafting trip down the Lower New River in West Virginia. We participated

in the 28th Annual Ice Breaker weekend, opening the 2010 rafting season at our outfitter River Expeditions.

We arrived around 11:30 PM Friday night and did our best to set up and stay warm as the tempera-

tures dropped into the high 20’s. On Saturday, we were up early to eat breakfast, get our gear and head to

the launch point on the New River, all by about 9 AM.

It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the 60’s, although the water was in the low 50’s. A good

number of us got a chance to jump into the river from a jumping rock, and validate that the water was cold.

We ate a full lunch on the river before getting back in the rafts for the most challenging part of the River. In

the afternoon, we rafted Class III, IV and V level rapids and everyone had a great time. We were pretty

lucky in that we only had one “non-planned” ejection from our rafts during the entire trip and it happened in

a particularly challenging part of the river. The victim, who was recovered quickly without injury, wasn’t a

Scout or Venturer and shall remain nameless (but his initials could be SMG). We were off the river about

2:30 and back to campsite to return our gear, grab a shower and have a great barbeque dinner.

We were up early on Sunday again to break camp, eat breakfast and get on the road for the return

trip. We arrived at St. Therese around 3 PM on April 11th, happy to have had a great weekend! Pictures and

video should be on the Troop website.

Bayport Scout Reservation

Climbing and Cope Course

Over the weekend of May 21-23, Troop 259 went to Bayport Scout Reservation in Jamaica, Va. The older

scouts had the pleasure of playing on the high ropes course in the morning and then climbed the Lighthouse

climbing tower in the afternoon. The high ropes course consists of a number of different challenges. Nine of

our scouts started the course by climbing up a cargo net to a wire about 30 feet off of the ground. They then

walked along the wire to a platform where they changed their safety line. Then, before they could come down,

they had to walk along a tight wire to another platform. Once there, they were lowered to the ground by their

safety line. Congratulations to Jesse H., who made it to the top after working hard on the cargo net. The sec-

ond challenge faced was another pole climb, and tight wire, followed by a zip line. Kudos to Mr. Miller who

dared the trip across the gully. All who took part had a great time. After lunch, the older scouts tackled the

climbing tower, which provided two climbing faces. Congratulations to all who made it to the top! This goes

double for James W. who did not give up until he made it to the top. Those that did succeed were rewarded

with a rappelling opportunity on the back side.

Those scouts who were either too young or did not want to do the high adventure, spent the morning with Mr.

Warren “apple pie maestro” Goodman earning one of the 4 historical merit badges, Pathfinder. The afternoon

was spent working on the Weather merit badge.

While there, the troop helped with a service project by moving a bunch of picnic tables and bleachers as the

camp was getting ready for a cub scout campfire that evening. We also used this opportunity to hone our

backpacking skills in preparation for Philmont. Roughly half of our troop contingent was there, and we did a

morning hike with packs on Saturday, and a morning hike without packs on Sunday. We finished up the

weekend with a scouts own service performed by Mr. Goldman.

This trip was a great change from our normal outing, and several people were heard saying that it should be a

regular on our rotation!

A Great Truth "The earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the Earth.

This we know.

Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it.

Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.

All things are connected. Whatever befalls the Earth,

befalls the children of the Earth."

Chief Seattle, 1854

At our most recent campout some of you (scouts) worked on the weather merit

badge. Part of the merit badge is to discuss and understand what acid rain is and where it comes from. You all had some great conversation around how we all

have a great and lasting impact on this earth, good and bad.

Many of us (adults) grew up in a time when the country was at the very early stages of understanding our full impact on our earth. We can remember things

like lead paint, leaded gasoline, huge amounts of mercury being used in common things, hydrocarbons, asbestos, etc, etc. Some of us that were in the military can

remember the large amount of trash, toxic chemicals, and paints being dumped at sea. Our national symbol was becoming extinct from our overuse of DDT. Now

many of these things are no longer being used or very minimal amounts are being

used. DDT has been banned and the bald is eagle is now no longer on the endan-gered list.

Our generation (adults) and the new generation (scouts) still have a lot of work to

do to reduce our negative impact on this earth. Whether you believe that we are causing global warming or you believe that it is naturally occurring, we cannot

deny the fact that we can have a great impact on earth good and bad. Look at what is happening in the Gulf of Mexico right now.

We cannot just stand by and hope that things will fix itself or someone else will fix

the problem. As good citizens of our country and the world we must make some changes and it starts with you.

“Leave this world a little better then you found it”

Lord Baden Powell

Scoutmaster Goodman

Crew 259 Is ON THE GO!

Venturing Crew 259 has had a busy spring. In March, we took a canoe trip to the Roanoke River basin.

Aslyn B. did a wonderful job of planning this event. The first day was relaxing as we were going down

stream for most of the day. For lunch, we pulled our six boats into a raft and floated with the current as

we enjoyed our sandwiches. After lunch, we turned up a side creek and had to fight the current to our

campsites, two platforms built in the middle of the swamp. On one platform, Mr. Byrd and Mr. Ball

shared space with Dan G., Zach A., Thomas B., and Nate B. On the other platform, Mr. and Mrs.

Blohm shared their platform with Katie and Aslyn B, John Patterson and Aimee Sorenson. Day 2

started out paddling up stream on a narrow cut in the swamp. It was strenuous paddling, but it was inter-

esting to see signs of river otters along the way. When we finally met back up with the main channel,

we were treated to a long down river float, back to where we started.

In April, we joined the troop for the Whitewater trip. See the article written by Jimmy S. earlier in the

newsletter. Joining the troop for this trip were Felicia S., Victoria D., Nate B., Justin S., Aimee

Sorenson, John Palmer, Jimmy S., and Rick Dyer.

Upcoming events include another scuba certification class in June, then a weekend at Lake Rawlings for

a Scubaree in early August. This is all in preparation for a trip to Sea Base during the Summer of 2011.

In September, we are going to be going to the Venturing Challenge at Camp Pipsico, then in October are

looking at doing the Cope Course at Bayport.

Welcome new crew members Danielle F., Joseph K., Kristen N., and Erick A.!!!

MARCH ’10 WILDERNESS SURVIVAL TRIP (March 13, 14)

Assistant Scoutmaster Dana Reynolds

This year, we decided to mix things up a little bit; normally we devote 5 or 6 meetings before the trip to

cover the requirements for the merit badge during skill instruction. This year, we waited until after the

trip to do that. Well, we did perform ONE of the requirements on the trip! That was the one that states

that you have to “improvise a natural shelter… and spend a night in your shelter.” The six Scouts that took

part in the merit badge spent the better part of the afternoon working on their shelters. They paired up

in building 3 very different structures. They were given some instruction during the meeting prior to the

trip, and some additional after hiking the 3 miles into the campsite. Late in the afternoon, all involved as-

sembled and we went reviewed their work. We covered each shelter‟s good points and it‟s bad ones. By

vote of the 6 Scouts involved, they all agreed that Marc A. and Brendan C. built the best overall „weekend

hideaway‟; they even graded them just like in school! For their good work, they were awarded each a multi-

tool. This year‟s string-burning contest was made very interesting by the wet weather there had been

previous to our arrival; all the natural material to build the fires was VERY wet! The 2-matchstick limit

went out the window quickly! Oh, and to say the teams didn‟t get a LITTLE assistance would be a huge un-

derstatement. And don‟t worry, SMG, I won‟t point the finger at who started that! After a very long 45

minutes to get the first string burnt, it was Gareth R. and Aaron S. who came out on top. I think we were

all winded and coughing after that one! Gareth and Aaron were each awarded a headlamp for their hard

work! The older Scouts had their fun by finding a couple of rather large vines and making a pair of swings

on the large tree in the open field adjacent to the campsite. Somebody lost a whole roll of duct tape on

THAT one! And, how can we make it through a Beaverdam Park trip without some occurrence of horse ma-

nure. Mr. Gerrek made it a point to find it and point it out to everyone in the field! Congratulations to all!

And thanks to the adults involved for making this another successful trip! Six more of our custom-made

“Wilderness Survivor” patches were awarded!

Philmont Updates Wow!! Just 27 days to go before we leave for New Mexico. Now is a good time to think about the last minute

details. We will be leaving very early on the morning of July 1st. That is not the time to worry about whether or

not you packed your boots! To make sure that that does not happen, we will be having a pack check this Saturday

(6/5) at 3pm. Plan on dumping your pack and going through each item so that you bring what you need and no

more. We will be traveling in Class A uniforms, and we will be wearing our boots. The first day in NM we will

be going for a hike on Sandia Peak so wear hiking socks. Also, when we go to the airport, you will want to have

what you need for the next couple of days, in a day pack or carry on. This includes a change of clothes and a

bathing suit. Equally important, you do not want to be carrying things that are prohibited by the TSA, including

your pocket knives. Leave those in your backpack. Here is a partial list of things that you should not have with

you on the plane: Fuels, Gel Shoe Inserts, Strike anywhere matches (cannot be checked either), Pocket Knives,

Ski Poles (think hiking poles). Obviously there are other prohibited items. If you have any question, go to

www.tsa.gov. Don’t forget some form of photo ID! Also, if you have not already had your physical, you need to

do it ASAP!!!. Your lead advisor will be making sure that you have signed permission slips for your son for all of

the activities.

Summer Camp

Cooperstown Summer Camp at Camp Henderson in New York is only five short weeks away. The adventure begins

on July 10th with a train ride from Newport News to Albany, NY with stops in Washington D.C. and

New York City where we will change trains. From Albany we will go to Camp Henderson and check

into camp on Sunday, July 11th. After camp ends with the Friday night campfire, we will spend the day

on Saturday visiting the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY and take the train home from Al-

bany on Sunday morning, July 18th, stopping again in New York City and Washington.

All merit badges have been scheduled and we will be talking with the Scouts over the next few weeks

about requirements and prerequisites. For the first time ever, we got every one of the merit badges we

asked for. Every Scout and adult that is going to camp is required to have a current physical exam. The

Troop is working on getting a doctor to conduct physicals during a troop meeting in June and we will let

you know when they will be done. Camp should be a great adventure from the start of the trip until we

get back. We are all looking forward to the week of camp. We will try to keep you informed on every-

thing that is going on to get ready for camp, but if you have any questions, please see Mr. Hankins or

Mr. Goodman.

Merrimac District Leader Awards

Scoutmaster of the Year – Warren Goodman

Assistant Scoutmaster of the Year – Doug Hankins

Committee Member of the Year – Deana Stuart

District Award of Merit – Mike Qualls

Congratulations and thank you for all that you do for Troop 259

Troop 259 is staying active!!

Calendar of Events for 2009-2010 June 5 Save The Bay Day Great Bridge Locks

June 18-20 Eastern Shore Accomac, MD.

July1-15 Philmont Trek Cimarron NM

July 4-11 Summer Camp Cooperstown NY

July 26-Aug 4 National Jamboree Ft. AP Hill, Va.

God and Country

The Greilings hosted the Protestant God and Country medal program at their home for the last 10 weeks. The God and

Church program is designed for grades 6-8 and is a journey to meet Jesus, worship God, and witness and minister for

Christ. Cheryl Greiling did most of the discussion facilitating while Scott did the computer work and correspon-

dence. The participants were Sheldon G., Stephen G., Michael E., Tyler P., John B., Jake W., Evan R., Gareth R., Aaron

S. and Donna-Lee S. Each participant had to complete their workbook, memorize scripture, do several service projects,

invite someone to their church, and visit a different church. In addition, each participant had to create a scrap

book, slideshow, or video sharing this faith journey with others. We will display some of these projects at the June 3

Court of Honor. The picture shows one of our field trips to Maryview Nursing home. The scouts made tissue flowers to

pass out at the home and visited with the guests.

Some of the older boys, Sam M., Thomas B., and Dan G. are working with Mr. Chartier on the Pope Pius Award.

Merrimac District Spring Camporee

On the weekend of April 30th – May 2rd Troop 259 joined together with the other troops of the Merrimac District for the

2010 Spring Camporee featuring a Klondike Derby. The troops all had made special Klondike sleds (with wheels instead of

skis, since there wasn’t any snow!) that were built to navigate a special course. The Derby was held at Izaak Walton League

Park in Deep Creek. Scoutmaster Goodman, Assistant Scoutmaster Qualls, and Mr. Martin were all responsible for hosting

and planning the weekend activities for the event. Also, Assistant Scoutmaster Hankins planned and cooked all the meals for

the Cracker Barrel events that were held on Friday and Saturday evenings. Special thanks to these leaders for all the time

they spent planning and developing the event and the activities that were conducted throughout the weekend.

The Derby consisted of a trail through the woods at Izaak Walton Park with various skill stations along the trail where each

competing sled had to stop and perform various tasks. The different stations along the trail were hosted by leaders from the

various troops in the Merrimac District. Our own Mr. Jim Martin hosted a station that involved cooking with a box oven to

make cookies and even a lesson in making ice cream. There was also a competition for the best sleds and our own patrols

managed to snag a second and third place showing in this event.

On Saturday evening there was a special campfire where awards were handed

out for outstanding efforts during the various events. Additionally, there was

a special Tap Out ceremony hosted by the Blue Heron O/A Lodge where new

inductees throughout the district were notified of their acceptance into the

Order of the Arrow. Our own James W. and Assistant Scoutmaster John

Walker were among those tapped out. The campfire was closed out with

entertaining skits put on by various members of the different troops in the

Merrimac District. It was a fitting conclusion to a great weekend that was

enjoyed by all.

RANK ADVANCEMENTS

The following scouts advanced since the last newsletter in September

Ben M.

Brock D.

Derek S.

Matt W.

Michael E.

Gareth R.

Aaron S.

Stephen G.

None

Mitchell H.

Thomas B.

Greg L.

Merit Badges

Marc A. Pathfinding, Wilderness Survival

Thomas B. Pathfinding, Tracking

John B. Orienteering

Patrick B. Orienteering

Jack C. Pathfinding

Michael E. Cooking, Orienteering, Wilderness Survival

Joe E. Pathfinding, Tracking

Joe G. Camping, Family Life, Pathfinding

Will G. Pathfinding

Bryan G. Pathfinding

Jesse H. Pathfinding, Wilderness Survival

Tristan K. Pathfinding

Greg L. Pathfinding

Brendan M. Pathfinding

Matt P. Automotive Maintenance, Pathfinding

Tyler P. Emergency Preparedness, Orienteering

Gareth R. Automotive Maintenance, Cooking, Pathfinding, Wilderness Survival

Zachary S. Pathfinding

Aaron S. Cooking, Dentistry, Orienteering, Wilderness Survival

James W. Pathfinding, Tracking

Jake W. Emergency Preparedness, Orienteering

Joe Z. Pathfinding