Troop 132

We had a good zoom meeting and next week will be back to Emerson with daylight saving is still in effect. Lucien presented a wonderful video on stove safety. The PLC met Monday and we discussed ways to stay engaged outdoors. We are scouts. We use flashlights and lights as needed while camping so we will apply the same tools for the meeting until it gets too cold or snowy to say outdoors. So here’s what the PLC came up with and they have some good meetings planned.

Here’s the brief schedule – subject to change so please refer to the weekly announcements.
10/27/2020 – Emerson 6:00pm-7:00pm Stove Lighting practical experience & games
11/3/2020 – Fairyland (planned, and will need confirmation) Night hike – two groups 6:00pm – 7:00pm
11/10/2020 – TBD 6:00pm – 7:00pm -location dependant on where we can practice fire building
11/17/2020 – no Tuesday meeting instead Saturday 11/21/2020 Bike Trip 9AM Sanborn
11/21/2020 - 9:00 AM Bike Trip – Assemble at Sanborn
11/24/2020 – 6:00 pm – 7:00pm Night Games -location TBD
 
Simon’s Eagle project is well underway and he will need help this weekend. He’s building Kestral boxes that will be located in four (4) locations in Concord. The boxes are built but need to be assembled and put on posts.

Come help your former SPL! 

Congratulations to Kevin O’Neil who passed his Eagle Board of Review on Thursday 10/15/2020. The board is conducted by the District Advancement Chair and I (Scout Master) introduce and sit in on the board. Kevin did a nice job answering some interesting questions about his scouting and what it means to be an Eagle. Here’s something for all the scouts. What do you think it means to be an Eagle Scout? 

We met virtually last week and had a chance to connect. The Troop Committee also met to discuss and plan to support the Troop’s activities. Next week our plan is to meet virtually starting at 6 pm. I will also host the wrap-up for Family Life which will start at 7 PM using the same zoom meeting.

Lucien will be planning to cover some topics of importance to us all, including stove types and lighting to lashings. These are two specific areas we can use some help on. All scouts will benefit.
Here are the details for the troop and family life wrap up:

• Topic: Troop & Family Life
• Time: Oct 20, 2020 06:00 PM
• https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87121921979?pwd=L2tNOWdNMU0rK0d3azdxeWdiZThXdz09
• Meeting ID: 871 2192 1979 Passcode: 736837

The Patrol Leader Council (PLC), all positions and Sr. Scouts, and other interested scouts invited to attend the PLC meeting Monday.

• Time: Oct 19, 2020 06:00 PM
• https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84895715414?pwd=cUhXQW5mblRZNit2UmxVK01OVFhYZz09
• Meeting ID: 848 9571 5414 Passcode: 599276

Please wear Class A’s for online and Class B’s for outdoor meetings.

We will go back to Meetings Outside: Tuesday, October 27, 2020 we will meet in person at Emerson Field at 5 pm. Sunset is early and then we set the clocks back in November. We will announce our plan next week as to how we plan to meet. The challenge will be making the most of daylight or not, perhaps some night hiking or some sort of meeting outside.

During these times we need to innovate and be flexible to make our meetings challenging, scout based, and fun. Let’s continue to try new things.  If any adults have any creative ideas (tour your work location, you have a cool topic to share, you have neat skills to demonstrate and share, and etc.) to share, please email Mr. Duggan with your ideas at wjduggan2000@hotmail.com.

Do your good turn daily. There are always opportunities you just have to look for them and think of others.

Boundless Adventures lived up to its name and all of the scouts and some adults, including me, were challenged to take on new heights and tests of balance and bravery. Happy to say, only a couple of bruises while trying to follow Charlie and Lincoln who made the advance course look easy. Who knew they would put rolling logs steps on the course. That seems wrong. Thanks again to Mrs. McLeod for honchoing this event and we all had a nice time and great fall weather in New England.

The next stop was Camp Acton where we set up in two campsites, made meals, and enjoyed campfires and the company of scouts and Scouters (adults). New scouts learned ax and knife safety and the older scouts had to teach using the EDGE method.

Congratulations to Ben, Freddy, and Jonah for their ordeal and entry in the Order of the Arrow (OA). It’s good to have Arrow men back in our Troop after a hiatus. The OA is all about cheerful service and open to first-class scouts or higher. It’s the national honor society and an opportunity to meet scouts from other troops.

Since this was our first overnight, some of our skills are rusty. Lighting stoves and lashings seem to be at the top of the list of skills to work on. I would also say recognizing poisonous plants is another needed skill, even though we didn’t have any issues.

Tuesday's meeting was more on the fun side and a chance to regroup. Lucas Anthony’s Eagle project was signed off and Simon Cadavid’s project was approved. Stay tuned to the announcements for the need for help for an exciting project for Simon and the Kestral boxes.

Do your good turn daily. There are always opportunities you just have to look for them and think of others.

This weekend scouts will be challenged to be physically fit by taking on boundless adventures. This promises to be a lot of fun and challenging. Thanks to Mrs. McLeod for honchoing this event and we are all looking forward to it. Bring your gloves, lunch, and look for more details in the announcements. Later in the day, we will set up at Camp Acton for an overnight camping trip. I’m glad to be back out camping and putting into practice the scout skills that we have been learning. This is a hybrid family event. In most years we would have had a family bike trip to welcome families and new scouts to the Troop. So this event is more local and under COVID guidelines will be the next best thing. New scouts need to have a parent and the older scouts can come to join their patrols. What is different is that we will not be sharing tents and have options for cooking. Don’t forget to bring your own propane as camping fuels are up to the individual scouts and patrols.

My daughter’s car, an older Ford Explorer, has turned into the scout house gear locker complete with tents, flags, water jugs, and stoves. Also, if you have a red-handled ax that from was our last trip, please return it to met (it was mine). I neglected the cardinal rule of gear; If you like it. put your name on it. If you love it, leave it at home! 

Good luck to our Order of the Arrow (OA) inductees and good luck with the Ordeal. The OA is the national honor society for scouting. Scouts are elected by the Troop and requirements are 15 nights of scouting, first-class, and for scouts who exemplify the Scout Oath and Law, especially cheerful service, and approved by the scout leader. The ordeal is camping out on your own with no tent and limited gear (easy for most of our scouts) and then performing service with good cheer. Good luck and do your duty.

This month we will be still meeting outside and will need to make some adjustments in November for the deceased daylight. Meeting outside is important and within guidelines. We will make some adjustments but continue to offer a challenging, rewarding, and fun scout program. After all, scouting is all about being outside.