Swap Off Tomorrow!

Dear Scouts,

TL Storer Camporee, led by SPL Matt, was a great opportunity to spend the weekend camping over a beautiful fall weekend. Thanks to Mr. Smith for camping out and many adult drivers who helped shuttle scouts up to and from Barnstead NH. That helped a lot.

Scouting happens during events and outdoor experiences like this. We use our meetings to plan, prepare, sometimes skill-up, so that we can conduct scouting over the course of these events. The meetings in-and-of themselves are a way or a method we use to conduct our outdoor program. This helps us “Be Prepared”. It’s not always fun but going through a planning process, understanding what gear is needed from personal gear, patrol gear and troop gear. I strongly encourage new scouts to come to as many events as possible to experience what scouting and boy-led experiences are. You won’t get that from the meetings but only during an event.

I’m especially proud of our senior scouts including Cameron, Lucien, Jonah and Lucas (all who attended the Camporee), who make our outdoor program come to life. Cameron used the camporee to do some wilderness survival camping by taking and enlarging a hole in the ground, covering it up with leaves and setting up camp without tent and sleeping in it. Lucien, Lucas, Jonah and Cameron were very good at helping the new leaders as they themselves are veterans of many nights of camping. They jumped into service projects around camp, cutting trees, clearing brush and we even hung signs up in the dining hall (yea!) that we had made from earlier years. They help craft the culture of the troop from how we set up & prepare camp, muster, organize, prepare meals, cleanup, conduct campfire programs and break down the camp and get everyone to and from where they need to be. They always leave the place better, certainly cleaner, than they found it.

This weekend is the Town’s Drop Off / Swap Off. It’s a great time to do service for our town and put the scout law into action. It’s also a great time for scouts to think about being Thrifty.

See you this weekend.  Do your good turn each day, not just when scouting.

Yours in Scouting,
Mr. Duggan