PATROL AND TROOP HIKING

foreign [Music] to help other people at all times to keep myself physically strong mentally awake and morally straight thus Alan Preston sets forth on the Scout Trail impressed by the solemnity of the occasion curious to find out what Lies Over the Horizon eager to join in the larger Adventures that scouting promises to give him but what about later on wait a minute how will Alan Preston feel about scouting a year from now yeah you're a scout aren't you could be do you go on a lot of hikes and do things sure sometimes 25. I'll get there I'm aiming for that bulldog have you been out camping yet no not yet do you like to go camping yeah sure when they go to scout meetings oh I don't go very often the reason for the change in Alan's attitude is pretty plain boys join Scouting For The Adventure of the outdoors that's one of the unique contributions of scouting to our youth and Alan felt cheated because his Patrol and Troop activities had a little promise of getting out into the open air so Mr scoutmaster the outdoors is the answer if you don't offer it as the answer all the other things added together do not make Scouting For The Boy perhaps you like Mr a think talking about it is a satisfactory substitute and so you should carry an extra pair of socks just in case next week I want to talk to you about fire building are there any questions when do we have a high yeah let's go on an overnight when do we go yeah we might go next Saturday only uh I what do we bring where do we go well I uh yeah let's go where are we go where are we gonna go okay fellas I'll meet you in front of the church at nine o'clock Saturday everyone bring his own food and we'll cook our lunch when we get there now I'm not going to tell you till Saturday where we're going you know it'll be a sort of a surprise there we go the day of the big surprise has arrived The Troop has arrived their packs have arrived after a fashion now where is Mr a H here he comes after a fashion [Music] [Music] plenty of enthusiasm here and don't think they won't have fun but Mr a has missed his best bet taking advantage of this enthusiasm to set up some real scouting experiences he himself has not had the training needed to help the boys get the most out of hiking [Music] now let's look in on another situation and another scoutmaster guy Hearts training stands him in good stead as he plans The Troop program for the year then I take it you fellas agreed that this program we've worked out is pretty well on the beam there's plenty of outside activity here looks as though there'll be at least one Patrol hike and one outdoor troop event when the whole troop gets together Out of Doors each month and furthermore it's all pretty carefully planned according to our monthly themes boy some of the new guys in my patrol have played that matter yeah and some of the equipment has been taking quite a beating too we need to work on it well that's why Roundup month early in the fall is a good idea you should know as a result of that just where your Patrol stands both in Scout skills and equipment you see these Patrol and Troop activities both indoor and outdoor are a chance for the fellas newer Patrol to learn their Scout skills down pat say I'd like some ideas on where to take Patrol hikes I'm sure one of the other fellas can help you with that Tom but here are some starters money interesting hike is a trip to a spot of historical interest there are quite a number near here exploration hikes are fun too Old-Timers in the neighborhood can often give you Clues to interesting places these hikes can give you plenty of chances to use your Scout craft too if you want to add some fun to one of your hikes try a game stalking hike having each Patrol divide up in an area covering a mile or so and try stalking local game to get a picture if a patrol lives in an area where game is not plentiful they may obtain other unusual live pictures and of course I don't need to mention hikes just for the fun of stretching your legs for five or ten miles if you're really hiking why not go for the hiking merit badge and get your 10 mile hike in but before you take your gang on too many hikes there are a few things they should know especially the new members Scouts should learn early how important it is to dress properly for a hike wear long trousers in rough or Brushy country where brambles poisonous snakes are where other hazards are dangerous to bare legs the ride Footwear can save plenty of trouble two pairs of medium weight well-fitting Woolen socks are essential to prevent blisters they should be clean with no holes or seams good substantial shoes are needed too but never wear a new pair on a hike unless you want to come back limping other equipment to Take Along includes first aid kit knife matches in a waterproof container notebook and pencil ax map of the area and a compass a tender foot Scout usually needs to take a few short jaunts to get into condition before he tries an all-day Journey this way his feet will get into shape and he will come to appreciate the right kind of Footwear and Foot Care most fellas aren't apt to believe what you say until they've had one good blister and by the way blisters should be taken care of on the spot they can be dangerous no matter how small this is so important that it's a good idea to have a brief foot inspection once in a while anyway if you find any blisters developing apply some tape to try and keep the skin from breaking get across the idea that it's not brave to try and stick it out it's foolish there's another thing to remember about when hiking with your gang keep your pace slow enough so that the slowest member can keep up easily don't try to make all of the hikes and endurance contest stop once in a while to enjoy the scenery and relax most fellas need to learn about lunches for hikes too teach the fellas in your Patrol to use Variety in packing a lunch it's worth the extra trouble fruit and fresh vegetables as well as sandwiches are always good and carry your own water unless you know that there is tested water where you're going if you follow some of these ideas in your Patrol hiking program you'll find the fellas will want to go more often and you'll be looking for some more new ideas and so in this troupe the hiking program is not only planned well in advance but it is Thoroughly integrated into the rest of the troop activities in their patrol and Troop activities the scouts learn many of the things they need to know in order to progress in the Scout program and hence to be able to take care of themselves Outdoors foreign the height then is the chance for the Scout to bring all of his skills together in the solution of a real problem out of doors [Music] it's a chance too for his patrol leader to know how the Scout is progressing and where he may need help Fox Patrol do not open until 9 00 a.m Saturday May 5th ah Compass hike contest among the patrols this will be an all-day affair with a cookout and campfire after the rendezvous on your mark boxes come on out with the map and Compass we haven't got all day well now let's see North lies this way there's our course off that way let's go foxes there's the large Oak Now where's that note there it is we found it say this is going to be easy we'll beat the other patrols by a mile oh wouldn't you know somebody had pulled something like this on us well okay let's get at it wonder where the Beavers are about now step on it fellas we're nearly there hey what's this all the Beavers got there first anyhow it was a lot of fun the code messages really had us bothered for a while next time we'll beat those fellas wonder where the Eagles are stopping to have their picture taken well well look who's here at least we weren't last say what happened did you lose your compass on this hike each Patrol is demonstrating a different style of cooking the foxes are cooking a one-pot meal all of the essentials except dessert are in this one pot the Divas aren't going to be outdone in the cooking Department either they're showing how to cook a meal without utensils the Eagles are proudly displaying the cooking gear which they made themselves um it wouldn't fry any better in a store skillet while demonstrating everyone learned something eats well and has a good time these three activities add up to the same thing to keep a full day in the Out of Doors draws to a close thinking over the day's events the boys begin to understand how much learning went along with their fun one of the Tenderfoot scotsness troop realize it or not they've covered most of the second class requirements today in this hike as our second scout master concludes the day's activities it's not difficult to see how he Compares with our Mr a there's little doubt as to which group of boys had both fun and a real learning experience knowingly or otherwise these boys have benefited from that experience in the fullest possible way whether it was reading a map or cooking a meal in the open or developing the more advanced skills they have grown in scoutcraft Scout participation and Scout spirit [Music] foreign [Music]