| SCOUTING TIPS |
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| TRAIL TO EAGLE |
| OUTDOOR TIPS |
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| Keep Yourself Safe Around Snakes Although poisonous snakes are common in some parts of the country, bites from them are rare. Snakes try to avoid humans, usually striking only when cornered. Few bites result in death. Still, you must be alert when you walk through areas where snakes may live. Use your hiking stick to poke among the rocks and brush ahead of you. Watch where you put your hands as you climb over rocks and logs or collect firewood. Many snakes are active at night; don't walk through camp barefooted. Snakes seldom strike very high, so leather hiking boots will offer protection. When swimming or boating in southern states, watch for cottonmouth snakes sunning along the shore or on tree branches overhanging the water. Wet-Weather Fire Tip Use fire starters. Fire starters won't take the place of tinder and kindling, but the can give your match flame a boost to get a blaze going. Make your own fire starters at home or carry a candle stub. In some parts of the country, you can find pitch wood - a piece of dead pine heavy with dried sap. The ease with which it burns makes it the perfect natural fire starter. Finding Your Way Without a Compass - Equal-length-shadow method. In the morning, push a straight 3-foot-long staff upright into the ground. Tie a string around the bottom of the staff with a bowline. Extend the string to the end of the staff's shadow. Tie a peg to the string at that point, and use it to scratch a smooth circle on the ground around the staff. Push the staff into the ground at the point where the tip of the staff's shadow hits the circle. In the afternoon, place another peg where the tip of the staff's shadow again touches the circle. A straight line scratched between the pegs is a west-east line, with west at the morning peg. A line at right angles to that one is north-south. No Fires in Tents No tent is fireproof. All of them can burn or melt when exposed to heat. Keep all flames away from tents. Never use candles, matches, stoves, heaters or lanterns in or near tents. Flashlights only Treating muddy water Sometimes the only water you can find is clouded with silt. Strain the water through a neckerchief or bandanna into a pot, and let it stand for an hour. Most of the mud should settle to the bottom. Use a cup to dip the clear water into another pot. Then boil it, treat it with iodine tablets, or run it through a filter. Hand Thermometer Hold your palm where the food will be cooking: over the coals for broiling, in front of a reflector oven for baking. Count "one-and-one, two-and-two...," and so on, for as many seconds as you can hold your hand still. Move your hand around to find the spot with the temperature you want. Seconds Counted Heat Temperature 6-8 Slow 250-350 degrees F 4 or 5 Moderate 350-400 degrees F 2 or 3 Hot 400-450 degrees F 1 or less Very hot 450-500 degrees F Finding Your Way Without a Compass - By the sun. For a general orientation, remember that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Measuring Heights - Tree-felling method. Back away from a flagpole or tree that you want to measure. Hold a stick upright at arm's length. Sight over the stick so that its tip appears to touch the top of the pole and your thumb is at its base. Swing the stick 90 degrees to a horizontal position as if the flagpole were falling. Keep your thumb at the base of the pole, and notice where the tip of the stick seems to touch the ground. Pace the distance from that point to the base of the flagpole to get its height. Finding Your Way Without a Compass - Shadow-stick method. Push a short straight stick into the ground. Angle it toward the sun so that the stick makes no shadow. Wait until it casts a shadow at least 6 inches long. The shadow will be pointing east from the stick. A line at right angles across the shadow will be north-south. Finding Your Way Without a Compass - Watch method. Hold your watch flat. Place a short twig upright against the edge of the watch at the point of the hour hand. (This method will not work with a digital watch.) Turn the watch until the shadow of the twig falls exactly along the hour hand - that is, until the hour hand points toward the sun. A line from the center of the watch, dividing half the angle between the hour hand and the numeral 12, will point south. (Note: this method requires standard time. If your watch is on daylight savings time, turn it back 1 hour.) Making the Most of Life A Scout patrol camping in the mountains was hit by a cold, wet storm. Even though they had snug tents and warm sleeping bags, some of the Scouts began to complain. They were sure the storm was ruining their trek, and they wished they had never come. Another Scout thought it was terrific fun to be face to face with a mountain storm. He loved to hear thunder crashing down the long valleys. He saw the beauty of a forest full of mist. He knew that bad weather would put his camping skills to the test, and he welcomed the chance to improve. "I always hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and accept whatever comes my way," he told the others. "And then I have fun no matter what." With a smile on his face, he had a fine campout. Rain falls on everyone. There is not much you can do about that. But you can decide to see storms as opportunities rather than obstacles. You can choose to make the most of a situation rather than giving up and wishing you were somewhere else. |
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Knife Handling
Do:
• Keep the blades closed
except when you are using them.
• Cut away from yourself
• Keep your knife sharp and
clean. A sharp blade is easier to
control than a dull one; a clean
blade will last longer.
• Close the blades before
you pass a knife to someone
else.
Don't:
• Carry a knife with the
blade open.
• Cut toward yourself. If the
blade slips, you may be injured.
• Pound on a knife handle
or blade with another tool. The
knife may bend or break.
• Throw a knife.
• Pry with the point of a
cutting blade. It can snap off.
• Put a knife in a fire. New
knife blades are hardened, or
tempered, with just the right
amount of heat. Reheating them
may ruin the temper and
weaken the knife.
Do:
• Keep the blades closed
except when you are using them.
• Cut away from yourself
• Keep your knife sharp and
clean. A sharp blade is easier to
control than a dull one; a clean
blade will last longer.
• Close the blades before
you pass a knife to someone
else.
Don't:
• Carry a knife with the
blade open.
• Cut toward yourself. If the
blade slips, you may be injured.
• Pound on a knife handle
or blade with another tool. The
knife may bend or break.
• Throw a knife.
• Pry with the point of a
cutting blade. It can snap off.
• Put a knife in a fire. New
knife blades are hardened, or
tempered, with just the right
amount of heat. Reheating them
may ruin the temper and
weaken the knife.
Personal Overnight
Camping Gear
• Scout Outdoor Essentials
o Clothing for the season
o Pack
o Sleeping bag or 2 or 3
blankets
o Foam sleeping pad or air
mattress
o Ground cloth
• Eating kit:
o Spoon
o Fork
o Plate
o Bowl
o Cup
• Cleanup kit:
o Soap
o Toothbrush
o Toothpaste
o Dental floss
o Comb
o Washcloth
o Towel
• Personal extras you may
want to take:
o Watch
o Camera and film
o Notebook and pencil or
pen
o Insect repellent
o sunglasses
o Magnifying glass
o Binoculars
o Bird and plant
identification books
o Musical instrument
o Swimsuit
o Prayer book or Bible
Camping Gear
• Scout Outdoor Essentials
o Clothing for the season
o Pack
o Sleeping bag or 2 or 3
blankets
o Foam sleeping pad or air
mattress
o Ground cloth
• Eating kit:
o Spoon
o Fork
o Plate
o Bowl
o Cup
• Cleanup kit:
o Soap
o Toothbrush
o Toothpaste
o Dental floss
o Comb
o Washcloth
o Towel
• Personal extras you may
want to take:
o Watch
o Camera and film
o Notebook and pencil or
pen
o Insect repellent
o sunglasses
o Magnifying glass
o Binoculars
o Bird and plant
identification books
o Musical instrument
o Swimsuit
o Prayer book or Bible
Scout Outdoor
Essentials
• Pocket knife
• First aid kit
• Extra clothing
• Rain gear
• Canteen or water bottle
• Flashlight
• Trail food
• Matches and fire starters
• Sun protection
• Map and compass
Essentials
• Pocket knife
• First aid kit
• Extra clothing
• Rain gear
• Canteen or water bottle
• Flashlight
• Trail food
• Matches and fire starters
• Sun protection
• Map and compass
Wet-Weather Fire Tip
A butane lighter will give you a
flame in even the wettest
weather. Store it away from
heat and flame.
Wet-Weather Fire Tip
Before the rain begins, gather
tinder and kindling for several
fires and store it under your
dining fly.
Baking Tip
Cobblers are tasty, but have
been done before.
• Try canned apples or
cherries wrapped in puff
pastry dough-quick baked in a
Dutch oven.
• How about eating "dirt"?
Instant chocolate pudding with
nuts or chocolate chips and
gummy worms crawling out
over the cup!
• Mexican dessert-tortillas
lightly covered with margarine
and dusted with
cinnamon/sugar, then quick
browned in a Dutch oven.
• Baked apples stuffed
with raisins/nuts/cinnamon
sugar in a Dutch oven.
• How about a non-bake
munchy? Something on the
very cold side??????.
Be outside the box.
A butane lighter will give you a
flame in even the wettest
weather. Store it away from
heat and flame.
Wet-Weather Fire Tip
Before the rain begins, gather
tinder and kindling for several
fires and store it under your
dining fly.
Baking Tip
Cobblers are tasty, but have
been done before.
• Try canned apples or
cherries wrapped in puff
pastry dough-quick baked in a
Dutch oven.
• How about eating "dirt"?
Instant chocolate pudding with
nuts or chocolate chips and
gummy worms crawling out
over the cup!
• Mexican dessert-tortillas
lightly covered with margarine
and dusted with
cinnamon/sugar, then quick
browned in a Dutch oven.
• Baked apples stuffed
with raisins/nuts/cinnamon
sugar in a Dutch oven.
• How about a non-bake
munchy? Something on the
very cold side??????.
Be outside the box.
Crickets and Temperature
When at camp sometimes we hear crickets chirping. Apart from the fact that
the male is courting the female, they are telling us the approximate
temperature.
Fahrenheit: Count the number of chirps in 15 seconds and add 40 to this
number. The result is the temperature in Fahrenheit.
Celsius: Count the number of chirps in 8 seconds, and add 5 to get the
temperature in Celsius.
When at camp sometimes we hear crickets chirping. Apart from the fact that
the male is courting the female, they are telling us the approximate
temperature.
Fahrenheit: Count the number of chirps in 15 seconds and add 40 to this
number. The result is the temperature in Fahrenheit.
Celsius: Count the number of chirps in 8 seconds, and add 5 to get the
temperature in Celsius.
Camporee Etiquette
The following pointers are from years of observing scouts at Camporee and other
scout campouts. These suggestions on how to conduct yourself and your patrol
will go miles to help you win those extra points on “leadership” and “camp” that
any patrol young or old needs to earn their Presidential Award at Camporee.
• Be Prepared
• Work as a team within your patrol
• PL and APL call the shots - don’t argue
• Dress in full uniform (neckerchief is a patrol option)
• Look smart - backpacks neat with no loose cords or pots
• Have your “ten essentials” in a small bag inside the top of your pack
• Who has the first aid kit? Know the answer - you will be asked
• Patrol flag - got one?
• Patrol yell - know it?
• Handbook - take it
• Clip board - have one for the patrol paperwork at event
• HAVE FUN
The following pointers are from years of observing scouts at Camporee and other
scout campouts. These suggestions on how to conduct yourself and your patrol
will go miles to help you win those extra points on “leadership” and “camp” that
any patrol young or old needs to earn their Presidential Award at Camporee.
• Be Prepared
• Work as a team within your patrol
• PL and APL call the shots - don’t argue
• Dress in full uniform (neckerchief is a patrol option)
• Look smart - backpacks neat with no loose cords or pots
• Have your “ten essentials” in a small bag inside the top of your pack
• Who has the first aid kit? Know the answer - you will be asked
• Patrol flag - got one?
• Patrol yell - know it?
• Handbook - take it
• Clip board - have one for the patrol paperwork at event
• HAVE FUN
Campsite Tips:
• Neatness counts big time
• Duty roster - make one and stick to it (the cook needs to cook!)
• Wash your hands B4 preparing food
• Stay out of cook area if you are not on the roster as cook
• Tents are neat with ground cloth tucked under edges of tent
• Tent interiors are NEAT, no clothes or trash left inside (you will be judged)
• Neatness counts big time
• Duty roster - make one and stick to it (the cook needs to cook!)
• Wash your hands B4 preparing food
• Stay out of cook area if you are not on the roster as cook
• Tents are neat with ground cloth tucked under edges of tent
• Tent interiors are NEAT, no clothes or trash left inside (you will be judged)