Troop 171 Scouting Gazette
January 2020
Articles Index
- January Campouts - Separate Weekends
- Monday Night Parents Meeting - You Are Invited
- Parents - Troop 171 Resource and Interest Survey – Please complete by January 6!
- Personal Fitness Merit Badge
- MBU Merit Badges - Winter Break Time to Finish!
- Merit Badges Scouts Can Earn While Completing Assignments for School
- Adult Outdoor Skills Training
- Investment in Character and Leadership
- Looking Ahead - Future Dates
Troop Leaders:
- Troop 171 B: Greg Brown <gregbrownbsa171@gmail.com>
- Troop 171 G: Marta Turnbull <marta.turnbull@gmail.com>
January Campouts - Separate Weekends!
Troop 171 B and 171 G will have separate pre-Klondike campouts in January. For complete details, click on the signup links below.
January 10-12, Troop 171B will head to Camp Chimney Park west of Laramie, Wyoming for pre-Klondike training and campout.
Here Scouts can stay in a bunk bed-filled cabin or dig snow caves in which to sleep. On Saturday we will practice Scout skills such as first aid, fire-building, and lashing structures together. Free time will include opportunities to go skiing, snowshoeing, or playing cards with friends. This campout will have a Friday night departure.
- Chimney Park Signup Link
- Trip Roster [read only to see who has signed up]
January 17-19, Troop 171G will go to Camp Tahosa off the Peak-to-Peak Highway for Pre-Klondike training and campout. Here, the girls will train and practice for the February Klondike Derby, gaining Scout skills and having fun while staying together in a cabin. The girls will practice Scout skills such as first aid, fire-building, and lashing structures together. Free time will include opportunities to dig snow caves--spend the night in one--go Nordic skiing, or playing cards with friends. This campout will also have a Friday evening departure.
- Camp Tahosa Signup Link
- Trip Roster [read only to see who has signed up]
Monday Night Parent Meeting - You Are Invited!
The Fallout Room is located on the west side of the church at the basement level. It is accessed from a staircase next to the parking lot.
*** Please RSVP by January 6, 2020: Parent Information Meeting RSVP ***
Meeting agenda:
1. Aims of Scouting
2. New Troop organization structure
3. Aquatics Program
4. Adult Outdoor Skills Program
5. Importance of equipment packing lists
6. New communication approach
7. Troop resources and limitations
8. How you can help support our Troops
Parents - Troop 171 Resource and Interest Survey – Please complete by January 6!
It takes a village to raise a Scout! There are many opportunities in Scouting for boys and girls as well as adults. With that in mind, we invite you complete the Troop 171 Resource and Interest Survey to share your skills and interests so the best program can be developed for our Troop 171B and Troop 171G Scouts. Our goal is to find ways you can enjoy using your talents to help our Scouts. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated!
*** Please plan to complete the survey by January 6, 2020. Plan to take 10 to 15 minutes to complete the survey: Troop 171 Resource and Interest Survey ***
Personal Fitness Merit Badge
Stay tuned for additional information.
MBU Merit Badges - Winter Break Time to Finish!
One of our big goals is NOT to end up with an even larger list of Incomplete Merit Badges after MBU.
Incomplete Merit Badges [MBU and previous]
Remember - you are encouraged to take charge of your own advancement by finding your incomplete merit badges, completing items in your workbook and contacting a Troop 171 Merit Badge Counselor.
Need help, have questions or need to let us know about errors on the list? Please ask!
Merit Badges Scouts Can Earn While Completing Assignments for School
Click the links above to check out the requirements. If you decide to work on one of these badges, contact a troop counselor from this list. Print out the Merit Badge Workbook, and record your progress. Remember, a teacher can sign off items done for class work, but only a registered troop merit badge counselor can sign off the completed merit badge!
Adult Outdoor Skill Training
All adults registered with Troop 171B & Troop 171G are welcome to attend most of our Troop outings and campouts. We have noticed great parent interest in going on these. However, some adults have said they have little camping or backpacking experience, and they would feel more comfortable if they were better prepared to enjoy the opportunities Troops 171 have to offer.
Beginning on January 20, 2020, we will offer an adult training program comprised of six sessions: five sessions during January – May, 2020 and one session in September 2020, which will be focused on winter camping.
Please join several experienced Assistant Scoutmasters as they discuss and demonstrate various Scouting skills, using Scout Merit Badge handbooks and other resources as guides. In addition to the winter camping session, sessions will include:
- Your Day Pack (or, “What are those ten essentials anyway?”); please bring your own daypack ready for a long wilderness hike.
- Your Back Pack (or, “Why is it so heavy and how can I fill it for less money?”); please bring your backpack if you have one, ready for a four-day trip.
- Scout Menus (or, “What to eat on day three that does not weigh too much or cost a fortune to buy”).
- Tents, Tarps & Knots (or, “How to pitch a tent that won’t blow to Kansas in a Chinook”).
- Staying Found with Map, Compass, Geographic Information System, and Personal Locator Beacon (or, “Triangulation is not a day-time TV plot device”).
All sessions will have a backpacking focus, as we really need adult leaders for our more adventurous trips. However, all backpacking skills are transferable to our weekend car-camping trips. All sessions will include Leave No Trace training.
Investment in Character and Leadership
Many thanks to the families who made a contribution on Colorado Gives Day in support of Troops 171s support of Longs Peak Council. We have yet to reach our combined goal of $10,000. So, if you have not had a chance to give, please do so at this site:
- Longs Peak Council Donation Link
- District - Wapiti
- Unit Type - Troop
- Unit Number - 171
- Additional Comments - "2020 ICL Troop 171"
Desert Mini Adventure
Paria Canyon High Adventure
Desert High Adventure
Looking Ahead...
Eagle Scout Court of Honor - Sunday, January 26, 2020. All Scouts and their families are invited to celebrate several of our Scouts achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. Details to follow.
Klondike Derby - Feb. 21 - 23, 2020 at Golden Gate State Park south of Nederland.
Spring Break Adventures - March 21-28, 2020. This year we are offering multiple backpacking trips for Scouts of all ages:
- Micro Adventure: Harris Wash [ages 11 - 12 w/ Micro Adventure experience]
- Mini Adventure: Dirty Devil River Desert Adventure [ages 12 - 13 w/ previous backpacking trip] <-- NEW TRIP
- High Adventure 1: Paria Canyon [ages 14 - 17 w/ Troop backpacking experience and trip leader approval] March 20 - 22 Friday departure
- High Adventure 2: Utah Desert High Adventure [age >14 w/ Troop backpacking experience, rappel training and trip leader approval]
April Campout: April 24 - 26, 2020 destination TBD
May Campout: May 8 - 9, 2020 destination TBD
Summer Camp will take at Medicine Mountain Scout Ranch June 13-20. Medicine Mountain Scout Ranch in the Black Hills of South Dakota!