| Recently I attended Cub Scout Leader Outdoor | | | | arm and ruined a jacket while trying to stir |
| Experience training. This was a 24 hour | | | | bacon in the bottom of our den's dutch oven. |
| course starting Friday evening. If you are a | | | | (This had nothing to do with any inherent |
| leader whose Council officers this kind of | | | | danger with using dutch ovens.) Later when |
| training, I would highly recommend it.We were | | | | we cooked with foil packs we had the same |
| split up into 4 dens of 8-10 people and did | | | | problem. The fire got so hot that some of |
| everything as dens. We setup our 10'X10' | | | | the aluminum foil was melting and the food |
| canvas wall tents, made a den flag, cooked | | | | inside most of the foil packs was not cooked |
| and ate together, and attended breakout | | | | evenly. Any part touching the foil was burnt |
| sessions together. We cooked breakfast in | | | | while other parts were a bit under |
| dutch ovens and made foil packs for | | | | done.Actually, I didn't mind so much. I |
| lunch.Some breakout sessions were directly | | | | learned some valuable lessons from this. I |
| related to Webelos badges: readyman (first | | | | think part of the problem was that they just |
| aid), naturalist (bugs, snakes, birds nests, | | | | used too much charcoal. If you can't control |
| etc.), forester (trees and leaves), | | | | air flow, you can still control the amount of |
| outdoorsman (camping gear), and geologist | | | | fuel. (After the experience at breakfast, I |
| (rocks and fossils), There were also | | | | think I would have done something different |
| breakout sessions on setting up camp (tents, | | | | at lunch.) Also, I decided that in some ways |
| sleeping bags, weather), wood tools (knives, | | | | pressurized fuel can be safer than cooking |
| bow saws, and hatchets), camp cooking, fire | | | | over wood or charcoal. With a propane stove, |
| starting.In the larger goup we were given | | | | you can easily adjust the size of the |
| information on topics such as games for cub | | | | flame.There were some other things that I |
| scouts, doing religious services at | | | | thought were kind of funny. For example, |
| camp-outs, how to conduct an effective | | | | while on a hike, one of the trainers was |
| campfire ceremony, and specific information | | | | telling us that when we are on a trail, if we |
| on this summer's Webelos camps.We also had an | | | | come to a puddle we should walk through it |
| evening campfire ceremony. The staff did a | | | | instead of walking around it (which would |
| great job with this. It was very | | | | then be creating a new trail). This was due |
| entertaining with jokes, skits, songs, and a | | | | to the "leave no trace" philosophy. However, |
| short inspirational talk at the end. The | | | | shortly after that we were herded off the |
| inspirational talk was based on NOTES FOR | | | | trail to be shown various trees and plants, |
| KEYNOTE ADDRESS FOR JSCOPE 2000 By General | | | | and in the process people were trampling wild |
| Charles C. Krulak, which was about the Roman | | | | flowers. Also, they encouraged us to take |
| military roots of the word | | | | rocks, fossils, and arrowheads that we found |
| "integrity".Finally, one of the last things | | | | to start our own collections. I always |
| we did was go on a hike that also doubled as | | | | thought that was against the leave no trace |
| a tour of the facilities. They also had us | | | | philosophy.Another thing that I thought was |
| do a sort of scavenger hunt where we we | | | | funny was the way they taught us to start |
| supposed to take note of something small, | | | | fires. In the old days, scouts would learn |
| something large, something beautiful, | | | | to start fires without even using a match. |
| something mysterious, something magical, | | | | These trainers emphasized much easier |
| something from the past, something that | | | | methods. Some of the fire starters they |
| represents the future, etc. When we got back | | | | showed us included: dryer lint, cardboard |
| there was a little inspirational talk where | | | | coated with candle wax, store bought fire |
| one of the trainers talked about how an apple | | | | starters, and store bought fake logs chopped |
| can be viewed as being all of these things | | | | up into smaller pieces and wrapped in |
| and sliced the apple in half showing the | | | | newspaper. Another attendee mentioned making |
| star. He talked about how boys see nature | | | | firestarts by mixing sawdust and candle wax |
| through the eyes of their scout leaders and | | | | in a dixie cup. All these are interesting |
| how the boys are our future.On the whole, the | | | | ideas, but they seem like cheating to |
| training was quite good. The only problem we | | | | me.Anyway, this experience really was fun and |
| had was with the way the cooking was done. | | | | very informative. Some of the sessions |
| The staff had brought in a big portable fire | | | | (especially first aid) seemed far too short, |
| pit into which they dumped charcoal. There | | | | but they were throwing a lot of information |
| was no way to control air flow, and the fire | | | | at us. Also, it was fun just getting |
| got so hot that it was difficult to get close | | | | together with the other leaders and meeting |
| enough to stir the pot without getting burnt. | | | | new people. |
| In fact, I did burn the hair off part of one | | | | |