The rained out backpack trip has been rescheduled. Please review the attached flyer and RSVP to Mr. Olson @ gcolson@bigvalley.net if you would like to attend.

Thank you

Mr. Olson

BP trip_NoForkSespe April 10th

You will learn what your position is, how you fit into the troop, what is expected of you in your position, and most importantly, how you can be a great leader.
Upon completion of TLT, you will be entitled to wear the patch for your position.

When: Sunday, November 15, 2009 8:00 am – 12:00 noon
Where: Valley Trails (VT) Ranch, in the Barn
What to bring: A comfortable camp chair. A Pen, Scout Handbook, Water Bottle. All other materials, and bulk water, will be provided.
Uniform: Full Dress or “Field”* Uniform. Hat too, as we may be outdoors.
Cost: Free – But you must register by November 11th. No late registrations will be accepted.

To Register: Send email to greg@bassehome.com – ASM Greg Basse

We had a great day and it wasn’t too hot either. The boys even managed to flag down a passing LAPD helicopter which proceeded to fly circles around us while we were on the top of Mt. Hollywood.

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We’re excited to be kicking off our new Hiking and Backpacking program at Troop 583. There are no specific details on trips, locations or dates just yet but we do have some really cool things planned. This program has been designed to be challenging but it will be worth it.

This e-mail is being sent out in advance of any actual outings is to see how much interest there is. Our troop has almost doubled in size and we may have to change some plans depending on how many scouts want to participate.

The goal of this program is to have the Scouts earn their Backpacking Merit Badge and make a three day trip to Mount Whitney next summer.  Scouts that participate will probably also earn their hiking merit badge as a result of the required training.
Since the backpacking merit badge requires several three and five day trips, we will have outings on holiday weekends, spring break and during the summer.  The first of our three day trips will probably be this coming Memorial Day Weekend.  There is a good chance we’ll have a trip on Labor Day weekend as well.

More information will be coming soon but please be aware of a few guidelines for this program.

• Wilderness permits are required for many of these trips. Permits are not guaranteed and there is a maximum number of people per permit this means that:
  • Trip sign ups will be on a first come first served basis
  • Trip dates may change based on permit availability – if a date changes its probably not our fault.
• If you sign up for a trip and a permit is required, you will have to pay your portion of the permit fee which is $5 to $15 per person to secure your spot. Once the permit is paid , there will be no refunds.
• If we have too many scouts we may have to run a trip as two groups, possibly on different dates to accommodate everyone.
• We will need adult participation
• There will be training on proper gear as well as pack checks before every trip. Most of what is needed can be rented if you do not own it.
• The Mount Whitney summit is over 14,000 feet and the trip is extremely strenuous. There will be required training trips. No scout or adult will be allowed to go on the Mount Whitney trip without completing the mandatory training trips.
• There will be choices for Whitney training hikes and trips. With the exception of the pre-Whitney trip, you will not have to go on every trip to qualify for the Mt. Whitney trip.

What do you need to do if you want to participate? For now just reply to me at  robert@randjphoto.com and tell me that you are interested. Please let me know how many Scouts and adults in your family are interested and if the adults are trained leaders.  Of course if you have any questions you can contact me, Mr. Backley or Mr. Peterson. Please don’t ask about specific trips or dates yet as none of that has been finalized. As soon as we know,  trips will be announced at the Troop meetings and on the website. If you haven’t signed up for website updates, now is a great time to do that.

Regards,

Robert Bell

I am Johnny, I am the new Troop Librarian.

In order to help me organize the library, I would really appreciate it if you could send me an email and let me know if you have a book checked out from the troop library. Just let me know your name, the book name, and when you plan on returning the book.

Also, please let me know if you have any books you would like to donate to the library. It would be really great if we could get a few more books donated.

I have added the list of merit badge books to the troop website. The list includes the name of the book, how many we have, and the version date. So, you just need to go to the troop website and access the list to see if we have the book you need.

When you start a merit badge, you need to go to www.meritbadge.org. Look up the merit badge book and look at the date next to the book title. That is the updated date. Compare that date to the merit badge book in our library. If the date in our library is later than the updated date on meritbadge.org, there may be some changes to the requirements. You can ask the Merit Badge Counselor if it’s ok to use a later book. If not, you will need to go to the scout shop, Sports Chalet, or www.scoutstuff.org and buy the book. You can also go to the county library and check out a merit badge book (but make sure to check the date.)

If you would like to check out a book, just send an email to, luannpeterson@yahoo.com and tell me which book you want. I will bring it to the next troop meeting, or you can pick it up at my house.

I hope I answered all the questions you might have. Please let me know if there is anything I else I can do make checking out books from our library easy for you.

Sincerely,

Johnny

http://usgs01.srv.mst.edu/store3/digital_download/mapping_ap.jsp

We’ll add this link to the Resources section as well