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Archives for July 2024

Scout from Troop 451 Participates in Inaugural Zia Trek at Philmont!

July 29, 2024 by Mickey Nemier

From June 29th through July 7th, Derek S, a Scout from Troop 451, and his Scoutmaster, Patrick Van Hooser, participated in the inaugural Zia Trek at Philmont Scout Ranch.

This trek was designed for Scouts with special needs and disabilities to complete a traditional trek with the support of a caretaker or “shadow.” While most Scouts had a parent, Derek had his Scoutmaster as his “shadow.”

A space was even created in the National Scouting Museum, which included their trek and council service patches for each Scout who participated, with this drawer having an NCAC patch included.

 

There was also an article written about this inaugural trek experience in the Philmont News magazine!

Filed Under: Adventure

Olympic Dream Comes True for NCAC Eagle Scout

July 26, 2024 by Mickey Nemier

UPDATE: On August 3, 2024, NCAC Eagle Scout Christian Tabash and the U.S. Men’s Eight Rowing took the Bronze medal at the Paris Olympics!

We are excited to cheer on Christian Tabash in Men’s Eight Rowing, who earned the rank of Eagle Scout in the National Capital Area Council! Christian was a member of Troop 976 in Alexandria, Virginia. He is one of 13 Eagle Scouts competing on Team USA in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Daniel Glass, one of his Scoutmasters on his journey to Eagle, tells us, “Christian was a highly disciplined athlete all through high school at Gonzaga and showed everyone that you CAN balance sports and scouting.  He also rowed for Harvard.”

Aaron on Scouting reports, “He continued to develop his skills in college. At Harvard, he showed remarkable improvement each year, with the only hiccup being a season that was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. As a graduate student at the University of California, he developed his skills even further, eventually qualifying for his first Olympic Games.”

On Monday, July 29, Team USA earn 1st in Heat 1, so Tune in on Saturday, August 3, to watch Christian and his team compete in the Mens Eight Rowing Finals!

Learn more from the article on Aaron on Scouting.

Check out his segment on Scouting Magazine’s YouTube video about the 13 Eagles.

 

Filed Under: Eagle of the Week

Scouting CARES goes to Day Camp!

July 18, 2024 by Mickey Nemier

                            

Excitement filled the air as five eager Scouting CARES (Character, Achievement, Respect, Education, and STEM) students from St. Francis Xavier embarked on a thrilling day at Patuxent Day Camp in Bowie, MD. Their excitement grew even further on the car ride there, ready to dive into a day of outdoor fun and learning.

When they arrived, the Scouts were given the honor of leading the flag-raising ceremony and watched as the flag unfurled against the blue sky.

But the excitement didn’t stop there. The Scouts took center stage for the daily weather report, channeling their inner TV presenters as they shared the forecast with fellow campers.

However, the real showstopper of the day was the fishing expedition as five enthusiastic kids learning the art of casting. The looks of concentration on their faces as they attempted to perfect their technique were priceless. While the fish seemed to be on vacation that day, the sheer joy of being lakeside was infectious. The students’ laughter echoed across the water as they celebrated each other’s fish, or no fish, attempts.                                                                                           

As their day of adventure comes to an end, the tired but happy campers start their journey back to school. The ride home was peaceful, with drooping eyelids and content smiles telling the tale of a day well spent in the outdoors.

This amazing day at Patuxent Day Camp wasn’t just about fun and games – it was about building confidence, fostering teamwork, and creating memories that will last a lifetime.

Filed Under: Adventure, At Camp, Scouting Programs

Scouts in Action – Saving A Life on a Plane

July 16, 2024 by Evan Gilder

On Thursday, July 11, 2024, Southwest Airlines flight 2847 started out like any other flight. We were a group of 10 Jewish scouts returning home from Philmont Scout Ranch, after completing a 100+ mile high adventure backpacking trek over the previous two weeks. It had already been a long day for us, having traveled for just over 5 hours from Cimarron, NM back to Denver for our flight home to LaGuardia Airport.

Midway through the flight, the flight attendants asked if there were any medical professionals on board the plane and to identify themselves by ringing their call button. Fortunately, there were two doctors and two nurse practitioners, one of them being part of our group of 10, sitting right next to me. They all immediately proceeded to the front of the plane. Thinking there were enough medical professionals to tend to what was going on, I simply looked down the aisle to see if I could figure out what was going on. Within a matter of two minutes, a call comes over the loudspeaker saying “Evan, get to the front of the plane!” Without really thinking about this, I ran to the front and saw a passenger on the floor in the first row.

As an adult leader, leading 14 youths on a high adventure trek, we adults are all required to have specific medical training including CPR and Wilderness First Aid, for any injuries that can occur when in the backcountry. Our nurse knew this and needed more assistance with the passenger in cardiac arrest. I was told to immediately begin CPR, something I had trained for over many years, but never had to actually do. The training immediately kicked in and I began compressions, while the doctors were going through the onboard medical kit that all airlines are required to carry. It was fairly evident that the passenger was blue and cyanotic.

There were no fewer than 4 of us working on this passenger in a very tight space between the aisle and the exit door. The two nurses were working on bagging him (forcing air into his lungs), while the doctors were continuing with assessment and administering medication and starting an intravenous line to quickly get medication into him. We all knew what had to be done and worked well together.

For those of you unaware, a person can only perform CPR for perhaps 3-4 minutes before tiring out since it is a very difficult thing to do. Thankfully, there was another passenger directly behind me who had offered to take over for me when I began to tire. Sensing that this was going to take a while, as soon as I ended CPR, I ran to the back of the plane and started directing my Scouts to get to the front of the plane to form a CPR line since I knew who was already certified to do this. We implemented a rotating four person line to rotate each person every few minutes. Having no authority, but just taking initiative, I told everyone in the second row to move to the back of the plane so the passengers in the CPR line could remain close by at the ready.

CPR continued for well over 40 minutes and by this time, the airplane medical kit had nothing left that could be used. Still in danger, I once again ran up and down the plane and asked if anyone had any EpiPen’s. While Epinephrine is a medication often used to revive the heart, an EpiPen is a much smaller dosage for an allergic reaction, something very different than a heart attack. It was thought that there was no harm at this point, since we were out of any other options. I was able to get 3 Epipen’s and immediately got them to the front of the plane. On final approach, all 3 EpiPen’s were administered in the passenger’s leg muscle.

As we were making an emergency landing in Pittsburgh, the flight attendant wanted us all seated and strapped in. One of the doctors, in a very gentle tone, said that if we did that, the patient would surely die. Compromising, we moved the patient to the floor in the first row where everyone could continue to work on him, while seated and leaning over, but not strapped in. That left two standing people and the flight attendant who could not sit because the passenger was in the way of her seat. I had the passengers create a crisscross with their arms across the aisle, holding the opposite side chair arms so that anyone in the aisle, as long as they were low, would be safe as the plane rapidly decelerated. It was a team effort by everyone involved.

Just before touchdown, a pulse was detected, no less than 45 minutes after CPR started. As soon as we arrived at the gate and the doors opened, emergency responders rushed in and took over from there. While I wouldn’t say he was stable, I can certainly say we did everything we could to give this passenger a chance; his heart was beating when he left the plane.

I failed to mention that immediately next to where we were working were five members of his family occupying the remaining seats in the first row and they saw everything. They were most helpful in providing additional medical information on the passenger as we worked together.

With the passenger and family now departed, we first got a chance to relax from the adrenaline rush that we were working under. I proceeded to go up and down the plane and thank the passengers who gave us their EpiPens as well as provide an update. My simple statement was as follows: “We did what we needed to do and now he has a chance”, without really knowing what the outcome was.
On Friday, one of the doctors got an update from the family members aboard the plane. The text message read “Thank you and everyone on the plane for what you did today. Words can’t describe how lucky we are that there were so many responders on the flight. He is currently stabilized and sedated. “

People often ask me what scouting is all about and my answer is always the same: To Be Prepared for what life throws our way. I am proud to say, our group faced a challenge and showed what they can do, even when faced with a tough situation.

If you want to find Scouting near you, visit BeAScout.org.

Reach out to The National Jewish Committe on Scouting  https://www.jewishscouting.org/

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Backpacking Adventure in Wyoming

July 16, 2024 by Joe McMullin

During the last week of June 2024, when the National Capital Region was at or above 100 degrees, a contingency trek of 13 Scouts and 6 Scouters sponsored by the NCAC High Adventure Committee flew to Wyoming. On Sunday, they first visited Yellowstone National Park and Old Faithful, seeing lots of wildlife including bison, mule deer and other small mammals. They then drove south to Grand Teton National Park and did a first day hike to Taggert Lake to acclimate to the high elevations, hiking from 6,000 feet to 7,500 feet for 7 miles. They then visited the town of Jackson, Wyoming to see the sites.

On Monday, they hiked from the Granite Creek Campground for 9 miles hiking from 6,500 feet to 8,500 feet for more acclimation, followed by a unique experience of swimming in a pool constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. The pool is fed by hot springs and snowmelt.

On Tuesday they began their backpacking trek at the Big Sandy Trailhead of 9,120 feet hiking to Big Sandy Lake at 10,250 feet, hiking 8.4 miles. The fish were plentiful and everyone casting caught 6 or more fish each.

On Wednesday, they hiked 10.7 miles to the top of Jackass Pass at 10,805 feet through knee high snowbanks. Due to the high snow conditions they had the thrill of sliding down snowbanks to get to the trail and camped at Lizard Head Meadow at 10,031 feet.

On Thursday they hiked 13.5 miles to Valentine Lake at 10,433 but had to climb along the Lizard Head Trail at 11,857 feet. Heavy breathing due to thin air slowed the trek, but the beauty of the tall peaks and mountains inspired them.

On Friday, they hiked the most strenuous leg of their trek climbing to the top of Washakie Pass at 11,624 feet. The pass was covered by several feet of snow, but with good boots and hiking poles to steady their progress, everyone made it. They finished the hike after hiking 12.7 miles camping beside Shadow Lake at 10,140 feet.

On Saturday they hiked 13.3 miles back to the Big Sandy Trailhead with a stream crossing of icy cold snow melt water to cool everyone off.

Total distance backpacked 58.6 miles with stunning beauty of the Wind River Range to inspire them to visit again in the future.

 

Filed Under: Adventure

Join the Scout-tober Fest Fall Fun!

July 16, 2024 by Cynthia Griffiths

Calling all Scouts, friends, and family! Get your tickets for the Scout-tober Fest, our special Council-wide fall event.

Date: Saturday, September 21, 2024

Location: Camp William B. Snyder, 6100 Antioch Rd, Haymarket, Virginia 20169

Day Pass Hours: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Overnight Camping Options:  Units wishing to camp, we have room for 13 Cub Scout packs in the sites, all Scouts BSA, Sea Scouts and Venturers will be given space of their very own in the camporee field.

TICKETS AND REGISTRATION

ACTIVITIES:

  • Hay Rides: Enjoy this special tour around camp, no walking required!
  • Archery: Test your aim and focus on the archery range. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned archer, this activity might create some bullseye moments!
  • STEM Activities: Immerse yourself in the world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) with our hands-on activities that offer the chance to learn, create, and explore while having a blast because there will be rockets!
  • Human foosball tournament: Can your team of 6-8 Scouts be the Scout-tober Fest champion?
  • GAGA Ball Tournament: Is one of your Scouts a master gaga ball player? Be sure to sign them up for our tournament with an opportunity to win an awesome prize!
  • Climbing Wall (weather permitting): Get to the top of the Scouterhorn.
  • Crafts:  We always have lots of way to be creative!

This is the perfect chance to invite friends and family to a Scout event and have a good time outdoors. 

Scout-tober Fest 2024 flier

 

———————————–

Schedule of events

Friday: Camper-only movie night sunset in the Amphitheater.

Saturday

10 am-5 pm Open program

(Areas will open as close staff are available and to allow staff breaks).

10 am rosters for human Foosball and Gaga ball tournaments are due at the check-in station.

12-1 pm lunch (activity areas will close on a rotating schedule to allow staff to eat)

1 pm GAGA ball tournament (Cub Scouts), Foosball tournament (Scouts BSA+)

3 pm GAGA ball tournament (Scouts BSA+), Foosball tournament (Cub Scouts)

8 pm Closing show in the amphitheater

*All activities are subject to change due to weather conditions..

TICKETS AND REGISTRATION

Filed Under: Events and Trainings

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