We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

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7/7 at 7PM Webinar: Philmont Fires, the Welcome Center, the highest peaks and longest treks

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Our very first feature in Adventure Talks will be live on July 7, at 7PM and will feature a Philmont Panel!

Our excellent panelists have stories about the Philmont Fires, the Welcome Center, the highest peaks and longest Treks. They’ve participated as Philmont Ambassadors, Scouting U Faculty, Camp Directors, Operational Staff and participants in their youth – and aim to offer you a glimpse of each role and how you can participate too!

At the end our panelists will open up to questions from you– please sign up for the ZOOM to join the Q&A session: https://scoutingevent.com/082-adventureTalks

Panelists: Tom Giugni, Jay Oakman, Sam McGrath and Arden Dougan

Moderator: Julia Mae-Shen Lesko

Read their bios in the photo gallery above and be sure to tune in at 7PM!

Pack 7203 Holds Virtual Pinewood Derby!

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On June 28th, 2020, Cub Scout Pack 7203, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, held their annual Pinewood Derby virtually with 17 competitors. Competitors were required to submit their cars in advance of the race and were inspected and remediated where necessary to ensure compliance with published rules. The derby was broadcasted and viewed on Zoom. Derby cars were judged on speed, design, color and best of show.

The results of the Pinewood Derby (Virtual):

Speed (Cub Scout Pack)
1st Place – Howard “Will” Zimmerman (Bear)
2nd Place – Hunter Kirkland (Webelos)
3rd Place – Cristo Morris (Webelos) *Previous two time derby winner)

Speed (Cub Scout Dens)
Fastest Tiger – Alexus Gumbs
Fastest Bear – Howard “Will” Zimmerman
Fastest Webelo I – Hunter Kirkland
Fastest Webelos II – Nick DeGraff

Innovative Design
Alex Gumbs (Tiger)

Color Scheme
Kriston Ward (Bear)

Best of Show
Veer Chatlani (Webelos)

USVI Pack 7227 is Off to the Races!

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After weeks of sanding, painting and assembling, the day finally came when Pack 7227 of St. Croix USVI was ready to race in March 2020. Scouts, parents and siblings lined the track as Scout Master Chris Mercer got every excited for the first race. With the help of several youth volunteers from Troop 7227 and Scout parents, the Cub Scouts were able to race their cars through the final elimination.

The derby was filled with laughter, excitement, great sportsmanship and smiling faces the whole time. This event is a great reminder of why we put these events together and work hard to keep the spirit of Scouting alive.

 

Cub-A-Day Program Week 5 (July 6th – July 11th)

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Hey, Cub Scouts, it’s Make Something Monday

You’ve learned some handy skills with Make Something Monday; time to put some of them to good use.  Make a pine cone or toilet paper roll bird feeder.

When you are done making it, find a place to hang it that you can watch the birds that visit.

You can find instructions and some ideas for Adventure requirements you can complete using your feeder here: https://cubscoutideas.com/209/cub-scout-den-meeting-bird-feeders

Are you hungry? It’s Taste Something Tuesday…

It’s summertime and the weather is hot – Cool off by making custom ice pops at home!

https://www.instructables.com/id/Easy-Ice-Cube-Tray-Popsicles/ is a good place to start, but you can use your favorite juices or add fruit chunks to make them your own.

All who wander are not lost… especially on Wander Around Wednesday

Use a map (paper or digital) and locate where you live.  Draw a route that would get you to a local grocery store, park, your school, or somewhere else you visit often.

Use the map to plan a walk around your neighborhood and then head out and see how well you can follow your route.

Wolf Scouts can use this activity to Finding your Way #1 or #4.  Orienting a map and working with a compass is also a NOVA Science Everywhere activity.

It’s time to Do Something Thoughtful Thursday
Reflect on what one point of the Scout Law means to you.  Talk with your family about what that point means to them.  See if you all think about the Scout Law the same way and what you can learn from your family and their point of view.
It’s Family Fun Friday… family time is fun time!

The family that goes to places together has FUN!  Take a hike or bike ride with your family today.  Try to find a new and exciting place to explore – a nearby park, a new area of town, or nature preserve.

This activity fulfills a Cub Family Summertime Passport Activity (A completed Passport counts as Cub Summer Camp! for the Outdoor Activity Award)  Get your passport here: https://www.ncacbsa.org/cubspa/

It’s Safety Saturday…but it’s also International Scouts Trash the Trash Day!

Scouts Trash the Trash Day is a cooperative community clean up – If everyone picks up just 1 pound of trash – The world would be so much cleaner.

Practice safe habits while you pick up trash in your neighborhood, on a trail, or around shared community spaces:

1) Know the weather
2) Dress for the place you are cleaning.
3) Wear sturdy gloves and consider rubber gloves over those.
4) Have a traffic lookout if you are near a road
5) Don’t try to pick up anything sharp or that you can’t identify.

Register your unit for Scouts Trash the Trash day here: https://www.scoutstrashthetrashday.org/ and you can access their Garbage Scavenger Hunt!!

Adventure Talks

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Join us every Tuesday at 7PM as we host conversations with adventurers!

Adventure Talks are a webinar series to bring the illustrious and exciting adventures that Scouts take to you! Scouts have explored the deep ocean, the corners of the earth, and space. This series of talks features presentations and panels about Philmont, the Appalachian Trail, research in Antarctica, biking across the USA, Scouting Jamborees, and more. The first two presentations are described below, and you can read more here: https://scoutingevent.com/082-adventureTalks

July 7: Philmont Talks:  Fires, the Welcome Center, the highest peaks and longest treks

A panel of Philmont Ambassadors, Rangers and Camp Directors take you on this virtual adventure!

Panelist Tom Giugni: He first experienced Philmont as an adult advisor for a 7 day trek in 1997. Since then, he’s trekked two 12-day treks and one Autumn Adventure trek. He attended training at the PTC and served as faculty and course director for NAYLE and Philmont Leadership Challenge and served as volunteer coordinator for NAYLE and PLC at Philmont. He’s worked as seasonal staff in Logistics at Philmont Scout Ranch as a Trip Planner in 2011 and 2012 and as the Logistics Manager in 2013-2018 (the Ute Park Fire occurred during my last year as manager.) He drove commissary trucks in 2019 and was schedule to serve as camp director for Rayado Ridge Leadership Camp before Philmont cancelled the 2020 camping season due to COVID-19.

Panelist Jay Oakman: Jay is currently the Central Region Area 5 Camp Assessment Chair. In the past 40 years he has held positions in Unit,(Pack, Troop, Ship and Crew) District, Council, Area, Regional and National. He severed on 27 National Camping Schools for Day Camp Administration, the last 18 as a Course Director. At Philmont, Jay has been on Backcountry treks, a participant at the Training Center, and been staff at Basecamp and well as faculty at the Training Center.

Panelist Sam McGrath: Sam is currently the District Executive of George Mason District in the National Capital Area Council. But before he joined us, had worked at Philmont for 7 seasons, including a fall and a winter, and in 3 different departments!

Panelist Arden Dougan: Dr. Arden Dougan is a Philmont Ambassador and has earned the Master’s Track Knot. She has been on faculty at the Philmont Training Center 7 times. She co-developed the 2016 STEM/Nova and 2010-2011 University of Scouting conference and has served on faculty for Boy Scout Roundtable conference. She was a Crew Advisor on a Philmont Trek. Her Eagle Scout Son and Venturer/Girl Scout Gold Award daughter have enjoyed the Philmont Training Center family program. She has been an avid Unit District, Council, Area, Regional and National Scouter, and she has staffed the National Scout Jamboree and the World Scout Jamboree. Arden is the VP of Program Impact on the Executive Board at the National Capital Area Council, and the ideator behind Adventure Talks!

• Moderator Julia Mae-Shen Lesko: Julia Mae-Shen Lesko’s love for Philmont began in 1983, when her father took the family to Philmont Training Center, and Julia spent a memorable week on a Mountain Woman Trek.  She serves as the current national Wood Badge coordinator for Scouting U and Northeast Region Wood Badge coordinator.  Julia has served in many leadership positions at the unit level (pack, troop, crew) as well as district, region, and national levels. A member of the National Capital Area Council, Julia currently serves as an Assistant Council Commissioner (Commissioner College Dean) and as one of the council’s Philmont Ambassadors.  She has served as a conference facilitator and trainer at the Philmont Training Center, Florida Sea Base, Summit Bethel Reserve, and National Order of the Arrow Conference.

 Julia is a Vigil Honor member of the Order of the Arrow and recipient of the Silver Buffalo Award, Silver Antelope Award, Silver Beaver Award, District Award of Merit, Philmont Masters Track Knot/Device, and other training knot awards.  Julia resides in Gainesville, Virginia, with her wonderfully supportive Scouter husband, John. Although this summer’s trip to Philmont has been delayed due to Covid-19, the newlyweds can’t wait to get to Philmont soon!

July 14: An Eagle’s Guide to the Rainforest 

 NESA World Explorer Evan Dann shares his experience at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in Ecuador!

Speaker Evan Dann: Evan is currently studying Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Nanotechnology at Boston University. He earned my Eagle Scout award in 2015 and five Eagle palms. He’s been a volunteer Merit Badge counselor at BSA Camp Airy for 7 years teaching the Ice Skating and Pioneering merit badges. In addition to participating in the NESA World Explorer Amazon Research Experience, he has completed a Philmont backpacking trek in 2015; he’s sailed Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island with Sea Scout Ship 59 in 2016; and competed in the Sea Scout Koch Cup in 2018 in Galveston, TX. Evan also volunteered as a scout at President Obama’s Inauguration in 2012 and President Trump’s Inaugural parade in 2017. Some other adventures that Evan has undertaken include hiking the Appalachian Trail through all of Maryland, parts of Pennsylvania and Virginia, living in France for 6 months, and skiing through the Alps, Colorado Rockies, and parts of New England.

 

 

The Adventure Talks are brought to you by the NCAC High Adventure Committee and Summer WOW Task Force! We hope you have a WONDERFUL time tuning in with us every Tuesday at 7PM!

If you want to share your adventure, please email the High Adventure Committee Chair: john.blackwell@goosecreekdistrict.org

MSSC Reopening on July 6!

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Here’s some good news to get you in the mood for fireworks: the Marriott Scout Service Center will reopen to the public on Monday, July 6, 2020!

We will be opening in phases, so there will be limited staff support during this time. There will be someone at the front desk to assist with your Scouting needs, but we encourage everyone to continue to do as much of their Scouting business as possible electronically. If you have paperwork or materials to turn in, please visit us; otherwise, please call or email.

The Scout Shop at MSSC will reopen on July 10, 2020. They will offer modified hours Monday – Friday, 10am – 6pm,  Saturday 10am – 2pm and closed on Sunday.

All visitors are required to wear face coverings while they are in the MSSC. Bathrooms will not be available to the public, and there will continue to be no in-person meetings or gatherings. If you are not feeling well or have been in contact with someone who may be infected with COVID-19, please plan to visit us another time. We are committed to protecting the health of our staff and volunteers.

That said, we are excited to be reopening and look forward to seeing you again soon!