Articles

Back Country Outdoor Leader Skills Registration is Open

September 6, 2022 by Dominick Caridi

Is your unit is planning a high adventure experience?

Are you looking for a place to learn or refresh the skills needed to provide the adult leadership necessary to a successful trek?

Do you want to understand how to work with older youth and how interpersonal skills, small group dynamics and team building techniques help manage risk and affect the overall quality of the trek?

Do you want to help your youth master trek planning, gear selection, gear requirements; packing, land navigation and terrain awareness, health and hygiene, menu planning, food preparation and clean-up, and field maintenance all within the context of Leave No Trace?

Then Back Country Outdoor Leader Skills (BCOLS) is the course for you! Through a well-balanced mix of explanation, demonstration, and guided hands-on practice, BCOLS will enable you to become a servant-leader to your youth and prepare them for a memorable and challenging outdoor experience.

The purpose of the course is to provide adults with an understanding of the skills necessary to implement a basic backcountry program. While this course uses backpacking as the training vehicle, the skills are applicable to treks focused on specialized skills such as rock climbing, caving, white water, mountain biking or winter camping. The training is conducted in two parts: one indoor classroom session (September 24) followed by a weekend outdoor, overnight session (October 22-23).

NCAC 2022 Powder Horn Delivers High Adventure Skills!

September 6, 2022 by Paul MacDonald

The 2022 NCAC Powder Horn Course wrapped up this August at the beautiful Camp Saint Charles located on the banks of Charleston Creek and the Wicomico River in Newburg Maryland. The participants, 10 older youth Scouts and Sea Scouts and 11 adult Scouters, spent the weekend experiencing hands on activities that included, astronomy, emergency prep, backcountry communications, scuba, small boat sailing, paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing, COPE course challenge, fly fishing, mountain biking, shooting sports, orienteering, geo-caching, and leave no trace practices.

Powder Horn is a resource course designed to introduce Scouting’s adults and youth to the exciting high-adventure program possibilities for their unit. The course supports the mission of strengthening units so they can achieve the mission of the Boy Scouts of America. Its purpose is to educate the youth and adult Scouting leaders about specific high-adventure skills, to connect them to resources to deliver those skills, and to get them excited about delivering those skills in an exciting, challenging way to youth.

Mark your calendar now as we are starting the planning for our 2023 Course to again be held on the last weekend in August.

Registration for the 32nd Annual Hikeoree is now open!

September 6, 2022 by Joe Flaig

Registration is now open for the 32nd Annual V3 (originally named for Venturing, Varsity, and Venture) Hike-o-ree to be held October 28-30, 2022, at the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center, Front Royal, VA. The Hike-o-ree is open to all Venturing Crews, Sea Scout Ships, and Scouts BSA Troops. The minimum age to participate is 13.

The Hike-o-ree is intended to be an introduction to and/or a shakedown for your unit’s backpacking adventures. Bring ONLY what you can carry in your backpack and come prepared to cook outdoors.

Your unit can choose one of 15 great hikes in or near Shenandoah NP. All hikes are approximately ten miles in length and range in difficulty from moderate (about 1500 ft elevation change) to super strenuous (about 2600 ft elevation change). Other Hike-o-ree activities include a Friday night opening rally and a Saturday night High Adventure Rally.

The cost of the Hike-o-ree is $30.00 per participant and covers the 4-H Center camping fee and our famous Hike-o-ree t-shirts. Go to https://scoutingevent.com/082-60967 for more information and to register.

Sea Scout Support for Pack 1144 Fishing Derby

September 1, 2022 by William S. Kennedy

National Capital Area Council (NCAC) Sea Scouts had the opportunity to engage in outreach and community service through a collaborative effort with Cub Scout Pack 1144. Pack 1144 held its First Annual Fishing Derby at Fountainhead park on Sunday, June 5th, 2022, with great success! The event provided an immense opportunity to bridge the gap between Sea Scouts and Cub Scouts in an interactive-learning environment. Sea Scouts supported Cub Scouts and parents in acquiring basic fishing skills, safety, and conservation mindfulness.

Able Sea Scout Quinn Laffey, Ship 1942 was on-site to bring awareness to his Conservation Quartermaster Project ,“Reel-n-Recycle.” According to Laffey “because of the GREAT EXPOSURE, 10 of the Cub Scouts recycled their fishing line and scanned the QR code on the recycling tube, to enter the lottery and possibly win one of the two fishing rod and reel packages that were donated by West Marine ($350.00 per package.)” Fifty-two Cub Scouts and Parents from Pack 1144 registered for the fun-filled event. Pack 1144 Committee Chair Brandon Budman said, “the event just took off!” The weather was beautiful and many of the Cub Scouts had great success with the “catch-and-release event.”

Sea Scouts registered for this event through a sign-up genius disseminated through the Sea Scout Committee Wardroom Meeting. This initiative fostered the opportunity for Sea Scouts to earn volunteer service hours toward rank advancement, increase Sea Scout visual presence, as well as support Cub Scouting and conservation. This Sea Scout outreach and support initiative was made possible through the collaborated efforts of the NCAC Sea Scout Committee, Pack 1144, and the newly selected National Service Territory 12 (NST12) Boatswain, William Kennedy. Boatswain William is transitioning from NCAC Boatswain’s Mate for Program to his new Territory leadership role.

Sea Scouts provide an excellent opportunity for adventure focused on youth ages 14-21 who are interested in white water rafting, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, powerboating, and SCUBA diving. To find a Sea Scout Ship near you, log-on to www.beascout.org. The opportunity is also available to start new Ships within NCAC and National Service Territory 12 (NST12). For those interested in learning more about Able Scout Quinn Laffey’s Quartermaster and Conservation Project, a hyper-link to a Dropbox is provided for Reel-n-Recycle.

Please reach out to Sea Scout Ship 1942 if interested to learn more about the engagement!

Six Sea Scouts, Three Adventures, One Ship

September 1, 2022 by Charleen Kennedy

Six Sea Scouts, Three Adventures, One Ship = SEAL

“A rising tide lifts all boats,” isn’t just an aphorism in Ship 1942 SS Dragonlady. The legacy of Ship 1942 with Skipper Tom Ballew at the helm has a long-standing tradition of sending Sea Scouts to Sea Scout Advanced Leadership Training (SEAL). Sea Scouts across the country in a variety of Sea Scout Ships apply to attend the 9-day intensive leadership on-the-water training held in locations such as New York, Tampa, Colorado, Tennessee, Galveston, San Francisco, and Seattle to name a few. Sea Scouts can apply for this advanced leadership training in a variety of Sea Scout disciplines from white water, paddle craft, sailing to living aboard motorized vessels.

The unique opportunity to have six Sea Scouts attend came to fruition because SEAL applications were opened to Scouts BSA. Any Scout who has reached the rank of First Class and age 14, and any Sea Scout who has reached Ordinary, can apply to attend SEAL. Three Eagle Scouts from Ship 1942 who are dual registered in a Troop took advantage of this opportunity to join their fellow Sea Scouts from Ship 1942.

When the information that SEAL was open to Scouts BSA was released, the Ship 1942 training chair took advantage of this unique opportunity and broadcasted it widely across the National Capital Area Council (NCAC). This led to a total of seven youth to attend four different SEAL Courses. All of the scouts earned their SEAL Certificate and coveted SEAL Pin including the 6 scouts from Ship 1942 and Life Scout Austin Snip from Troop 447. Each SEAL course follows a national curriculum but focuses on different vessels based upon their demographic location.

Eagle Scouts Aiden Maupin, Colin Maupin, and Liam Maupin from Troop 413 and Ship 1942 all selected SEAL Colorado White Water Rafting as their first choice. They were joined by Ship 1942 Boatswain Sebastian Morales-Talero for this 9-day camping and white-water rafting experience. Where the three brothers were placed in different crews by design, Liam Maupin and Boatswain Sebastian had the opportunity to be in the same crew, as SEAL Colorado had three separate crews and the Ship had four participants.

Quartermaster Candidate and Eagle Scout Quinn Laffey did not receive his first choice which was Tampa, Florida. Quinn was placed in SEAL Tennessee, which is a paddle craft course, but Quinn embraced this opportunity like a champion and had an awesome experience! Quinn utilized his prior skills from Northern Tier and relied upon a more recent certification he received while obtaining his USPS Pilot “P” rating to prepare for SEAL Tennessee. Ship 1942 is a sailing ship, but Quinn’s diversified Scouting and Sea Scouting experiences more than prepared him for the challenges of the Tennessee rivers.

William Kennedy, the current National Service Territory 12 (NST12) Boatswain who is also an Eagle Scout and Able Sea Scout joined SEAL Seattle and had the experience he had dreamed of aboard the SSS Propeller located in Seattle, Washington. William thrived in the SEAL intensive environment and hopes to return for more adventures on the SSS Propeller, a 1952 65’ U.S. Army T-Boat. SEAL Seattle participants navigated the San Juan Islands throughout the 10-day course. SEAL Seattle participants had the option to join the SSS Propeller crew for an extended stay to support Seattle’s Seafair Weekend Festival. To prepare for SEAL Seattle, NST12 Boatswain obtained multiple certifications including NASBLA Boaters Safety Education Course, USPS Boat Handling, USPS Marine Navigation, Pilot “P” rating, and a 16-hour hands-on US Power Boating Certification.

Quinn, Aiden, Liam, Colin, and Sebastian all earned the 50-Miler Award for paddling over 50 miles during their adventure. The SEAL Colorado participants also earned the BSA White Water Award. To prepare for SEAL Colorado, the Maupins completed an NASBLA Boaters Safety Course, and Boatswain Sebastian attended an in-person Marine Navigation Course offered through Ship 1942 and had completed Northern Tier. These accomplished Sea Scouts have shared their enthusiasm for the course and look forward to applying the leadership skills gained.

KPMG Celebrates by Volunteering at Camp Snyder

August 30, 2022 by Cynthia Griffiths

This month, volunteers from the Washington, DC office of KPMG descended on Camp William B. Snyder for a morning of service to celebrate the company’s 125th anniversary on August 2, 2022. The company offered more than 40 different volunteer opportunities that provided a chance for their team members to learn and grow before their celebratory party in the afternoon.

Almost 40 of their team members chose to volunteer at Camp Snyder where they helped stain the multiple wood decks at Caroll’s Cottage, cleared the landscape of invasive species in the communal area, and split logs for future campfires. All the volunteers met the spirit of the Scout Slogan to “Do a Good Turn Daily.”

NCAC Executive Board member, Eric Rasmussen, who is a partner at KPMG, explained that he continues to be involved with the NCAC because Scouting taught him and his boys a lot. Many of the volunteers also had a connection to scouting. Some have served as scout leaders, have children in scouting, and were scouts themselves. Among the group we found the Advancement Chair for Troop 652 and a cub scout mom, Jenny, from Pack 146. One current Scout, Luke, accompanied his father for the day of service after spending the summer on staff at Goshen Scout Reservation.

We appreciate KPMG’s efforts toward improving Camp Snyder and know that their effort contributed to our ability to provide a quality program that encourages a lifetime of service to others, while building self-confidence and developing leadership skills for over 35,000 youth across the National Capital region.