We Own Adventure

Scouting News for the DC Metro Area

At Camp

Celebrate 100 Years of Camping at Goshen!

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National Capital Area Council is celebrating 100 years of camping that began in 1919 with Camp Roosevelt. To this day, you can still see signs made by Camp Roosevelt campers on display at the Camp Olmsted Handicraft pavilion.

Registration for Summer 2020 at Goshen Scout Reservation is now open. Join us to celebrate these 100 years of camping!

Camp Olmsted Week 1 has already filled up. Register soon to save your spot for your week! Stay up to date on week availability, get all the latest information, and reserve your spot at www.gotogoshen.org/registration.

Learn more about our two Webelos Camps, three Scouts BSA & Venturing Camps, and Lenhok’sin High Adventure and all the adventures they have to offer on our website at www.gotogoshen.org.

Troop 58 Breaks Summer Camp Record!

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Ashburn’s Troop 58 Swoops into Summer Camp!

Summer may be over, but the stats are rolling in. This year was the Troop 58’s largest group yet to swoop into Summer Camp, as over 50 Scouts and adult leaders from Ashburn’s Troop 58 attended Camp Shenandoah in Swoope, VA in mid-June. Camp Shenandoah has been serving Scouts for almost 70 years, since 1950. Across the troop, the Scouts worked on 143 merit badges and attended 22 other classes like stand up paddleboard.

Sixteen of the troop’s recent cross-over Scouts joined in the fun and successfully completed the Timber Mountain Program. Troop 58’s Treasurer, Wilson Chua, also conquered a 1 ½ mile swim around Hope Lake earning his Mile Swim patch. Water-related merit badges earned by the Scouts included swimming, lifesaving, motorboating, canoeing, kayaking, rowing, and oceanography. The final lakeside campfire on Friday night included Troop 58’s rendition of TopNotcher – always a classic! One of the troop’s Life Scouts, Daniel Han, had such a great time at Camp Shenandoah and made such a good impression that he was offered a job at the camp.

When he arrived back at home that Saturday, he did his laundry returned to Camp Shenandoah the next morning – as a member of the camp staff for the remainder of the summer! Troop 58 is also prepared to attend the Sea Base Out Island Adventure in late July. During this high adventure trip, 2 crews of Scouts flew to Miami, FL, drove to the Brinton Environmental Center, and then paddled to Big Munson Island in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. They camped there for an action packed week of ocean kayaking, snorkeling (day and night), fishing, sailing, and exploring the ocean – all without running water and electricity!

Remember camp registrations are quickly approaching, be on the look out for the registration dates for Camp Shenandoah!

Scouts Participate in Leave No Trace Activities

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NCAC Scouters recently had the amazing opportunity to participate in Leave No Trace (LNT) activities with the LNT Traveling Trainers. This energetic, two-person team travels around the country visiting national, state, and local parks to spread the word about LNT by engaging the public in participatory games and activities. LNT is a set of principles that guides people in thinking about the impacts of their actions in the outdoors (#LeaveNoTrace) while also having a great time (#EnjoyYourWorld). Not surprisingly, LNT is one of the foundational elements of BSA outdoor ethics and BSA outdoor code.

The Traveling Trainers did a phenomenal job of engaging our NCAC LNT Trainer and LNT Master Educators in the hand movements for the 7 principles of LNT, a relay game about the 10 essentials, another game about durable surfaces, an activity to guess the mystery water pollutant & how to properly dispose of it, and an exercise about scenarios they find the most disturbing with respect to impacts on the environment.

Our Scouters are proud to note the learning was not unidirectional. They have so much experience teaching LNT to Scouts & Scouters that they shared a few new tips and games with the Traveling Trainers, making for a great exchange of experiences by people passionate about minimizing their impact in the outdoors.

Scouts, venturers and their scouters interested in learning more about outdoor ethics can complete 5 requirements to earn the Outdoor Ethics Awareness award (https://www.scouting.org/outdoor-programs/outdoor-ethics/awards/scouts-bsa/). Not to be left behind, Cub Scouts in NCAC can earn our council’s Cub Scout Outdoor Ethics Awareness award (http://www.ncacbsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/New-NCAC-Outdoor-Ethics-Awareness-award.pdf) by completing 4 requirements.
For scouts aged 14 and older plus scouters, NCAC will offer the LNT Trainer course twice this fall; see the NCAC Outdoor Ethics page (https://www.ncacbsa.org/training/outdoor-ethics/) for information.

Enjoy your world. Leave No Trace.

Troop 1148G Learns Woodworking Fundamentals

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While camping at Camp Snyder, Scouts from Troop 1148G, South Riding, VA visited Michael’s Woodshop and crossed woodworking off of their Scouts BSA bucket list. After watching their brothers build pinewood derby cars and work on Eagle Scout projects for years, it was their turn in the shop! The Scouts learned about shop and tool safety, lumber basics and the proper use of a wide variety of hand and power tools; their favorite was the block plane. They also saw a demonstration of milling rough sawn, “ugly” boards into useable, “pretty” lumber. Scouts used their newfound skills of measuring, cutting, drilling and sanding to complete a project of their own. It was an awesome day!

Come see first-hand what our wood shop capabilities are during the NCAC Adult Scouting Skills Event on Saturday, September 14th.  It’s not too late to register to attend, you can register here.

Are your Scouts interested in learning woodworking fundamentals? Michael’s Woodshop offers Woodworking 101 classes for Scouts BSA youth each month. The class provides Scouts with a solid foundation of shop and tool safety and the function and proper use of common hand tools and other shop equipment. The course provide Scouts with skills they can apply towards the Woodwork Merit Badge, Eagle Scout projects and other service projects or it could even spark the desire to become a Woodworker!

Michael’s Woodshop is a great, hands-on work space where Scouts can learn and create. The shop was designed, constructed and is operated by volunteers. Michael’s Woodshop is currently seeking additional volunteers; both experienced wood workers and shop assistants.

To learn more about volunteering or for information about shop capabilities, upcoming events or reserving the shop, please visit the Camp Snyder website https://gotosnyder.org/ or email us at Camp.Snyder@Scouting.Org

Cub Scout Conservation Project

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Don’t forget to visit Michael’s Woodshop during the

Scouting Skills day, you can register here.

Three Cub Scouts from Pack 1601, Powhatan District, who were attending summer camp at Camp William B. Snyder had the opportunity to visit Michael’s Woodshop. They used their open program time to perform a conservation project for Camp Snyder. Over the course of an hour, the Cub Scouts received a safety briefing and went to work drilling, sanding and hammering. Not only did they have the opportunity to build their skills, they also did a good turn for the camp. At the end of their session, they had each completed the assembly of a fine, hand-crafted wren house for placement on the camp property. Awesome job!

Are you looking for a great conservation project? Camp Snyder’s Conservation Plan calls for the construction and installation of dozens of bird houses around the property. Projects are available for all ages and skill levels; small and large, basic and complex. Bird houses not your thing? Camp Snyder has a long list of other volunteer service project opportunities around the property. You can attend a Volunteer Service Day or you come out individually, in small teams or in large groups. For more information about service projects, please contact Camp Snyder (Camp.Snyder@Scouting.Org).

Michael’s Woodshop is a safe, hands-on work space that was designed for use by Scouts of all ages to create and learn. Michael’s Woodshop may be reserved for Unit activities, District events, Eagle Scout projects and other Scouting activities. For information about shop capabilities, upcoming events, reserving the shop or to learn more about volunteering, please visit the Michael’s Woodshop page on the Camp Snyder website https://www.gotosnyder.org.

Attending Scouting Skills day on
September 14, 2019
11:00-4:00
Be sure and visit Michael’s Woodshop during the
Scouting Skills day.
If you haven’t registered yet, you can do so here.