Category: activity

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Mountain Safety Council 2 minute skill videos

So, another shameless plug for the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council (MSC). However, I hope you’ll forgive me as they offer a fabulous library of short (~ 2 minute) videos covering over 30 aspects of getting outdoors across planning; expedition; and campcraft.

Whilst some bits of the advice is country-specific, the vast majority is applicable here. There are a great way for scouts and adults alike to check / update their knowledge.

While YouTube list here

You will find your own favorites. Some of mine are about sleeping well

and travelling as a group

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Lake Sonoma, redux

Lake Sonoma once this season? Why not twice?

The Troop returned to Lake Sonoma this weekend and instead of a full 8-mile day, we focused on a shorter paddle and then an afternoon of skills practice. This went down well: we had a few new / less experienced scouts with us along with a few scouts wanting to progress their Canoeing Merit Badge.

Kudos to John L. for his first actual capsize after around 8 years with the Troop! We all joined him later as part of practicing deep water rescue techniques.

Our scoutmaster challenge this weekend was an Iron Chef breakfast cook-off: rice as the base, with the scouts able to bring some add-ons, and the scoutmaster’s secret ingredient – “Oranges”. The resulting dishes were an impressive display of culinary innovation

  • Cheesy crunchy japeno rice with orange (the winner!)
  • Coconut, orange zest and egg rice

On the way back we stopped for lunch at Olompali State Park that turned out to be a gem, with shady oak trees to lunch under and an heritage that included being used by the Grateful Dead!

Click image below for photo gallery

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Ten essentials

Not all of us have caught Mr Nic’s 10 Essentials briefing (with associated stories!) But the scouts did cover 10 essentials a few months ago on a Troop night.

Generally, in Troop 260, your “10 essentials” means a compact kit focused on personal well being and survival that you can keep in a big pocket or stick in a day pack without it taking up too much room.

Of course, the most important thing about your ten essentials is… having it with you! (cough cough senior scouts on the Pinnacles NP 10-miler)

There are lots of resources out there, here are a couple:

A 10 essentials kit is a great thing to start small and cheap, and then gradually build up over time. If you buy one, make sure you know exactly what is in it – and add to it as needed.

Next time we are out somewhere, ask a Scout to show you their 10-essentials kit to get some ideas.

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Pinnacles NP, didgeridoo and condors

We were ready and set for snow camping: extra snow shovels and tire chains had been purchased, triple bed rolls and blankets packed. Alas, a severe winter weather warning for the northern Sierras pulled the rug out from under us (it’s our safety and risk management policy to not travel into weather warnings). As s a result, we missed out of 5+ feet of snow and -11F temperatures (our intrepid advance guard, Mr & Mrs Matulich did make it up!).

However, we are scouts – and so ‘prepared’. Plan B was put into action – a 10-mile day hike and overnight camp at Pinnacles National Park.

We caught a luck break in the weather, with a cool but largely sunny day (even if it rained heavily overnight). A group of 11 arrived just after 09:00 and before 10:00 were on the trail. Our route took us from the campgrounds towards High Peaks trail, and then back by Bear Gulch trail. [map]. Including the walk to and from the camp-site comfortably over 10miles (handy for both a rank advancement and a hiking badge requirement!)

To our surprise – it wasn’t the amazing rock formations or great views that made the weekend memorable: it was the “Condor Whisperer”. A man, stripped bare to his waist, standing atop the pinnacles playing a didgeridoo as the condors swooped in and around. And a rainbow appears. Words failed us.

Click below for photos

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Trip Report: Elkhorn Slough / Sunset Beach

We decided to repeat our enjoyable December trip and headed back to Elkhorn Slough and Sunset Beach this weekend. The short drive in the winter is appreciated, as is the chance to have an actual fire at the State park campground.

The weather was magnificent again, with partially cloudy skies, a warm-ish day, not too much wind and a cool but not cold overnight.

The tide range and timing meant that this time we did canoe skills first after putting in at Moss Landing. Then after an hour of so of increasingly successful straight line paddles (putting aside the SPL / ASPL combo beaching themselves!) we headed up the Slough about 4 miles.

We couldn’t find a decent place to land for lunch. So much of the waterfront is protected or private land, so we headed back to almost the entrance and stopped at a lovely sandy beach for lunch before heading back to the marina and packing up and heading Sunset Beach. (Note for the future: turns out there are no sanctioned landing/beaching spots *at all* in the Slough apart from Kirby Park – see map )

At the Beach, we did a Scoutmaster Challenge in two parts: use compass bearings to draw a shape in the sand, and then use pioneering skills to build a bridge across the gap. The scouts did a great job with an ingenious design – and one that was strong enough for the Scoutmaster to travel across safely!

Campfire and birthday cake were on the list for the evening – both much appreciated. And several Scouts got multiple requirements ticked off for their ranks.

click below for the picture gallery

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Lashings & pioneering games

Square lashings, whippings and a bunch of poles – what could possibly not be fun?!

The scouts of Troop 260 enjoyed themselves last night learning some age-old Scout skills and then testing them in an internal carry game. Enjoy some pics below:

 

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Trip Report: Lake Sonoma canoeing

The Troop visited a new, reasonably local, canoeing spot last weekend – Lake Sonoma (Hat tip to John L for finding this new spot and booking it).

We fielded a modest sized crew of 13 – thankfully Scout Aiden as acting SPL had his navigation skills in play and was able to guide the (often mis-guided) adults and the rest of his scouts to the overnight camp. The paddle was a bit longer than normal – about 7 to 8 miles, but we were helped by a slight wind at our backs.

There were a good number of power boats out, but the no-tow zone was quickly reached and the crenelated shoreline made for an interesting paddle.

  • Pros: Relatively easy to get to, relatively easy put in, minimal inspection hassle, lots of boat camping sites, average number of power boats and picnic tables, chemical toilets and fire pits per site.
  • Cons: It is a long paddle with potential for strong headwinds, the Sunday drive home has several heavy traffic choke points. (North of SF Bay has potential for heavy rain in winter months.)
  • Also… there is a camp on an Island only a couple of miles from the put-in… next time!

In the words of our Scoutmaster: The pros outweigh the cons – we will be back

Click below for the photos…

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10,000 meals in 2 hours!

Today, we had the chance to support our Charter Org (Christ the Good Shepherd Church) in a great service project: packaging 10,000 meals for the charity Rise Against Hunger

The Troop had a great showing – 10 Scouts and 4 Adults – and we helped from setup at 10:00 all through to the final sweep at 2pm. Our support was welcomed multiple times by the Church and the Rise representative.

It was a great chance to log some service hours for the Scouts whilst putting on a strong showing for our Charter org that continues to be very supportive on a number of fronts.

Click below for gallery

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Knots, games & girls

The scouts had an excellent evening last week practicing some of the basic knots needed for Trail to First Class (and that are generally useful to know). After some patrol time, they finished with a “pet rescue” game, simulating the need to throw a rope and then tie a bowline. Much hilarity – and a little bit or rule stretching – ensued!

Re-introducing formal meeting plans is having a really positive impact.

This was also the first evening when our new female youth patrol joined. With the formal expansion of the scouting program to all youth from February next year,  Troop 260 is making an early start – capturing interest and developing skills.

click picture below for photo gallery

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First aid fun!

First Aid is one of the classic scouting core skills. The Troop planned a couple of activities this week: first some skills practice on splints and bandaging, followed by a hand-carry race.

Fortunately none of the skills practiced were needed and much fun was had. Doing the race brought home the impact of having to deal with an injured person on an expedition – it’s not easy.

click below for gallery