Category: activity

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So court, much honor, wow

We had a double-header at the start of June for Courts of Honor

  1. Scout Steven T – our 102nd Eagle Scout (since modern record keeping in the Troop began)
  2. General CoH – the day after

It was a rousing Eagle CoH for Steven, the eldest of three brothers active in the Troop. A great event, with some great food afterward (oooh, that cake!) Check out the photos in our 2018 Gallery.

Our general Troop CoH was the Monday right after. This was a bit thinner on rank advancements, our newest Scout Aidan L getting his initial rank of Scout (and a natty retro 70s badge to boot). Andrew M snagged a couple more merit badges in absentia as part of his Eagle Palm strategy 🙂 A few pictures also in the gallery and the slide shows (courtesy of ASM Phil) up on our YouTube channel.

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National Trails Day – Sat, 2 June

Now there’s nothing a scout troop likes better than to be on the trail – so see if you can find a way to celebrate next Saturday… as it’s National Trails Day!

Organised by the American Hiking Society, #NationalTrailsDay is a concerted effort to improve a large number of trail miles, and to raise awareness of the benefits of our national, regional and local trails.

There are only a couple of ‘official’ events near us, but there are many many ways to share our appreciation of outdoor trails.

  1. Take the pledge – to leave the trail better than you found it. This is an easy one for all Scouts given our adherence to the Outdoor Code
  2. Join a working party to improve a trail
  3. Donate or buy some Trail merch

 

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Scout-o-Rama Pizzadilla Fest

Troop 260 attended in force w/ both adults & scouts at the 2018 Scout-o-Rama fair. We even had our newest scout – Aidan taking charge of some of the cooking. Jimmy, John, Andrew, Tristan, and Jake demonstrated great leadership at this event.

As with previous years, Troop 260’s booth was unique to the event with the scouts demonstrating a favorite trail staple — Pizzadillas. With over 100 made during our demonstrations, this was a very popular booth with both cub’s & scouts alike.

As a Scout led troop, the scouts planned, shopped, and executed the booth on their own. The adults (as always) did their part – relaxing & enjoying how well the scouts ran the activity. The fact that the organizers put the fire department in the next booth, added an additional layer of safety.

We are starting to already plan our participation for 2019!

Click below for the photo gallery

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Trip report: Henry Coe 2-nighter

Our April 2018 weekend event was a 2-night, 14-mile hike in Henry Coe State Park.

It’s been a while since the Troop did a Friday through Sunday trip; fortunately we were rewarded with beautiful still, clear weather for the night walk from the Park HQ to the Manzanita Point campgrounds.

On the way, we did some star-gazing, found a toad, and almost missed the site (thanks Mateo!). Everyone managed to setup their tents in the dark without issue.

On Saturday we awoke to the sounds of birds (and wild turkeys). The weather was cool but bright for the entire day – perfect for hiking. The route was tough – c 8 miles, with a 1600-foot continuous climb up from Poverty Flats to the top of Middle Ridge. We had a new scout, and some less-seasoned family members on the trip and they all came through with flying colors!

Sunday was a short, but tough, walk out – tough from the 25% slopes more than the light rain. A great mini-adventure.

T260: Henry Coe 1804

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Yard sale fundraiser success

via John L.

We had a great day today for the yard sale.  We enjoyed a tremendous turn out from both Scouts and families.

We made a grand total of $526! This is money that helps directly fund and support our high-adventure activities.

Thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.

Yard sale photo gallery

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Retiring the flag

After having fun practicing fire building recently, the Troop put those skills to an important use last week: the retirement of several flags that had been entrusted to us after the end of their useful life.
The U.S. Flag code states that, “the flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning“

The Scouts led four separate ceremonies, taking turns to play different roles and try different content. Always treating the flag and the proceedings with dignity.

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Fire lighting challenge

The PLC planned a fireflghting skills development session for last week: two teams, the first to get the twine to burn through wins!

Photo gallery below, click for more

What did the Scouts learn? Lots!

  1. remember the Fireman Chit basics: water handy, shovel/fire tool, distance and safety
  2. make haste slowly – prepare your stages, especially the tinder and kindling
  3. trying to get natural tinder to take a spark (as opposed to a match and paper) is hard! Practice makes perfect.

I have a feeling that this will be an activity the PLC decides to repeat before too long 🙂

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Get outside with 260 – it’s good for your brain!

A recent Scouting Wire article highlights research from Spain and the US that shows being outside in nature has a positive impact on kids’ brain development

[su_quote cite=”Scouting Wire”]The study from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health has found that long-term exposure to green space during childhood is associated with structural changes to the brain that lead to improved memory and less distraction. Additionally, children who grew up in environments with more exposure to nature had more activity in the regions of their brain associated with learning and social skills[/su_quote]

Read the full article here.

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Microfiber detectives

We probably all have some outdoor clothes made with plastic microfiber – a fleece, some thermals, a hat?

This podcast from the BBC investigates the contribution of plastic textiles to the increasing levels of plastic waste in the environment. And potential ways forward.

A single domestic wash could shed 700 fibers

Podcast link

Spoiler alert: it’s a great excuse to stock up on some new Merino wool gear 😀