Welcome to Boy Scouts: An open letter to new parents

2/29/2008 (Yes it was leap day)

“Monday was Conner’s first Boy Scout Meeting and it was fun for him and hard on me. I felt pretty useless. Well it was only day one.I am just not ready for Conner to grow up and not want me around him as much anymore. I love spending time with and him that seems to not be point of Boy Scouts. It is just going to take some time to get used to it.”

This was my journal entry from five years ago as my son crossed over from Webelos to Boy Scouts.

Now is the season of crossovers as Scouts around the country leave the world of Cub Scouts and join the exciting and very different world of Boy Scouts. I was the Webelos Den Leader and very active with my son. I was also used to being the guy in charge and the person at the center of attention. Suddenly I found myself mostly wandering around the hall wondering what the heck I was to do now.

Thankfully, the adults of the Troop took some time to bring me in the fold and explain the world of the boy led Troop. They explained that now was the time to sit back, watch my son grow (from afar) and take some time to find my own niche in the Troop.

I admit it was hard at first but it did not take long to find myself very busy. Meanwhile, my son was off with his New Scout Patrol learning how to be independent and how to be a leader. Yes I did not see him much during campouts this first year. I did see the change in him as his confidence grew knowing he could learn and do great things without his dad hovering over him.

My separation pain truly helped him learn many wonderful lessons he would have never learned with me right at his side.

Since this time, I have seen many moms and dads with that same look and that same frustration that I felt those first few months. Some made the transition well and let the program be the program. They saw their sons grow and learn through the Patrol method and they found their own niche to help on the Troop committee, on campouts and in many other ways.

I have also seen parents that just could not make the transition. They failed to get plugged in and failed to let go. This almost always led to hard feelings, misunderstandings and Scouts either leaving Scouting or joining a Troop with “more parent involvement.”

If you are crossing with your Scout to a real boy led Troop do not fear! There is a place for you to plug in and get busy. Let the program work and your investment will reap rewards in the life of your son that you will see for many years to come.

If you are a veteran adult with parents joining you, take a moment to remember how you felt in those early days and get to know your new folks. They may not express it overtly but chances are that they are far more nervous than the kid about being a new Scout. Your friendly hello and happy advice will make them feel at home and perhaps just might save a future leader from leaving.

Welcome to Boy Scouts! You are in for many years of great fun!

Back from Philmont

Back from Philmont! Was it what I expected? Indeed it was and so much more. There are few times in life when we get an opportunity to relive something from our youth and make it better. That was the case for me when it comes to my adult Philmont experience vs. my experience as a youth.


Of course Philmont was not about me it was about the Scouts and as is typical with youth I am sure they had no idea what to expect. I also am fully aware that complete appreciation for what they experienced will not kick in until many years from now when they start to share memories with friends and family. I know they too will look back and think of it as a true experience of a lifetime.

We did Trek 11 and had six Scouts and two adults. Our crew was smaller than typical due to taking two groups this year from our Troop. I had the great fortune of joining the Trek with our SM. This was his fifth and professed “final” time to take Scouts to Philmont and it was the first time for all of our guys.

Our trip began first with a few days of touring so that we could acclimate to the altitude and have a little fun. This included renting Jeeps in Red River and then later touring the Philmont area museums.

Next it was time for the Trek. Things went smoothly at check in due to the great staff and our experienced Scoutmaster. We were also lucky to get an outstanding Ranger that quickly bonded with the guys. The Rangers are young college guys and gals that a chosen for their skill and also for their ability to relate well with youth. Bob made great effort to go beyond just teaching stuff skills to also be a mentor with life advice that had much greater credibility coming from someone of his age.

Over the many days of the Trek the Scouts had a great time and also learned a lot about themselves and about leadership. Indeed there is no better laboratory of human dynamics than days in the outdoors hiking with heavy packs. The Scouts dealt with the physically stress that comes with hiking in altitude as well as the mental stress of task management and relationships.

As an adult on the trip, I got pure joy seeing the boys go through this learning process. I also got to experience a trip that I know my son and I will remember for a lifetime. How lucky I am to part of the Scouting movement!

PS:  I wrote this post a long time ago. Sorry it took so long to post!

Our Final Philmont Shakedown

Yes just days away from our departure to Philmont and time for the final crew personal gear shakedown. The Scouts came with everything they were expected to bring on the trail during our Trek and were asked to dump it all out for inspection. Much better to find out before leaving if anything is missing of course! Most Scouts had every item that was expected with just a couple exceptions of a sock or some other minor item. Thankfully they have time to get these things together before we leave.


The best tool for this shakedown has been the PG list provided by our Scoutmaster. Items are listed in categories and include weight limits since we are working to travel as lightly as possible. I have personally packed and re-packed probably a half dozen times over the last few weeks and it seems I live learned a little more each time. I have also walked a few miles with the pack fully loaded just about every other day. This is in addition to my normal running and cycling.

I have a good feeling about the overall level of preparedness of the Scouts in our crew. I know they are going to do great and have a true trip of a lifetime. I can’t wait to see them learn and grew as we hit the Philmont trail starting July 21st.

Another step closer to Philmont

Just a little less than week before the first of our two crews leave for Philmont. Our crew was still in need of some conservation hours so we made our way over to the John Nichols Scout Ranch for a morning of hardy work. There is just something about the sound of a chainsaw, the feel dirt on your face and sweat to make you feel a sense of accomplishment.

The guys in our crew have been Scout together for many years and fortunately have been getting along very well during this year of preparation. I do not believe there have been any personality conflicts and they are work hard when needed and always find a way to find fun in what they do.

As an added bonus for me personally, the site for are little project was also the site of our very first Cub Scout campout five year ago when we had just recently joined Scouting. It is incredible to have gone from those days to these in just a short time.

We have one more meeting as a crew before we leave for a final gear shakedown.

Philmont is just a few weeks away....

Just a few weeks until we leave for our Philmont trek so I am now hitting the pavement to spend time hiking with the pack on. This is in addition to my normal running and biking. I would say that right now my greatest weakness is more core strength. This really needs improvement to help keep the back pain down to a minimum.

Anyway, while out today I thought I would record a little Vlog! I am hoping to do more of these in the future.  Thanks for watching.

Why I give my time and my money

Why do I give my time AND my money to Scouting? I recently had a fun opportunity to be interviewed by the Last Frontier Council’s roving reporters Robby and Bobby about this topic. These two fine young men are examples of the thousands of youth positively impacted by the amazing Scouting programs that are offered for our area youth through the Last Frontier Council.


None of this would be possible without the financial investments gained through the annual Friends of Scouting campaign. Scouting is not about fundraising and never will be. At the same time we recognize that it does take funding to keep the camps and programs continually improving. This knowledge and seeing firsthand the impact motivates me to give each year.

How about you? Have you made a financial pledge to Scouting this year? You could be someone already actively working with Scouts or a member of the community that wants to help our area youth.

Invest today in the future of Bobby and Robby. You will be glad you did.

Philmont Shakedown Hike #2

This weekend our Philmont crews hiked the Shores Lake loop in Arkansas for the second a four part series of backpacking hikes in preparation for our July trek. We had a bit of a light turnout from the Scouts due to several conflicts with school activities.


It was a five hour trip from OKC to the campsite and we got an early start to beat the traffic. Thanks the small turnout I was lucky enough to not have to drive.

Saturday morning was a 5:45 wake up and we were packed and geared up in a respectable 45 minutes.

The guys kept up a brutal pace and at times I felt like I was trail running vs hiking. Oh to be 15 and physically fearless like these guys. Really I was amazed at how well all of them did with the challenging steep and rocky trails. I remember all of these guys when they joined the Troop as first year Scouts. Now just a few short years later they are maturing young men that were able to blaze through the woods cheerfully with heavy packs. They did so well in fact that we skipped the first campsite to hike an additional 4 miles. This worked out great since it made our final day shorter for an early return to home.

The guys ended up deciding they liked the challenge of this trail so much that we will return again in just a few weeks. The scratching on my legs this evening will serve as a good reminder to be prepared next time for the chiggers and mosquitos that seemed to be everywhere.

On a sad not, I have learned that one of our Scouts has decided to drop out of the trek due to some physical challenges he has been experiencing. I hate to see anyone not to make it all the way to Philmont but respect the decision to make the right choice about preparedness.

Less than 90 days left to go. I am looking forward to our final two training hikes as we set to complete our training.