SWIM CHECKS

The Swim check for Summer camp will be Monday Night 7-27-09 at the Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic Center.  We will meet in the parking lot at 7:30 PM.

We have a group rate.  The cost will be $2.25 a person.

Following the swim checks we will have a troop fun night.  For those Scouts that would like to work on the Swimming requirements for First Class I will be available to help.

See you Monday!

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Summer Camp Merit Badge list

Here is a list of of Merit badges and a few other activities available at Camp Piggot:  

See The Scoutmaster for details.

Art

Leatherwork

Basketry/Fingerprinting

Indian Lore 

Woodcarving

Space Exploration 

Environmental Science

Mammals/ Fish and Wildlife Management

Astronomy

Soil & Water Cons. 

Animal Science

Forestry

Weather

Geology 

Reptile & Amph. Study

Camping 

Cooking 

Pioneering 

Wilderness Survival 

Orienteering

First Aid

Emergency Prep.

Rifle Shooting

Archery

Shotgun

Project C.O.P.E. 

Climbing

Swimming 

Lifesaving 

Canoeing 

Rowing 

Small Boat Sailing 

Mile Swim

Mountain Man Experience

Blacksmith

Summer Camp Swim Checks

Next week (7-27-09) we will be doing mandatory swim Checks.

This year there will be no Swim Checks up at camp, units must arrive at camp with their swim check completed.

So we will be conducting our swim checks next Monday (7-27-09).  We will do it at the Mt. Hood Community College pool (unless otherwise notified).

This is Mandatory.  If you do not complete a swim check.. you can not get near the water at camp.

This will preclude you from taking any of the water craft or swimming merit badges.

Following the swim checks we will have a Troop fun night at the pool and present more information about Summer Camp.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Summer Camp Stuff

Summer Camp is coming up!  Here is stuff you need to know.

To get mail.. Our Address will be:

SCOUTS NAME

Troop 664

Camp Pigott

25600-A Monroe Log Camp Rd

Snohomish, WA 98290

Here is what you NEED to take:

Clothing Items

Scout uniform (complete)

Sweater or jacket

rain gear

Troop Hat

Jeans (1 Pair)

T-shirts

Hiking boots with proper socks

Tennis shoes

Swim suit and towel

Underwear

Socks

Camping Gear

Sleeping bag

Ground cloth

Pack

Sleeping pad

Toilet Kit

Handkerchiefs

Toothbrush and toothpaste

Towel/washcloth

Comb

Soap for body

Deodorant

Camp Necessities

Headlamp

Personal first aid kit

Drinking cup

Pocket knife (no fixed blade knives)

Compass

Merit Badge Items

Merit badge books

Scout Handbook

Writing items: paper, pencil, pen

Very Important

Sack lunch (Sunday)

Spending money (about $35)

Mess kit for cookout day: plate, cup, knife, fork, spoon

Optional

Day pack

Sunglasses

Fishing gear

Camera/film

Musical instrument

DO NOT BRING!!!

Radios or MP3 players

Electronic games

Unmarked prescription drugs

Portable TV sets

Cellular phones (Scouts)

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Royce Finel Pictures

There are some pictures of the Royce Finel Trip on our Facebook page.

CLICK HERE  to check them out.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Hero Memorial Dedication Pictures

Over the Memorial Day Weekend, we participated in many activities, one of which was assisting with the Hero Memorial Dedication.

There was a professional photographer at the event and you can see his pictures at his site.

Click here to view some pretty good pics.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Royce Finel Wrap Up

Another great camp out is in the books.  Royce Finel, did once again prove to be one of Troop 664's favorite spots.

Getting into camp on Friday night was a great experience to paddle into camp, especially for our new Scouts.

Saturday's trip to Ft. Clatsop was a learning experience and our Scouts got the opportunity to participate in a demonstration!  Austin even got to play the part of Capt. Lewis.

Then it was back to camp where the fun began.

Into the canoes we went and then into the water.  Look for pictures to be posted soon.

The Backpacking Iron Chef contest turned out to be an even much better than we hoped for.  The Scouts did a fantastic job in planning and preparing their meals.  The presentations were great and not with out creativity.  The Scouts proved that the backpacking style is not only easy, but real good eating.. oh.. and a piece of cake to clean up too.

The decision as to who the winners are is still being settled.  We will announce the winners and they will receive their prize at the next Court of honor after Summer Camp.

Another Great Camp out!  

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Follow Troop 664 on Facebook

We created a Facebook account for those of us that are internet junkies and want to get lots of info in one place.  One of the biggest reasons for creating the account though is for the photo album capabilities.  We will be able to create album's of each of our activities here and share information and discussion with each other.

Many of the Scouts in our Troop are already hanging out on facebook... so here is just one more way of getting the word out.

Enjoy.

Follow and become a fan HERE!

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Jerry

Camp Royce Finel Camp Out

We will be meeting at the Knights Hall This Friday at 6:00 PM.  Please be on time.

Here are a couple tips to make you successful on this camp out.

1.  Pack your pack right.  Water proof your gear.  Garbage bags and Zip lock bags are a great way to keep your gear dry.  We are not planning on putting our gear in lake, but there is no such thing as a dry canoe.

2.  Take this opportunity to organize and scale down your gear.  If you are not going to use it... don't take it.  

3.  Meals.  Prepare your meals ahead of time.  More prep is less work in camp.

4.  Do not forget your troop hat.  You will want it when you get out on the lake.

5.  Spending money.  We will be going to Ft. Clatsop, so you may want to bring some spending money.  That is up to you... not required.

NO OPEN TOED Shoes!..   NO FLIP FLOPS!!!

See you Friday!

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Jerry

Independence Day

I want to extend a Happy Independence Day to the Troop 664 Family.

This is a celebration of Character, Determination, and Will.  

This nation was born not because of of a piece of land, but because men (and women) were willing to stand for right.  Our founding Fathers were all men of Character, we can debate habits and other social ill's later, but by and large they were men of principle that were willing to selflessly sacrifice everything to gain independence and to start a free and prosperous country.

They were men that were determined to live free from the rule of a monarch.  They understood the value of a representative form of government and that the people should rule, not be ruled.

I once heard that if our republic (the United States) failed it would be the last Republic on Earth.  And it has remained.  It is the model of the Republican form were our representatives execute the will of the people.  It has been tested that is for sure, but remains the beacon the world looks to see what right looks like.  Some hate it, some wish they could be like it, but the fact remains that our Nation stands as a example for all to see.  We may not always be right to 100% of the people, but that is why we hold free elections.

So have a Great time this Independence Day Weekend.  Be Safe!  Celebrate the Birth of the greatest Nation on Earth and thank God you were born here!

Have a Great Scouting Day!

IRON CHEF COMPETETION

So here's how it goes:

1.  You must be in at least a buddy team.

2.  Preparation is the key.  You will have to present your "preparation" before you cook.  So make it efficient.  Practice leave no trace.  Show that you are ready to cook your meal without a lot of garbage and hassle and no left overs or waste.

3.  The meal.  NO RAMEN!  Creativity and balance will get you more points.  It does not have to be a one pot meal, but remember, it needs to be a Backpacking meal.

4.  Presentation of the meal.  It needs to look good.  Again, creativity will get you far.

5.  Taste.  Goes without saying.  You will eat it.

6.  Clean up.  You will be judged on how well you clean up your gear afterwards.  A hint:  Cleaning as you go will get you points.  You will show your clean gear to the judges before it goes back in your pack.

Accept the Challenge and become Troop 664's Backpacking IRON CHEF!

Great prizes to the winners too!

You will have a limited amount of time at Next Monday's meeting for coaching with the Scoutmaster and his Assistants.  Take advantage of it!

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Words To Live By

Just 12 simple words that can direct your life... if you let them.

Some quick and Easy meal ideas

Here are a few quick and Easy meal suggestions that I have dug up on the net and used on occasion.

For a quick trail lunch (you have to do some work at home):

RECIPES FROM FREEZER BAG COOKING
Peanut Butter Banana Wraps

1 flour tortilla
1 tub peanut butter
1 small banana
Spread peanut butter on tortillas. Cut the banana into slices and lay on the peanut butter. Roll and eat. Makes 1 serving.

Here are a couple good Dinner Ideas:

(again... you need to do some work at home)

Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice
1 cup dry instant rice
1 pkg Sweet and Sour Sauce Sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 can chicken (5 oz.)
BEFORE CAMP: Mix dry ingredients at home. Store in plastic bag.
AT CAMP: Boil water. Add rice. Stir in chicken and sauce. Makes 1 serving.

Teriyaki Chicken
1 cup dry instant rice
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1 pgk honey
2 pkg soy sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1 can chicken (5 oz.)
BEFORE CAMP: Mix dry ingredients at home. Store in plastic bag.
AT CAMP: Boil water. Add rice mixture. After rice is cooked, stir in chicken, honey and sauce. Makes 1 serving

Notice that these all make one serving.  Do a little math and add ingredients to meet the needs of the group you are cooking for.

Literally 3 minutes on the internet and you can come up with some great meal ideas.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Troop Committee Meeting

The next Troop Committee meeting will be this coming Sunday at 11:00 AM.

We will meet at the Knights Hall.

There will be some interesting topics for discussion and it would be fantastic if we could get some parents to attend and share with us their opinions and concerns or ideas.

Again, Everyone is welcome, We hope to see a lot of people at this committee meeting.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Jerry (for Sally, she can't seem to get logged in)

Menu Planning

As discussed at tonight's meeting.  Meal planning is critical for you success as a patrol, small groups, and you as individual Scouts while on an outing.

It all starts with planning for efficient cooking groups.

Considerations;

1.  The Stove you are using

2.  How many are you cooking for.

3.  What you like to eat.

A great place to start is the internet.  If you spend a little time preparing, you will be successful on the camp out.

Here are some sites that I like to visit:

Wilderness Dining.com

Trail cooking

Backpacking Menus

Give those a shot, I am sure that you will see a remarkable improvement in your planning and oh yeah... eating.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

June Court of Honor

I would like to thank everyone that took the time to come to the Quarterly Court of Honor tonight.

Great Food, fantastic recognition of some fine Scouts, and the Scoutmaster wins again in the "Are you Smarter than a Scoutmaster" game.

Big announcement tonight... Troop 664 is once again in the top 3 of all District Troops.  We are the Number 3 rated Troop in the Thunderbird District.!!!   Congratulations all!

For those of you that missed the Court of Honor, here is the Video of the activities of the Troop from March to May.

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Court of Honor Today!

Come celebrate the success of the Troop and the Scouts of 664 today!

Where:  McMahon Room over at the Church

When:    5:00 PM

See previous posts for Patrol assignments.

See you there!

Boy Scouts and You Tube

Yes folks, the BSA has it's own YouTube Channel!

Looks good!  Check it out at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/BSA100years

Have a Great Scouting Day!

Figure 8 Follow Though Knot

Figure Eight Follow Through

If you are a beginner climber and can only remember one knot, let it be this one. I'd be very surprised if any climber did not know this knot. Among other uses, it's very popular as a "tie in" for attaching the climbing rope to your harness. With that in mind, follow these steps to "tie in" with the Figure Eight knot:
 
Step 1: Form a single figure eight in the end of the rope and feed the tail through your harness. Some harnesses require that you feed the rope through certain straps. When tying in, I like to feed rope through the same harness straps that the belay loop occupies (not pictured), others prefer to use the belay loop (as pictured). Still others prefer to tie into a steel locking carabiner, or two aluminium locking carabiners, gates reversed, which have been clipped into the appropriate harness straps. There are pros & cons. Consult your harness manual for the recommended tie in point.

Steps 2 & 3: Rethread the figure eight, following the same path as the first. Pull the knot tight (though some climbers prefer to leave it a little loose to absorb force from a fall). Make sure you have enough tail, as the knot will slip a bit when loaded. Check the knot by counting "two", "two" & "two", for the three visible doubled strands. Ensure they each are lying flat and not crossing over themselves.

Step 4: An optional step. If you find yourself with too much tail, or are paranoid about the figure eight slipping, tie a stopper knot with the remaining tail. 

It is recommended that you check your partner's tie in knot, and get them to check yours before climbing.

COURT OF HONOR THIS SUNDAY!!!

Just a Reminder, the Quarterly Court of Honor will be at 5:00 PM this Sunday (JUNE 7).

This is an opportunity to recognize the hard work of our Scouts.

It will be a pot luck dinner.

SWAT PATROL and HIGHWAY PATROL bring a Main dish and a Side Dish.

PENGUIN PATROL and DYNAMITE PATROL bring a Main dish and a Salad.

ADULTS bring a Dessert.

The TLC will bring drinks.

We will see you Sunday at 5:00 PM

Have a Great Scouting Day!