Note that my earlier e-mail said it was an “exercise.”  We didn’t lose anybody.  That’s why we had check-in sheets.  But we got a report of somebody missing in the woods (the call was part of the exercise) and then the Scouts organized themselves into search parties.  There were adults and older Scouts with each group and each group had a radio.  Some helicopter activity overhead helped with the feeling that this was real.  The adults knew it was an exercise.  The Scouts did not.

As I said earlier, the Scouts did a very good job.

-Hank

A Scoutmaster Minute
====================

Meeting Last Night
——————

It was a very good informal meeting which turned into a lost-person-in-the-woods exercise.  Congratulations to all participants–you found the person, you figured out she was injured, and you helped her back to camp.  Captain Sargent of the Lexington Police Department hints that he would like to break out the heat sensing gear if we do this again with the whole troop.

It took us a little too long to get a head count after the exercise.  We need to do that better.  One Scout suggested we should sign in by patrol rather than all on the same sheet.  I was hoping you would notice that so next time there will be several clipboards, but next time check-in will be run by Scouts as it should be.

If you hear of anybody who showed up at the usual meeting place because they did not know that the meeting had been moved for this week, please have them contact me so we can check their e-mail address.

Lost and Found
————–

One lost-and-found item from the meeting last night.  Blue windbreaker with the name “Palmer” in it.  Not sure which Palmer.  Normally, when I find stuff lying around after a meeting I will hang it on the coat racks in the parish hall so you can reclaim it easily, but since we weren’t at the hall and since the hall is being used heavily for the next few days, I have it in my car.  Let me know who the owner is and where to deliver it.

Pre-Meeting Activities
———————-

I try to be at meetings no later than 7:00 PM.  If a Scout needs a Scoutmaster Conference or wants to meet with me for some other reason, then stop in.  If I am not in the parish hall, I will be downstairs.  If you e-mail me ahead of time, you can be sure I will be there.  Every now and then I have a meeting conflict and I can’t get there until closer to 7:30 PM.

Uniforms
——–

Remember that one of the Scouting Methods as discussed at the last JLT is Uniform.  You all know that I do not always show up in full uniform, but I almost always have on my Scout shirt which is buttoned and tucked in.  Let’s try that for the next meeting.  Class A shirt.  Buttoned.  Tucked.  It’s still in the concept stage obviously …

Lucky Bag
———

This is an old Navy term for a place where you can find clothing that others no longer want.  The troop has a rack of uniform shirts which others have donated after they outgrew them.  Stop in and check out the rack.  There might be something there which fits and then you will have a uniform shirt to wear to meetings.  And if anybody out there has uniform parts they no longer need, feel free to donate them to the Troop 160 Lucky Bag.

Troop 160,

The Spring 2009 Scout-O (orienteering event for scouts) is on Saturday April 18 at the Hale Reservation, Westwood Mass.

Orienteering is a family of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain.  Standard New England orienteering courses are set up in the woods, and can vary in length from about 1 mile up to 6 miles and beyond, and in difficulty from controls located on well marked trails to controls that are obscured and well off the trail.  For more info go to either http://www.newenglandorienteering.org, or the source of all info http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orienteering (whence I stole the above definition).

For Scouts, requirement #2 to earn the rank of First Class is: “Using a compass, complete an orienteering course that covers at least one mile and requires measuring the height and/or width of designated items (tree, tower, canyon, ditch, etc.)”

I have reserved spots for 5 scouts for a 9:30 start time at the event and would like to give preference to scouts working on their First Class Badge who have not completed requirement #2.  If you want to come, but are not working on your First Class Badge, let me know and you’ll be on the waiting list.  Final roster will be determined at the April 16 Troop meeting.  For the trip, we’ll meet at St. Brigid’s at 8:30 and return around 1:00.

A permission slip with the NEOC “Waiver of Liability” for is attached.  The waiver can be signed ahead of time with the permission slip, or at the departure.

If you’d like to attend, please reply to this e-mail or let me know at the April 9 or April 16 Troop meeting.  Spots are ‘first come first served’ with the over-riding preference for scouts working on their First Class Badge requirement #2.

See you in the woods,

Mike Ames