It is time to select Merit Badges for Hidden Valley Summer Camp. Each scout needs to pick 3 Merit Badges he would like to work on at camp with a 4th back-up choice just in case. Attached you will find the 2011 Merit Badge schedule. This lists the Merit Badges offered this year and the time slots to help you make your selections. Scouts should select and number 4 merit badges in order of preference (1,2,3,4).

I will need your info by the May 26 meeting at the latest.

Please see me Thursday at the meeting with any questions,

Lynn Eriksen

Send your selections and the following info to me;
A. via email to leriksen@yahoo.com
or
B. hand in Thursday
——————————————————————————-

Name________________________________________
Phone#_______________________________________
Age__________________________________________
Rank_________________________________________

Merit badge choices;
Priority 1______________________________________

Priority 2______________________________________

Priority 3______________________________________

Priority 4______________________________________
——————————————————————————–

Please pay early if possible.  We need to deposit the checks in the bank then write a check to pay for camp.  So the more we get early, the easier it is manage the accounts without bouncing.

I am attaching the forms for final payment and Adult Volunteers.

***** We need more adult volunteers.  We have a large group of boys going to camp so we get extra free spots for adults.  Please volunteer to spend a week at camp or at least two nights and two days.  It is fun, relaxing, and all expenses paid (its free).

If you are volunteering for Philmont next summer, this is a great chance to get some experience at a scout camp.******

See you Thursday.
Jeff Shorter
Troop 160 Camp coordinator

We are up to 50 scout weeks for summer camp with the time split fairly evenly between camps.

I will have a list of scouts who have put down deposits for summer camp at the Court of Honor tonight, so please check the list and let me know if it is not correct.

I am attaching the forms if you have not signed up your scout.

Also, we are looking for a few volunteers for camp.  We have openings in both weeks.  Please think about giving back to the Troop.  If you want to go to Philmont, summer camp is a great way to see how scout trips work and to get some necessary training!  Just fill out Form 3 and send it in.

Jeff Shorter
Summer Camp Coordinator

It is that time again!  Summer camp.  This is a great experience for
all out scouts.  We STRONGLY encourage all our scouts to go to both
weeks of summer camp.  The two camps provide different great experiences.

The weeks are:
Camp Bell  Aug 7 – 13
Hidden Valley Aug 14-20

Please read over the “Information Sheet” and return your deposits to
me, Jeff Shorter, by March 4th.

For some of the older scouts 14+ there are some high adventure options
(SPOKE and Valley Voyageur) that can also be coupled with the camps.

Where else can you get the great experiences for your son and two
weeks room, board, and transportation for $700?????

If you have any questions, email, call, or see me at the meetings.

Jeff Shorter
Summer Camp Coordinator

To download zip file  of Summer Camp Info

Summer camp is just around the corner.   Below is a nice local opportunity to hear about it and ask questions to the folks who run the show.

If you are a parent with questions or a leader who plans to go to camp (or is thinking about going to camp), here is a great opportunity to get good info…..Click here .

Thx  John W

http://www.hankmanz.phanfare.com/4792675

It rained one night, but by the morning the rain had stopped and it is now back to warm and dry weather.  Bugs are close to zero.

Everybody has been in the water at least once as the pictures will show.

I will publish a much longer slideshow after we return from camp, so if you have any pictures let me have them.  You can send them to me by e-mail (a slow process), you can put them on CD or DVD or even a flash drive, or you can simply upload them to the dropbox associated with the Phanfare site I am using.  Look for the squared-off U in the upper corner of the front page.  You can upload pictures for me to look at.  There is no cost associated with that and you don’t have to have a Phanfare account.  Let me know if you have problems uploading.

You can download any pictures you like so you can print them or you can send them off to a variety of photo printing services for an attractively low price.
See you next Saturday!
-Hank Manz

I am sure there are some misspellings and other typos as well as duplicate and out-of-order shots which will be cleaned up in the final version.

Pictures may be sent to any of a number of photo printing services or you can download the high-res image behind each picture and print it yourself.  If you wish to contribute pictures you can leave them in the dropbox on the Phanfare site, you can e-mail them (the hardest way in most cases), or you can give them to me on a disk or flash drive.

The weather is terrific.  Just a bit of rain Monday night which settled the dust and cooled things down without making anybody uncomfortable.  Since then we have had nothing but warm days and cool nights with another spot of rain.

The two Beefy O’s and the Rubber Bandits have been doing incredible work in the kitchen, but the Rat and Cardboard patrols are catching up quickly.  The Rats are at Outpost on an overnight as I write this.  They planned the hike, they will cook their own supper tonight, and they will figure out how to get there.  And they named their own patrol, by the way.

Look for an expanded slide show after we return from camp on the 21st.  And if anybody has any pictures, send ‘em on.

-Hank Manz

http://www.hankmanz.phanfare.com/4785257

All of you will be participating in the Curlews program which has been considerably beefed up.  The plan was to put the new program into place next year, but since we have been pushing for changes and since it is a light week, it seemed like a good idea to not wait until next year.  This should give all First Years a signoff on even more requirements for Tenderfoot, Second, and First Class.

But to fully participate there will be an overnight thrown in as part of the five-mile hike requirement so you should make sure you have at least the following gear with you:

- Rain gear
- Sleeping bag you can carry
- Pack

If you are going to fall short on either the pack or sleeping bag, send me an e-mail so we can dig into the troop stores to see if we have what you need.  Once we are up there, it will be too late, so do it now.

Thanks,

-Hank Manz

*Scout’s Trunk/Foot Locker*

Please mark your foot locker/trunk/plastic bin with your name, and For Camp Bell:

Troop 160 MA

Week 7 – ________________ (Camp site name- will be sent later)

Duct tape written on with a Sharpie makes a fine label. Remember, if you pack all your gear in a backpack, YOU will be delivering it to the camp site. If it is in a foot locker/plastic bin, it will be trucked to the site. If you have questions about what to pack, check the troop web site for the summer camp packing lists.

Pack well. Don’t have a lot of loose stuff which can get lost. And pack so that if it rains and the gear is left out for awhile, it will not be soaked through. Trash bags as trunk liners can be a real help here.

(But trash bags as carrying containers are not so good.)

You will not have access to your gear until the early evening, so make sure you pack the things you need into your daypack.

*Daypack*

You should have a daypack with you for camp arrival. In it you should pack:

- your lunch (You will not eat on the bus – you will eat your lunch after you arrive at camp.)

- your meds (if any) in original prescription containers [YOU MUST HAVE A DOCTORS NOTE WITH DIRECTIONS ON WHEN TO TAKE THE MEDICINE WITH YOU] and anything else that looks like a med (vitamins, etc.) must be in original containers. Over the counter medications need to be accompanied by a doctor’s note. These should be placed into a ziplock bag with the Scout’s name and Troop 119 written in sharpie on the bag.

- a water bottle

- *your Class A uniform. Uniforms are required for the troop picture, some ceremonies, and for dinner at Hidden Valley, so make sure you have it.* This is why it is a good idea to just wear it.

You do not have to have your swim suit and towel in your pack for Bell, as you will be swim-tested at some other time than Sunday. For Hidden Valley, you will need your swim suit and towel in your pack, unless you were swim tested at Bell.

*Pick up/leaving camp*

If you plan to pick your son up early, we have to know about it in advance. If the pickup person will not be a parent, then we will also need a form signed by the parent before the Scout can be released. Early pickups are as difficult as late arrivals, by the way. It means that gear must be hand-carried off the hill and if you have ever tried the hike to the campsites, you will understand.

Pickup for both weeks is 9:00 AM on Saturday. It is especially important to be there on time for Camp Bell so we can get our gear moved to Hidden Valley and that campsite set up.

· If your Scout is staying for two weeks you do have to pick him up on Saturday 8/14 at 9am from Camp Bell and return him to Hidden Valley Camp after 4:30pm.

Jeff Shorter

We are still looking for  a couple adult leaders during summer camp.  We could use 1 or 2 more for Camp Bell and 2 or 3 more for Hidden Valley.
Please consider giving back to the Troop and your son for  a couple days at Camp.  It is a fun experience and the work required can vary from drinking coffee all day watching scouts, to actively participating in activities.  It is up to you.

We would like parents to spend as much time as possible at camp.  The minimum would be at least two full days (Drive up in the evening,  stay two days and return in the evening).

I will be at the court of Honor this evening.  Please come talk to me about the opportunity.

Yours in Scouting,
Jeff Shorter