SummitPost.org

I bagged my first peak on a weekend trip with the BSA. Here's the info entered into my log of summit attempts:

Peak: Mt. San Gorgonio
Elevation: 11,499 ft.
Date: 8/15/1969
Route: Dry Lake Trail
Successfully reached the summit with Boy Scout Troop 1001 (Beatitudes of our Lord School) Old Trailhead was at the end of Poop-out Hill Road, camped at Dry Lake two nights, first peak!!!

Started camping with the Girl Scouts when I was eight; worked in Girl Scout summer camps all through college leading 10 day and longer backpacking trips along the east coast. My dad was a Scoutmaster so the whole family did scouting, camping and loved the out of doors.

When my son joined Webelos I moved up into Boy Scouts right with him. It was a wonderful seven years as he worked his way up to Eagle. I still camp with the troop sometimes and I love summer camp!

I always tell the kids I work with in Scouts that they might not stay in Scouting but that I hope they take away some of the good times and skills they have learned! I know I have!!!

I made it to 1st class at 12 years old, but my Dad got a job in Nigeria in 1965 and that was the end of my youth experience.
My 2 boys entered BSA as Tigers in 1997, crossed over to Scouts in 2002 and got their Eagles in 2008 and 2009.
This is the best experience of my life!!
Before going to Philmont I lost 30 pounds. After, we have summited So. Sister, Longs Peak and others, plus long sections of the AT .
Since then I have summited Aconcagua, Mt Blanc, Mauna Loa and others. The next big one is Denali. Mt Washington and Rainier are training trips that I look forward to.
It all started with those weekend training hikes on the AT, getting in shape for Philmont.
Cheers

I'm an Eagle Scout from a very active troop. Now I return the favor by taking kids from my old troop out to Joshua Tree.

Y-Indian Guides
Boy Scouts
Civil Air Patrol

It was the Civil Air Patrol "ranger" training and survival school that got me into roped climbing, er, rappelling. Climbing came later.

Joined Cub Scouts with best friend in grade school and stayed a very active member until earned the Eagle awar and then became an Asst. Scoutmaster as a young adult. I've been a Den Leader and Scoutmaster since then. It's given me a lot thruout my life and I'm glad to have been involved. If the troop is active and well run (by the boys) it can be an incredible experience for a kid.

did my very first ever backpacking trip in Philmont, and first encounter with a rope their as well - rapelling. First time I ever saw the Rockies which were pretty impressive to a kid from the West TN river bottoms.

I was a Cub Scout and a Boy Scout. I worked at a summer camp for a few years. Camp Big Horn, Lake Arrowhead Scout Camp, OA member. This is where I learned to tie knots, pack a backpack and climbed my first peak. I did a trip to Philmont, great memories. I became an adult leader when my son joined. Eagles Scout and a Marine.

Happy Birthday BSA and Thank you Lord Baden Powell

Honestly, I hated scouts. It was too rigid and organized and fake.

I got my Eagle at 14 because my mom made me. I think that if I had grown up in a more outdoor-oriented area (I was in Dallas), my experiences might have been different.

thigbee wrote:Honestly, I hated scouts. It was too rigid and organized and fake.

I got my Eagle at 14 because my mom made me. I think that if I had grown up in a more outdoor-oriented area (I was in Dallas), my experiences might have been different.

A lot of mothers are behind Eagles. Unfortunately in some cases I know, they actually did most of the work.

surfnturf wrote:Tried Junior Lifeguards in lieu of Boy Scouts. Made it all of a week... bad choice in hindsight. Became a juevenile delinquent instead. Good times

From what I remember, I spent most of Cub Scouts in "timeout" because I spent most of my time trying to pick up the girl scouts... I bought a lot of cookies...

Our Scout troop met across the street from the Girl Scouts on the same night. Across the street in the other direction was a wooded lot. That might have a lot to do with why I enjoyed Scouts so much...

thigbee wrote:Honestly, I hated scouts. It was too rigid and organized and fake.

That's why I couldn't keep either of my kids interested. Today's kids see through things that we used to swallow.

truchas wrote:It's sad that liberal activists are out to destroy the Scouts nowadays. I hope they survive.

I'm sure liberal activists will survive.

Life's more complicated than stereotypes:
Again (1) I was an Eagle Scout and had a great experience; (2) I tried to get my kids involved but failed; and (3) think that Scouting's policy on gays is misguided and hurts the organization. On point (3), it's made me volunteer elsewhere, though if my kids had enjoyed it (see 2) I would have stuck with it.

Clarification: Most Scouts and Scoutleaders I personally know in Los Angeles would welcome any gay members.

The Supreme Court thing was about "Openly Gay Adult Scout Leaders".

The BSA only adopted the ruling because the vast majority of Troops in the USA are franchised to the Mormon Church and The Unitied Methodist Church. I have nothing personal against these groups but there is your source on the "Gay" thing in Scouting.

Its funny that some think that it's a liberal thing that is against Scouting. It's actually religious conservatives who can't tell a gay man from a gay boy from an openly gay man from a pervert.

I believe it's actually just a mis-defined policy to keep perverts & pedophiles away from young boys. Note that the BSA has a much better record than the Catholic Church.

I have encountered several non openly gay men in Scouting. Good leaders. Thanks for the good work and help.

Openly hetrosexual men would be just as annoying have around. Talking about sex with women in front of the boys all the time sets a bad example.

So when are the openly gay men going to start a youth program? How about athiests? You'd get a ton of support.

So volunteer or quit complaining if you don't like it.

And now, back to the excellent kudos and reminiscing about the good side of Scouting.

squishy wrote:

truchas wrote:
It's sad that liberal activists are out to destroy the Scouts nowadays. I hope they survive.

What?

They are destroying themselves with throw back policies which are more common place in the Muslim world...

Seems like they are turning the organization into a religious club...turning good people away because they are ghey or atheist...they deserve all the criticism they get, and I was a proud boy scout once as well...

I have toyed with the idea of volunteering many times, but every time I am reminded of the following truths and really wish there were other organizations for the rest of the people who don't fit their mold...

They need to evolve or lose all federal funding, it's obviously an organization which does not believe in our countries founding principals...

Scout’s discriminate against women, gays, and atheists, yet they receive federal funding for their activities. Federal funding should stop. Let the Scout’s fend for themselves.

Why am I anti Boy Scouts? I am an atheist and therefore cannot be a scout leader. My ten year old son is interested in joining; only I would have to lie to participate. I am not going to lie, so no scouts for my son. Since I don’t want to subject my son to potential child molesters or religious conversion, I will not let him go it alone. In thinking deeper on the subject, I find myself asking, why do I pay taxes to support this organization? It is excluding members based on not having faith, yet virtually every other religion on the planet is in the Scouts. It seems like a clear cut case of discrimination. The federal government should not fund bodies that discriminate against people based on their (lack of) religion. It is time to cut the Boy Scouts loose, let them find funding from churches and corporate America. Perhaps Congress can fund an organization that is open to all Americans.

Yes, it's too bad that a religious boy's club won't accept girls and atheists. I'm sure my son would have been first in line to attend Girl Scout camp a couple years ago, but you don't hear people whining about them not allowing boys. And I should be the next Pope.

BTW, the last troop I volunteered with had an openly atheistic troop leader. Nobody except for one mother cared, including the local council. They defended him as leader when the mother complained. He understood that he was part of a religious organization, so he didn't preach or criticize so it didn't affect anyone.

mconnell wrote:BTW, the last troop I volunteered with had an openly atheistic troop leader. Nobody except for one mother cared, including the local council. They defended him as leader when the mother complained. He understood that he was part of a religious organization, so he didn't preach or criticize so it didn't affect anyone.

It's wonderful how flexible and respectful of one another people can be when they're not in a leadership position.

Reminds me of teaching Sunday school in a Catholic church even though I'm not Catholic. Everyone was cool.

Anyway, I'd love to see Scouting change with the times in a good way. I think they took a wrong turn on activities when they tried to be 'relevant' to urban kids. The point is to show kids something outside the city, not to be relevant *in* the city.

Having the whole organization follow a policy designed to keep the Mormon region happy, if that's what they're doing, is another bad decision. By all means let the Mormon troops do their thing but let the rest of us do ours.