Hikers, runners, athletes, backpackers and Scouts all know that one must take care of their feet. Scouts are young enough to bounce back from blisters, strains and twists quickly but not the old Scoutmaster. It is worth knowing how to maintain healthy feet. Perhaps it is a sign of my ever advancing age (I’m fine with getting older, it is better than the alternative) that I have greater concern for sore feet....
If, when in the forest, we know the names of the trees we are more at home. My well-worn Golden Guide to Trees is a reliable source of information for tree identification. I have a couple of other guides but reach for the Golden Guide first because I find it easier to identify things from illustrations rather than photographs. The guide features over 730 species of trees grouped in 76 families....
We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes – something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters’ paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view....
Most natural phenomena are reasonably easy to grasp once explained in plain terms. But alas much is hidden from the average person behind a wall of opaque scientific jargon. Anyone with the skill to penetrate this screen with clarity and simplicity is a wonderful discovery. Eric Sloane was such an author. His books are generously illustrated with his own drawings so the reader can see exactly what the author is writing about....
The Dangerous Book for Boys puts me in mind of following creeks through the woods, baseball cards held to the forks of my bike with clothespins, climbing trees, chemistry sets, purloined firecrackers, strike anywhere matches, building forts and a thousand other common joys of boyhood. Not virtual but visceral, hands-on and sometimes faintly dangerous. Risk and challenge remain vital to boys. We cannot legislate or litigate this vitality out of their lives....
I may have earned the equivalent of a few college credits related to the study of developmental, or cognitive, differences during my tenure as a Scoutmaster. What are cognitive differences? Autism, attention deficit, hyperactivity, Downs syndrome and learning disabilities of all stripes. Disabilities are, by definition, a condition that makes it difficult for someone to do the things that other people do. Difference is a way in which people or things are dissimilar....
In an article titled ‘Leave No Child Inside’ in the current issue of Orion Magazine Richard Louv writes; Yes, there are risks outside our homes. But there are also risks in raising children under virtual protective house arrest: threats to their independent judgment and value of place, to their ability to feel awe and wonder, to their sense of stewardship for the Earth—and, most immediately, threats to their psychological and physical health....
The 1913 proof edition of the Handbook for Scout Masters is available at Google Books. This draft was distributed for comment to perfect the final edition. Here’s a (rather large) PDF version of the 1913 Proof of Scoutmaster Handbook To be an effective Scouter we ought to continually assess our understanding of first principles, and there’s much food for thought in this edition of the Scoutmaster’s handbook. It’s also an interesting glimpse into Scouting history....
Each year 3000 students spend two weeks to three months in the backcountry on National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) courses. Thats a lot of backcountry cooking! The folks at NOLS have developed a simple, varied and inexpensive diet that is based on staple foods that can be found at any grocery store. There’s also a wealth of information on planning, packing and preparing meals for extended trips or just a weekend....
The Dump is a massive collection of Scouting resources ‘written long ago’ for Scouts. Some patient soul has created a treasure trove of Scouting Literature like; The Scout and His Axe – John Thurman’s booklet of axe use and care. The Patrol System and Letters To A Patrol Leader – The 1917 book by Capt. the Honorable Roland Philipps regarding the most important topic in the Scout section – the Patrol....
Kathleen Meyer realized that there was no completely frank discussion of how to sh*t in the woods (and how not to). She put pen to paper and came up with this pithy, humorous yet informative tome. Well worth reading as pulling it off properly does require some lost skills. It was unlikely that I would find my one of my favorite outdoor stories in this book, but I did: For the better part of a nippy fall morning,...
The druidical science of axemanship is glossed over in scouting literature. Wielding an axe expertly is more than meets the eye. Can you properly ‘hang’ an axe? Are you able to detect hidden flaws when choosing a new axe handle? Bernie Weisgerger is a historic preservation specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. He oversees the restoration of remote historic buildings using traditional technologies and materials. Bernie was the building consultant for the PBS series Frontier House....
Eric Sloane wrote and elegantly illustrated several pithy books on early American living and artifacts. As a teen I was, and as an adult I remain, fascinated with the Diary of an Early American Boy. Sloane bases this book on the actual 19th century diary of a fifteen year old farm boy named Noah. The book illuminates the spare original entries in Noah’s diary with Sloane’s illustrations and writing. The obscurities of early American life are explained in a compelling story that is at once plausible and inspiring....
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” Thoreau Walden is a record of Thoreau’s experiment with transcending ‘normal’ living in an attempt to understand the intrinsic nature of our existence. A weekend in the woods is Walden in miniature, a philosophical retreat....
I actually made a canoe paddle, and plan on making some more. My new paddle served me admirably on many miles of paddling over the past seven years. Making Canoe Paddles is as complete a treatment of the subject as one could hope to find. Making a paddle is a challenge but the authors explain every step with well-illustrated clarity. The tools, woods, adhesives and techniques are all explained thoroughly and several pleasant hours of work result in a tool that you’ll be proud to own and use....
‘ He worked slowly and carefully, keenly aware of his danger. Gradually, as the flame grew stronger, he increased the size of the twigs with which he fed it. He squatted in the snow, pulling the twigs out from their entanglement in the brush and feeding directly to the flame. He knew there must be no failure. When it is seventy-five below zero, a man must not fail in his first attempt to build a fire…’...
Anyone planning a canoe trip of a few days or a few weeks will benefit from studying Jacobson’s careful treatment of the subject: he offers solid, tested techniques and then points out the many ways things could go wrong. He uses stories from his considerable experience to illustrate how important it is to plan carefully, not to compound mistakes and thereby opens up the possibilities of canoeing in some incredibly wonderful places....
‘ We do not go to the green woods and crystal waters to rough it we go to smooth it. We have it rough enough at home…’ ‘ The temptation is to buy this or that bit of indispensable camp kit has been too strong and we have gone to the blessed woods handicapped with a load fit for a pack mule. That is not how to do it. Go light, and the lighter the better so that you have the simplest material for health comfort and enjoyment....