Splitting wood with a retaining chain and bungee cord: This splitting firewood video features a wicked-good looking splitting axe by Fiskars. It looks to me like their X series splitting axes that come in 17″, 23 1/2″, 28″ and 36″ lengths. The geometry of the axe head creates a wedge whose top curves outward sharply – looks very effective. Fiskars splitting axes on Amazon Fiskars 7856 X11 17-Inch Splitting Axe...
The National Outdoor Award program recognizes Scouts for some above-average participation in challenging outdoor activities. A combination of merit badges, rank, and activities qualify Scouts for hiking, aquatics, camping, adventure and riding awards. The five National Outdoor Awards badges recognize a Boy Scout or Varsity Scout who demonstrates knowledge and experience in camping, hiking, aquatics,riding, or adventure. Scouts earning the National Outdoor Awards badges have demonstrated that they are knowledgeable, safe, and comfortable in the outdoor activity covered by the badge....
1. Go to bed Warm Jumping jacks, push ups or something similar – just enough to warm yourself up but before you start sweating. If you getin a sleeping bag when you are cold you’ll likely stay cold. 2. Fuel up If it’s going to be a very cold night consider a pre-bedtime snack that will keep the furnace burning. Slow burning fatty snacks like cheese; avoid refined sugars or caffeine....
Read about the book Natural Navigation at The Next Challenge blog by Tim Moss. Tim took a course with Tristan Gooley the author of Natural Navigation: On an east-west running path in the northern hemisphere, you’ll find more puddles and dips on the southern side as it invariably gets less sunlight. You can sometimes get a gauge of north and south by putting a hand on different sides of a rock to see which has been warmed more by the sun....
If you aren’t cooking in a dutch oven you are missing a lot of fun and some great food! Now nobody is going to carry a dutch oven backpacking; this is a ‘car camping’ option for sure. If you need to get outfitted here’s what you’ll need and a few things that you may want (note the difference!) Lodge 8 quart pre-seasoned dutch oven Lodge dutch ovens are the industry standard....
Steven C. Karoly is a retired Seabee Cook who blogs at Round the Chuckbox. I eagerly followed a series of eight of Steve’s recent posts on the ‘Code of the Campfire’. They are a combination of practical advice and old fashioned good manners. One look at the idyllic campfire seen pictured above speaks volumes to Steve’s skill and experience as a camp cook. Here’s a quick overview of the code- you can read them all here....
Dutch oven cooking is worth the trouble. Truth be told it’s not actually all that much trouble either! Here’s a great introduction to dutch oven cooking in three parts. It is as easy as it looks; use simple recipes, don’t get too overwrought and you’ll have some great eating. Other Dutch oven information at ScoutmasterCG: Larry’s Dutch Oven HintsDutch Oven KitDutch Oven VideosDutch Oven Bread RevisitedDutch Oven Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Tom Managan offers this guide to simple outdoor photography with a digital camera: It’s not about the camera. It’s how you use it. Waiting for the right light, shooting only memorable scenes, avoiding shutter-induced blur, cropping and editing the best images you bring home. Shoot in the best light The best times of day are sunrise and dusk… In the High Country they call it alpen glow (for fun, start watching movies for evidence of location shots taken during this “magic hour....
Adult Leader Summer Camp Equipment List Stuff Personal Gear Tools/etc. First Aid Kit Pillow Hammer Paper Towels Hanging Kit(4) Pliers TP Shower Sandals Nails Hanging Light(1) Hangers(5) Tarp D Batteries Coffee Cup/Mug Rope AA Batteries Water Bottle String Liquid Hand Soap Notepad Duct Tape Hose Pencil/Pen Shovel Broom Knife Saw Clothespins(2) Snacks Tacks Clorox Wipes Books(6) Staple Gun Clear Shelf Paper(3) Clock Work Gloves Deck Cards Sewing Kit Magic Marker Troop Flag Matches Sharpie Marker US Flag Camera State Flag Seasonings(7) Flag Stands 1 Gallon Zip Loc Cash Box Hat Trash Bags Fishing Gear Chair Mirror Glasses Rug/Mat Notes:...
A reader (who wishes to remain anonymous) asks; My son recently joined a Scout troop who, to my horror, burns almost all their trash in the campfire. Most leaders that do this either don’t think it’s a problem, or have just learned to be indifferent. As a cub leader we didn’t let the youth put anything other than paper in the campfire and taught them what Styrofoam or plastic can do to the environment or their bodies when burned at low temperatures....
I was once persuaded that real Scouts only used real Scout mess kits. The standard issue military type clamshell mess kit may have a long tradition in Scouting, but compared to the alternatives it is woefully inadequate. Some folks like gadgety, expensive, modern specialty cooking gear but I’ll be fine with my highly evolved, cheap, light, and completely superior kit assembled from commonly available alternatives. Evolve! Consign your mess kit to the recycling bin where it belongs!...
Roger Edison has collected a lot of lore and useful information about Chuckwagons and Cowboy Cooking. Here’s a plan for building a cowboy fire box. Admittedly not for leave no trace camping or backpacking the fire box is intended for serious grub! Take a look around Roger’s website and you’ll find things like this recipe; Chuck Wagon Beans Beans have been a hearty food that can be cooked in a variety of ways....
Mike Malone asks; … we’ve been informed that, for safety reasons, Scouts are now not allowed to be on any handmade structure more than 3-4 feet off the ground. Is that the current rule? I checked the Guide to Safe Scouting and found two statements that may be applicable: An approved climbing helmet must be worn during all BSA climbing/rappelling activities when the participant’s feet are more than shoulder height above ground level....
From As the Crow Flies I usually use the no wash method of cleaning up but sometimes I end up with a frying pan or dishes to wash. I never use soap because it takes a lot of water to rinse the soap off. Instead I use baking soda. One time I ran out of baking soda for awhile so I used wood ash instead–it worked. To make soap you need grease and lye....
The folks at Packit Gourmet offer some evidence of the indestructible nature of the humble tortilla. My favorite tortilla ‘recipe’ is peanut butter and jelly on a whole wheat tortilla for a quick, filling trail lunch. Tortillas are an incredibly versatile and easy-to-pack bread. They hold up well in your pack and can be used for breakfast, lunch and dinner. We’ve dined on tortillas with everything from breakfast tacos to ‘sandwich’ wraps to quesadillas – not to mention the more...
Camping in the rain sounds awful – and it is if you aren’t prepared! Here’s ten tips for surviving rainy camping trips: 1. AVOID IT I have canceled or rescheduled weekend camping trips if heavy rain or horrendously bad weather is forecast. We aren’t Marines and the safety of the free world does not depend on our withstanding really awful weather. That being said camping in the rain can be great fun if you are prepared for it....
Well, we’re back from our sixth annual canoe trip to Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park and it was a great success. This year a record 23 people in three crews participated. Each crew took a different route through the 3000 square mile park of about 40 to 50 miles of paddling and portaging. Mounting such a trip involves a sea of details. Perhaps the most complex bit of planning was purchasing and packing 414 servings of food required for six days of travel....
Learn how to tie the First Class Scout Badge Knot over at the Boy Scout Trail website. Not a particularly useful knot nor extraordinarily decorative but one really ought to know how it is tied. Tie a simple overhand knot in the bight of rope. Leave the knot loose. Put the bight through the ring on which it will hang. Pull the bight through the loose overhand knot. Cinch the knot tight....
Veho hosts a great collection of 24 full length Ray Mears Videos . As I have noted before Mears shares many useful skills in these videos without sensationalism. Well worth watching. Via Rikkis Scouting Resources
After long preparation and excited anticipation our annual backpacking trip looked like a real washout – rain from Friday night to Sunday morning. Enduring a couple of days of rain is not anyone’s idea of a great time so we are postponing until next weekend. But will next weekend’s weather be any better? Before deciding to postpone I checked with the NOAA Climate Prediction Center. The center publishes daily 6-10 and 8-14 day maps that aid long-term forecasting above or below normal temperatures and chances of precipitation (an example of a temperature map is shown above)....