Home.15 October 1997
...been a long time, folks. You all know how overwhelmed I've been, so I won't waste your time apologizing. By necessity, this will be an abbreviated "Minute" (webmaster's comment- who is he kidding) - there's lots to talk about. Let's get to it....
Rich and I have decided that it's time to go ahead and publish the current iteration of the Troop 111 Website. Note that we are intending to change this over to our own Online Service Provider sometime later this month, and will also be continuing to expand and reorganize it, but it's time to go with what we've got. So (drumroll please) the new Troop 111 Website address is:
As noted in the "Items for your Attention" section below, our on-line name will eventually become Troop111.org, but not `til we get our own provider. It is our intent to eventually eliminate hard-copy mailings to all Troop members who are on-line; hopefully, this will result in significant savings to the Troop for xeroxing and mailing fees. We hope you'll enjoy Scouting with 111 "on-line."
Hopefully, each family will have by now received my latest mailing ("October Notes I"), and will therefore already have a pretty good feel for what's coming up over the next six weeks. In short, the Venture Hike-o-Ree, Marine Corps Marathon, Projectoree Planning Meeting #1 (Sunday, November 2ndon this), Scouting for Food I and II, Fall Court of Honor, the Caving Trip, the Annual Old Rag Hike, and the Annual Poinsettia/Christmas Wreath Sale. Also included are at least one mega-Board of Review (and maybe two) before the Court of Honor. We may also get another Redskins game, TBA (possibly the Giants in November???) Things are moving right along....
You will have noted two new additions to the latest Troop Roster - Jeffrey C. (a new Scout) and Ryan H. (David's younger brother and a transfer from Troop 104.) We'll do the formal introductions at the upcoming Court of Honor.
Departing the Troop are David H. (too much sports and work), Brian Sc. (only attended 1 or 2 meetings last Spring - "our Troop is too intense"), and John Ty, Jr. (didn't enjoy summer camp, and wanted to dedicate more time to soccer.) Good luck to all three.
Several people have requested departed ASM Keith St. A.'s new address. Please email ASM Richard S. for the info.
It's been a very long stretch since the last Advancement Report, so there's plenty to talk about. As always, parents and Scouts should pay particular attention to the following listings to ensure that our records properly reflect what you've accomplished in the last 6 months. In short, if it ain't here, we don't have it recorded, and you need to get together with us to straighten it all out.
As implied in the "October II" monthly notes, the Troop has a new Eagle Scout - Joe Schwartz - Eagle Scout #54 in Troop history (and the third so far in 1997.) Joe passed his Board of Review on October 5th; his Honor Role included:
Joe's Eagle Project consisted of completely rebuilding a set of steps from Missionhurst down to the local park area, and took 265 man-hours to complete. A very impressive piece of work, and well regarded and appreciated by the Priests at Missionhurst.
Joe's Board of Review was equally impressive (and Thanks to): Hank Dettmar (Patawomeck District Eagle Board), Carl Doughman (Deputy District Commissioner, Arlington County), John Manning, Sally McMullen and Jim Smith. Additional Thanks to one and all who helped with Joe's Eagle Project or assisted with his last few merit badges.
Next up - Will D. Not far behind - John T, Tim T. Just getting started - Kevin K., Rusty P.
On the merit badge front, it's also been very impressive. Not only did we have an excellent summer camp (more on this below), we've also completed a number of badges independently. [Note: The following list gives all the merit badges earned since May 19th, not just summer camp.]
John A. - Citizenship in the
Nation, Communications, and First Aid.
Richard B. - First Aid, Orienteering, Pioneering, Rowing and
Safety.
Christopher Bks - Canoeing, Leatherwork and Woodcarving.
Greg B. - Citizenship in the Nation, First Aid and Lifesaving.
Charles B. - Citizenship in the Nation, Cooking, First Aid and
Rowing.
Matt C. - Citizenship in the Nation, First Aid, Geology and
Orienteering.
John C. - Camping, Citizenship in the Nation, Lifesaving and
Orienteering.
Will D. - Personal Management.
Kenny E. - Basketry, Environmental Science, Rowing, Weather,
Wilderness Survival and Woodcarving.
Matt G. - Leatherwork, Swimming and Woodcarving.
Dan Hu. - Citizenship in the World, Environmental Science, First
Aid and Model Design.
Tim Hu. - Camping, Citizenship in the World, Emergency
Preparedness, Model Design and Safety.
Nathan K. - Camping, Environmental Science (from 1995),
Citizenship in the World, Emergency Preparedness and Safety.
Neal Ke - Environmental Science, First Aid, Forestry and
Wilderness Survival.
Stefan N. - Environmental Science, First Aid, Swimming and
Wilderness Survival.
Daniel O. - Leatherwork and Mammals.
Jay P. - Camping, Citizenship in the Nation, First Aid,
Pioneering, Safety and Scholarship.
Rusty P. - Communications and Emergency Preparedness.
John P. - Basketry, Canoeing, Environmental Science, Leatherwork
and Woodcarving.
Michael R. - Environmental Science, Fishing, Weather and
Woodcarving.
Johnny R-W - Basketry, Canoeing, Swimming and Woodcarving.
Joe S. - Citizenship in the World, Communications and Mammals
(from 1994).
Ryan S. - Emergency Preparedness, Orienteering, Safety and
Wilderness Survival.
Jamie S. - Camping, Communications, Emergency Preparedness, Model
Design, Safety and Swimming.
Adam S. - Camping, Communications, Emergency Preparedness, Fish
and Wildlife Management, Safety and Woodworking.
Matt S. - Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the World,
Communications and Indian Lore.
Michael S. - First Aid, Orienteering, Pioneering and Swimming
(from 1994).
Dan T. - Basketry, Environmental Science, Leatherwork, Pets,
Scholarship and Woodcarving.
Nick T. - Basketry, Environmental Science, Leatherwork, Pets,
Scholarship and Woodcarving.
Chris T. - Basketry, Canoeing, Leatherwork and Woodcarving.
John Tk. - Camping, Environmental Science and Lifesaving.
Tim T. - Emergency Preparedness.
John Ty, Jr. - Leatherwork, Swimming and Woodcarving.
Eric W. - Environmental Science, Indian Lore, Leatherwork,
Reptiles and Amphibians, Rowing and Weather.
In related Advancement News, Billy F., Daniel Ho., Kevin and Patrick K., Brendan Mac., Joe S., Michael S., and Chris W. all earned 50-Miler Awards over the last 6 months. Brendan and Chris picked up special awards for completing the 25/10 Hike last March, and also earned their Philmont Arrowheads. Finally, the 1996 - 97 Scoutmasters' Awards for Most Active Scouts went to: Most Active - Daniel Ho; Second Most Active - Nathan K., and Third Most Active - Neal K.
Congratulations to all of the above Scouts!
Please refer to the few three sets of notes (September, October I) for extensive items for your attention (which, for a merciful change, will NOT be duplicated here.)
1) Julijana B.'s Recovery - Julijana had surgery last Spring to correct problems incurred during a traffic accident last year. After a rough recovery period, she is doing much better, and is beginning to return to a normal lifestyle, albeit more slowly than she and Larry would prefer. Our best wishes go out to both for continued progress in 1998!
2) Board of Review(s) - Dates have not yet been established, but will likely include the first weekend of November, and possibly an additional date a little earlier. Many Scouts are currently eligible or rapidly approaching eligibility for their next ranks, all the way from Scout through Life ranks. Kathy L. will be in serious need of Board of Review members over these next 4 weeks; if you can help, please call her. Thanks.
3) BSA Membership Cards - were "rediscovered" in one of my myriad piles, and should therefore be included in this mailing (don't just toss that envelope without checking, folks!)
4) Philmont 1998" - Current Scout participants include: John A., J.T. B., Daniel Ho., Brad J. (Tr 149), Brendan Mac., Jay P., Rusty P., Matt S., and Chris W. As noted in the October I Notes, these Scouts are expected to participate in the upcoming Venture Hike-o-Ree.
5) Recent Trip Costs - Excluding Summer Camp and the Virgin Islands - N. Arlington Projectoree, $25.81; Antietam Creek Canoe Trip, $32.33; Philmont/C & O Canal Shakedown Hike, $9.54; Philmont/Robertson's Mountain Shakedown Hike, $19.87; Philmont, $850; Camp Potomac/Guns and Arrows Campout, $34.92; Redskins/Jaguars Game, $2.03. Jim H. is currently working up the latest accounts reconciliation.
6) On-Line I - Kevin K.'s Eagle Project involves setting up a Website for St. Agnes. He is in need of Scouts or Adults with skills along these lines. If you can assist him in this important project, please give him a call at (see roster for all phone numbers!)
7) On-Line II - Rich and I are currently reviewing Internet Service Providers; the best deal appears to be with a small outfit out of Woodbridge going by the acronym JNP Computer Services, Inc. Anyone have any information on these guys (good, bad, medium?) It is our intent to put nearly all Troop information on the Website, starting in late November or December, so it's important to make sure we don't get locked into a poor ISP.
By the way, we are not "set" on JNP. We are looking for an ISP that will charge us only the minimal InterNic fee for "Troop111.org" (i.e., $100 for 2 years), with minimal/no setup and minimal/no maintenance fees, at least 5 megs of website space, and at least 2 email accounts, all for a competitive monthly fee, for unlimited service. JNP offers all the above, 10 megs of space, and 2 email accounts, for $13/month. Erols, compuserve, and AOL have all been looked at and discarded as far too expensive relative to JNP. If you know someone who is reliable and can beat this, please let us know ASAP. Call Rich (ROSTER!) or I with information.
8) On-Line III - After growing complaints that I wasn't answering messages the last 3 weeks or so, I (finally) discovered that my answering machine was re-recording each incoming message over the same piece of tape, thus effectively erasing the previous message with each incoming call. I love technology. Anyway, I have replaced my Scout machine with my house machine, so things should be back to normal for awhile (whatever that is.) Anyway, those of you who still insist on calling me on my house phone must switch to the Scout phone (ROSTER) if you want to leave a message.
9) On-Line IV - As several heavily published incidents have recently demonstrated, there's a lot of slime crawling around the Net these days. Boy Scout Web Sites are popular stops for pedophiles and other sick individuals, hunting for prey. For this reason, we will be carefully eliminating full Scout names from our on-line documents, and will instead be using First names and last initial (or last two initials) as Scout identifiers, e.g., Dr. Bob for Scoutmaster Bob. Only older Scouts (16 - 17) who have made Eagle will be fully listed (in our Eagle summaries sub-page); Rich and I are confident that our Eagle Scouts are (A) Not an attractive target anymore, and (B) Old and mature enough to handle themselves and recognize bad situations.
In a related matter - a point of education (hopefully not needed, but the aphorism about an ounce of prevention certainly applies!) So-called "chat" lines are another hunting ground for pedophiles - there is NO WAY TO KNOW if your son is talking to another 12 year old Scout from Dubuque or instead a pedophile from Fairfax masquerading as a 12 year old Scout from Dubuque. If your children spend a fair amount of time on-line, you need to educate them on this possibility, and warn them not to provide personal information regarding themselves, other Scouts or the Troop - names, addresses, phone numbers, etc., etc., etc.
Last May, we hit our Annual Canoe trip on Antietam Creek (in North Central Maryland); Antietam Creek is a fairly pleasant small river running past the Antietam battlefield and eventually into the Potomac river. It was quite the change of pace from our traditional treks down the Shenandoah or Rappahannock - a fairly narrow and endlessly winding creek with just a few minor rapids, but lots of wildlife and very few homes or farms. Nonetheless, a very pleasant day. We stayed at the Harper's Ferry KOA, which was also an enjoyable activity for the Scouts - pool, game room, and snack bar - really roughing it!
Participants included: Richard B., Kenny E., Matt G., Ian H., Daniel Ho., Dan and Tim Hu, Kevin K., Nathan and Neal K., Stefan N., Danny S., Ryan S., John Ty, Jr., and Eric W.. Thanks to Tim A., Jeff K., John K., Bill N., John Ty, Sr., and Rick W. for their assistance.
Also in May were two Courts of Honor:
our annual Spring Court, which also included Matt
Berra and David
Stainback's Eagle Scout
Ceremonies, and a separate Court over the Memorial Day weekend for
Keith
Gerarden's Eagle Scout Ceremony
(the latter including contingents from Troop
167 and Camp Olmsted, where
Keith had spent many years.) Both Courts were well attended; as
usual. Thanks to everyone who assisted these three Scouts with their
Eagle projects, or helped put the Courts of Honor together.
Heading into June, we handled a bunch
of service projects. First off, we sent a group over to the Annual
"Citizen of the Year" Dinner on June 19 this year,
Senator Trent Lott was honored at a luncheon at the Russell Senate
Office Building, with hundreds of "VIP's" in attendance. Our jobs
were to provide a uniformed presence, help set up the Hall
beforehand, and act as ushers. Another Troop handled the flag
ceremony. Notably, David S. gave the "keynote" address at the event,
and did just an outstanding job (to be honest, better than those
given by the various Boy Scout professionals or even the Senators!)
Best of all, we all got to eat an expensive lunch, with most of the
Scouts sitting at tables with Senators and Congressmen. I could learn
to like this!
Participants included: Greg B., Charles
B., Matt C., Tim Hu, Nathan K., David and Matt S., and John T. It was
fun watching John interact with all the Senators and Congressmen -
they all knew him from his days as a Congressional Page. Thanks to
John Tu, Sr., for his assistance in setting this up.
Next up was Arlington Interfaith Council Meeting - a monthly meeting of representatives from all the churches and synagogues in Arlington County (about 80, if I remember right.) This meeting rotates from church to church through the course of the year, and the St. Agnes representative had volunteered the Parish Center for the June meeting (and enlisted the Troop to provide assistance.) The Interfaith Council is a loosely organized service committee dedicated to increasing the interaction between and the spirituality of all the area houses of worship. We set up the Hall for the meeting and ran a standard flag ceremony to start it off. An easy day, and very much appreciated!
Next up was a combination fun/service project - Rusty P. participated in the Annual BSA Golf Tournament. This is a fundraiser for the Council, and usually they're just looking for one uniformed Scout to give a speech at the afternoon luncheon. Of course, Rusty did far more than that, as he is also a pretty good golfer himself (and has been on the Yorktown team since moving on to high school.) So Rusty both played and gave a speech. In fact, they liked him so much that they had him stick around and play the afternoon game and speak at the evening dinner, too. A long day (36 holes and 2 speeches), but an enjoyable one for Mr. Rusty!
Continuing on with our Philmont preparation, we hit our second shakedown hike - Robertson's Mountain in the Shenandoah Range. This is where we try and put it all together in a realistic scenario, and Robertson's certainly fits the bill. This is an absolutely brutal uphill, climbing over 2,500 feet with very few switchbacks. Not surprisingly, it's one of the least climbed peaks in the Shenandoahs, despite its proximity to the most popular mountain - Old Rag. The weather was quite pleasant, and the mountain laurel and rhododendron were in full bloom, which offered some nice diversions while we all tried to drown in our own sweat. Well, as I like to say, we grew us some Boy Scouts - and more importantly, gave everyone a taste of the real thing (i.e., Philmont) while they still had a few precious weeks left to prepare.
Participants included: K.C. Ba. (160), David De. (149), Cole Do. (160), Clay and Woody He. (104), Brad J. (149), Brendan Mac. (111), Kevin Sc. (160), Travis Sh. (149), Dave Ta. (149) and Chris and Rick W. (111).
In late June, we headed off for Summer Camp - but with a twist - after 30 straight years at Goshen, the Scouts asked last year to try something new. Thus, Camp Shenandoah, the Stonewall Jackson Council Camp in Swoope, VA (about 45 minutes north of Goshen.) Primary in this choice was the large array of Eagle-required merit badges offered - far more than any of the camps at Goshen (and you may judge the results by reviewing the merit badge list in the Advancement Section, noting how many Eagle required badges we earned.) This turned out to be the best feature of the camp. Others pluses included a much more pleasant camping environment - cooler, and with a continuous breeze always blowing - and a very friendly staff and group of fellow Troops - the latter being far better than Goshen (where active hostility is routine and the best you can hope for is aloof indifference.)
On the down side, however, the camp check-in procedures were abysmal (and we were forced to split the Troop between two separate campsites), the Dining Hall was perpetually behind the eight ball (although the quality of the food improved through the course of the week), the lake was small and badly weed-choked, and the quality of the merit badge counseling was pretty variable. Bottom line? - Basically, I think the camp was a good choice for our older, experienced Scouts (who needed the change and the chance to knock off some Eagle-required badges), but Goshen would probably have been a better choice for our first and second year campers (who needed better structure, better food, and a group of Adults Leaders who weren't so obviously aggravated.) I personally wouldn't mind going again, but I think we'll stick with our current plan to keep trying new venues for a few more years.
Highlights for the week included Troop 111 "rescuing" the Dining Hall staff on Tuesday (when the second cook went down with the flu), an in-camp pizza night, our traditional night out for dinner, numerous campfires (including a spectacular circus performance by the Andew and Greg C., Eric W. and several emcee Scouts at the closing campfire, just incredible), another rain-soaked Wilderness survival night (for Kenny, Stefan and Ryan), and winning the Honor Troop of the Week Award (the equivalent of the "Camp Adventure Award" at Goshen.)
Participants included: John A., Richard B., Christopher Bks, J.T. Be, Greg Br, Charles B., Matt C., Andrew and Greg C., John C., Kenny E., Matt G., Dan and Tim Hu, Kevin K., Nathan and Neal K., Stefan N., Daniel O., Jay P., Rusty P., John P., Michael R., Johnny R-W, Ryan S., Adam and Jamie S., Matt S., Michael S., Dan and Nick T., Chris, John and Tim T., John T., and Eric W. Thanks to Matt B., Dan C., Brian P., Jim and Kim S., and Rick W., who shared the experience, and also to Micki C. (our telephone contact for the week) and Joy G. and John K., both of whom helped drive us down to camp.
Heading into July, we hit our third straight Philmont trek, with three preliminary days in Colorado and 12 days in New Mexico. Unlike the past 2 years, which were essentially 111/647 collaborations, this year's crew was much more "provisional" in nature, with Scouts and Leaders from Troops 104, 111, 149 and 160; it was also a fairly young and inexperienced crew. This can lead to problems, but in fact this turned out to be an outstanding trek - my second best of the seven times I've been to Philmont. In Colorado, we toured the Cave of the Winds and the Manitou Cliff Dwellings (Pueblo Indian Dwellings from the 1200's), took the Cog Railway to Pike's Peak, did rock climbing at the Garden of the Gods (incredible!), whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River and Mountain Biking near Buena Vista. At Philmont, we did Trek 21, but adding an extra 15 miles or so (which made it the toughest trek on the Ranch); all in all about 90 miles of heavy-duty backpacking. Activities included a Petroglyph Tour, a COPE-like Challenge Course, a horseback ride, a Cantina visit, wrangler-type games, spar-pole climbing, several campfire programs, tomahawk throwing, blackpowder rifle shooting, climbing Mt. Baldy (12,441 feet, we were first up that day), a trail building project, shotgun shooting, burro racing, a chuck wagon dinner, and climbing the Tooth of Time to end it all. Great weather, great trek.
Participants included: K.C. Ba (160), David De (149), Cole Do (160), Woody He (104), Brad Jo (149), Brendan Ma (111), Kevin Sc (160), Travis Sh (149), Dave Ta (149) and Chris and Rick Wo (111). We're going again, in 1998!
Also in July, we started off our annual "Summer of Fun" activities, this year including a Troop soccer game, a movie night, and a session of Q-Zar (laser-tag). Thanks much to Jim H. and Brian P. for their help in setting up and running these activities.
In August, the Troop tried something completely new - a high adventure trek to the U.S. Virgin Islands, for a week's worth of SCUBA diving. We had originally planned on sharing a Florida Sea Base expedition with Troop 149 (coral reef sailing), but everyone opted for the dive trip instead. This was the brainchild of Dan C. and Pete W., and eventually involved just about everyone on the trip for planning and execution. Rather than make a hash of the trip description (I didn't go), I'll defer to a future writeup by Dan or Jim and Kim for an upcoming "Minute." Suffice it to say that everyone had a marvelous time, as witnessed by the fact that they're talking "Cancun in `98!"
Participants included: Greg B., John C., Billy F., Neal K., Johnny R-W, and Adam and Jamie S. A big Thanks to Dan and Micki C., John K., Jim and Kim S., and Pete W.; several other non-Troop Adults also participated.
Starting off September, we hit our fourth straight "Guns and Arrows" campout at Camp Potomac in Oldtown, Maryland. This has been one of our more popular events, and includes .22 rifle and 12 gauge shotgun shooting, bow and arrow shooting, the Paw-Paw tunnel hike, the First Class Practical Exam, hours-long sessions of "Logan's Run," and a campfire. The weather was excellent the entire weekend long - mostly sunny, with just a hint of autumn in the air. We also spent a fair amount of time setting up the archery and rifle ranges, and doing various cleanup projects for the camp - apparently, they had been hit with campwide vandalism the week before we came, and things were quite a mess. Well, we set things right all around the camp, and also finished off some of the camp's remaining summer camp cleanup duties as well. Notable in the weekend was Daniel Ho., Ryan S. and Eric W., each of whom "earned" a $5 bill by hitting it with an arrow from 30 feet (not as easy as it sounds!), and Adam S., who qualified for shotgun merit badge (getting a minimum of 18 out of 25 birds.) Richard B., Dan Hu, Jay P., and Steven S. also "suffered" through a practice session of the First Class Practical Exam, with good results - Jay and Dan have since passed the exam, both on their first try. All in all, a great weekend.
Participants included: Richard B., Greg B., Jeffrey C., Jonathan D., Daniel Ho., Dan Hu., Nathan K., Jay P., Ryan S., Adam and Jamie S., Steven S., Dan and Nick T., and Chris and Eric W. And Thanks to Dan C., John K., Gordon P., David S., Rich S., Jim and Kim S., and Rick W.
Finishing out September, we hit another Redskins Game, this time versus the Jacksonville Jaguars at the new Jack Kent Cooke Stadium. As always, our cost of admission was handing out a promotional item, this time the 1997 - 98 Redskins calendar. We split into two groups, and handed out thousands upon thousands at the North gate. This took us through the middle of the first quarter, and we were escorted onto the field at the quarter break. Unfortunately, rain had moved in just at the start of the game, so it was a rather damp experience (although we were the only group of Scouts who were totally prepared for the weather.)
The new stadium is a neat place - much tighter than you'd expect for 70,000 capacity (it really doesn't look all that much bigger than RFK, just taller), but also quite drab and stark at present. They obviously still haven't put a lot of bucks into decor and amenities - but my guess is that'll come soon enough. The game itself was a good one for the Redskins - after trailing early, they pretty well ran away with it in the second half, 24 - 15. The defense in particular was quite impressive. Best of all, we got a group photo with one of the four groups of Redskinettes right after the game! The traffic wasn't as absurd as feared, but the new locale and lengthy walk from the parking area (in Landover Mall) to the stadium forces a fairly long day. We ended with a pizza dinner (and drying out session) at Joe's Pizza and Pasta, and called it a win.
Participants included: Jonathan D., Ryan H., Tim Hu, Jay P., John P., Ryan S., Adam and Jamie S., Dan and Nick T., and Eric W. Thanks to Gordon P., and Rich S. for transportation and other services rendered.
- Dr. Bob, Scoutmaster
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