What Your Outpost Did This Week.

I what ever is in front of you is irrelevant, you could do it with pop tarts and soda if you had the right mentality. Jesus cares about your heart and your mind and communion is reminder to keep those straight, self check, and correct. I chose to do the breaking of bread as a visual reminder how Jesus was broken. If he was wiling to go through that, do you think you have something he can't take?

We are heading out tonight for a big adventure backpack. Tonight it's 100% chance of rain through the night up till daylight in the morning. We have 18 going. Rain has dampend some spirits...but were still going.

A group is already down there 3 young men. Camping on the top of a 200 foot cliff. Our plan is to walk the cliff trail. It will be very senic and we will have to be extra careful.

While most folks would cancel and not go. I have found it fun either way. Just have to think it through and be "Ready" . When we train for this stuff and just talk..it rarely teaches us anything. Yet when we go and do... big time teacher.

Mark Jones

This week we did.........nothing!
I was sick & so were half my Rangers The flu is making the rounds of the church at least its a 2 day variety

Well. We changed our leave time until tommarrow morning at 8:00 am. We were getting 2 to 3" of rain today and tonight. Supposed to be gone by noon. So we will still have some of it going in....but it will be nice Saturday afternoon and Sunday. We have a new boy and his dad going from our outpost. I didn't want his first night out backpacking to have to deal with the 3" of rain. Other wise... we would be down there now.

Mark Jones

I had pointed member Sasiki in the direction of the TracClub examples.  The Skills Merit on that page was Photography.

I started looking it over and thought that it would be great, especially since we are only running 5 to 6 boys per meeting right now.

I pulled out a couple of digital cameras, a cell phone, and one of my 35mm SLR's from years ago & started the merit.

In order to explain the difference in application of Digital Photography vs Wet Film Photography, we did a study of the "Corona" Spy Satellite project against the Soviets that started in 1960.  We talked about what was learned through photography, how much money was saved by knowing what the capabilities of the Soviets were, how they got the film back, and how it has advanced through digital photography.

We also learned about how the first "digital" photos were "Polaroid"-type pictures that were taken and developed on the satellite, and then were scanned by a small television transmitter, then transmitted back to earth. However, they were found to be pretty-much useless, until the advent of true digital photography.

And so it was a History Lesson, a lesson in American Government, and an Introduction to the Mechanics of Photography.

The kids absolutely loved it, and they enjoyed passing around an old 35mm camera.

I purchased some rechargeable battery packs for the digital cameras, so next week, the boys will start snapping pictures.

For the "Documentary" photographs, we're going to do a Crime Scene.

Crime scene is brilliant. If you have DR's throw the Fingerprint merit in

We had a good time last weekend on the Backpack and also had to get a fire going in 3" of rain from the past 2 days...it was all soaked. Showed how to cut a dead hardwood branch down to about a 8" length and then baton it into toothpicks and tinder and fuel and then before lighting that scrape the bark off of some cedar branches (a stack of them) and built it all up off the ground because of the damp cold ground would suck any heat out of it. They learned a good leason and we had a big fire. Other wood had to be stacked right next to the fire after it had a hot bed of coals so it would dry out the other wood. Metal matched it.

One of the Dad's said. Wow they learn so much more going on this type of campout versus a pow wow type camp. I said yes and these are my favorite camps. Yet I goto Pow Wow for the fellowship and the fun. Yet backpack camping has a real high learning curve for folks.

Sunday night we showed rappelling videos and ate pop corn and bug juice and then read the boyscouts handout on rappelling rules per the merit. Then tied rappel knots and hitched up gear and such. This weekend we go Rappelling and an over night campout.

Mark Jones

The AR and ER boys finished up on a BB gun merit for the older groups.  I kept the remainders busy with water knots and crossword puzzle out of the Rangers now mag.  Also made some water proof fire starters using the 3 strike anywher matches wrapped in toilet paper and a loop and  ahalf of 8" walmart floral wire then dipped in wax.    Great fire starters.

We moved the survival campout up to 3 weeks way.

This weekend Div Ranger Derby.  Easter weekend backpack and float trip and then the survival campout.  Lots of fun just around the corner.

Mark Jones

We continued the Photography Merit, and went more into the parts & mechanics of cameras.

In order to show the boys how an "aperture" influenced focus, I took 2 toilet paper tubes, and a cardboard disk that fit snugly in one. Then I poked a small hole in the middle of the disk with a medium sized nail & inserted it into one of the tubes.

When the boys looked through the tubes, they agreed that objects looked "sharper" through the tube that had the smaller aperture, but that it would require more light to work.

Mission accomplished.

Sounds similar to how short and long range shots worj through small and large open sights.

Big SW Divisional Race Tommarrow. We sat up 2 tracks on tables and got it all ready! I am playing Grandpa tommarrow so will be out of town for the Big Race.

Sunday working and then sunday night survival training for the big campout in 2 weeks.

Mark Jones

This week we had our full complement of 2 RK & 2 AR
For Bible study I did an RK Bible study on the story of Zacchaeus (as we had finished Ephesians the week before) I choose this one on purpose as 1 of our RK's is named Zacchaeus.

Having wrapped up Rope Craft the week before we did a review of the knots we learned & then a knot tie-off.  I paired up the Rangers & assigned each pair 4 knots to tie. (2 per ranger) I gave each ranger 3 sections of rope (each about 24" long) When they completed a knot they were to leave it in the rope & start the next knot on another rope (that way I could verify the knots were done correctly)
The first team to tie all 4 knots CORRECTLY wins.

Good times. Chris.

We made and dipped waterproof matches and went over wilderness survival. Went over the permssion slips and stuff they needed to collect at home.

It went fast.

We had our outpost leaders meeting. Just half showed up. Those that are doing the plan showed..those that are not doing the plan as well didn't show. GRIN!

Backpack and Float this weekend 14 to 20 going. Next weekend Survival Campout.

Mark Jones

Woo Whooo. We gonna survive Sat morning from 8:00 am to Sunday morning 11:45 am. Primative Shelters and Primative Snares will be taught.

No Sleeping bags. Just what your wearing and what fits in the fanny pack and a list of things they can gather from around the house. Plus 2 emergency blankets.

Mark Jones

Sounds fun! Look forward to reading about that!

I started in on lashing last week, but its too hard for my RK's to get. so casting about for something else to do in its place.

How about doing one night of showing them how to "whip" the end of a rope.

Although it is not a merit, it's related to lashing, it's a fairly simple task, and they will feel like they have achieved something, rather than moving to the next thing without succeeding.

If anyone has any climbing ropes, or even old "shed" ropes (I know that I'm dating myself), they could dress up the ends.

The boys have all studied cameras, how digital and wet-film cameras work, use of flash photography, evolution of cameras in satellites, and they have all taken several pictures - which we put up on the computer and critiqued what was good, and what mistakes were made.  After taking the pictures, we also did exercises on using the computer to adjust exposure levels and to remove "red eye".

So, about 35 minutes into the meeting, the Church Secretary called me and said that there was a problem, and we needed to come to the Church Office.

There was the Secretary's Office door standing open, with a prying tool laying on the floor next to it.  The Secretary's desk drawers were partially open, with a hammer and hack saw laying on the floor.  Around behind the door, you could see that the Church Safe was standing open, completely empty.  There were empty cash bags and change wrappers laying on the floor, along with some loose change.  The lock that secures the safe was cut, and a bolt cutter was laying in the vicinity.  

Fortunately, I happened to have a note pad and our camera with me.  We started at the outside of the office, and had each boy take 2 photographs, document the photographer and what the photographed items were, and then pass the camera to the next boy (they all had a couple of turns with the camera, as numerous "overall" crime scene photographs were taken, along with several close-ups of the evidence and damage).

The lock was an old bicycle lock that I had forgotten the combination to, and we hid the "real" security lock for the safe, and I cut the bicycle lock and left the 2 pieces in front of the safe with the bolt cutters.

Of course there is always one kid who has a problem following instructions.  Mine is a 7-year-old, and on the way to the office, I told him, "Briley, you had better NOT jump down the last 2 or 3 stairs together!"  Of course, what did he do, when he got to the 3rd step from the bottom? "Whee!"

So while we were photographing, Briley picked up the cut bicycle lock.  I yelled, "Your fingerprints are on that lock.  How are you going to explain it when the Police get here?"

He threw that thing down like a snake, and was quiet for the rest of the evening (only occasionally mumbling something about "...going to jail").

The Pastor and Elders thought that it was a Hoot.

You should haved called in some off duty cops in uniform and lifted his prints scare him bowels and bladder empty lol. This whole crime scene evidence could lead into finger printing merit. Develop your own CSI merit haha.

We did the "fingerprint" comparison, when someone had been stealing from the Candy Bowl at Children's Church last December.

I brought the bowl into the Ranger Room during a meeting, dusted and lifted a couple of (previously placed) latent prints from the bowl, and I had each boy show me his fingers.   I looked at them with a magnifying glass alongside the "lifted" prints, and asked each, "Do you know anything about how this candy got taken?"

Nobody fessed up to it, but there were a couple of nervous kids. The Word got around the Church, and no more candy got stolen.

Claymore wrote:How about doing one night of showing them how to "whip" the end of a rope..

We just finished Rope Craft

No rangers this week for me

I guess we kind of fell off this

This week we had a lesson from Galatians CH 5, worked some more on Citizenship by learning about the constitution.

We made 37 twentyfour inch double barrel rubber band guns and cleaned up the Ranger Building. Getting ready for a wild next 3 months of Rangers.
Pow Wow
Frontier Adventure
Backpacking Action Camp
Territorial Rendezvous
Regatta
Ranger Kids Day camp

Those are just the Regular stuff... float trips, fishing trips, family vacations. Wooo whooo Rangers!

According to BSA rubber band guns and shper soakers are not "kind" so they are banned.

www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/05/20/boy-scouts-ban-water-gun-fights-because-pointing-a-firearm-isnt-kind/

Well we let the heritage boyscouts use our campground a few weeks ago. They are estimating their numbers to increase rapidly. Lots of flakes making up really neat new and improved ideas in the new paradyne shifted boyscouts. You know... when they allow gays and no shooting rubber band guns... what can we really expect from them? Life long servant leader scouts?

I think a good ole whip needs to be brought out into many of our houses and clear the money changers tables and remove the varmin out of our ranks. Boyscouts and Rangers both. Anything that is Noble and Worthy and Godly will always be under attack by the devil and he does it one little cut at a time. Paradyne shifters...I hope they have a extra hot place in hell for them.

Mark Jones


Mark Jones