Spring Break Backpack NewBee

Week from Friday night we head out for a Backpack into Hercules Glades visiting the devils den.

It's hard to get folks to get out of their easy chair anymore. They just want to sit around and eat and get fat. GRIN!

Anyway. I will try and pull myself away from that desire and load up a dozen or so and go on a 10 miler.

Our District Survival Action Camp is only a month and 2 weeks away. I have 90 1 gallon cans for them folk to clean,cook,boil water out of. Just a knife and a 1.99 survival blanket and a few other small things is all WE TAKE. Same goes for EVERYONE there. They will earn Wilderness Survival, Primative Snares and Primitive Shelters as well as knock off a Orienteering course and get a refresher on first aid and tool safety.

FUN Stuff coming up.

Woo whoo !
Mark Jones

When badges are done outside is the best place to be!

Mark,

Do you have any pictures of the event?  I would like to see what was in the survival kits.  When I taught the badge, I told the boys to take what they could in the can and explain why they brought it.  

When I was 16, I was on summer camp staff at Camp Brule'.  I was teaching the Wilderness Survival merit badge.  I had a blast doing it.  I was asked to be a second staff member for an overnight outpost for Camping merit badge.  I showed up in front of the main lodge where there was to be a shake down of back packs and contents.  One of the scoutmaster noticed that I only brought a canteen, poncho, and knife.  He asked me where the rest of my gear was.  My reply was that I was teaching Wilderness Survival and it would not look good if I brought anything more.  He said, "Either you do not know anything or you know exactly what you are doing."

So I removed a string from my boot and used it to hold down a sapling and then covered with my poncho.  I had some line and hooks in my survival knife and caught 4 blue gills.  I scewered them and baked next to a fire.  There were wild huckleberry trees all over as well as blackberries and even late black caps.  Even found some mountain raspberries and some milkweed to eat.  So I had a fine dine.  The SM came over to see what I was up to and we shared the meal.  The scouts laughed at me because it started to rain and they said I would get wet.  The tents owned by the camp leaked like crazy and just about everybody got wet.  It was summer time though and they just had to carry their wet gear back to camp and it was only about 2 miles away.

When ever I can't get to sleep, I put my mind into that evening.  We camped next to a creek and the sound would put me to sleep in quick time.  It is funny the things you remember as a kid.

Here is a link to a 16 minute video that should answer all you questions about this Survival Action Camp.
So MO. District Royal Rangers and boys as young as 6th grade can attend this event.  We want Leaders and Dads and those that are of age and the mind to Survive to attend.

There is a hitch.  Your folk that are attending need to have studied the four merits that we will do the hands on and field work for.  They are a quick study.  It's the outside part of these merits that we will have fun at!  You as a leader will be able to KNOCK OFF 3 merits a Junior Action Camp and a orienteering course requirement.   Please email Jerry Millhouser with a response if you plan on making this event.  

FRIENDS OF RANGERS once again will come to our assistance.  With a completed Friends of Rangers Application the price for this camp drops from 60.00 per person to only 20.00 per person.  Praise God for the missions mind of the So. Mo. District Royal Rangers.  Let's fill this camp up.  

We have done this camp as a outpost with 3 or 4 outposts over the past 4 years.  It's a resounding "that was fun" from both men and boys.  BRING THEM!
Please watch this video and then click on the next link below for a glimpse of the fun we will all have.  HIT the play button in the middle of the screen.
This is what I am giving out this year.  We will have about 50 attend at my best guess.  I have 30 signed up right now a month out...it may go higher but I am prepared for about 50.  Men and boys working together. I just point them in the right direction they will help learn and teach each other with some guidance.  Take a look at this video it talks about what they bring. It's not much more than what you brought.  
I encourage folk to have survival blankets the 2.00 kind in their vehicles and backpacks. They can save life.  They are not a comfort thing but a utility must.  

Let me know what you think.  This is the 4th time I have done this camp with about 25 as the largest attendance in the past and none of them were Action Camp..this is the first year for it being a Action camp.  Yet they all are pleased when they leave.  They roughed it.  They learned a lot and they used what was around. I do show some urban survival fire starting stuff.  Let me know if you have any ideas. Always trying to make it better.  NOT SO BAD they won't come back...but tough enough they learn and build character from it.  It's a balance... All of this is in the Ranger Database as well. If it works I keep it. If it fails I loose it. If it needed a nudge I nudge it. I like for folks to talk about this stuff. It makes me sharper and better and I personally glean a lot from discussions.

Mark Jones


https://drive.google.com/open?id=1VF5OCvsRW3oC3n0oVUWNWbEBuNYuNJVW


Here is the link to the application and forms you will need that are described in the video.  
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f0nsaINzUZnOMz4OyVBjxEyjvcuztTIq/view

We had a great time. Nice 10 miler with 4 of those miles bushwhacking. It was fun!
Report and pictures at his link.

http://readyrangers.tzo.com/2018HerculesBackpack/2018HerculesBackpack.htm