TROOP NEWS

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Here’s what you’ll find inside the March 2023 issue of Scout Life magazine. Remember, many articles are only available to subscribers and are not available online. Please visit scoutlife.org/subscribe to subscribe to the print or digital editions of Scout Life magazine. MARCH 2023 FEATURES THE SUMMIT OF ADVENTURE Backpacking? Whitewater rafting? Zip lining? You can do it all at the Summit Bechtel Reserve. • Backpacking? Whitewater Rafting? Zip Lining? You Can Do It All at the Summit KEEP MUSHING! This Eagle Scout conquered the most famous sled-dog race in the world. • Eagle Scout Wins Famous Sled-Dog Race CAMP TIME!…

Led by his team of sled dogs, Eagle Scout Brent Sass mushes in the Iditarod, a nearly 1,000 mile race in Alaska. Fighting 65 mph winds while trekking across a frozen Alaskan trail, Brent Sass fell and tumbled into the snow. When he got up, he couldn’t find the path. “There was zero visibility,” he says. “I used my headlamp to shine into the abyss.” For nearly two hours in the dark, Sass hunkered down while the wind and snow battered him and his team. They needed to find the trail, and Sass was the only one who could navigate…

You’re going on your first camping trip. What should you bring? Every packing list starts with these 10 items, and they’re called “essentials” for a reason. Then you’ll want to add other items depending on the outing. Download a checklist for a warm-weather outing Download a checklist for a cold-weather outing Download a checklist for a paddling trip Download a checklist for a bicycling trip THE 10 SCOUT OUTDOOR ESSENTIALS The Scout Basic Essentials call for the following. These items can help you stay comfortable, safe and prepared: 1. A pocketknife or multitool can be handy in a wide variety…

Before you shoot a bow and arrow, first learn the safety rules and wear the proper equipment, including an arm guard and shooting glove or tab. Inspect your bow to see that it is properly strung and in good condition. If all is good and you’re in an established, safe range under trained adult supervision, then you can go through the nine-step process of shooting: stance, nock, set, pre-draw, draw, anchor, aim, release and follow-through. STANCE: For target shooting, position your body parallel to the flight of the arrow. Stand comfortably, keeping your feet about shoulders’ width apart. Stand up…

You plan to bake banana nut bread in a Dutch oven during an upcoming campout. Sounds delicious — but not everyone in your patrol might think so. Millions of people are allergic or intolerant to certain foods. They could have mild or severe reactions if they eat them. Some of the more common foods people are allergic to include: Milk Eggs Fish Shellfish (crab, lobster, shrimp) Tree nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans) Peanuts Wheat Soybeans Some common intolerances are lactose, which is found in dairy products, and gluten, which is in most breads. If someone in your patrol has food allergies…

Camp time! Be Prepared for summer fun at these eight Scouts camps around the country. Click here to see more Scout Camps featured in previous years. K-M SCOUT RANCH Montana Council; Lewistown, Montana montanabsa.org REVVING UP: If you’re 14 or older, you can get certified to drive an all-terrain vehicle with the Polaris ATV Experience. Once you’re trained, you’ll have miles of trails to explore on 700 acres of the 1,000-acre forested camp in the mountains. You can also hit the trails on a mountain bike. GO TO A GHOST TOWN: Every Friday, the camp hosts Kendall Day, when Scouts…

The overhand knot is usually one of the first knots that Cub Scouts learn how to tie. It’s a simple knot that can be used for different purposes, like stopping a rope from slipping through a pulley or hole, or making it easier to grip. The overhand knot is also the first step for several other knots. With just a few steps, you can learn to tie the overhand knot. All you need is a single strand of rope. 1. First, make a loop in the end of a rope. 2. Next, tuck the end of the rope through the…

Daniel Willis knew he wouldn’t stay dry through his troop’s backpacking trek last July. The Scouts were at the Summit Bechtel Reserve for the weeklong Pack N’ Paddle Experience, which includes a day of whitewater rafting along the New River. However, the guys of Troop 41 from Sugar Grove, Illinois, were already drenched before they got to the river. It rained on them several hours on the second day on the trail. After the storms stopped, the air remained calm and unbearably humid. “Sometimes, it felt like I was breathing more water than oxygen,” says Daniel, a 17-year-old Life Scout.…