University of Scouting BS019 Treks

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UniversityofScoutingBS-019Treks

• The Wheres, Hows and Whys of High Adventure
  Treks
• Great Sauk Trail Council November 5, 2005

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BS-019 Treks

• From the Course list
• Philmont, Isle Royale, Sea Base, etc details
  on planning, organizing, cost of trips to these
  locations
• The Trekking course is a look at various Boy
  Scout and Venture crew treks with the view of how
  to organize and plan them
• The organization and planning behind a trek can
  make the event fun and exciting, or make it a
  disaster
• This PowerPoint presentation available at
• www.troop446.com

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High Adventure Treks

• One of the best parts of Scouting!
• Lets Scouts do things that they would not
  ordinarily do with their family
• Personal growth
• Maximizes the scouting experience
• Minimize regret (do it because you can)

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Introduction

• Daniel Katanski
• 1996 Troop 446, Committee (about nine years)
• 2002 Wood Badge, C016-02, Owl
• dan_at_provide.net
• 2002 Philmont
• With GST Council contingent
• 2004 Sea Base
• Bahamas Tall Ship Adventure
• Troop 446, crew of 20
• 2005 National Jamboree
• With GST Council Contingent

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Where to Trek?

• Philmont
• Sea Base
• Northern Tier
• National Jamboree
• Isle Royale
• Cole Canoe Base
• Prevailing Winds
• Grand Canyon

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Other Treks?

• Check out these sites for other treks
• usscouts.org/netresources/ha.asp
• List of 10 treks
• www.scouting.org/boyscouts/directory
• National list of 50 treks

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Trek Preparation?

• Questions for every trip
• Reservations? Most important for some treks
• Transportation?
• Permits?
• Crew size?
• Funding?
• Getting ready?
• More in Sea Base Parents Meeting show
• If time allows

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Planning

• You can not over plan!
• Im certain that some people can, but for the
  majority of us we have to work at it
• Respect others by disclosing details
• Sets expectations
• Allows you to enjoy the trek instead of worrying
  about what can go wrong next
• No surprises!

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Reservations

• Understand the process
• Can be complex
• What are the fees
• When are payments due
• Group sizes and adjustments
• Cutoff dates
• Cancellations
• Scout ages are requirements
• Age 14 and first class typical

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BSA Tour Permits

• Local Tour Permit within 500 miles of home and
  outside your council boundaries
• National Tour Permit in excess of 500 miles from
  home
• Tour Permits are an approved travel plan
• Includes
• Troop identification
• Leader in charge
• Modes of transportation
• Drivers (license numbers and vehicle and
  insurance information)
• Itinerary

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Other Permits

• Reservations may not be needed
• But permits may be required
• Be aware of peak time on your trek that may
  impact getting permits
• National Park Service

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Finances

• Trek leader has two perspectives
• Troop to Trek
• Handling monies for the group
• Scout/Scouter to Troop
• Monies from individuals
• Disclose, disclose, disclose!
• Be wary of conflicts of interest
• Waiting list and refund policies
• Discuss this up-front!

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Finances

• Where is money for the trek coming from?
• Mostly self funded
• Scout accounts
• Fund raisers
• Contributions
• Many treks have 18 month lead times so fund
  raisers may make sense

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Expenses

• Fee for trek (Philmont or Sea Base)
• Transportation
• Gas, ferries, airplane, buss or train tickets
• Food
• Equipment rentals
• Canoes, scuba gear,
• Miscellaneous and contingency funds
• I missed the final lunch and bought T-shirts

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Expenses

• Create payment schedule for scouts that is
• Multiple even payments
• Minimum of one month between payments
• Timed around major trek expenses such as trek
  fees and transportation
• Create trip itinerary describing expenses at each
  part of the trip
• Describe the fixed costs
• Describe the unrecoverable costs
• Not refundable

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Food

• Its heavy to carry
• Cost
• Cheaper to bring with you, but inconvenient
• Amount of cooking time
• Lunch on trail vs. dinner at camp
• Refrigeration availability
• Special dietary requirements

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Food

• Plan menus with scouts
• Type of trek affects food takes
• Munchies?
• Set expectations
• Significant financial component
• Consider regional costs or currency
• Great planners plan meals

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Permission / Intent Forms

• Signed permission slips standard BSA mode of
  operations
• For expensive treks add text describing the
  financial obligation risky nature of the trek
• Permission to take youth out of state or country
  may be required
• Signed by both parents
• even if one is on the trek
• Needs to be notarized to enter some countries!

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Identification

• In 2007 passports will be required to to reenter
  the USA!
• Passports cost about 120
• Passports require 2 to 12 weeks lead time
• Useful for all air travel even domestic
• Photo ID
• Secretary of state can make a scout less than 16
  years of age a photo identification

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Itinerary

• Create a detail itinerary
• Include travel details such as flight numbers,
  departure and arrival times
• Emergency contact information and when usable
• Sets expectations
• Describe possible contingencies, if appropriate
• Include expenses to cross check other lists
• You cant communicate too much

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Equipment

• List all required and recommended equipment
• What is Scout vs. Crew gear
• What can Troop provide?
• Its easy to take too much stuff

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First Aid Kits

• Troop and individual
• Trek dependant
• Prescriptions
• Double supply
• Appoint an adult to dispense if needed
• Special needs
• Epi pen
• Insulin, sugar
• Be prepared

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Trek Preparation?

• Guide to Safe Scouting
• Basic Leader Training Outdoor Leader Skills
• Red Cross First Aid, CPR, AED training
• Youth protection up to date?
• Behavior contract
• Important when a scout is sent home at the
  parents expense
• Special training?
• Practice knots
• Scuba certifications
• Wilderness first aid

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Shakedown

• Check equipment
• No surprises!
• Dont leave home without one!

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Contingencies

• Trek leaders must have thought this through in
  advance
• Ask the camp staff what you should plan for
• What-If
• There is a hurricane
• Someone gets injured
• Can an adult go with the Scout and still have
  needed two-deep leadership
• There is a family emergency

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Last minute things to check

• Are camp or open fires allowed on site?
• Unusual weather conditions?
• National security issues?
• Last minute crew member or family issues?
• Special Doctor notes?
• No changes in diet and medications
• Can be devastating on some people
• Dont worry youll forget something!
• But it will not be anything major if you do your
  homework.

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Lets Look at a few Treks
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Philmont

• GST Council High Adventure Committee
• Organizes 3 to 6 crews of 12 Scouts per year
• 7 crew in 2007
• Space is available for 2006
• 8 Scouts and 4 Scouters
• 14 day trip including travel
• 2 days travel
• 2 days in base camp
• 10 days on the trail
• Cost through council in 2005 was 900

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Philmont

• Schedule you own trek?
• Philmont Scout RanchRoute 1, Box 35Cimarron NM
  87714
• [phone]
• 18 month lead time
• Typical for the big treks

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Philmont

• Call 505-376-2281 ext. 227 to be put on an email
  list for registration information
• 2007 treks register online from Nov 28 - Dec 4
  for Central region
• Computer random draw after Dec 12
• After all regions had registered their requests
• Date selection is part of registration
• You will be contacted if you win a trek
• 12 day trek costs 520 per person (2006 prices)
• Add in transportation and travel meals

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Philmont

• Highest Adventure in Scouting
• 213 Sq Miles in the Mountains in Northeast New
  Mexico
• This aint no picnic
• Hike 70 - 100 miles in 10 days at elevations or 6
  to 12 thousand feet
• Requires months of conditioning
• Top-Off your Scouting experience
• A right of passage for a Scout

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Philmont

• The hidden costs
• 50 to 300 Boots
• 50 to 500 Backpack
• 30 to 300 Sleeping bag
• 20 to 150 Sleeping pad
• Hiking socks, non-cotton clothes, rain gear
• 40 to 200 walking sticks
• 70 water purifier
• The cost of the equipment can easily exceed the
  other trip fees

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Sea Base

• Florida Keys or Bahamas
• www.bsaSeaBase.org
• Nancy Wells, Sea Base Registrar, [phone]
• 10 different adventures
• My personal favorite trip
• Cost in 2004 for Bahamas trek was 1050
• Transportation cost will be much higher
• See my Parents Meeting presentation

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Sea Base

• Crews selected by annual lottery
• Thats an 18 month lead time
• High demand difficult to get
• There are frequently openings for singles
• See Lone Scout Connection link at
• http//www.bsaseabase.org/reservations/connections
  .html

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Sea Base

• 2007 registration is on-line at
• www.bsaseabase.org
• 2007 registration on Jan 15 to Feb 12, 2006
• Computer random draw after Feb 15
• Use BSA ID from ID Card to register crew
• Bet you never knew you had a BSA ID
• You can make multiple date choices
• Note No trips were canceled this year due to
  hurricanes in the Bahamas trip
• However, over 50 of 1200 crews were affected by
  Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, Rita

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For Scout Run Troops

• Some High Adventure Treks frequently have lead
  time greater than 18 months
• Troops change their youth leadership annually
• Either you have to organize turnover between
  youth to handle these treks
• Or have an adult leader organize the high
  adventure treks
• Planning them on a troop level is a major
  undertaking

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Northern Tier High Adventure

• Canoe and fishing trek
• info_at_ntier.org
• 218-365-4811 or
• Northern Tier National High Adventure 
• PO Box 509 
• Ely, Minnesota 55731-0509
• Mostly flat water and portages

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Northern Tier High Adventure

• For 2007 starts in April 2006
• Some 2006 dates available!
• Dates choices, length and base selection
• Call [phone] or write  
• Registrar, Northern Tier National High Adventure 
  
• PO Box 509,  Ely, Minnesota 55731-0509
• info_at_ntier.org
• They never fill up all of their trips
• 6-8 day 46 /per person /day About 368

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Cole Canoe Base

• On Rifle River (north of the thumb)
• Whites Canoe Livery, Sterling Michigan
• 989-654-2654 or www.whitescanoe.com
• 125 to 250 per Person per Trek
• Canoes or kayaks available

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Grand Canyon

• Hike into and out of the canyon
• Hiking down can be more strenuous than up
• Treks difficult to get
• Register 4 months early
• FAX in application at midnight the first day of
  the month thats it for the month
• 30,000 requests, only 13,000 allowed
• 15 of treks held for walk-ins risky
• If you can wait 1-2 days it might work
• Troop ??? went last spring

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Grand Canyon

• Contact the National Park Service
• www.nps.gov
• 1 to 6 camps in any site
• 7 to 12 must use assigned sites
• No group greater than 12!

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National Jamboree

• 2010 National Jamboree
• 100th Anniversary of Scouting in the USA
• Ft. A.P. Hill, Virginia
• Fantastic 10 day for the Scouts!
• Contingent organized by GST Council
• Can not go on your own
• You can visit but not participate

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National Jamboree

• 37,000 Scouts and Scouters
• Next Jambo they are expecting many more!
• 4 troops from GST Council
• 35 Scouts and 5 Scouters per troop, 4 troops
• Scouters consider earning your Wood Badge beads
• Or be on staff (8,000 staffers)
• 2005 cost was 900 per scout
• Optional Washington DC tour 1,300

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National Jamboree

• If you can go, then GO!
• Is it high adventure?
• Well it was very hot, and
• It was a great adventure
• You cant do everything that is there!
• Its part of the full Scouting experience!

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Isle Royale National Park

• Wilderness trek backpacking adventure
• You, the moose and the wolves
• Accessible only by boat or seaplane
• Located in northwestern Lake Superior about 50
  miles from Copper Harbor, Michigan and 15 miles
  from Minnesota
• Contact the National Parks Service
• www.nps.gov
• Duration 12 days (4 days travel, 8 days backpack)

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Isle Royale National Park

• Scouts will be carrying their own gear and food
  for 8 days (food is heavy)
• Michigan at its finest
• Ferry Service 85-110 for 4-6 Hrs
• 1 to 6 people can just show up
• Sleep in Adirondack shelters
• 7 to 10 require preset itinerary
• Sleep in tent sites

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Isle Royale National Park

• Register for groups after January 1st
• Plan early
• Two day travel to Copper Harbor
• Guide to Safe Scouting limits you to 12 hours of
  travel per day in daylight hours

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Prevailing Winds

• Sail Lake Huron on a trek of your design
• Run by Tall Pines Council, Flint Michigan
• www.tpcbsa.org/General/Camps/
• Troop 446 sail for a weekend in preparation for
  Sea Base
• Fees are 1,200 for weekend trips and 4,750 for
  week-long trips for crew of 20 plus other food,
  other fees and your transportation (about 350
  each)

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Prevailing Winds

• A gem in our own back yard
• Explore the 3rd largest Great Lake
• Much cheaper than Sea Base
• Flexible trek design
• Can be an international trip

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GST Council Resources

• High Adventure Committee
• Sig Herliczek, chairman at 734-856-6664
• Meet 3rd Wednesday of every month at Faith In
  Action in Chelsea (hospital campus) at 700 PM
• Coordinates Council Philmont contingent and other
  high adventure opportunities
• Looking for new members and new ideas
• Scouters are on the committee if you are on a
  Philmont trek

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This is the Beginningof your Trekking Adventures

• But its the end of this Session!