Tuesday, May 31, 2011

100 Days Strong: Day 10, Canoe training

Day 10, Saturday, May 28th.

Today we had our canoe training with the Scouts that are going to the Boundary Waters. We had a good day of training. We started the morning by getting our canoes from the Scout camp and heading to the put-in area at camp. We then started teaching the boys the basic paddle strokes and the parts of the canoe. We also taught them how to properly select the correct length paddle and how to properly fit a PFD. After that we headed down the creek to the lagoon for some steering and paddling practice. All went well and the boys did a great job of learning how to paddle their canoes.

We took a lunch break and then headed down the creek. We paddled a total of 5 miles, ending at a take-out down the creek. After loading up the canoes we headed back to camp to clean them up and get them turned in.

It was a really good day of canoeing, and the boys really learned a lot. It was also a great workout for me.

For my 100 Days Strong:

I weighed 179 this morning. I've lost another pound.

My goal weight is 165 lbs.

For breakfast I had 2 packages of oatmeal and a glass of milk.

For lunch I had a peanut butter sandwich, some cheese and crackers, and a bottle of water.

For dinner I had some chicken and rice.

This is my 100 Days Strong. What's yours.

100 Days Strong: Day 9, Getting ready for canoe training

Day 9, Friday, May 27th.

I spent the evening getting ready for our canoe training that is tomorrow morning. We're getting ready for our trip to the Boundary Waters and this is our training session to work on different paddle strokes and other important canoeing items before we leave.

I'm still pretty sore today from my workout last night, but it's a good kind of sore. Working out so hard really felt good.

For my 100 Days Strong:

I weighed 180 this morning.

My goal is to get down to 165 lbs.

For breakfast I had a bowl of cheerios cereal and a banana along with a glass of milk.

For lunch I had a bowl of mac & cheese and a peanut butter & jelly sandwich along with a bottle of water.

For dinner I had prime rib, vegetables, potatoes, and a beer. We had dinner at a little local tavern called Bonge's Tavern. The food was absolutely delicious!

This is my 100 Days Strong. What's yours.

Thursday, May 26, 2011

100 Days Strong: Day 8, workout night

Day 8, Thursday, May 26th.

I went to the Y tonight and worked out. It really felt good to go twice in one week.

For my 100 Days Strong:

I weighed 180 lbs this morning.

My goal weight is 165 lbs.

For breakfast I had 2 packages of oatmeal and a glass of milk.

For lunch I had chicken salad on crackers and some macaroni & cheese along with a bottle of vitamin water.

For dinner I had 2 chicken chalupas from Taco Bell and a glass of water.

I worked out for an hour at the Y. I lifted a total of 9510 lbs. and worked out on the treadmill for 30 minutes.

This is my 100 Days Strong. What's yours?

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

100 Days Strong: Day 7, Day of Rest

Day 7, Wednesday, May 25th.

I didn't really do anything tonight but rest. Working out last night really kicked my rear.

For my 100 Days Strong:

I weighed 180 lbs this morning. That brings my weight loss to 2 lbs so far.

My goal is to get down to 165 lbs

For breakfast I had 1/2 a bagel with Nutella on it and a glass of milk.

For lunch I had a lean cuisine philly steak & cheese panini and a bottle of water.

For dinner I had fried rice and shrimp and a glass of peach tea.

This is my 100 Days Strong. What's yours?

100 Days Strong: Day 6, workout night at the Y

Day 6, Tuesday, May 24th.

I've been so busy lately that I've not had the time to get to the Y and work out. That has to change.

Tonight I went to the Y and worked out.

The first thing I did was to warm up on the treadmill for 10 minutes.

After my warm up I hit the weight machines and lifted. I really pushed myself tonight. My total weight lifted was over 9,000 lbs.

After lifting for awhile I jumped back on the treadmill and walked at a very brisk pace for 45 minutes. I probably would have done it longer, but after around 30 minutes I was getting really worn out. I hadn't lifted that hard since joining the Y and it really took a lot out of me, so I just wasn't able to go as long on the treadmill.

For my 100 Days Strong:

I weighed 181 lbs this morning.

My goal is 165 lbs.

For breakfast I had 2 packs of oatmeal and a glass of milk.

For lunch I had a turkey & cheese sandwich and a glass of tea.

For dinner I had chicken jambalaya and some tea.

I worked out at the Y.

This is my 100 Days Strong. What's yours?

100 Days Strong: Day 5 Troop meeting night

Day 5, Monday, May 23rd.

Tonight was our Troop meeting. I told the Scouts that I was starting a new diet and that I was going to start trying really hard to get in better physical shape. They all agreed that we should all be doing a better job of being more physically fit.

My plan is to start working out more, and to start spending more time riding my bike. Hopefully I'll have the free time to do that.

For my 100 Days Strong:

I weighed in this morning at 181 lbs. It appears I've lost 1 pound so far since starting. Not much, but it's a start.

My goal weight is 165 lbs.

For breakfast I had a banana and a glass of chocolate milk.

For lunch I had a lean cuisine panini sandwich and a bottle of water.

For dinner I had 2 slices of pizza and some iced tea.

I find that now that I'm blogging about this diet I think a lot more about what I'm eating. I've also found out that staying on the diet is a lot easier when I have people reading about what I'm doing. Maybe I'll be able to stick to it better with it out in front of everyone.

This is my 100 Days Strong. What's yours?

Monday, May 23, 2011

100 Days Strong: Day 4 second day of the Survivorman campout

Day 4, Sunday, May 22nd.

I spent the night last night in my wilderness survival shelter. I didn't get a lot of sleep since I kept getting up every couple of hours to feed my fire, but I was able to keep the same fire going from Friday night till Sunday after breakfast.

This morning I boiled water over the coals and made oatmeal. I also had a banana and some cappuccino to drink.

Other than a few boys that had a visit by a group of raccoons in the middle of the night, the Scouts all had a fairly peaceful night. The 3 boys that got visited by the raccoons didn't listen very well when they were told to keep their food put away and to make sure that they didn't have anything left out that would attract animals. I guess that some time during the night there were 4 or 5 raccoons that decided to visit their campsite while they were sleeping.

We all finished breakfast in fairly good time and were able to get the campsite all cleaned up and have everything put away and ready to head back by around 11:30 am. We got back to the church by just a little past noon. The parents picked everyone up and I headed home for a much needed shower and a nap.

I went to the funeral home this evening to pay respect to the father of some of my childhood friends. He passed away the other day. He was 80 years old. He left behind 3 sons and 2 daughters, along with several grandchildren. I grew up running around with the 3 boys. It was nice to see them, but unfortunate that it had to be under those circumstances.

For my 100 Days Strong:

I couldn't weigh myself this morning since I was at camp.

I had oatmeal, a banana, and a cup of cappuccino for breakfast.

For lunch I ate 2 McDonald's double cheeseburgers and a bottle of water. I know I shouldn't have had them, but I was just too tired to cook anything and McDonald's is fast and easy.

For dinner I had 2 slices of pizza and a glass of Arizona Peach tea.

This is my 100 Days Strong. What's yours?

100 Days Strong: Day 3 First day of the Survivorman campout

Day 3, Saturday, May 21st.

Today was the first full day of our "Survivorman" campout. What is a "Survivorman" campout you may ask. Well, our Survivorman campout was a campout where the Scouts were to build a wilderness survival shelter (as part of a requirement for the wilderness survival merit badge) and sleep in it. They were to cook all their own meals over an open fire, and were to finish the requirements for the wilderness survival merit badge.

When we got here last night several of the Scouts started to build their shelters while others simply made a shelter from their tarp. I let the Scouts that made a tarp shelter go ahead and sleep in them, but reminded them that for the requirement to be fulfilled they needed to make one from all natural materials.

While the Scouts were making their shelters I started making one for myself. I figured that if the Scouts were going to sleep in shelters I should sleep in one too. I made mine by leaning a large tree limb that had a fork in it up against a tree and then adding tree limbs all around it to form sort of a tepee shape. I finished it off by laying my tarp down on the ground for a ground cloth. Then with my sleeping pad and sleeping bag I was ready to go. I could have made it waterproof by adding live branches with leaves, but we didn't want to hurt any live trees so we just used dead branches that we picked up off the ground. The purpose was not to make one that was waterproof, but just to learn how to make one so that if the situation ever was there, we would all know how to do it.

I also built my fire. I started by digging a fire pit and cleaning the leaves and other debris from around the area to form a safe fire ring. I then built a small cooking fire and gathered enough dead firewood off the ground to keep it going all night long.

I laid down to sleep around 11:00 pm, but got up every couple of hours to feed my fire and keep it going all night.

I woke up around 7:00 am this morning and started with my breakfast. Since I had kept my fire going all night I had a really good bed of coals to cook over. I used my small "mess kit" to cook with. I started by spraying my little skillet with cooking spray. I then fried an egg, added some Canadian bacon and a slice of cheese and put it on a bagel. I also boiled some water for my instant cappuccino. So, for breakfast I had a bagel sandwich and some cappuccino to drink.

We spent the morning learning different ways to make fires. We used a magnifying glass and some dryer lint, we used a 9 volt battery and steel wool, we used a hot spark and some lint, and we tried making fire by friction with my son's Firecrafter fire set.

For lunch I make sloppy joes. I browned my hamburger in a cast iron skillet over the fire and then added the Manwich mix. I also had some chips and a bottle of water with a peach tea mix packet added for flavor.

We spent the afternoon playing kickball and frisbee. Then before it started getting dark several of the Scouts that had only made tarp shelters made their actual wilderness survival shelter. It rained for a little while, but it only lasted about 1/2 hour or so.

For dinner I made beef stew with biscuits on top, in a dutch oven over the coals.

It was a really fun day, and I think the Scouts really learned a lot about survival shelters and cooking over the fire. Some of the boys struggled a little, but overall they all made their food and they all ate good. Hopefully they learned that they could do it.

For my 100 Days Strong:

I couldn't weigh myself at camp, but I think I'm about the same weight as yesterday.

I ate 3 decent meals all cooked over the open fire.

This is my 100 Days Strong. What's yours.

Friday, May 20, 2011

100 Days Strong: Day 2 starting the diet

Day 2, Friday, May 20th.

Well I officially started my new diet today. I really hate to admit that I'm starting a "diet". In the past I never wanted to commit to a "diet". I always just said that I was going to start watching what I eat a little better.

If I'm going to make this work, and I mean really make this work, I have to be honest with myself and with everyone that is following my progress here on the blog. There's no hiding things now, at least as long as I'm honest about what I eat and what I do to get some exercise. And that's exactly what I intend to do. I intend to be honest about what I'm eating and what exercise I'm getting.

The other thing I intend to do is to take this to the Scouts in the Troop as a way to promote better fitness and diet with them.

Now, how to do it.

Tonight we leave on a campout. This isn't just a normal campout though and I'm not really sure I can do much about what they're eating this weekend anyway. This campout is being call the "Survivorman" campout. As many of you know, we've been doing the Wilderness Survival merit badge during the last 2 Troop meetings, and this weekend is the campout that the Scouts are making their wilderness survivor shelters and sleeping in them. The other really fun thing we're doing is that we're doing all of our cooking over the open fire. That's right, no stoves, and no tents for this weekend. The Scouts are each bringing their own food to cook and eat. No Grubmasters, and no group menus. Just what they bring for themselves and what they cook for themselves.

After this campout is over I plan on closely monitoring what the Scouts take on campouts to eat. I don't care what they have, but they will need to make sure it's well rounded and nutritionally complete. I also plan on discussing the importance of eating right and having regular exercise too.

The other thing I have to find a way to deal with is that I have quite a bit of food that has been purchased that I know isn't the healthiest to eat. I guess my only choice is to use it, but just watch my portion size. Of course portion size has always been my biggest problem. I probably eat twice the amount that I should. The only thing that has kept me from getting much heavier is that I do get a lot of exercise and stay really active.

Since I leave for the campout at 6:00 pm, and I need to get this blog posted before I go, I guess I won't have much of any way to post what I had for dinner, but here is what I've had so far today:

For my 100 Days Strong today:

My goal weight is 165 lbs.

I weighed myself this morning and the scale showed 182 lbs. I'm not too sure that I've actually lost a pound though since last night when I weighed myself it was around 10:00 pm at night. I've always been told that you are heavier in the evening than first thing in the morning. I plan on doing my weigh-ins each morning when I first get up.

For breakfast I had 1 piece of peanutbutter on toast, and a glass of milk.

For lunch I had a Zatarain's blackened chicken alfredo bowl. Like I said, I have to eat up the groceries I have. It had 510 calories and 24 grams of fat. Yes, I know, way too much fat.

When the old groceries are gone I'll be eating much healthier.

This is my 100 Days Strong. What's yours?

100 Days Strong: Day 1 Initial weigh-in

Day 1, Thursday, May 19th.

Today is the start of a totally new 100 days. The first 100 days was all about Scouting. This next 100 days is all about fitness and taking better care of myself. If not only for myself, for my family. So, here it goes........

Okay, to start I need to consult the height/weight chart on the BSA health form to find out what the ideal weight to height is for myself. I'm 5' 6" tall, which is 66" tall. The chart shows that for 66" I should be between 118 to 167 lbs. The allowable exception is 168 to 201 lbs. with the maximum allowable weight of 201 lbs. Well, I'm not anywhere close to the maximum weight, but I'm also not within the recommended weight. So, it's time to do something about it.

I don't consider myself to be unhealthy. I'm really active. I hike, backpack, bicycle, workout a couple of times a week at the YMCA, and try to eat healthy. The problem is, I love to eat. I just eat too much. That's where my biggest problem is, and I really need to correct it.

In the Scout Oath I pledge to "keep myself physically fit, mentally awake, and morally straight". It's time I own up to my pledge.

Now for the weigh-in...... According to my bathroom scale I'm 183 lbs.

Next, I need a goal to reach for. My goal for my 100 Days Strong is to get down to 165 lbs, and to start eating better.

I'm going to post my weight every day for the next 100 days. I'm also going to post what I eat for each meal.

Here's what it's going to look like:

For my 100 Days Strong today:

I weigh 183 lbs.

For breakfast I had 2 packages of oatmeal, a glass of milk, and a banana.

For lunch I had a Chick-fil-a sandwich, waffle fries, and a glass of water.

For dinner I had fried rice, Orange chicken, honey walnut shrimp, and a glass of peach tea from Panda Express.

This is my 100 Days Strong. What's yours?

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

100 Days of Scouting: Day 100, Pack meeting day

Day 100, Wednesday, May 18th.

Well, here it is. The last day of the 100 Days of Scouting.

It really doesn't seem like I've been blogging about my Scouting experiences for a whole 100 days, but here we are at the 100th day. It has really been fun writing down all the fun things I've been doing with Scouting for the past 100 days. In fact, just because the 100 days is over I'm not going to stop blogging. I know that recently I've not had the time to keep the blog fully up to date, but overall it's been fairly close to current. The one thing I know for sure is that I've really enjoyed doing it.With that said, I really look forward to keeping it going, and I hope that everyone that has been reading has enjoyed it and will continue reading it.

So, here is what I have planned for tonight:

Tonight is our last Pack meeting of the year, and it's going to be a big one.

This is the "graduation" for our Cub Scouts. This is the time that they all advance to the next rank.

It's also my last Pack meeting as Cubmaster. After tonight I'm stepping down and our Assistant Cubmaster is taking over.

I'll still stay on as Scoutmaster of my Troop, but I'm done running the Pack. That doesn't mean that I'm totally done with the Pack, it just means that I won't be running it anymore. I will still stay involved for a while, but it's time for me to pass it on to the next person.

I'm a little sad to be stepping down, as I've been doing it for quite a while, but it's time to do it. The load of running the Troop is getting to be more than I can handle while still trying to give a good Cub Scout program to the younger boys in the Pack. For everyone's sake I need to let someone else take over.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I have my last Pack meeting as Cubmaster.

Have a great day today, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

And, stay tuned for what's next with my blog. It just might surprise you!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 99, OA party

Day 99, Tuesday, May 17th.

Tonight we had a party. The Scouts on the Noblesville OA ceremony team all got together tonight to have a little party and to say goodbye to a good friend that is moving away. It was a fun party, but it was also a little sad.

A very good friend of mine that has been in charge of the ceremony team is moving to Alabama soon, and this was our last time to all get together before she moves away.

Since we won't be seeing her for a while we decided to all get together for a little cookout complete with burgers and dogs on the grill, along with all the standard cookout fixins'. The Scouts on the team had a great time playing in her hot tub while the adults sat around the table and stuffed themselves with the great food we had. It was a great time, but I was sad when it was time to leave. She will really be missed by everyone, especially the boys on the ceremony team.

For my 100 days of Scouting today:

I celebrated the fun time we've all had with the OA ceremony team.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 98, Troop meeting

Day 98, Monday, May 16th.

Tonight was our weekly Troop meeting. We did the 2nd half of the Wilderness Survival merit badge tonight.

The Scouts brought their personal survival kits with them tonight to get checked off. They had some pretty nice kits made up. Everyone had all 10 of the "10 essentials" in their kits. They also had spare clothing, trail food, and several other necessary items for survival in the wilderness.

This weekend is our "Survivorman campout" The Scouts will be building their own personal survival shelter to sleep in, and will be doing all their own cooking over an open fire. I'm really looking forward to the campout. It's going to be a lot of fun.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I taught the Scouts the 2nd half of the Wilderness Survival merit badge.

Have a great day today, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 97, Voyageur training day 2

Day 97, Sunday, May 15th.

Today was day 2 of Voyageur training. Both days have been a lot of fun, and I really learned a lot.

We spent several more hours learning our canoe paddling skills today. We also learned several other important skills that relate to canoeing in general. Overall, this has been one of the most interesting trainings I've taken in a long time. I really learned a lot this weekend.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I spend my 2nd day of the weekend at Voyageur training.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 96, Voyageur training day 1

Day 96, Saturday, May 14th.

I spent the day today taking the first day of Voyageur Canoe training, and was it fun!

I learned all the correct canoe strokes, how to safely get in and out of a canoe, how to choose a paddle, how to properly fit a PFD, how to properly load gear into the canoe, and several other things.

We spent several hours practicing our canoeing on the water. It was a little chilly, and a little wet, but overall it was really a lot of fun. I can hardly wait for tomorrow.

For my 100 days of Scouting:

I took my first day of of Voyageur training.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 95, Preparing for weekend training

Day 95, Friday, May 13th.

I spent the day today getting ready for a big training this weekend. I'm taking an advanced canoe training called Voyageur Canoe training

Here is a link to the Voyageur Canoe training page:
.http://crossroadsbsa.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=U3O1ThtLGjs%3d&tabid=109&mid=531

I have been told that this training is unlike any canoe training available anywhere else. It has been said that this training far surpasses any canoe training being offered by any other Boy Scout Council. I'm really looking forward to it.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I packed all my gear and got ready to go to Voyageur training.

Have a great day today, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

Thursday, May 12, 2011

100 Days of Scouting: Day 94, OA chapter meeting and District Roundtable meeting

Day 94, Thursday, May 12th.

Tonight is the OA chapter meeting. It's also the District Roundtable meeting. I would really like to attend both meetings, but since they run at the same time I have to choose which one I go to.

Since I've recently taken a new position of Associate Advisor in charge of ceremonies I need to be at the OA meeting, so I guess I'll have to miss the Roundtable meeting. The nice thing is that a couple of my Assistant Scoutmasters always attend the Roundtable meetings. That way we don't miss anything important.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I attended the OA chapter meeting.

100 Days of Scouting: Day 93, High Adventure meeting

Day 93, Wednesday, May 11th.

Tonight was meeting number 3 for our High Adventure trip. We are planning a trip to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, and tonight was the first gear check for the boys that are coming on the trip.

Things went pretty good at the meeting. We got a lot accomplished, with only minor issues. The main issue we had was that some boys (and their parents) do not understand the importance of leaving all cotton clothing at home and only bringing synthetic clothing on the canoe trip. They just don't understand the danger of hypothermia while wearing cotton clothing. It was my job tonight to stand my ground and explain to them that there would be no cotton clothing worn while we are on the water.

It was a little tough, but it had to be done. I just don't want a boy to have a terrible time because the clothing he is wearing has gotten wet and now he's cold and miserable. This is supposed to be a fun trip for everyone, not a miserable one.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I had a meeting for our High Adventure trip.

I started packing my own gear for this weekend. I'm taking an advanced canoe training we have that is called Voyager training.

Have a great day today, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 92, interview filming

Day 92, Tuesday, May 10th.

I did something tonight that I had never done. I participated in the filming of a DVD about our District Spring Camporee.

A good Scouter friend of mine is making a DVD about our District Spring Camporee. He asked me and my son to be in it. He is interviewing a few people to be included in the DVD, and wanted us to be a part of it. I thought it would be really cool to be on the DVD, so I said we would do it.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I was interviewed, along with my son Tommy, about my thoughts on our District Spring Camporee.

Have a great day today, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 91, Troop meeting night

Day 91, Monday, May 9th.

Tonight was our weekly Troop meeting night.

We started the Wilderness Survival merit badge tonight.

There have been several other leaders in other Troops that have said that they wouldn't do merit badges during a Troop meeting, but I had to go with the plans of the PLC. They wanted to do it, so that's what we're doing.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I taught the beginning of the Wilderness Survival merit badge tonight at our Troop meeting.

100 Days of Scouting: Day 90, End to a long Ordeal weekend

Day 90, Sunday, May 8th.

This morning I served breakfast to all the new OA members and all staff.

We had a really great weekend. I was totally drained due to the long hours in the kitchen, but it was also one of the most rewarding weekends I've had in a long time. To know that I helped to further the Order of the Arrow and the great work that it does was very fulfilling. It was also a very fun weekend. The great people I got to work with in the kitchen were a total joy to get to know a little better. This weekend was a great example of why I do the things I do in Scouting.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I served breakfast to the new OA members and the staff that put on the Ordeal weekend.

I rested.

Have a great day today, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 89, Ordeal work day

Day 89, Saturday, May 7th.

Today was an extremely tiring day! I started the day at 6:00 am in the kitchen, and ended at 2:00 am Sunday morning. along with the help of the kitchen crew, I served breakfast, mid-morning snack, lunch, mid afternoon snack, evening snack, and evening dinner (which was a huge feast) to over 150 people.

I also oversaw the ceremony team that performed 3 Ordeal ceremonies and a Brotherhood ceremony.

By 2:00 am I was a walking zombie!

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I served all meals and snacks to over 150 candidates and staff members at the OA Ordeal.

I oversaw all ceremonies for tonight

100 Days of Scouting: Day 88, OA Ordeal weekend

Day 88, Friday, May 6th.

Tonight was the start of a very long weekend. It's the start of the Order of the Arrow Ordeal weekend.

For those of you that might not know what Ordeal is, it's the name of the ceremony that all new members that have been elected into the Order of the Arrow must undergo to become full members in the Order of the Arrow.

The weekend starts out with a ceremony on Friday night called the Pre-Ordeal Ceremony. The candidates are then taken to a campsite where they will spend the night under the stars. Saturday will then be a day of service that is given to the campground, where the candidates will help with several different projects to help with the upkeep and maintenance of the camp. The day of service is then followed by a special ceremony called the Ordeal ceremony, and then a huge banquet. On Sunday morning after breakfast there is a Scout's Own service where the Scouts can worship in a non-denominational service. The service is then followed by a brief presentation of how the Order of the Arrow was started. After the presentation is over, the new members are then told all about the makeup of their local lodge and chapter. After that, everyone is dismissed to return home.

My role this weekend was to cook for all the staff and candidates, and to guide the ceremony team in preparation and execution of all of the ceremonies that were held during the weekend. Since there were over 100 candidates we had to hold 3 separate Ordeal ceremonies, along with another ceremony for the members that had been in OA for the last year. They can then seek the next level in the Order called Brotherhood membership. This involves a ceremony called the Brotherhood ceremony. It is usually done after the Ordeal ceremony, and before the large banquet.

Because of severe weather and really bad rain we had to hold the ceremonies inside the dining hall. Therefore, the Brotherhood ceremony was not able to happen until after the banquet was over. There are no secrets in the Order of the Arrow, but there is a certain level of mystery involved. Therefore, the Ordeal members are really not allowed to see the Brotherhood ceremony. With the rain it was a little difficult to pull it all off.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

1 made preparations to serve around 150 people their meals on Saturday.

I put out a cracker barrel for all staff members tonight.

Have a great day today, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

100 Days of Scouting: Day 87, Ceremony Team Practice

Day 87, Thursday, May 5th.

Tonight is the monthly practice for the OA Chapter Ceremony Team. This is a very important practice night. This weekend is our Order of the Arrow Chapter Ordeal. The ceremonialists have several ceremonies that they will be doing this weekend. They have the Pre-Ordeal ceremony, the Ordeal ceremony, and the Brotherhood ceremony. We have over 100 candidates coming this weekend and the ceremonies are a very important part of the Ordeal. Tonight is the last time before this weekend that they will have the opportunity to get together and practice before the actual ceremony takes place.

Since I've taken the new position of Associate Chapter Advisor in charge of ceremonies I really need to be there too, so that's what I'll be doing tonight.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I'm taking my son, Tommy, and going to ceremony team practice.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 86, High Adventure Trip Meeting

Day 86, Wednesday, May 4th.

Tonight was our High Adventure Trip meeting. This is the 2nd meeting we've had about the trip since forming our crew.

Tonight we discussed clothing needs, food, travel arrangements, and several other necessary items. We also put the finishing touches on the shakedown trip we're taking in preparation for the actual trip.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I had a meeting with the crew that I'm leading on our Boundary Waters High Adventure Trip.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 85, Food Shopping Day

Day 85, Tuesday, May 3rd.

This weekend is our Order of the Arrow Chapter Ordeal. This is the time that the newly elected OA members join our chapter. During the Ordeal I will be working in the kitchen doing the cooking for the candidates and staff. Today was shopping day to pick up all the food for the weekend.

We have over 100 candidates and around half that many staff that will be there for the weekend. Myself and several others will be cooking for them.

After doing the shopping, I took everything up to camp where we're doing Ordeal at and put everything away in the refrigerator.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I went shopping for food for our Order of the Arrow Chapter Ordeal.

I took all the food up to camp.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun.

100 Days of Scouting: Day 84, Troop Meeting

Day 84, Monday, May 2nd.

Tonight was our Troop meeting night.

The Scouts finished up their classroom work on the Cooking Merit Badge.

I recovered from the tiring weekend.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I gave a good Scoutmaster's minute at the Troop meeting.

That's about all I did that was Scouting related today.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

Blog Extra: Trail food I ate this weekend

A few people asked me to share what I had to eat at the Leave No Trace Trainers Course this weekend, so here it is:

Friday night we were to arrive fed and ready to learn.

We had a simple cracker barrel before bed that consisted of some cookies, pretzels, and some chips and salsa. Nothing too special here.

Saturday since we were learning about how to follow the leave no trace principles for front country camping (in a camp ground), we had a common Scouting type of breakfast. We had omelets in a bag. To make omelets in a bag, you start with a 1 gallon freezer Zip-lock bag. You add 2 or 3 eggs. You then add other ingredients as you wish. I chose some sausage that had been cooked and crumbled up, some diced onion, and some diced red and yellow pepper. After adding everything to the bag, you then use your fingers to knead and mix everything all together. You then drop the bag into the boiling water for around 10 minutes. After the eggs are done cooking, you have an omelet in a bag. After you take the bag out of the water you can then add shredded cheese if you wish. The nice thing about this is that there are no dishes to wash.When we make omelets in a bag in our Troop we use our turkey fryer and large pot. We've never actually fried a turkey in it, but it really works great for making hot water in a large quantity.

For lunch we had lunch meat sandwiches made out of pita flat bread. We had turkey and ham to choose from, along with some sliced cheese. Mayo and mustard was available if you wanted it. I chose both turkey and ham for my sandwich. I added a slice of Cheddar cheese and some mayo. We also had several different types of chips to choose from, as well as some fresh fruit.

Dinner was the best. We ate our dinner while we were doing the back country camping in the woods. The freeze-dried meals we had available to us were all made by Enertia Trail Foods Company. There were several different styles and flavors to choose from. I chose one called Rainer Rice. It was sort of a red bean and rice dinner with some really flavorful seasonings. We also had several different types of energy bars to choose from. For our drink we had drink mix packets to add to a bottle of water. One note here I want to mention is that anytime you use a drink mix to drink always make sure you are adding it to a disposable water bottle or a Nalgene type of water bottle that has been marked as a smellable. Once you have added any drink mix to your water bottle, it must go up in the bear bag at night. I never drink anything with drink mix in my Nalgene. My Nalgene is only for water. I always use a disposable water bottle for kool-aid or any other drink mix. I bring a fresh one each time I hit the trail, and then put it in the recycle bin when I get home from the camping or backpacking trip.

For breakfast on Sunday morning we had several different flavors of oatmeal to choose from, as well as some different types of energy bars. We also had out choice of single serving coffee and tea singles to drink. I chose the maple & brown sugar oatmeal and a coffee single for my breakfast.

Several people have asked me where to purchase the Enertia Trail Food from. I'm sure there are several different places to buy it from, but one place I know of is from the company that sponsored the training. The name of the company is Green Earth Outdoors. The guy that owns the company is Douglass Wagoner. You can find more information by searching Green Earth Outdoors on your computer, or by following this link: http://www.greenearthoutdoors.com/leavenotrace.html.

I hope this information is helpful. I really enjoyed eating the Enertia Trail Foods meal I had on Saturday night. There were so many different ones that sounded really good that I had a hard time deciding which one to eat.

If you have any questions about any of this, just leave a comment and I'll try to answer them.

Have a great day!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 83, More Leave No Trace Training

Day 83, Sunday, May 1st.

Woke up this morning in a tent in the woods. During the night a really bad lightning and rain storm came through. There were a few people that were not very prepared with the proper gear, and they got a little wet. We decided to break camp and clean up soon after waking, and head back to the main camp. Even though we didn't spend a lot of time out in the woods, I still really enjoyed it.

When we got back to the main camp we settled down in the dining hall for the remainder of our classroom work. We got done around noon, packed up, and headed out.

All in all, this was one of the best weekend trainings I've taken. I really learned a lot, and really had a great time learning it.

The drive back home took around 3 1/2 hours, and with the stop for lunch I got home around 4:00 pm.

For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I learned more about the 7 principles of leave no trace.

I spent time camping in the woods with several new friends.

I had a great time learning how to better teach Leave No Trace to my Scouts.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!

100 Days of Scouting: Day 82, Leave No Trace Training

Day 82, Saturday, April 30th.

Sorry this blog post is so late. My computer crashed Friday before I left to go out of town and I have not had time to update the blog during the day while I have access to my work computer.

Today was a really fun day of learning.

I got to Shepherdsville, KY for the Leave No Trace Trainers Course last night around 5:30 pm, got all my gear set up and ready for the night, and got started with the class by around 7:00 pm. It ran until 11:00 pm.

I got up this morning at 6:00 am and got ready for the day. We started the class at 7:00 am with a quick easy breakfast of omelets in a bag cooked in boiling water. We were learning all about front country camping this morning. After lunch we packed up all our gear and hit the trail. The afternoon was all about leave no trace camping in the back country. We hiked out around a mile and set up camp around 200 feet from a small stream. We got our cooking area, sleeping area, and main gathering area set up properly following the principles of leave no trace. We had a little more class time and then dinner. Dinner was a delicious freeze-dried meal made by Enertia Trail Foods Company. It was surprisingly good. I've had plenty of freeze-dried meals on the trail, and this was one of the best I've had. After dinner we talked more about some of the stuff we were learning, and then it was off to bed.


For my 100 Days of Scouting today:

I learned how to better teach the 7 leave no trace principles.

I got to spend the night in the woods.

Have a great day, and remember to keep your Scouting fun!