All posts by Luke Shiras

Event, Training, Troop News

Winter Camp Awareness January 2020

The troop spent the day at the USS Hornet to participate in the Winter Camp Awareness (WCA) training.

At Winter Camp Awareness experienced Scouts teach classes covering the skills needed to provide any first aid that might be needed while snow camping as well as discussions concerning what to pack. The first aid class will cover details about diagnosing cold related illnesses and how to treat and prevent them in addition to covering other common first aid issues. Other classes will cover what type of snow camping equipment is needed on a group and an individual level, including things needed to sleep warm at night, necessary clothing to stay warm and dry during the day, types of stoves and fuel that work well in the snow and at high altitudes, and how to build snow shelters as well as choosing a snow shelter that works best for the conditions in which you find yourself

Achewon Nimat 282

Our very own Eagle Scout and member of the Order of the Arrow, Nathan C. led the Tents and Terrain course.

  • Stoves and Fuels
  • Sleeping Warm
  • Sleeping Warm
  • Lunch Line
  • First Aid
  • Tents and Terrain
Camping, Troop News

Tracy Wildlife Campout 2019

What a wonderful event.

The Troop was graciously invited to camp at the Tracey Wildlife Association campground.  And the Troop, in turn, invited the 2nd year Webelos to join them.

There was great food, great fun, and great fishing.  Plus lots of beautiful peacocks and other creatures to witness.

Service Projects, Troop News

Alejandro’s Eagle Project

Every scout who earns their Eagle rank must include a service project as part of their requirements.  The troop was lucky enough to be able to assist with Alejandro’s project which was a beautification of the San Lorenzo Community Church grounds.

Here, the scouts are laying the watering lines and plantings as the final step in the project.  The previous week, Alejandro and his team of volunteers laid the gravel bed and landscape fabric.

Outings

Ground Control to Troop 612

First off, this isn’t Ground Control, it’s the tower at Hayward Airport.  Second, this isn’t just Troop 612, but also Troop 2612, our girls’ troop.  That said, Troop 612 and 2612 to Haward Tower doesn’t make for a catchy title.  Or does it..?

Ok, now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk about what we did.

In lieu of our regularly scheduled Troop meeting, about 30 Scouts, Leaders, and a few siblings visited the Haward Airport Control Tower.  

With so many participants, we had to go in shifts.  Three groups of ten took turns climbing the four-story tower to learn why someone becomes an air traffic controller, what they do, and how they can learn to do it to.

They why is simple, they want to do their part to keep people in the air and on the ground safe.  What they do is a little more complicated.  It involves tracking planes, their speeds, altitudes, and direction.  Comparing that to other planes in the area, and anticipating potential risks.

Of course, many of the scouts were more fascinated by the unofficial mascot, then the technology involved.

How to learn involves a few options.  1) learn in the military which may not be fast, but is very thorough and very common.  2) attend a school that trains Air Traffic Controllers.  3) get hired off the street.  This third option may seem least likely but is rather common because the demand is greater than the supply.  If hired off the street (and being thoroughly vetted) you would then be sent to training for about six weeks.

But in the end, the rewards can be amazing.  Just look at that sunset.

Camping, Outings

Troop 612 and their flying machines

This weekend was an overnight event at SACRC in Union City.  While the camping wasn’t as woodsy as we’re used to, the opportunity was just what we needed.  And while this did include an overnight experience, it was close enough to home to be a single day outing as an option.

Saturday started off with everyone getting a chance to fly high-quality remote-controlled planes.  A scout would get a lesson in how planes flew, how the controls worked and what rules to follow.

While flying was fun, it wasn’t all fun and games.  Due to technical difficulties, we did have two casualties right of the bat.

Some of these airplanes are very detailed. One dropped a parachute, others had contrails, and there were even a helicopter and something that looked like a jet-glider hybrid that had to be thrown to launch and skidded to a stop when landing.

Later that day when the winds were too strong for flying, the scouts when a little 2-mile hike to practice their orienteering.  The terrain wasn’t very challenging but even the little levy and twisty trail were enough to show how easy it was to get lost.

After the hike through the beautiful Eden Landing Ecological Reserve, the scout patrols started making dinner.  Some patrols played it safe and simple while others challenged themselves to try something new.

But have no fear, the adults always make the best meals.

Once night came, all was quiet and we could enjoy the feeling of isolation while only being 1,500 feet from a residential neighborhood.

In the morning the scouts had breakfast and a chance to fly a drone or where a VR headset that gave them a drone’s eye view.  Then we broke camp and headed home which was all of 16 minutes away.

Outings, Troop News

On a Wing and a Prayer

As part of the Troop’s Aviation Series of lessons, we visited Hayward Airport and got an up-close and personal view of a small private plane.

This particular plane was about 50 years old and was hand-painted by the previous owner.  It sits two and looks like a joy to fly.  And it’s beautiful too.

Our guide walked us through the various pre-flight checklist items, explaining what they were and why they were being checked.  If your car stalls, you just pull over to the shoulder.  Flying at 10,000 feet is not the place to figure out you have a problem.

Did you notice the little treaded machine in the above photo?  That’s a remote-controlled towing device for moving the plane in and out of the hanger.  Here’s another shot showing the robotic tow up close.

After our pre-flight check, we had the chance to see an even older plane.  This Navy plane had a far more powerful engine but less of the amenities of the first plane we saw.

Advancement, Scoutmaster Messages, Training

Merit Badges and how to get them

This Tuesday (July 23, 2019), Mr. Hoffman will be leading a session at 7 pm to give parents an overview of the Scouts BSA Merit BadgeProgram.  Merit badges introduce youth to skills that that can lead to careers and lifelong hobbies and teach youth how to contact and work with adults.  Scouts need to complete at least 21 merit badges to earn Eagle rank.  

There Are More Than 135 Different Merit Badges Available, From American Business to Woodworking.  Scouts can start earning merit badges right away! Here are 9 things to know about how to get the most out of your merit badge experience.

As a parent, you can help by becoming a Merit Badge Counselor.  There is no cost to become a registered merit badge counselor and no limit to the number of Merit Badges for which you can be a counselor except for the time you have to give to this service.  There is a need for the Eagle-required merit badges so please consider signing up for one or more of those.

Merit Badge Counselor Application process

  • Adult application.   
    • Use position code:  42,  description: Merit Badge Counselor
      If you are currently registered, 
      Check “Multiple registrations”,
      Enter your membership numberIf you are not currently registered with BSA 
      Check “New Leader”
      Enter the District Name “Tres Ranchos”  
      This is a district, not a unit position.
  • Merit Badge Counselor application
    • https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/34405.pdf There is no fee for this position.There is no limit to the number of Merit Badges you for which you can be a counselor, but consider the time you have to give to this service.Decide if you want to be available to 
      • Only Scouts in a given unit(s) Only Scouts in a given district(s)  – The most common choice is All Scouts.  (You will show up nationwide!) 
  • Print out a copy of your Youth Protection Training certificate.
    • District positions run from July 1 – June 30, unlike unit positions, so the YPT eligibility should be checked carefully.
  • Print out a copy of your Merit Badge Training certificate
    • This does not expire.  You can take this training online as well as in person.

Fill out the above four forms and send them to the Scout office.

Outings

Portola Redwoods State Park Campout

This weekend several of our scouts went camping overnight in Portola Redwoods State Park Campground. 

While this was a group site, there wasn’t any continuous open space to set up all the tents together.  This made it feel far more personal than usual group events and we felt a lot closer to our surroundings.

This was a joint campout with both the Boys’ and Girls’ Troops working together on their various goals.  As is typical, the Scouts were responsible for their own meal and had decided on Chicken Alfredo while the adults opted for Tri-Tip steak

Besides cooking, many Scouts worked their Orienteering, Totin’ Chip, and various Knots.

The knot-tying skill came in handy when setting up this hammock around those massive trees.

At night, the campfire is a welcome source of heat and light and great conversation.  Lanterns, on the other hand, can be a bit too harsh.

Besides the beautiful Redwood trees, Portola Redwoods State Park is known for another feature – Banana slugs are North American terrestrial slugs comprising the genus Ariolimax. These slugs are often yellow in color and are sometimes spotted with brown blotches, resembling a ripe banana which is the source of their common name, although they can come in other colors.

Outings

Backpacking Practice

The Scouts had a chance to try backpack camping – lite.  While the scouts had to pack their bags as if they were going to be backpacking into a campsite, the reality is they just had to hike a quarter mile – downhill.

So what’s the difference between backpack camping and car camping?  How much you can carry.

Typical car camping includes bring ice chests, camping stoves, folding chairs, huge tents, canopies, suitcases, cots, etc.  But with backpack camping, you have to carry everything you need.  Sleeping bag and pad, just enough clothes for the trip, your own mess kit, dehydrated food and compact cooking burner, water, toilet paper, etc.

On this particular trip, we didn’t make the kids carry their own tents but they will on a full backpack trip.  Then they would have to team up and distribute each scouts loads so that someone carries the tent and others carry part of their load.

Even though this wasn’t full-fledged backpacking, it did teach the scouts the importance of what to bring, and what to leave and how much a few ounces here and there can add up.

But this trip wan’t all work and no play.  Aside from the usual camp fun – throwing footballs and frisbees, telling adventure stories, and exploring the outdoor woods – we also took the scouts (by car) to the top of Mount Diablo where they were able to experience great views and learn a little history.  They also enjoyed museum store treats and saw a baby snake.

If you get the chance, be sure to visit the museum and check out the views for yourself.

Fundraisers

Carwash Fundraiser

Scouts from Troop 612 (and 2612) spend their Saturday washing cars and trucks to help raise funds for the Troop and Scout needs.  Everyone worked hard and washed a ton of vehicles.  We even had a few customers come back with other cars for our kids to wash because they did such a wonderful job the first time.

Of course, there was one car they all wanted to help wash.  Luckily, it was the last car of the day. 

We’ll be back at it May 11th and June 1st (2019) so stop by San Lorenzo Orthodontics parking lot (15803 Hesperian Blvd) if you want to support our Scouts and get a great car wash all at the same time.

P.S. we will also have World’s Finest Chocolate available if you want to support us that way too.