Hiking is a good way for Scouts to get some physical activity while enjoying the outdoors. And it is a fun adventure for all ages. Hiking also provides an opportunity to learn about how to stay safe on outdoor adventures.
The 50 Miler award recognizes young men and women in Scouts BSA and Venturing who hike, paddle, or ride a total of 50 miles over at least 5 consecutive days. The trek must be completed without using motors. Riding can be cycling or horseback riding. To earn the award, members of your unit must plan and participate in a service project.
Don't forget to put the "outing" in Scouting. Cub Scouts enjoy going hiking. Remember to pick a trail of an appropriate difficulty level for your age group. Webelos have a lot more stamina than Lions and Tigers. Here are some ideas to help with a Cub Scout activity or two centered around hiking.
Doing a scavenger hunt while hiking will help scouts really explore the world around them while they are walking. This post includes a suggested list in printable format.
The Hiking feature teaches Scouts how to prepare for a successful and safe exploration of locations near and far. Scouts learn to appreciate everything they see and experience around them as they hike trails in parks, the back-country, and urban areas.
When you are on the trail, you don't have a way to keep food cool and you want something which will provide energy, will travel well, and is lightweight. Trail mix is a popular trail food and there are many possible combinations. Or with a small trail stove, you can heat something up with water.
To complete the Backpacking elective for the Venturing Ranger award, Venturers must learn the skills needed for backpacking and take part in several treks. Then they must share their knowledge with others.
A reader asks about the Backpacking merit badge "I understand that the purpose of the backpacking merit badge is to learn backpacking skills, but where does it say that they had to backpack every single day of those 5 days? They were already in Philmont, backpacking and staying in tents. I think the counselor is missing the point of the requirement and adding more to it. "
When preparing for a campout, one of the most common questions from less experienced campers is "What should I bring?" This article from Boy's Life magazine is a good list of must haves for that campout.
For the Mountain Lion adventure, Lions learn about having fun and staying safe outdoors. Mountain Lion is one of the required adventures for the Lion badge.
Tigers in the Wild is one of the Tiger required adventures. For this adventure, Tiger Cubs and their adult partners learn some outdoor skills, go hiking, and participate in other outdoor activities.
Webelos Walkabout is one of the Webelos required adventures. For this adventure, Webelos plan and carry out a three mile hike and complete a service project.
These hiking safely guidelines are appropriate for a front country adventure in an area like a park. That is the only type of hiking which is appropriate for Cub Scouts. If you are going on a back country hike, then you need to consider some other safety rules, like bringing a fire source and knife.
Even during seasons when it is too cold for the Cub Scouts to get out tent camping, we can still get them outdoors on a day hike. Make sure your Cub Scouts know the 10 Outdoor Essentials.
Leave No Trace is an outdoor ethics program which encourages responsible use of outdoor resources. The frontcountry guidelines are the guidelines for day-use areas like parks and trails.
The nice folks at Flowfold sent me one of their Optimist Mini Backpacks for review. This is a 10L backpack and is just the right size for a day pack. I used it over the weekend at a youth camp where the buildings were very spread out and I wanted to be able to keep a few things with me all day.
Castaway is one of the Webelos/Arrow of Light elective adventures. For the Webelos Castaway adventure, Cub Scouts learn survival skills for situations where shelter, water, and electricity might not be available.
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