Hi all —

My son is working on the Camping Merit Badge, and we’ve hit a bit of an issue with our troop’s camping program.

Our troop does camp semi-regularly, but almost always at the same location and with a fairly limited set of activities. The concern is that over time, we will not encounter enough variety in outings to complete the experience-based requirements.

The main sticking points are the required diverse outdoor experiences:

• 1,000 ft elevation gain hike
• 4+ mile backpacking/snowshoe/cross-country ski trip
• 15-mile or 4-hour bike trip
• 4-hour or 5-mile nonmotorized water trip
• overnight snow camping
• rappel 30+ feet

There’s also the conservation project requirement tied to a camping experience.

So my questions:

• How do scouts typically complete these requirements when their troop doesn’t offer a wide range of trips?
• Is it acceptable for scouts to attend camps or activities with other troops to fulfill requirements?
• What are good ways to find approved opportunities (if there are any) that can plug the gap?
• I'm happy to become an ASM and take my son camping myself, if it helps :)

We want to stay within the rules and also avoid making our family obnoxious to the Scoutmaster. If it helps, we volunteer with this troop A LOT, so are definitely willing to pitch in to help.

Any advice or examples from your experience would be really appreciated.

I'm a relatively new Scoutmaster of a small girls troop. The previous Scoutmaster stepped away unexpectedly, and I've been rebuilding the program while learning the role myself.

Shortly before I took over, we had a crossover Scout who is AUHD. I'm looking for advice on how to balance supporting her needs while also meeting my responsibilities to the rest of the troop.

Some of the behaviors we've been dealing with include:

* Frequent verbal disruptions during meetings and activities

* Inappropriate comments or shouting

* Difficulty respecting personal space and boundaries

* Running away and hiding during meetings

* Refusal to follow youth leadership at times

* Dishonesty when discussing incidents

Her parents attended all outings. The situation was challenging but manageable.

But we just wrapped up summer camp and we experienced three MAJOR meltdowns that required significant adult attention. Two appeared to be triggered by emotional or highly stimulating events, and one involved her telling the SPL that she hated her and would not listen to her because the SPL was "not her mom", and she really really hates her.

To her credit, she did many things well during the week and showed more independence than I expected. The challenge was that the major incidents consumed a tremendous amount of adult time and energy.

A few things especially concern me:

* If she misses her mid day medication from mom or dad, she is unmanageable.

* Her mother expressed concern that her daughter might physically lash out at another Scout during periods of emotional dysregulation.

* During one conversation, the Scout told me she does not want to be in Scouting and feels that everyone wants her to be someone she is not.

* During some escalations, I observed levels of anger and emotional intensity that made me concerned about the safety of herself or others if things continued to escalate.

I want to be clear that I am not looking for ways to remove this Scout simply because she is neurodivergent. I have several neurodivergent Scouts, and our troop generally works well with them.

My concern is that one Scout's needs are beginning to consume a disproportionate amount of leadership attention. I currently have limited ASM support due to deployments and work obligations, and I often feel like I am spending so much time managing crises that I am unable to serve the rest of the troop effectively.

For those who have dealt with similar situations:

* What expectations should I be setting with the parents?

* What accommodations have been successful?

* Where do you draw the line between supporting a Scout and maintaining a safe, functional program for everyone else?

* How do you handle situations where a Scout repeatedly refuses to follow youth leadership?

* At what point do you determine that a troop may not be the right fit for a particular youth?

I'm looking for practical advice from leaders who have navigated this successfully.

*Edit to say, the parents were present (switched half way through) at camp but did not step in until the scout was past the point of no return.

The parents are present. At every meeting and outing. But they do not jump in. Almost ever.

Now that the overwhelming consensus is that GtA should exist, and a substantial number of comments advocate for a "simplified" GtA, we move to thoughts and ideas on how to improve and simplify.

Please refrain from simply stating "The language stinks," "Too complex," or "Too ambiguous."

If you have a problem with the text, what is your solution/proposed language/proposed edits?

Section 4.3.0.0 Mechanics of Advancement in Venturing

Section 4.4.0.0 Mechanics of Advancement in Sea Scouts

NOTE: No discussion about other programs permitted. Discussions of Advancements in other programs will be discussed in other weeks

We will be in Rome this summer and would love to get the historic trail patch for Rome.

I am a registered leader for the troop and the pack. If my wife registers for both the troop and the pack would our hike count?

The hike can be done as a unit or as a family. It also says ensure 2 deep leadership at all time.

We're off to a typical week-long summer camp in August and I'm trying to plan for it as best I can. But as is the case with most things in a new troop, the phrase I keep using is "we don't know what we don't know." Everything is a first, so despite all of the planning, I lean on others to try and get ahead of those things I don't know to even be concerned about or think of.

So... what am I likely missing? Besides the obvious things to pack, paperwork to check, pre-reqs to make sure are done...

If you've been in my boots before, what do you wish you knew before that first summer camp? Or what do you wish you would have done differently if you had known what you'd run into?

Tips, advice, suggestions... all are welcome.

Just curious... When your pack or troop does fundraisers, and adults are required to be there (as they should be to maintain two-deep leadership), so you allocate any proceeds to the adults who showed up? If so, please provide the context for the event.

My units have never done this, but adult participation was a little light for our last one, so I'm wondering how usual it might be to propose an adult allocation.

If you are a leader for a boy only troop, please keep an open mind when I ask this. Please stop calling it a "Boy Scout Troop", especially on flyers and signs.

I dropped my son off for staff week at camp last week. I had nice chats with the adult leaders I know while I helped unload all of his stuff. A large portion of the staff is from a coed crew and they have always done a great job at making the girl troops who come not feel like an afterthought.

I overheard one of the girls, who was wearing her class b venture shirt, tell another that at a rest stop on her drive over she had to explain that she wasn't a Girl Scout, but a Venturer. She was shaking her head. My daughter has this conversation monthly with one person or another who doesn't understand that Scouting America is coed now and that she isn't a girl scout and can't sell them cookies.

On the drive back, ten minutes from the camp, I saw a giant banner for a fundraising pancake dinner. At the bottom it said "to benefit BOY SCOUT TROOP #". They had included the Scout America logo and everything.

Please stop calling it Boy Scouts. The program is Scouts BSA and the organization operates as Scouting America. I know a lot of troops are still just boys, but I'm asking everyone to make a concerted effort to stop using that term. It's not fair to the girl troops or the coed troops. If

Let's make the girls feel welcomed and not an afterthought. It's been seven years. It's been long enough that we've had girls make eagle and become scoutmasters of their old troop.

I am a female adult leader for at least four sea scout ships in the Cascade Pacific Council to help provide leadership for female youth, and I've recently joined a couple of Family troops as well for the same reasons (and I'm a glutton for punishment in the scouting program as a former sea scout :P).

I ONLY have sea scout adult uniform wear (unofficial - 5.11) as I will not wear Dickies or whatever else they suggest that won't put up with the amount of activity and roughness I put them through.

I have some LAPG women's pants coming in that closely matches the Troop pants colors because the kind in the scout shop I would rip in a week and they're 2 sizes too small despite being labeled my size. I'll need them by July 19th for a scout camp week at Fire Mountain Scout Camp.

Does anyone have any suggestions on other brands that would work well? I particularly prefer the BDU/cargo pants style for the sake of being able to use the pockets when out and about.

Is color matching as close to exact as possible a thing? I suspect I won't get hate for being one or two shades off slightly.

Thanks! Happy to answer any questions in sea scouts if people are interested. We are trying to bring the program back (in the PNW by Portland especially).

Hello! I am going on a Northern Tier trek this summer and I am close to the weight limit for my height? How strict are they on that limit? I’m nervous that after traveling for a day and a half I will be just over when I get to check in. For reference I am no where near 295 and fairly active (hiking, paddle boarding, running, etc) and have no health restrictions otherwise.

I'm genuinely curious about this, and I'm wondering if anyone has insight into how these decisions are made.

Why doesn't Scouting America ask for public feedback before finalizing significant program or safety policies?

The recent laser tag and squirt gun guidance got me thinking about it. Almost immediately after the policies were published, people started pointing out wording issues, edge cases, and situations that don't seem to fit cleanly within the rules. Whether you agree or disagree with the policies themselves, it seems clear that a lot of people noticed opportunities to make the guidance clearer.

In a lot of other settings, this is exactly why organizations publish drafts before making something official. Governments have public comment periods for proposed regulations. Game developers release beta builds and test rule changes before launch. Companies often ask employees to review new workplace policies before they're adopted. Industry standards groups circulate draft documents specifically so experts can identify problems before they're finalized.

The point isn't to let everyone vote on the rules. It's to catch unintended consequences, confusing wording, and practical implementation issues while they're still easy to fix.

It seems like Scouting America could do something similar. Even something as simple as presenting draft guidance at the National Annual Meeting and asking for volunteer feedback might surface a lot of these issues before they're published. I suspect the end result would be policies that accomplish the same safety goals while being clearer and easier for units to apply consistently.

So I'm curious: is there a reason Scouting America doesn't do this? Is it legal, organizational, historical, or something else? It seems like asking for feedback before finalizing major guidance would be a win for everyone, so I'm wondering what I'm missing.

(SOLVED) Thank you everyone for your valuable information, suggestions and most importantly advice!

Hey guys I kinda have a serious problem with my eagle project. I was my advisors first Rising Eagle Scout so he didn’t know much and I didn’t know anything. I got my proposal completed in November of 25 and I did not know about the planning sections and instantly went to the physical project and had stated that work and in 3ish months I had gotten the entire project finished by early February. Now I just noticed and quickly completed the planning section and finished up my project report. I emailed the council representative for my area and he told me that he sees “Mr. Kopel approved your project for signatures around 13Nov2025.
I do not see any signatures. Did District approve/sign your proposal?” But I assume he ment the planning??? I’m just worried they might reject my project and entire workbook. I had gotten full confirmation from my beneficiary and the troop practically said go ahead after my proposal. I did not know that I needed to do the planning. Am I screwed?

I’m a leader at a troop in Texas. I grew up in Texas and am an Eagle Scout. Last year we went to Worth Ranch and it was fantastic: Great facilities, professional and enthusiastic staff, great food, nice air conditioning and fast wifi in the scout master’s lounge. The only issue was it got above 100 during the day and didn’t dip below 80 at night. This year we went to Camp Alexander near Colorado Springs and had a great time: The weather was awesome compared to Texas, good food, great staff, fun traditions. But it’s got me hooked on cooler weather for summer camp (something I legit never experienced as a scout). So…where should we go next? Camp A was about a 10 hour drive for us and we’re willing to drive more if needed (probably up to double that). Hit me with your best summer camps (great program, good food, great staff, fun traditions) that have cool weather.

I was visiting a camp that my troop has never attended. They were setting up for a dance that night. I was wondering if with girls now included dances were making a come back. I know at one time it was common to invite Girl Scouts or the Campfire Girls to camps for social events.

Edit: i dont think it was a specifically a couples dance. More of a general group dance.