Attention Scouts – We have changed venues for the Spring Camp-o-ree. We are no longer attending the Voyageur Trace Spring Camp-o-ree but rather the Twin Lakes Spring Camp-o-ree. Same dates, same cost, new venue, better program!

When: Depart RPC at 5:00 PM Friday, April 20 and will return to RPC around Noon Sunday, April 22.
Where: Scout Adventure Camp, Rochelle Illinois

In addition to basic camping skills (ideal for our newest scouts), the program will allow for scouts of all ranks to also work on 1-2 Merit Badges. Choices include:
Astronomy
Weather
Geocaching
Fishing/Fly Fishing
Nature
Soil and Water Conservation

Tentative Agenda:
Friday, April 20
– Check in 7:00 pm
– In Troop Cracker Barrel
– Astronomy starts at 9:00pm
Saturday, April 21
– Morning Activities start 9:00 am
– Afternoon Activities start 2:00 pm
– All Camp Campfire 8:00 pm (each Troop to provide song & skit)
Sunday, April 22 9:00 am Camp Sunday Service

The cost for this outing is $45. The deadline for signing up for the outing is Sunday, April 15 at noon. Please fill out a form for each scout.

If your scout plans to attend our summer camp at Camp Tesomas (July 15-21), he should attend at least one weekend camp-out before attempting a week away from home & family. This camp-out is one opportunity. We will have one other camp-out before summer, on May 18-20, at Kankakee River State Park.

Contact Susan Lynch with questions.

Voyageur Trace District invites all Des Plaines Valley Council troops to participate in a Spring Camporee allowing your new scouts to learn some skills for summer camp. Please join us in pitching our scouts against the great outdoors.

When: Friday, April 20 to Sunday, April 22, 2012.
Where: Camp Lakota, 2050 Deep Cut Road, Woodstock, IL 60098-9743.

Program will include the following scout skills: Campfires, Pioneering, Rope Skills, Fire building, Box Oven Cooking, Tent building, Cooking, Dutch Oven Cooking, First Aid, Cleaning & Packing for Summer Camp, and Orienteering. There will be a camp-wide patrol competition culminating in the Camporee campfire celebration on Saturday night.

Troop 24 Scouts will leave from the RPC on Friday evening (time to be determined) and return Sunday around noon. The cost for this outing is $45. The deadline for signing up for the outing is Sunday, April 15 at noon. Please fill out a form for each scout.

If your scout plans to attend our summer camp at Camp Tesomas (July 15-21), he should attend at least one weekend camp-out before attempting a week away from home & family. This camp-out is one opportunity. We will have one other camp-out before summer, on May 18-20, at Kankakee River State Park.

Roving correspondent, Jimmy S, reports on the Troop’s recent ski trip to Sunburst.

The ski trip for scouts was fantastic! Wonderfully planned by Mrs. Lynch, the scouts had an awesome time! We first arrived at RPC at 7:00 a.m. and left in our separate cars. We arrived at Sunburst Ski Resort, and it took about a half hour to get all of our equipment: helmets, skis or snowboards, depending on what you chose, and boots. Most of us chose skiing over snowboarding, and gathered in a group for skiing lessons. The lessons started at 10:30 and ended at 11:45. In them, we learned how to clock turn, which is how to turn when you are walking with skis on, how to walk uphill with the skis on, how to use a tow rope, and how to ski downhill.

One question may still be lingering on your minds: How do you ski? Well, it takes some practice, but you glide downhill with your skis on and try not to fall over. When you are skiing, you might want to turn, so you just shift your weight onto the side opposite of what you want to turn to. We also gradually started using the ski lifts and going down the higher hills. At 1:00, Mr. Robertson instructed the snow sports merit badge. Alas, at 4:00, skiing was over.

We went back to a really nice hotel and had pizza and soda for dinner. At 6:45, all of the scouts went into their cars and went back to Sunburst for tubing. Tubing was a lot of fun, but was not like water tubing. Yes, of course, we used tubes, but instead of water, we slid down slopes of ice. It was a lot of fun, and it was even better because it was at night! Unfortunately our tubing session ended and we all left the ski resort. We got back and went to the pool for about an hour. We goofed around and then went to our respective hotel rooms and went to sleep. At 7:00 a.m., all of us were supposed to get up, eat our breakfast, pack up, and go home. Unfortunately, my room got up at about 9:00 a.m. and it took a bit longer than it should have.

The Troop will have TWO separate campouts at Cantigny in Wheaton during the weekend of March 16-17.

On Saturday night, March 17, there will be a campout especially for our new “Joiner” scouts. They will work on some of the skills and requirements needed for advancement

On Friday night, March 16, we invite older scouts to camp. This is particularly encouraged for those scouts who might be missing just a few requirements for advancement to their next rank–and particularly those requirements that can only be completed on a campout (acting as Patrol cook, starting a fire, setting up a stove, etc.).

Please be sure you sign up for the appropriate outing:

FRIDAY – Older scouts $10
SATURDAY – New scouts $20

If you already signed up online but couldn’t pay on WePay because we didn’t yet have the ticket available, please visit WePay at:
https://www.wepay.com/events/cantigny-campout

Scouts interested in working on the Snow Sports Merit Badge are invited to the Riverside Library this Saturday, February 18, at 3:00 p.m. Scouts should bring their Blue Cards, the snow sports worksheet, and the merit badge book. Scouts who need to work on rank advancements are also invited to attend.

It’s not too late to sign up for our Ski Trip on February 25-26 (registration deadline February 19). More information is available at http://troop24riverside.com/2012/01/sunburst-ski-trip-feb-25-26/

Troop 24 is planning a day outing to the Challenger Learning Center at Heartland Community College in Normal, Illinois, on Saturday, March 17, to complete the Space Exploration merit badge.

Scouts should be dropped off at RPC at 7:00 am and will return around 8:30 pm the same day. The cost for this outing is $21. Scouts will need to bring a sack lunch and money for dinner. The deadline for signing up for the outing is Sunday, March 11. This outing is not open to Joiner scouts (Webelos who have recently crossed over) because their first campout is scheduled for this weekend. Please fill out a form for each scout.
You must fill out the registration form first and then go to WePay.

As always scouts should wear their Class A uniforms to travel.

The adult leader in charge of this outing will be Stephanie Lanken. Contact Dawn Gmitro with questions.

Link to: Space Exploration Merit Badge workbook.