Troop 24 is planning to prepare peanut butter & jelly sandwiches and vegetable beef soup to support RPC’s Night Ministry Program. During our regularly scheduled Troop meeting on Thursday January 13, scouts will be making sandwiches and soup for 200 people for the Night Ministry delivery the next day. We need food donations and parents to help during this meeting. Please sign up to donate and help. Scouts should bring the food to the meeting or drop it off in the RPC kitchen before the meeting. Thank you in advance for your generosity.

Thursday, December 16, 7:00 p.m. – All parents and scouts who are interested in Philmont should attend the meeting TONIGHT at RPC.

Friday, December 17, 7:00 p.m. – Holiday party at the Scout Cabin – bring a snack to share if possible.

Sign-up is now open for the Muskegon Luge (January 8-9) and Eagle Cave (January 14-16) trips.

Troop 24 is planning an overnight outing to Eagle Cave in Blue River, Wisconsin, leaving on Friday, January 14. Scouts will leave from RPC between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m. (The time will be determined once drivers are established.) Scouts will return to RPC on Sunday, January 16, around 1:00 p.m.

The cost for this outing is $60.

The adult leaders in charge will be Roman Salij and Jerry Jones. We need at least two additional adults to drive to & from the cave. Due to the distance, we assume those adults will also be staying.

The deadline for signing up for the outing is 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11. There are a limited number of tickets.

Scouts will be exploring and sleeping in a cave. In addition to their regular gear (sleeping bag, sleep pad, clothes) scouts should bring two ground cloths or tarps to keep them dry while sleeping. Additionally, scouts may choose to bring a small sled and clothing needed to go sledding. Contact Dawn Gmitro at dmgmitro@aol.com with questions.

Please register by filling out our online form for each scout AND each adult attending.

Troop 24 is planning an overnight outing to the Muskegon Luge (www.msports.org/luge) at Muskegon State Park in Muskegon, Michigan, on Saturday, January 8, 2011.

Scouts will learn to luge on a 850-foot Olympic training luge track. Scouts can reach speeds of up to 25-30 miles per hour and must be able to carry their sleds back to the top of the luge track. Scouts should not wear new or nylon coats to luge as they may get torn on the track. If time allows, scouts may have the opportunity to ice skate or tube. Please send extra money if your scout may want to participate in these activities. Scouts should also bring a snack and money for lunch. The Troop will be staying at a hotel with a pool. Scouts should bring a bathing suit. Rooms will have 4 scouts per room. No leaders will be in the scouts’ rooms. As with all outings, appropriate behavior is expected.

The adult leaders in charge will be Mike Payne and Ray Rogers. We need 3 additional adults to drive, stay overnight, and chaperone. Adults who plan to attend should fill out the online registration form. Please note in the Comments section whether you plan to luge.

Scouts should be dropped off at RPC at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, January 8, and will return to RPC around 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 9, 2010. The cost for this outing is $80. The deadline for signing up for this outing is 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 4. There are a limited number of tickets, so please register and pay as soon as possible.

Please fill out a separate form for each scout and each adult attending. The Muskegon Sports Complex requires each participant to complete a waiver form and provide proof of medical insurance in order to luge. Please print and complete the waiver, available at http://www.msports.org/luge/luge-waiver/, make a copy (front and back) of your medical card and turn both in by the deadline, either at a Troop meeting, or to Dawn Gmitro (140 Riverside Road or dmgmitro@aol.com). Scouts will not be allowed to luge without this paperwork, and no refunds can be given.

In addition to the paperwork required by the Muskegon Luge, please fill out our online form for each scout AND each adult leader attending.

Contact Dawn Gmitro at dmgmitro@aol.com with questions.

Reminder: There is no Troop Meeting on Thursday (although there is a 7:00 informational meeting at RPC, for parents/scouts 8th grade & older, regarding Philmont). Instead, please come to the Scout Cabin on Friday, December 17, for a holiday party/movie night. Scouts are asked to bring snacks to share.

Troop 24 has been offered an opportunity to attend Philmont Scout Ranch in 2011. We entered the lottery in November, 2009 and were placed on a waiting list. You all must have been especially good because we have miraculously moved from number 588 on the wait list to being offered a slot for two crews. We have the option of sending two crews of 7–12 people per crew (for a total of 14–24 people) for a Philmont trek from July 14 through July 26, 2011 (all Philmont treks are 12 days). You should plan on leaving July 13 and returning July 27 to accommodate travel.

Attending Philmont is the greatest adventure that Scouting offers. Every person that has attended describes it as a life-changing experience. Philmont is physically, mentally and emotionally demanding. You must be able to carry a 35 to 50 lb. pack (but no more than 25-30% of your body weight) while hiking 5 to 12 miles per day (for 10 days) in an isolated mountain wilderness, ranging from 6,500 to 12,500 feet in elevation. Climatic conditions include temperatures from 30 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, low humidity (10-30%) and frequent, sometimes severe, afternoon thunderstorms. We will be camping in the mountains and must carry all of our food, water, cooking equipment, tents and personal gear.

We will select a trek that will determine our specific activities, but options include rock climbing and rappelling, challenge events, pole climbing, black powder shooting, 12 gauge trap shooting, .30-06 shooting, fly fishing, 3D archery, wilderness survival, and many others.

All scouts who are 14 years old by July 14 OR have completed the eighth grade and are 13 by July 14 are eligible to attend. In addition to the trek, we will be scheduling a number of mandatory outings to prepare for the adventure. This is the minimum level of preparation recommended by the BSA for Philmont:

April – two 5 – 10 mile day hikes, with a full backpack on the second hike.
May – two 3 day backpacking treks of 10 – 20 miles.
June – one 3 day backpacking trek of 20 miles and one 5 day trek of at least 30 miles.

WE WILL BE HAVING AN INFORMATION MEETING FOR SCOUTS AND THEIR PARENTS AT THE RPC FELLOWSHIP HALL ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16 AT 7:00. Please plan on attending if you are interested in attending Philmont. If you are interested but cannot make the meeting, please call Jim Ringbloom for more information. Check out the Philmont web site for more information. Wikipedia also has a very good article.

Just a reminder: The Troop Committee meets tonight, December 7, at 7:00 p.m. in the Westminster Room at RPC. All scout parents are welcome.