Originally Posted by waywardfool
Oh, now that is pretty sweet.
AWESOME idea Bulldawg!
tying this 2,000 mile boy scout day-hike to the 100th anniversary would be a lot more exciting than the dang new uniform the bsa has come up with.
we could use the 1936 recording of the boy scout AT thru as a precedent for the scouts being linked to the AT
I've already asked my district executive to float it up the ladder and quoted some of the posts here to show there is interest.
Just typed and then deleted several paragraphs about my experiences as a Scout and my experiences with Scouts and Scouters since then.
If this feat of organization occurs, please get it well publicized in advance.
I'd like to be on another trail that weekend.
Ryan Hamler, Eagle Scout 1989
Troop 182 Groveport, Ohio
What? Me worry??
Remember that the National Jamboree will be in 2010. National will be putting a lot of emphasis on the 100th anniversary into that event. Could this be a lead-up to the Jambo??? I would think that it would have to occur before Jambo, since most kids will be headed back to school not too long after returning from the Jamboree.
I also think National would be hard pressed to do much more than provide press support if they say yeah. IMHO it will be up to us "locals" to organize and pull it off. I'm willing to bet that there are enough troops/crews along the trail that have already hiked a section/sections in their area that getting sections covered should not be a problem. Organize on the Council level for those Councils adjoining the trail and offer a chance for others to volunteer to come and participate.
WWW
Rockdawg69
Caution: Falling and Rolling Rocks have the Right-of-Way!!!!
...................
You could tie it into the 11th annual jamboree on the trail, http://jott.org/
"Jamboree On The Trail is an annual day for the World Scout Movement to hike together. All Scouts, whatever their age and wherever they may be in the world, are invited to participate in whatever way they can. Cubs and younger Scouting sections could visit a local nature trail as part of a weekend camp. A Scout Troop might check out a hiking trail while working on badge requirements. A Rover Crew might make a Service Project out of restoring or maintaining a hiking trail. In their own way, everyone will be hiking the same direction: towards a better future through Scouting. JOTT is held on the second Saturday of May each year."
Dawg - I would go for just GA. That's a good size chunk and if you can get more than one Council involved it would be a great learning experience (...meaning it will cause enough problems...) that you could then make an educated decision whether you want to expand the idea to other states next year.
Contact the GATC and see if they'd like to get involved and ask about any service projects that could be done - trailhead cleanups, for example.
Write up your experience and offer it as a guide to other Scouters if you decide to expand the idea to include more, or all, of the Trail next year.
You never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns
When they all did tricks for you.
I think it is a great idea for getting some publicity for the trail and scouting. It is sort of like a hands across america idea. I also think that it would be really tough to organize.
Right DWM. I am already working with my district executive on doing just Georgia this year. If you saw my spreadsheet you can see that 11 units can do Georgia fairly easily. I will let you know what we decide on and use you as my GATC contact. Thanks for volunteering.
I'd be glad to volunteer (and can even shuttle 6 in my van) but go to the GATC web page and alert someone higher up in the organization than me ...which means just about anybody else... and tell them you've already got at least one member willing to help.
Sounds like the start of a good article for all the Troop's hometown newspapers, the GATC newsletter, the ATC magazine and Boy's Life.
You never turned around to see the frowns
On the jugglers and the clowns
When they all did tricks for you.
I like the idea, but, as you probably already know, the National Council moves ever so very slowly when making decisions. Definitely not an idea for 2009. BUT, perhaps you can organize this in GA, and then after having done it there, you can promote it to National, or to your Region execs, and build it from there. If you've done it on a small scale first and can report on the success of a smaller event, I think they will take more notice.
I am going to run it by the Council in CT. If we can get other Scouters involved in this for their states, maybe we can get this done as a grass roots program. Coordinating will be a challenge, but, hey, if it wasn't a challenge, it wouldn't be fun.
Well, my boys' Troop is in Delaware, but we're within 2 hours of the trail in MD-PA and I'm sure I could get enough Scouts in our Troop to participate!
Maybe we should all just work at the local level? Might be easier than relying on National to coordinate it.
BSA has a new National Outdoor Committee headed up by a friend of mine. They are looking at ways to get the OUTdoors back into mainstream Scouting.
I will be talking with him next week and will mention this grassroots effort. I would not be surprise if he doesn't want to make this thing happen for 2010 as he is not your typical "committee" Scouter. In fact, he a lawyer who volunteers hundreds of hours each year to Philmont and now the National Council.
If Pittsburgh could get the entire trail covered by just posting on the at-l, I would think a nationwide org like the BSA could do likewise. Check post #20 for the sections. Some could be broken up into smaller sections, but that will give y'all a start.
Go big, for the 100th!
I'd love to see this for the 100th anniversary of BSA.
Just a note on timing. Remember that most troops plan their activities a year out. Ideally, they have all of their activities set early in the summer the year before. So for the 2009-10 school year, most troops will be planning and approving calendars this summer. A summertime AT event will have to be coordinated with their week-long summer camp dates, as well.
That would mean a date for a 2010 AT end-to-end event has to be set and promoted by say, the end of May 2009 in order for troops to consider and commit to participating.
I'd be impressed if it happened (it won't), but I'd also like to be as far away from the AT as possible on that day.
Hey Bulldawg,
I know you are probably still de-rucking and de-something else back home, but has this moved up the food chain in your district?
I was hoping to talk to some district folks at the Klondike, but we bagged camping and just did the events, so I missed the cracker barrel networking opportunity.
Any other scouter folks out there who would like to chime in?
Not yet, but I just sent our district executive another email.
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