View Full Version : Calling all scouters!!
Bulldawg
01-08-2009, 22:32
Hey, the whole Boy Scout thread got me to thinking about something that would be really cool and maybe garner some publicity for the BSA. Surely this has been thought of before. I am thinking here that you get the BSA to put this together, maybe with a state director in each state, then a council director in each council that wanted to participate. Put it together with a good bit of publicity. You get 200-250 troops to each commit to hiking a section of the AT on the same day. You know a troop, 8-10 boys and leaders. I am not sure about the NE, but I know down here, there isn't a section that can't be turned into a day hike. A virtual BSA thru hike in one day. It would take some logistics, but I think it could be put together. I pitched it tonight at our district round table meeting and almost immediately got asked to put together the logistics to simply complete Georgia that way. Then we will study it. I think it would be really, really cool. What do you other scouters think?
Bulldawg
01-08-2009, 22:34
I guess the Smokies might be a real task to do in one day. I am sure there are some other stretches. Maybe you do it in one weekend maybe?
Blissful
01-08-2009, 22:46
Sure my hubby would like to have his troop do a part in VA. And link some trail maintenance with the effort too.
But it would take huge coordination. I assume this is one day hike.
4eyedbuzzard
01-08-2009, 22:47
Difficult if not impossible in parts of ME and NH to do as a day hike.
Bulldawg
01-08-2009, 22:49
Well Buzzard, like I said, I has somehow stupidly forgot about GSMNP. Maybe you put it together as done all in one 3 day weekend??
Alligator
01-08-2009, 22:54
You could still do it in a day, but not all scout troops would be dayhiking. Scout troops for interior locations like GSMNP could overnight to the point they need to start.
4eyedbuzzard
01-08-2009, 22:56
You could probably have groups at staggered points of multiday hikes through the 100 mile wilderness in ME. There's also problems through the Whites but there are enough side trails to make it doable with a few overnight hikes. Of course, weather in the Whites ad Katahdin may also be a factor.
It'll take one heck of an organizational effort to pull it off, but it does sound like a cool idea.
Bulldawg
01-08-2009, 23:03
No doubt it would take some organization. But I just broke Georgia out into 5-13 mile sections in 12 minutes in Excel. Lots of people putting their heads together could make it happen pretty easily. I wouldn't want to head up the entire thing, but I'd certainly volunteer to head up the Georgia section.
4th of July weekend would likely be doable over the whole trail. Long weekend. A bit hot in the south and central states, but still doable.
Bulldawg
01-08-2009, 23:05
Oh, and of course take credit for the idea.....:D:banana:D
Great idea, Bulldawg. I'd be happy to help you with GA, and to try to coordinate scouters from other states. I'm not sure about trying to do this on the 4th, tho.... I'm sure I could get a group of Scouts to do a section in GA, tho.
Bulldawg
01-08-2009, 23:41
Sounds good Steve, I will keep you in mind. Even if we just do Georgia. My boy is just a cub scout. But some of those short sections, cub scouts could easily do those sections if they wanted to.
big_muddy
01-08-2009, 23:42
I think the BSA is too gun shy come liability to do anything really. I got out just about time the Legal Council took over.
Bulldawg
01-08-2009, 23:44
Oh yeah, 4th of July this year might be too early with it already being January. I could see where this would take months to put together for the whole trail. The way I see it happening actually is as follows: You get the BSA to support it. You get each council that boarders the AT to commit to mapping out their section. They plan it out just as I did in Excel. That file is submitted to some national committee. That committee approves it, then a date is set. Then each section is assigned on a volunteer basis to a troop/pack/crew. Then you just DO IT!!
Bulldawg
01-08-2009, 23:45
I think the BSA is too gun shy come liability to do anything really. I got out just about time the Legal Council took over.
If they let boys do Philmont, they can do the rather tame AT.
waywardfool
01-08-2009, 23:58
I'd get our guys in. BTW, I think this is what started this.... :)
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=752019&postcount=3
And it wasn't my idea either...somebody tried to pitch it, I think on usenet, about 100 years ago (technology-years, that is). I remember it getting kicked around way back then...maybe it was emails on an early listserv. Original idea was for a week, IIRC, each unit taking 50-75 mile chunk of the trail for a week....just 40 or so units spending a week on the AT. A 'thru-hike in a day' is a bigger attention-grabber, a little more concrete in concept, and would be fun to be a part of.
Anyway, I think it'd be doable, and a great PR thing for the Scouts.
waywardfool
01-09-2009, 00:03
Hmmm, Boy Scouts was founded in Britain in 1907, and in America in 1910....Summer of 2010...100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America....could be a good tie-in for media/PR/etc, and just for the heck of it.
100 units doing 20 miles in a weekend....that breaks it down to a managable number of participants/leaders/organizers, etc.
Bulldawg
01-09-2009, 00:04
I'd get our guys in. BTW, I think this is what started this.... :)
http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/showpost.php?p=752019&postcount=3
And it wasn't my idea either...somebody tried to pitch it, I think on usenet, about 100 years ago (technology-years, that is). I remember it getting kicked around way back then...maybe it was emails on an early listserv. Original idea was for a week, IIRC, each unit taking 50-75 mile chunk of the trail for a week....just 40 or so units spending a week on the AT. A 'thru-hike in a day' is a bigger attention-grabber, a little more concrete in concept, and would be fun to be a part of.
Anyway, I think it'd be doable, and a great PR thing for the Scouts.
I think it would be a huge PR thing for the scouts and for the AT. And the idea for a dayhike. There are some large sections out there where the boys might actually have to hike some 30-40 miles in 3 or 4 days, but be staged at their section like someone said. It would take a huge plan. But I guarantee you, that if you contacted each council close to the trail, there is SOMEONE in that council in leadership, who knows there area of the trail intimately. Much like I said I would not mind taking on Georgia AT ALL. Because I know the trail in Georgia pretty good I like to think, I put that Excel together in a matter of 10 or 12 minutes. I don't remember reading your post, but I may have. The whole thing really just popped in my head driving home today. The district executive I pitched it too tonight was like "Dude, why didn't you mention that in front of the 30 other guys here tonight". I pitched it just to him and two other adult leaders. He said, "Put it together, we will make it happen, even if JUST in Georgia."
You could do it in a day. You probably could not go from road crossing to road crossing, but if you staged people at the remote places and had everyone shift during one day then it could be done. Day hikes are just part of a short backpacking trip in the same way that short backpacking trips are part of a thru hike.
Pittsburgh organized something similar a few years back called HATT or Hands Across The Trail. I think they did it over a weekend. Here's the sections...
http://web.archive.org/web/20030927064130/http://friends.backcountry.net/hatt/2002/sections.html
The idea was teams would start at one place shaking hands, going in opposite directions where they'd meet up with other teams finishing their respective sections.
Bulldawg
01-09-2009, 00:10
Hmmm, Boy Scouts was founded in Britain in 1907, and in America in 1910....Summer of 2010...100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America....could be a good tie-in for media/PR/etc, and just for the heck of it.
100 units doing 20 miles in a weekend....that breaks it down to a managable number of participants/leaders/organizers, etc.
Oh, now that is pretty sweet.:D:cool:
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
Bulldawg
01-09-2009, 00:48
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.
RedneckRye
01-09-2009, 02:56
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
rockdawg69
01-09-2009, 09:54
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
Bulldawg
01-09-2009, 10:17
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
I could see where this would take months to put together for the whole trail. The way I see it happening actually is as follows: You get the BSA to support it. You get each council that boarders the AT to commit to mapping out their section. They plan it out just as I did in Excel. That file is submitted to some national committee. That committee approves it, then a date is set. Then each section is assigned on a volunteer basis to a troop/pack/crew. Then you just DO IT!!
...................
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."
Dances with Mice
01-09-2009, 11:26
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.
jersey joe
01-09-2009, 11:29
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.
Bulldawg
01-09-2009, 11:31
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.
Dances with Mice
01-09-2009, 12:04
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.
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.
riceNbeans
01-10-2009, 00:51
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.
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.
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.
knicksin2010
01-11-2009, 14:59
If this feat of organization occurs, please get it well publicized in advance.
I'd like to be on another trail that weekend.
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.
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.
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?
Bulldawg
01-21-2009, 00:03
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.
Desert Reprobate
01-21-2009, 00:31
It's a great idea. West Coast Scouts could do the same thing on the PCT.
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.That makes 2 troops in northern Delaware that are willing to participate.I told my sons troop about the idea and they are interested.
That makes 2 troops in northern Delaware that are willing to participate.I told my sons troop about the idea and they are interested.
Troops will go for sure - we just need to get the word out. Definitely need to make this a community service project by including trail maintenance/trash clearing as part of the effort.
waywardfool
01-22-2009, 10:04
a community service project by including trail maintenance/trash clearing as part of the effort.
I like it! Have an Internet weigh-in, too.
I like it! Have an Internet weigh-in, too.
weigh-in? as in how much trash was collected? that might be interesting.
That makes 2 troops in northern Delaware that are willing to participate.I told my sons troop about the idea and they are interested.
Maybe three; I'll check with our SPL and SM to see if they're interested. (Troop 50, Newark)
Maybe three; I'll check with our SPL and SM to see if they're interested. (Troop 50, Newark)Troop 29-Hockessin-Thanks LB
Great idea. My son and I are in
T603, Newark. Seems our little state is well represented here!
I did my scouting at Troop 108 in camden-wyoming, DE
I started my thru-hike with a guy named John Vincent (JisJohn) who lives in Virginia. He was a scoutmaster of a troop that did the whole trail in a year. The group was Robert E. Lee.... I have a t-shirt from the hike that says "Maine T3" Robert E. Lee. I believe they did it in 2000.
You can probably get ahold of the Robert E. Lee group of scouts near Powhatan, VA and ask them what happened and how they did it.
If you want John's contact information, I can get you that too, just PM me.
-windex
Tankerhoosen
01-30-2009, 22:28
hey have you folks seen www.myscouting.org? there is a social network component... might be useful in getting this going (its a BSA run site)
Cool. Gotta check it out. Thanks Tanker
Jayboflavin04
01-31-2009, 03:14
That sounds awesome. Maybe not possible for a day, but what about a weekend or a week complete with trail maint.! I think something like that could make national news. My son is a cub scout, but I would be glad to take him on a excursion like this one, and particiapate with the boys.
Jason Heston
181 New Philadelphia Ohio.
Lone Scout
02-03-2009, 02:01
Excellent idea. This will only happen by word of mouth/email/forums. Spread the word.
Bulldawg,
You might try pitching your idea over at the Scouting.net forum. That's where all the scout leaders hang out!
http://www.scouter.com/forums/
Waterfall
02-03-2009, 19:56
My hubbie runs Camp Daniel Boone in western NC and could probably arrange for some of those sections to be hiked ...
Waterfall
02-03-2009, 19:58
("those sections" meaning the WNC sections.)