2012 Calendar

Scout parents,

There will be changes but please note that the Troop 212 calendar has been updated through July 2012.  See the calendar at http://hunsaker212.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year!

Scoutmaster Steve

December 20 and 27

Scout parents,

Here's a quick reminder that we will meet at the normal time both tonight and next week.  We will help with a service project tonight and we will plan a big chunk of 2012 next week.

How are the boys doing on Personal Fitness, Personal Management, and Family Life?

Merry Christmas!

Scoutmaster Steve

Let's go camping!

The Targhee District Camporee is tomorrow night.  Let's meet at the church at 5:00.  We will take care of dinner so just send your Scout with  

• warm clothes, 
• a warm sleeping bag, 
• a warm coat, 
• gloves,
• a warm hat,
• a check for $10 (can't come without it!),
• wearing his Scout shirt 
• and a smile.

As a reminder, here's the note from the District.

"Please be prepared to learn scouting skills and Indian/Mountain Man activities and games. We will have a competitive relay at the end with prizes. Also, bring uniforms for all the boys and leaders (very important)! Bring dry kindling and wood for fires. A compass will also be needed. The cost is $10 per person."

Looking forward to a good camp,

Scoutmaster Steve 

District Camporee

Scouting parents,

November 4-5 (next Friday and Saturday) is the Targhee District Fall Camporee at Krupp.  Here's the word from the district:

Please be prepared to learn scouting skills and Indian/Mountain Man activities and games. We will have a competitive relay at the end with prizes. Also, bring uniforms for all the boys and leaders (very important)! Bring dry kindling and wood for fires. A compass will also be needed. The cost is $10 per person.

I apologize for not publicizing this earlier but let's see if we can get a good group together for a good Scouting experience.

Scoutmaster Steve

Treasure Mountain 2011 -- 1

Parents,

We had a great camp. You should be proud of your sons' achievements, especially climbing Table Rock.

More pictures coming,



Scoutmaster Steve

Flags and Camp

Friends,

Just a few quick items.

First, Pioneer Day is this Sunday. The scouts need to meet at the Hunsaker garage at 7:00 AM Saturday morning to put up the flags and again at 7:00 PM Saturday evening to take them down. Please help your son to be there on time and with a broad, toothy smile. If he grumbles, tell him a pioneer story and then ask him to read this. That ought to get him out the door.

Second, camp starts Monday the 25th. We will gather at the church at 6:00 AM for prayer before heading out. This is what I have so far for adult support. Please let me know if I have forgotten anyone.

Monday, July 25
AM: Hunsaker, Jones
PM: Hunsaker, Jones

Tuesday, July 26
AM: Hunsaker, Jones
PM: Hunsaker, Jones

Wednesday, July 27
AM: Hunsaker, Jones, Shiley
PM: Hunsaker, Jones, Shiley

Thursday, July 28
This is Table Mountain Day--Man up! We'll be at the trailhead by 6:30 AM.
AM: Hunsaker, Jones, Shiley, Snedaker, Wasden
PM: Hunsaker, Jones, Chris' Grandpa, Shiley, Snedaker, Wasden

Friday, July 29
AM: Hunsaker, Jones, Chris' Grandpa, Shiley
PM: Hunsaker, Jones (leaves), Shiley (leaves), Airth, Hoffman

Saturday, July 30
AM: Hunsaker, Airth, Hoffman

Thanks!

Scoutmaster Steve

BSA Standards of Conduct

OUR PLEDGE OF PERFORMANCE

We will use the Safe Swim Defense in any swimming activity. Safety Afloat in all craft activity on the water, and Climb on Safely for climbing activity.

We will use trucks only for transporting equipment--no passengers except in the cab. All passenger cars, station wagons, recreational vehicles, and cabs of trucks will have a seat belt for each passenger.

We agree to enforce reasonable travel speed (in accordance with national, state, and local laws) and use only vehicles that are in safe mechanical condition.

We will be certain that fires are attended at all times.

We will apply for a fire permit from local authorities in all areas where it is required.

We will at all times be a credit to the Boy Scouts of America and will not tolerate rowdyism or un-Scoutlike conduct, keeping a constant check on all members of our group.

We will maintain high standards of personal cleanliness and orderliness and will operate a clean and sanitary camp, leaving it in a better condition than we found it.

We will not litter or bury any trash, garbage, or tin cans. All rubbish that cannot be burned will be placed in a tote-litter bag and taken to the nearest recognized trash disposal, or all the way home if necessary.

We will not deface trees, restrooms, or other objects with initials or writing. We will respect the property of others and will not trespass.

We will not cut standing trees or shrubs without specific permission from the landowner or manager.We will collect only souvenirs that are gifts to us and that we purchase.

We will pay our own way and not expect concessions or entertainment from any individual or group.

We will provide every member of our party an opportunity to attend religious services on the Sabbath.

We will observe the courtesy to write thank-you notes to persons who assisted us on our trip.

We will, in case of backcountry expedition, read and abide by the Wilderness Use Policy of the BSA.

We will notify, in case of serious trouble, our local council service center, our parents, or other local contact.

If more than one vehicle is used to transport our group, we will establish rendezvous points at the start of each day and not attempt to have drivers closely follow the group vehicle in front of them.

Troop 212 Standards

1. If it is your patrol's turn to clean or cook, stay and work until the job is done.
2. No electronic devices.
3. Don't criticize others.
4. No food in tents.
5. Everyone showers at least once.
6. Use the buddy system--if you leave our camp area you need to be with a buddy and you need to be with a buddy.

Oliver Peak--Way to go Henry, Peyton, and Grant!

Brother Snedaker climbed higher than anyone else

Grant and Henry enjoy the view

Peyton was stylin' in those shades

Henry shortly before the snow sliding began

After coming down from the peak.

The boys did a great job on this hike. Not one word of complaint the whole time.

The view from Oliver Peak--forgive the big sniff 8 seconds into the video

Oliver Peak

Parents,

Assuming that Brother Snedaker will be back in town (will you be back, Blake?), we plan to camp and hike this weekend. We'll camp at the Mike Harris campground Friday night and then climb Oliver Peak Saturday morning. Please help your camper to bring the things he will need to have a pleasant experience--see the lists below.

In order for this hike to count toward the hiking merit badge, your scout will need to fill out two copies of the hike plan form (available here: http://hunsaker212.blogspot.com/ ). One copy stays at home with you (and saved where it can be found to pass off the merit badge) and the other comes on the hike.

Your son will need a tin-foil dinner for Friday night and a lunch for Saturday on the trail. We will provide a light breakfast Saturday morning.

I will carry Susan's cell phone: 208 709 2246

Friday
5:30 - Meet at church
6:30 - Arrive, set up camp, eat, etc.

Saturday
6:30 - Arise, eat, break camp
7:30 - On the trail
12:00 - Very generous estimate of time to reach summit
3:00 - Back to vehicles
4:30 - Arrive in Rexburg

There is information on our hike here: http://hunsaker212.blogspot.com/

Looking forward to hitting the trail,

Scoutmaster Steve

Day Pack Essentials

water bottles--it's going to be a long, thirsty hike
map
compass
POCKET FIRST AID KIT
extra socks
sunglasses
hat
trail mix, fruit snacks, cookies, etc.
lunch
small amount of toilet paper
sunscreen
rain poncho
extra long sleeved shirt
camera (optional)
comfortable hiking shoes

Overnight Essentials

sleeping bag
pad
patrol food assignment
flashlight
hiking clothes

Oliver Peak Camp and Hike

What a lucky troop we are! We get to hike this trail next Saturday morning after camping Friday night at the Mike Harris campground.

Scoutmaster Steve

Oliver Peak

EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Idaho

Getting excited for Scout camp!

Parents, raise your hand if you have

• given the $45 camp fee to the bishopric.
• completed the physical for your scout.
• started gathering equipment with your scout.
• viewed the YouTube video below of climbing Table Moutain

Scoutmaster Steve

Flag Day

Parents,

Flag Day is this Tuesday, June 14 and it is our turn. We will begin at 6:30 AM and take flags down at 6:00 PM.

Leave No Trace training Tuesday night.

Scoutmaster Steve

Parents' Meeting

Parents,

Our Parents' Meeting for Scout Camp will be June 7 at 7:10. Please have your Scout put on his Scout shirt and come with him to learn about our plans for this summer's camp (July 25-30).

Don't forget to take care of the Health Form!

Scoutmaster Steve

Memorial Day

Friends,

The Scouts will be serving the city tomorrow by posting and retrieving flags in Smith Park. We will gather at 6:30 AM and at 6:30 PM at the church. I suspect that we will be gone about one hour in the morning and again in the afternoon.

There will be a Paradise Donut for those boys who help out both times.

Tuesday night we will be hiking R Mountain. Please help your Scout to dress appropriately.

Scoutmaster Steve

Finishing up Badges

Friends,

For Tuesday, please help your Scout come ready to work on the badges we haven't finished. Specifically, please remind him to bring his worksheets for

• Family Life
• Personal Management
• Personal Fitness

Also, please put June 7 on your calendar. For that night, you and your Scout are invited to attend a Scout Camp Parents' Night. Please come with questions about camp and ready to have a Dad or Grandpa or Bishop sign up to join us at Treasure Mountain for a day or two.

We are also in need of help getting the troop to and from camp.

You already know this, but Scout Camp will be July 25-30 at Treasure Mountain.

Thanks,

Scoutmaster Steve
http://hunsaker212.blogspot.com/

Last-minute change

We'll be camping at Krupp rather than at Rigby Lake.

FYI,

Steve

Friday/Saturday

Parents,

Here's the latest on Friday's camp.

• We will meet at 5:00 PM at the church.
• Everyone participating will need a $10 check.
  
• Your scout should bring rain gear, warmer clothing than he will think he needs, and a sleeping bag and pillow.
• Breakfast will be provided by the District.
• Saturday morning will be spent working on rank advancements. Be sure to send the happy and cooperative version of your son
  
• No iPods or cell phones.
• We should be back around noon
  

For Friday's dinner, we decided to go simple. We will enjoy BLTs. If your son does not like BLTs or if his name is Chris, he is welcome to bring a tin-foil dinner. Food assignments follow.

• Grant--2 loaves of sandwich bread and drinks
• Dom--drinks and 1 pound of fried and not-turkey bacon
  
• CJ--1 pound of fried and not-turkey bacon
  
• Chris--tin-foil dinner and Miracle Whip
  
• Peyton--bag of chips and 1 sliced tomatoes
  
• Henry--bag of chips and 2 sliced tomatoes
  
• All--snacks as you see fit

Remember the checks!

Scoutmaster Steve

Camporee

Let's go camping! The following comes from the Targhee District. Please note that this is an especially good opportunity for the newer scouts.

The Targhee District Spring Camporee is on!

It is scheduled to be held at Rigby Lake on the 6th and 7th of May. The cost is $10.00 per person. Breakfast will be provided by the district.

As always, there will be a campfire program Friday evening. Order of the Arrow will be doing elections during dinner and a call out at the campfire program.

Some of the stations that we are looking at having on Saturday are: Orienteering, lashing and launching a catapult, GPS/geo caching, plastic bottle rocket launching, fire building, and learning to set up a model campsite. On Saturday we would also like to offer the entire morning to boys that would like to work on their Tenderfoot, Second and First class rank advancements.

There is a very good chance that we will be doing a service project for Rigby Lake as well, so come prepared for it.

We will need to get a firm headcount by Sunday. After Sunday I will assume that your Scout won't be joining us for this camp.

Let's get ready and go have a great, productive camp,

Scoutmaster Steve

Update

A quick update on upcoming events

April 12: Scoutmaster conferences and boards of review. Please send your Scout in uniform and with his Scout book.

April 19: No Tuesday activity.

April 20: Court of Honor. Please come with your uniform-wearing Scout to honor the boys' recent achievements.

Scoutmaster Hunsaker

Scout Camp

Parents,

It's never too early to start thinking about Scout Camp! We are scheduled for July 25-30 at Treasure Mountain. We will be camping in the Red Cloud campsite. The boys set a goal of 50 merit badges as a troop. Let's make it happen.

Dads: please plan to attend as many days of camp as possible. We will also need help getting to camp and back home.

I encourage you to start collecting the items in the "What to Bring to Camp" list below. A little at a time starting in March or April is a lot less stressful than trying to get it all at once in July. The first item on your list ought to be getting a physical exam for your boy. Your doctor may have the BSA form but to be safe here is a link to the form. I would like to collect the physical forms by July 1.

We will start hiking in June to get ready for our assault on Table Mountain during Scout Camp. It would be wise to get a pair of hiking shoes or boots broken in well in advance of camp.

There will be a fee for camp (it was $45 per boy last year). I will get this year's amount to you soon. We will have a Scout Camp Parents' meeting on June 7.
WHAT TO BRING TO CAMP
Personal Equipment


Medical Exam--to Bro Hunsaker by July 1
Scout Uniform
Swimming Suit--the swim test is the first thing on our Day 1 agenda
Sleeping Bag
Flashlight and extra batteries
Poncho or Raincoat--don't leave home without this!
Pillow
Jacket--it gets cold at Treasure Mountain
Pants and Shirts
Scout Knife
Pajamas
Pack
Spending Money--not a lot. You can only use so much pink duct tape, right Dom?
Soap
Toothbrush
Water Bottle
Comb
Towel and Washcloth--we will use these hygiene items this year boys!
Extra Shoes
Scout Handbook
Socks
Underwear--no body brings home a bunch of clean underwear this year!
Mosquito Repellent
Sun Screen
Hand Sanitizer

It's a blessing to work with your sons,

Steve Hunsaker

Cross-Country Ski Trip

Parents and Scouts,

Our big cross-country ski trip and stay at the Warm River cabin is this coming Friday and Saturday (25th and 26th of March). We are looking forward to a great activity. Click here to keep track of the weather forecast.

To help the Scoutmaster ski all the way to the cabin in daylight, and to give him time to stop for breath, rest, and the occasional Nitroquick nitroglycerin tablet, we would like to leave for our adventure from the church at 2:00 PM Friday afternoon. This will require getting the boys out of school early. When we discussed this with them, they boys seemed willing to sacrifice a few hours of their formal education to get a good start on the ski trip. We plan to be back Saturday between 12:00 and 2:00 PM.

The troop will provide a meal Friday night and Saturday morning but your scout will probably suggest that you supply him with ample energy-boosting snacks.

We have arranged to rent skis and boots for everyone and we will have them when we meet Friday afternoon. Your scout will need to dress appropriately for an aerobic activity in winter weather. The key idea here is LAYERS.

Clothing--Think layers that can be added and removed as needed!

• Long socks--at least two pairs
• Gloves--two pairs
• Hat
• Coat
• Layers--long T-shirt, hoodie, flannel shirt, etc.

Equipment--neatly and compactly packed into 2-3 medium sized bags.

• Backpack
  
• Flashlight
• Sunscreen
• Sleeping bag--wrapped in two garbage bags
  
• Pillow--wrapped in two garbage bags
  
• Shoes to wear at the cabin
• Good attitude
• Smile
• No iPods or cell phones!
  

Please let me know if you have questions of concerns,

Steve Hunsaker

Tuesday, March 8

Parents,

In preparation for our cross-country ski trip (March 25-26), we need to do thing differently this Tuesday. We will meet at the church building at 5:20. We will meet there and then take the boys to the Outdoor Resource Center (ORC) on campus to measure them for skis and boots. We will also reserve the equipment at that time so if any Dads out there want to join us, this is your time to reserve equipment.

I know that it is early but we should be done for the night by 6:00.

Also, please remember that the Stake Pow Wow will be held March 15, 22, and 29 at the Stake Center.

Please let me know if you have any questions,

Scoutmaster Steve

Tuesday

Amigos,

We have another Fitness night scheduled for Tuesday. Please have your Scout come in running shoes and good clothes for stretching, running, and building muscle.

Ask your Scout how Personal Fitness, Personal Management, and Family Life are going!

Scoutmaster Steve

Morningside

Elder Natress, our visiting General Authority for Stake Conference, is having a special morningside for all youth 12 and up and their leaders. It will be held Sunday, February 27th at 7:30 a.m. It will last for an hour and will be held at the Stake Center.

This event will replace the Stake Youth Fireside that would have been held in March.

February 8 Activity

Scout parents,

The scouts planned a "fun night"at our recent planning session. Since we've been working pretty hard lately we thought we would let the boys swim. We'll meet at the church as normal and then take the boys to the clubhouse pool. Please make sure that your scout arrives with swimming suit and a towel to change into.

Ask your Scout how the Family Life, Personal Management, and Personal Fitness merit badges are going!

Scoutmaster Steve

January 25, February 1

January 25

• Please have your Scout come with his scriptures and in Sunday dress. We will have a joint activity in the chapel.

February 1

• We will review, work on, or begin the Family Life merit badge as the case may be. Scouts, please bring your worksheets if you still have them.

Please ask your Scout how he is doing on

• reading the Book of Mormon every day,
• the Personal Fitness,
• and Personal Management merit badges.

Have a great day,

Steve Hunsaker

January 11

Parents of Scouts,

On Tuesday the 11th we plan to submit the Scouts to a second round of the fitness check for the Personal Fitness merit badge. We will meet at the church as always and then take the boys to the track in the BYU-Idaho Center.

Please make sure that your Scout arrives Tuesday appropriately dressed--running shoes, sweats, T-shirt. We will end at the usual time but your son may be unusually tired when he gets home.

Thanks,

Steve Hunsaker