Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Boy Scouts, outdoors, and danger

I have been fairly quiet on the boards over this last year or so (wow... it's been awhile).. however, I feel compelled to speak in regards to this.

Alan... Thank you for posting that article... it's very interesting and something that I will be sharing with my Leaders and Boys.

DUG... you're very right when you say that a few bad apples is NOT a reflection on BSA as a whole. Unfortunatly we all know that those bad apples are often the ones who catch the national media's attention and set the reputation for BSA. For instance when those boys were killed in that tornado a couple of years ago... it was the fact that there was a catastrophic weather event resulting in the tragic death of young men. What wasn't shared was the fact that the surviving Scouts used their Scout gained knowledge and training to be first responders and render first aide and stabilize the situation until medical assistance could arrive... not only to their fellow injured scouts, but to those "civilian" people who were camped nearby. What also didn't get mentioned was that, because of that event, BSA changed part of their training requirements to include a "Hazardous Weather" training mandatory for at least one adult on any outting.

ALL... As unfortunate events happen, BSA is constantly shifting, adjusting, and revamping their training requirements for outdoor activities. For instance, just this year the training required to be a leader on High Adventure activities has been expanded to include a Red Cross/BSA approved Wilderness Survival training, with wilderness 1st Aide and CPR required. If you don't have that training.... your tour permit (permission slip from BSA) doesn't get approved. Do people misrepresent themselves on their tour permit applications... I'm sure they do... does BSA come down on them and deny their tour permits? I'm postive they do.. it's happened to me before (not because I misrepresented myself, but because something I had on the permit didn't abide by the rules). Do some people slip through the system and endanger not only themselves, but their Scouts? Sadly... yes.

I am currently planning my Troops Spring Break trip for April. We will be going to the Grand Canyon and (permits and the Good Lord willing) be spending two nights in camping areas at the bottom of the canyon. As I started my research process to see exactly what needed done in order to get us where we wanted to be, first I read the information on the NPS website for Grand Canyon... then I emailed one of the back country rangers and established a discussion with her regarding the parks rules and regulations. One of the things that struck me the most was that when I identified myself as a Scout leader she was very clear that the established guidelines regarding group size and camping permits were non-negotiable.. for anyone... even for Scouts... and that if I, like Scout groups in the past, misrepresented myself or my Troop in our intentions or actions that there were serious legal ramifications and fines that could and would be incurred by us.

As part of the "uptraining" for my Scouts AND Leaders before Grand Canyon there will be REQUIRED "pre-hikes" and camping trips of increasing difficulty and endurance in order to ensure that any Scout or Leader going with me is capable of the physical and emotional demands that a hike in the Grand Cayon will require of them. If they are not up to par for the down canyon trip there will be alternate activities on the RIM for them to enjoy with leadership enough to supervise. Also as part of our training there will be 15 minute sessions during each of our weekly Troop meetings between now and April where basic knowledge items are introduced, reviewed, tested, and reviewed again. Clothing, weather, GPS, map & compass, foot care.... etc, etc, etc... I have a list of about 30 topics that the boys and leaders will be discussing, reviewing and getting ingrained into their minds before we leave for this trip.

"Youth Protection Guidelines" require 2 adults per group (as referenced in that article)... I require 4 adults per group.. that means if my Troop is going to have 2 groups (one for the canyon and one for the rim) we will have 8 adults on the trip with us. I have cancelled trips in the past where we have not had the leadership necessary... it makes my boys mad, but better safe then sorry.

Have you ever seen the episode of "I Shouldn't Be Alive" where the leader took his older Scouts down into the Grand Canyon and so many of them ended up passing away? That will be used as a training video... and then we will have a discussion as to what went wrong and why.

These steps that I am taking to get ready for the Grand Canyon are the same as I would take to get MY boys ready for any trip that we take. Some things might be slightly adjusted in order to accomodate different circumstances... but through all of it I keep one thing in mind... those horrible, tragic, fatal events are not going to happen on MY watch...

I think part of the problem, other then lack of training, discipline and knowledge, is that once BSA approves the tour permit, some leaders tend to feel as if that means that BSA is taking the responsibility for that trip, trek, whatever... off their shoulders. I view it as just the opposite... when Council or National sends me a confirmed, approved tour permit.... that means that I am the final party responsible for ANYTHING that happens on that trip... and I take that seriously.



-steps off soapbox- Ok... so that went a little further then I intended it to... but I think the point is there somewhere.... BSA, like any organization, has a couple of bad apples floating around in the barrel... but the rest of us good apples do our best to overcome the shadow cast by the bad apples and make BSA the organization the everyone expects us to be....