• National ScoutingMuseum, Irving, Texas.  Cub Scouts of Pack 727, RISD Math/Science/Technology Magnet School and TrinityFellowshipChurch, were among 200 North Texas Cub Scouts who competed in the museum’s annual rain gutter regatta.  Cub Scout Nathan Torma advanced through the double-elimination competition before being falling just short in his attempt to capture third place.
• Camp Constantin and Jack D. Furst Aquatics Base, Possum KingdomLake, Palo Pinto County, Texas.  Scouts and adult leaders from Troop 1077, Brentfield Elementary School, and Troop 1191, Jess Harben Elementary School, attended separate summer camp programs at the 385-acre Circle Ten Council facility.  Among highlights for both troops were Scouts participating in the Trail-to-First-Class program and being bounced at least 10 feet into the air above the Blob before dropping into the lake.
• Hale Scout Reservation, Talihina, Okla.  More than 37 Scouts and adult leaders of Troop 1001, TrinityBibleChurch, traveled to the Indian Nations Council facility for a week of summer camp.  Hale features a Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience course, horse-back riding, white-water rafting, and a well-equipped water front.
• Philmont Scout Ranch, Cimarron, New Mexico.  A group of Scouts and adult leaders from Troop 285, Saint Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church, Plano, Troop 895, Waterview Church of Christ, and Troop 1191 and a second group from Troop 1001 participated in two separate Philmont treks.  Each hiked at least 60 miles on trails in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains at B.S.A.’s oldest national high-adventure base, which covers 130,000 acres.  
• Florida NationalHighAdventureSea Base, Islamorada, Summerland Key, Fla.  Seven Scouts and three adult leaders of Troop 1001 sailed the Florida Keys on the sloop “Conch Pearl.”  Sea Base, B.S.A.’s  most complete aquatic facility, offers a variety of water activities, including SCUBA diving, sailing "tall ships," swimming, snorkeling, and fishing in spectacular coral reefs. 
• Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.  Four Scouts and three adult leaders of Troop 720, TerraceElementary School and VFW Post 8627, back-packed for nearly 15 miles along the Continental Divide, determined to reach the top of the 14,014-foot San Luis Peak.  At the same time, eight of the troop’s younger Scouts and four adult leaders attended a traditional summer camp at San Isabel Scout Ranch, Pueblo, Colo.  Before returning to the 100-degree temperatures of North Texas, the entire group navigated rafts through the white water of the Arkansas River in central Colorado.
• Mark TwainNational Forest, southern Missouri.  Seventeen members of the Yanush Chapter, Mikanakawa Lodge 101, Order of the Arrow, were among more than 500 volunteers who removed invasive Eastern Red cedar trees from one of the forest’s glades with the long-term intent of returning the area to its natural state.  This service project was one of five held this summer under the banner of ArrowCorps5, a cooperative effort of the U.S. Forest Service and the OA.

“Drawing on the important positive momentum created by the success of our many summer activities, we are kicking off a new program year, determined more than ever to achieve the goal of developing our country’s future leaders – one young person at a time,” concluded Mr. Pool. 

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Authors

Scott Thompson and Alan Edwards, both fathers of Eagle Scouts, are among those who promote Cub Scout, Boy Scout, and Venture activities in LakeHighlands, the ParkCities, North Dallas, and Richardson.