Troop 4 - Grapevine, Texas

FLORIDA SEA BASE by Dan Berry -- Its hard to believe that we will be leaving for Florida Sea Base in just a couple of weeks! The shirts have arrived, the paper work is up to day and reservations have been made. All that is left is to go enjoy the experience. Florida Sea Base is one of three national high adventure Boy Scout camps (the other two are Philmont Scout Ranch and Northern Tier). After flying into Fort. Lauderdale, we will be driving down to Islamorada and checking into the camp. The next day we get up, load our gear and get checked out on the boat as we begin our adventure. We will be sailing a 40 foot boat to Key West and then back again. Along the way there should be plenty of swimming, snorkeling and fishing to keep us all happy. We get to spend a day in Key West learning about the history that is so much a part of that city. This is the first trip to Sea Base for our troop and I cant wait to share the experience (and a few pictures) with everyone!

SCOUTING SKILLS CAMPOUT by Dan Berry -- On the weekend of May 13th, we had a scouting skills campout at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch. The main purpose of the campout was to provide the scouts an opportunity to work on advancement requirements. And work on them they did! There were 16 scouts in attendance Jacob B., Andrew B., Michael B., Jared C., Jeffrey C., Kyle C., Erik G., Jason H., Carlton J., Cole J., Parker K., Kevin K., Abi K., Kevin M., Ryan M., Cody M. and the adults that attended nearly got carpal tunnel syndrome from signing off so many requirements. Camp gadgets were lashed together, a 5 mile hike was taken, knots were tied, food was cooked, plants were identified and first aid skills were learned and practiced. Not everything we did was purely for advancements. On the hike we learned how to filter water from the lake and each scout got to give it a try. The cobblers we enjoyed didn't require sign off and the storm that blew through Friday night wasn't in the book anywhere!

JULY 9 HIKING MERIT BADGE -- Day Hike (20 Miler) 20 Mile hike. You must have one 20 mile hike in one day for the Hiking MB. For those interested in going to Philmont in 2006, you may want to start using you backpack and pack light. A Trail Lunch will be provided. EVERYONE needs to bring enough water for the day (at least 2 liters). Contact Dan Berry or John Flynn for additional details.

SUMMER CAMP SCOUTS RETURN SUNDAY -- Don't forget that scouts who attended the Camp Alexander summer camp are scheduled to arrive back at CCF on Sunday July 3.

NO MEETING MONDAY JULY 4 -- There will not be a troop meeting Monday July 4

PHILMONT TREK by John Flynn -- The Longhorn Council has awarded Troop 4 a 2006 Philmont trek as part of the Longhorn Council Philmont contingent. You are receiving this letter because your son meets the eligibility requirements to participate as a member of a Philmont crew. These requirements are:
- Age 14 by January 1, 2006; or
- Age 13 and completion of the 8th grade before the trek date.
While your son meets the requirements to be a crew member, there is more than just meeting the age requirements. The commitment to become a crew member will require all participants to successfully complete Philmont shakedown events including a 4 day backpacking trip this fall and possibly again in the spring. The purpose of these events is to introduce the skills and knowledge needed for the Philmont trek, physical conditioning and most importantly building a crew mentality. There will be a meeting on Wednesday, July 6 at 7 p.m. in the meeting building to determine the interest of scouts and adults in participating in this opportunity and to discuss the training program for the trek. You and your son are invited to attend this meeting if you are interested in the 2006 trek. The minimum crew size is 7 and maximum is 12. The maximum number of adults is 4 and in all cases the number of youth participating must be greater than the number of adults. In addition to the crew conditioning events, all participants must pass a Philmont physical. The Philmont fee is $520.00 per person. This does not include other costs such as transportation and travel meal costs. The first payment of $260.00 is due in September. The trek dates are Monday July 17, 2006 (starts with lunch at Philmont) and ends with breakfast on Saturday July 29, 2006. In planning for the trek you should add an additional day for travel before and after the trek. That is we would leave CCF on Sunday, July 16 and plan to return on Sunday July 30. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. John Flynn 817-481-7908 johnlflynn@yahoo.com .

SR2 ADVANCEMENTS by Jeff Carter -- Here are the advancements that occurred at Sid Richardson summer camp. Cole J. Tenderfoot, Benjamin B. Tenderfoot, Carlton J. Scout and 2nd Class, Cody M. Scout, Jacob B. 2nd Class, and Nicholas C. Tenderfoot. We also had 2 scouts complete the mile swim Nicholas C. and Jared C. There were 35 MB earned by the scouts from Sid. In addition Gerard Smith taught the Fishing MB to all of that that wanted it. Nathan S. earned 6 MB at camp. Fourteen scouts went to camp: Jacob B., Andrew B., Benjamin B., Jared C., Nicholas C., Erik G., Jason H., Carlton J., Cole J., Parker K., Ian M., Cody M., Richard S., and Nathan S. Nathan S. was acting Senior Patrol Leader. Adults attending included: Jeff Booth - 2 days, John Flynn - 4 days, All week; Gilbert Jordan, Gerard Smith, and Jeff Carter. There will be a complete listing of recent summer camp and local advancements and MB's before the August Court of Honor.

TROOP 4 BOR's -- Troop 4 boards of review are held the first and third Monday meetings. Scouts are required to fill out a BOR request form available from the troop scribe. Also all scouts are requested to bring their scout handbooks to each meeting so rank advancement requirements can be checked off. Scouts should report merit badge completions and rank advancements as soon as possible to Advancement Chairperson John Flynn in person, johnlflynn@yahoo.com or phone (817) 481-7908. It is the scout's responsibility to make sure Mr. Flynn is aware of their rank advancement..