Boy Scout Troop 648 Scottsdale, Arizona

I can’t believe it’s been almost two months since our August PLC!  I wanted to give you a quick listing of the planned outings and monthly themes that the PLC put together.  A lot of hard work went into planning these activities and the boys are to be congratulated.  Please note that outing locations and dates are subject to change. Also, while we have quite a few backpack outings this year, we will offer base camping for many of the same locations giving the Scouts an option for the weekend.

I have listed the Monthly Meeting theme next to each month and the outing is listed under the month.  If your son was not at the PLC in August, please review this exciting calendar with him. For the monthly themes, each meeting is planned by a scout using BSA designed meeting activities as a guideline.

October – Shooting

Ponderosa Campground/Parson Springs Day Hike – base camp, Oct 3-5

November – Leadership

District Camporee, Little Grand Canyon Ranch – base camp and much more!, Nov 14-16

December – Tracking

Garden Valley – backpacking, Dec 5-7

January – Winter Camping

Lake Mary – base camp, snow camping/cross country skiing, Jan 23-25

February – Engineering

Sunrise Ski Resort – skiing/snowboarding, Feb 6-8

March – Athletics

Tonto Natural Bridge/Geronimo – base camp, family campout, Mar 27-29

April – Wilderness Survival

Hell’s Hole – backpacking, Apr 17-19

May – Special Cooking

West Baldy – backpacking, May 29-31

June – Business

Horton Creek – backpacking, Jun 26-28

July – Aquatics

Camp Chawanakee/California – summer camp, Jul 18-25 (place and date are NOT confirmed)

August – Cultural Awareness

Wet Beaver – backpacking/base camp, Aug 28-30

September – Emergency Preparedness

Hell’s Gate – backpacking, Sept 11-13

I hope you’ll agree that we have an exciting year ahead of us!

Scoutmaster T648

As a reminder, the PLC will be meeting at 6:00pm at Blessed Sacrament for our monthly PLC meeting.  If you are in charge of organizing a weekly meeting in October, please remember to come prepared to discuss.  Regular Troop meeting to follow at 7:00pm.  See you there!

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop

As a reminder, we will be meeting at 7:00pm, Tuesday, September 30th at Blessed Sacrament for our regular troop meeting.

See you then!

Scoutmaster T648

The Troop wrapped up day 2 of our troop trailer repair project this past weekend. A special thanks to Joe Hart and Val Jeorling for organizing and leading the project. Over the course of two Saturdays, the troop:

– Repaired trouble spots with fiberglass

– Tightened and/or replace nuts and bolts

– Power washed

– Painted the roof with special reflective paint

– Resurfaced and secured the floor

– Painted all the trim

– And much, much more!

The trailer looks great and is in much better operational shape as well. A big shout out to Mr. Murphy who helped the scouts as well. A real team effort!

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

A reminder that we have the fix/clean troop trailer part 2 of 2 this Saturday, September 27th at 7:30am.  Meet in the back of Blessed Sacrament parking lot near the troop trailers.

See you there!

Scoutmaster T648

Our evening at the lake is on!

A very special thanks to Andy Gay, Pat Murphy, Kelly Hart and Jack Patton for stepping up to help this evening with our canoe outing.  If possible, try and arrive at Chaparral Park around 6:45pm.  See the map below.

Be safe and have fun!

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

A reminder that tomorrow night’s meeting, Tuesday, September 23rd, will be on the lake at Chaparral Park.  The Scouts will be putting the last two weeks of practice at the Weinhold’s pool to work as they spend the evening canoeing on the lake.

Don’t forgot:

– Wear a swim suit and bring a towel just in case, though we will not be working on swamping or canoe tipping tomorrow night

– You may want to bring a headlamp. The lake is not fully illuminated and a headlamp will come in handy.

– You MUST wear a PFD (personal flotation device). The troop has plenty if you don’t have or want to bring one.

– You MUST have a swim/canoe buddy, no solo canoeing. We will organize swim buddies lakeside.

– If possible, please arrive around 6:45pm to help unload the canoes and equipment

We are in need of adult volunteers to help tomorrow night.  Without a minimum of 4, we will have to cancel the event.  To date, we have 1 adult confirmed.  We also need someone to help Andy Gay with picking up the canoes around 6pm.  Please contact me (Doug) at (602) 793-1058 regarding volunteering.  Kevin Weinhold is the Scout in charge and can answer any other questions.

The park is about 12 minutes from Blessed Sacrament and is located on Hayden and Chaparral. Entrance to the boat ramp and parking lot where we will be located is off Chaparral and is about 1/4 mile east of Hayden.  See map below.

Scoutmaster T648

Hello Troop 648

As a reminder, we have our annual Family Campout this weekend, September 19-21 at Ft. Tuthill in the Flagstaff area.  Here is some relevant information from Mr. Murphy.

Location: Fort Tuthill Recreation Area (near Flagstaff)

Directions: FROM THE SOUTH: Drive toward Flagstaff on Interstate 17. Two miles south of Flagstaff exit at Pulliam Airport (Exit 337) and turn left. Continue straight through the stop sign toward Coconino County Fairgrounds. Follow the one-way loop road, curving left, and then follow the signs.

Transportation logistics: Each family will generally be responsible for their own transportation to/from Ft. Tuthill. You may arrive at the camp site starting at 3 PM on Friday. Families should generally plan to camp/tent as a family unit. All scouts are encouraged to attend whether their parents are attending or not. We will ensure accommodations are in place for eating and transportation. Check-out from the camp site is requested as no later than 11 AM on Sunday.

Planned activities
• Archery – There is an excellent archery range a “short” walk from our camp site. The troop will be providing bows, arrows, and instructions on proper archery technique and safety.

• Flagstaff Extreme Adventure Course – Mountain biking and zip line. Reservations required and cost ($49 for full course) associated with these activities.  For more info or to make online reservations click www.flagstaffextreme.com.  You can also call (888) 259-0125 to make reservations.  As of 5:00pm, Thursday, 9/18 available spots throughout the day were almost all filled up for Saturday and the course is CLOSED on Sunday due to a large event so don’t delay!  Mountain bikes may also be available for rental at the Ft. Tuthill lodge.

• Hiking

• Scout advancement opportunities – bring your Scout book!

Saturday Night Troop Family Potluck Dinner: As we have done in previous years, the Saturday night dinner will be a troop family potluck. Each family should bring their own main dish or something to throw on the grill. Each family is also asked to bring a side dish and/or dessert to share with the other families. There are grills within the camp site. The troop will provide charcoal, lighter fluid, paper and plastic ware.  Each family is also responsible for providing their own food for other meals.

Any questions??? Contact Patrick Murphy…480-510-0607

See you there!

Scoutmaster T648

Ft. Tuthill

Flagstaff Extreme!

Hello Troop

A reminder - tomorrow night’s meeting (9/16) is at the Weinhold residence – 6032 E. Mescal St. 85254 in Scottsdale.

Please remember to wear a swim suit and bring a towel. Also, don’t forgot your Scout book as we will be working on some requirements.

Thanks

Scoutmaster T648

Another Eagle has taken flight…congratulations to Ben Conrad who passed his Eagle board last night! Way to go Ben!

This award is the pinnacle of leadership achievement. A Scout must plan a community service project involving local officials, adults, youth peers, fundraising, and management skills to make the community a better place to live. Not to mention all the other ranks, leadership roles, community service, merit badges and a variety of other activities that Ben accomplished to get this far.

The troop is proud of you!

Scoutmaster T648