Congratulations to our new Candidates elected last night for eligibility to join Scoutings Honor Society!

Austin Petree
Jefferson Holpuch
Miles Kunkle
John Reiser

You young men have been identified by your peers as being worthy of having the opportunity to join the Order of the Arrow. In order to be inducted into Scoutings Honor Society, you must undergo and pass an Ordeal. The Ordeal will be held Friday, August 19, 2022 at 6:00pm to Saturday, August 20, 2022 at 9:30pm at Camp Alexander.

Please register for the OA Fall Fellowship Weekend at the link below on the Pathway to the Rockies Council Calendar. (Click on “Council Calender” not “Pathway to the Rockies Council”)

While we will not discuss the Ordeal, what I will tell you is you need to arrive packed to camp overnight for the duration and should eat a good dinner before you arrive. Make sure you bring your best Class A uniform and appropriate outdoor footwear for this event.

This is not a Troop 287 event and you will need to pack your own gear (10 essentials) and secure your own transportation.

W.W.W
Mr. Petree
Brotherhood Member, OA

Troop,

I am back…. Yes this is your SPL.

It time for the OA elections, So I hope to see many of you tonight to support those eligible. The Buffalo Mountain Lodge sending is over some representatives to talk to us about the Order of the Arrow and then hold an election.

Tonight we will also be doing some campout preparations for our upcoming backpacking trip. Remember to sign up if your interested the link is in the signups drop down on the website, sign ups close 8/19.

Austin Petree
Senior Patrol Leader

When: August 23rd @ 5:30

Where: Wilson Church

Please RSVP and choose something fun to bring.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4FACAD2DA1FCCF8-icecream

Troop,

The Buffalo Mountain Lodge of the Order of the Arrow will be at our next meeting to speak with us about the OA and hold re-election.

Following summer camp. They felt it was best to attend a Troop 287 meeting and provide more information about the Order of the Arrow and hold a more official style election. You guys have already cast your votes and I expect the same results when you have the opportunity to do it again.

Please come in full Class A uniform and be ready to re-vote the 4 Candidates you previously elected.

In order for the election to be valid we need to have the majority of the Troop present, so please support the Candidates you selected and be there. We need everyone to attend this meeting.

If you meet the requirements and are elected to be a Candidate, the Ordeal is scheduled to take place August 19-20 at Camp Alexander and you can register following the election at the link below to the Pathway to the Rockies calendar and click on the OA Fall Fellowship Weekend event to register.

Troop,

We will meet in the church again tonight to avid the muddy field and keep those uniforms nice. We will try the barn again next week.

Mr. Petree

Troop,

It’s the first meeting of the month. You know what that means…. Uniform Inspection.

Please come to the meeting tonight in your best Class A uniform.

After that we will work on more rank advancement and hopefully finish those last few requirements in preparation for our upcoming Court of Honor.

We will also be taking requests for Scoutmaster Confrences and Board of Reviews with the Troop Committee.

See you tonight!

Mr. Petree

Troop,
The outing this month will be a backpacking trip in our very own San Isabel National Forest and visiting local attraction Bishops Castle.
The dates/times will be Friday 8/26/22 4:30pm meetup/ 5:00pm departure to Sunday 8/28/22 return about noon.
We are looking to start near the Davenport Campground located at the end of Forest Service Road 382. From there we will head out north west to perform the hike in a clockwise direction and plan to host two skill levels of loops. We will start and finish together as a troop, but will split out along the way.

The red loop is just a little over 7.5 miles / 2034 ft elevation gain and designed for anyone who is still working their way into backpacking.
The green loop follows the beginning and the end of the red loop, but will continue further south east making it a little over 14 miles / 3612 ft elevation gain and is designed for those that are a little more experienced and are looking to push themselves a little harder.

The Troop will supply tents and JetBoil stoves/Fuel. We also have a few loaner backpacks and sleeping bags that may be checked out in advance from one of the Quartermasters. Scouts will be responsible for their 10 essentials and all other personal gear.
Following the completion of the hike on Sunday we will all head over to Bishop’s Castle for about an hour or so and explore this monument.

The signup link is below. Please signup for the route you would like to complete.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA8A828A4FD0-squirrel

Drivers!
Being this is a loop we will be able to leave vehicles at the trailhead. We should do our best to carpool to reduce the number of vehicles left at the trailhead. Please signup to drive and comment on how many Scouts you can accommodate.

Mr. Petree

Troop,

Due to weather we will meet inside the church tonight.

Mr. Petree

Troop,

As I know many of you have been working hard towards your next ranks, tonight we will focus on finishing up some of those remaining requirements prior to the upcoming Court of Honor.

Remember you should be using the EDGE method and working with your youth leadership to become proficient in the skills associated with the requirement and have them sign off in the left hand column. Once you have it, then it’s time to come to me or another adult leader fully confident and prepared to showcase your mastered skill to be signed off.

“BE PREPARED” with what you need to accomplish these goals. Above all… have your book. If you are tracking fitness or financial responsibility or observing plants and animals, bring your documentation. If you are tying knots have some rope ready.

I will also be taking names for those who are looking to have a Scoutmasters Conference or Board of Review prior to the Court of Honor. Let me know so I can schedule them and don’t wait until the last minute.

Looking forward to tonight!

Mr. Petree

Popcorn season starts in September. We do things a little different in our troop with our sales. Typically, we do not sell as a troop but as individuals, we also have not sold at store fronts in the past. This is due to the fact that we make a decent amount of money through our flag program, which is why we push for all Scouts to take a turn with the flags. I have created a Sign Up Genius to get an idea of the Scouts interested in selling popcorn this year and supporting them through the process.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4BA5AF2BA1FEC52-popcorn
All sales will be done online through Trails End and a percentage will go directly into the Scouts account. More information will come as we get closer to Kickoff. So, please sign up above if you are interested in selling popcorn this year or contact me if you have any questions.

Maureen Reiser
208-596-3115

Check out previous post and sign up for more details.
I hope to see you there!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4aacae2babfd0-game1

Scouts Camp is over, but the Troop 287 fun continues with Game Night at Dart Wars.

What: Dart Wars Game night. Cost is $15 per scout (from your scout account), all nerf equipment is included.

When: Tuesday July 19th 6-8pm

Where: Dart Wars – 5850 CHAMPIONSHIP VIEW COLORADO SPRINGS, CO

I have a group reservation for the troop, Please sign up here if you plan to attend.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4AACAE2BABFD0-game1

from Ray this morning:

Good morning, we just got cell service back. Have not been able to see a lot of the previous messages. We plan to be back at the church at just about 11 AM this morning. We are on the road and have already left camp.

All,

We are in the home stretch!

Yesterday the Scouts started a whole new batch of merit badges. We held a Troop election and had four Scouts called out to be Order of the Arrow candidates at the campfire ceremony. The Hatch’s brought up a cake and we celebrated Noah’s golden birthday, then the scouts working on Wilderness Survival headed off into the woods for a night with minimal supplies in makeshift shelters. (We only lost one to predators …. kidding)

Today they will finish up the badges they have started and have our closing campfire.

This will be the last post from camp, and we look forward to seeing you all tomorrow morning.

Mr. Petree

All,

All are doing well. Yesterday the troop won the camp spirit stick for the day.

The boys performed the flag ceremony this morning and did a great job.

Today the young men are back in the their classrooms in the trees to start their second series of merit badges.

All,

This morning we got up and hiked Dome Rock Trail after morning chow.

Then took a trip down to San Isabel Lake until noon chow.

Later today we will do some more hiking as well as conservation project for the camp.

More adventures to come.

Stay Tuned!

All,

Yesterday was full of Merit Badge classes. Any free time was spent by most at the lake fishing, back and fort to the Trading Post, or whittling a project.

The rain didn’t stop the campfire fun. With no burn-ban we had a great time socializing around a troop campfire last night.

While missing you all, everyone is safe and having a great time.

Mr. Petree

Just wanted to drop a note to let everyone know we have arrived safe and sound.

All the scouts have settled in to their new homes for the week, got the lay of the land, their schedules, and are ready to hit the ground running.

We had a great opening campfire last night. There was a little home sickness before bed, but that quickly subsided.

All is well, and we will post updates as service allows.

Mr. Petree

Troop/Parents who are driving:

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the day you drop off your kid with a bunch of dudes you really don’t know well and send them off to a place where there is no cell service and wait patiently for six days for them to return safe. Haha! Just messing around. It’s gonna be fine!

Remember to fill up your fuel tanks tonight or tomorrow morning PRIOR to showing up at the barn for cross load and roll out. I would like to convoy from here to there, just to ensure nobody makes a wrong turn, gets, lost, held up at a light, etc. Our route will be south on I-25 to Exit 74 toward Rye on Hwy 165. Here is a link to the route:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/6460+Flying+W+Ranch+Rd,+Colorado+Springs,+CO+80919/San+Isabel+Scout+Ranch,+18353+CO-165,+Beulah,+CO+81023/@38.1744562,-104.8503225,10.56z/data=!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x871351eca14a0ee5:0x6960917c224dd986!2m2!1d-104.8677408!2d38.9269429!1m5!1m1!1s0x871474dfbcac772f:0xf4b351c97cf8f504!2m2!1d-105.0408036!2d38.003256!3e0

I will drive the lead and have a designated trail vehicle.

Last minute packing:

Snacks are good to bring (please don’t go crazy), but remind your Scouts all snacks and anything else that is a smellable will be stored in the troop trailer prior to evening close-out/bed time. It is a good idea to bring an identifiable bag for each individual’s smellables. Every year we have stuff left in the trailer and no one knows who’s stuff it is. No food will be stored in tents what-so-ever! Too many bears around that area.

Camp chairs: if you have room, these are a good idea to bring so they have somewhere to sit during our camp evenings when they are not at some other function, or in the morning while putting their shoes on while enjoying that morning cup of coffee. Also, some merit badge classes are in the woods. A chair is good so they are not sitting on the ground or whatever. Either way, they will have a chance to use them.

If there is anything else that may be helpful to any of us, Please dont heistate to shoot me a text saying so!

We are all going to have a great time this week; the adults attending with your kids, and the parents staying home without them!

We will be chatting back and forth starting tomorrow evening with Ray’s first “Scoutmaster Daily Update”

See you in the morning!

Dan

Parents,

The troop will supply regular patrol gear for the week (cooking, easy up canopy, tools for rank advancemtn training, etc.), as well as cots for each of the Scouts and adults. So, no worries on bringing any of those items, unless you really want to because you have a really cool cot or whatever.

I will suggest bringing or making room in the budget to purchase a hammock. Our first year at camp, many of the boys brought or bought hammocks and they were a hit. So, it has continued for the past several years. If you plan on purchasing one prior to camp, I suggest paying a visit to Sierra Trading post over off of Powers Blvd. They have a pretty good selection of hammocks and are very reasonably priced. The Scout shop also has hammocks over on Fillmore, which are the same as what they will get at camp, and should be the same price (around $25-30 i think). Hammocks serve as a nice little resting area for the boys when they are all set up in the trees away from our main campsite.

Comments on the Troop site:

Ok, so the troop site does accept comments, but it is finicky. Here is how you do it:

1. Go to whatever post you want to comment on and click on the “comments” link. Fill out the form and submit your comment. Email and name is required.

2. I should get an email telling me there is a new comment. I then have to go into the admin sesction of the site and “approve” the comment. Then it will be posted to the site.

To view comments on the site, you have to do step 1 above and scroll down to the bottom where the comments are.

Maureen and I tested this process this morning and I think it will work out, if you want to use it. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate an “automatic approval” for the comments. I’m guessing because WordPress doesnt allow that?

Let me know if anyone has any questions or concerns. Or if you want further explanation about anything Summer Camp/Troop/Scouting related.

Dan