Troop,

Unfortunately we will have to cancel the November Dino Death March outing. While there seemed to be plenty of interest at the past few meetings, the signup does not support us being able to host this event.

To prevent future outings from being canceled please always remember to sign up early so we can make the necessary preparations. The scout motto is “BE PREPARED” after all.

Mr. Petree

Troop,

If you are available this Saturday November 4th 2023, boy do I have something fun you could do…
Liam Flinn, Life Scout in Troop 79 is performing his Eagle Project. Please see below for details and pitch in if you can.

Troop,

This coming Tuesday is Halloween! We will not have a meeting, but want to remind everyone to be safe and responsible while enjoying the holiday.

See you all at the next meeting, Tuesday November 7th (Election Day). “Be Prepared” with your campaign speech!

Troop,

Our next campout will be a two day event, November 3rd and 4th, rather than a full weekend at Picket Wire Canyonlands in the Comanche National Grasslands just outside of La Junta, Colorado.

We will meet as a group at the barn on Friday, November 3rd at 5:00 pm to load up and head out from there.

We will camp one night in the grasslands near the Withers Canyon Trailhead. This is just open land and there is no potable water or amenities and only one vault toilet.

Due to the short duration of the event we will cook as a Troop rather than in Patrols. Menu to be determined at tomorrow nights meeting.

On Saturday we will day hike down the Withers Canyon Trail along the Purgatory River past the Dolores Mission to the Dinosaur tracks and have lunch, then return the same route. Round trip is an easy about 10 miles.

On Saturday afternoon/evening we will depart at about 5:00PM and plan to be back at the barn at about 7:00PM.

Sign up at the link below by the end of the month (10/31/2023). Please review all categories and sign up under all applicable slots.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA8A828A4FD0-45536043-dino

Hello Troop,

This week we are doing a uniform check and some rank advancement. The Court of Honor is just around the corner. Please schedule your Scoutmaster Conferences and Board of Reviews in advance. “Be Prepared”. We will also complete meal planning for the upcoming Dino Death March. (Post to be out shortly).

See you there,

Miles

Troop,

With a number of new members and following our recent campout I thought it might be a good time to refresh everyone on expensing Patrol Shopping and Camp Fees.

If your Scout performs the shopping for an outing to fulfil a requirement and/or just be a helpful member of the group, please be aware that your family is not expected to absorb those costs.

Equally important to creating a shopping list, budget, performing a shopping trip, and cooking up all that grub, is submitting that expense with the proper information so that the attendees of the adventure all share in that cost.

Please have your Scout submit receipts for the shopping they have done along with the following information: Outing Name, Outing Dates, Patrol Name, Their Name, and the Names of the other Scouts that attended the adventure. This information should be submitted to the Scoutmaster so it can be compiled and summited it to the Troop Treasurer so it can be deducted from each Scout and reimbursed to the parent who so graciously helped their Scout shop.

This goes for any camp fees that may have been paid by the organizing adult leadership as well.

So, following our recent Family Campout, please submit those receipts for Patrol Shopping and the booking of Campsites 4,5,6, and 7 so we can process those properly.

Your in Scouting,
Mr.Petree
Scoutmaster, Troop 287

Troop and Families,

Sometimes you may wonder where previous scouts end up. Well, we just found out that one of our former Life Scouts from the troop is attending Colorado State University and is currently one of the faces of the Rams Marching Band. Jack Durenberger (Pictured below third from the left) has always been a talented musician and was a very active member of Troop 287 for years.

Jack had held just about every leadership position in the troop up to and including Senior Patrol Leader.

He is proof that the skills you learn in scouting prepare you for your journey in life.

Keep up the good work Jack!

Hello Troop,

This week we are having a game night at Air City 360!
It is at 225 Spectrum Loop, Colorado Springs, CO, 80921.
We will meet there at 7:00 and end at 8:00.
There is a waiver you can fill out online on their website and it costs $17 per person.
Please fill out the waiver and buy tickets online before you arrive so we can take advantage of the full hour.

https://www.aircity360.com/

See you there,

Miles

Troop,

Its time to start thinking about Summer Camp 2024. We have already discussed and identified the week of June 9th through 15th as the time to do it. Now we just need to figure out where and start making arrangements.

Step one is to secure some adult leadership to coordinate and attend the event. As in past years, the Troop will pay for the attendance of the first two to sign up to support the troop as leaders for the event. Sign Up below!!!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA8A828A4FD0-45158227-summer

We are currently developing a list of viable camps and will be putting out a survey to gauge interest in each of the locations. If you have a favorite camp that should be considered please let me know soon.

Mr. Petree
Scoutmaster

Hello Troop,

This week we are meeting to finish things up in preparation for the Great Sand Dunes Family Campout. We will be going over the gear checklist and spend some time putting the finishing touches on our sandboards.

I will also teach a lesson on saving money, and there will be an opportunity to get things signed off for rank advancement.

See you there,

Miles

Hello troop,

This week we will be doing some meal planning for the upcoming sand dunes campout. We will also hear from Madden about keeping tents maintained. Lastly, we will work on the sandboards we started making last week.

See you there,

Miles

Troop,

Following the annual planning meeting held by the youth at the end of August, we have taken their list of wishes and put them on the calendar. All 2024 outings have been scheduled, to the best of our abilities, and can be found on the websites calendar. We have done this to help you better plan out your busy lives. While all dates are as firm as they can be, please be aware that camp schedules and planning may have impacts and we will always relay changes and information as soon as it becomes available.

ASM Jason Holpuch here with some details on the upcoming Family Campout Oct 13th-15th at Great Sand Dunes National Park.

https://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm

Great Sand Dunes Nation Park is about a 3 hour drive south west of COS.  
Directions:

Activities during the campout can include, high dune hike, cooking competition, campfires and a solar eclipse!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4AACAE2BABFD0-44579593-bsatroop#/

The troop has 4 campsites reserved at Pinon Flats Campground inside the park which will accommodate around ~12 scouts and 6 scout families (1 car and 1 tent per family, no trailers please).  Please sign up ASAP if you plan to attend.

I look forward to seeing you at the campout Oct 13th-15th! 

Hello Troop,

This week we will start meeting in the church because it is starting to get dark out earlier.

We will have a uniform inspection since we have not done one in a while so bring your best class-A’s.

There will also be a lesson on bike safety and parts.

See you there,

Miles

Troop,

As we enjoy this last week of Summer before we head into the Fall, you might be noticing that it is getting darker a little earlier.

You don’t have to be creepy mannequin head…but…

I recommend everyone bring headlamps for the game night to ensure you can keep the game going after the sun goes down. Also if you have any light up balls or frisbees. They may come in handy.

Hello Troop,

This week we are having a game night because we just had a campout.

We will meet at the barn as usual and head to Wilson Ranch Park for ultimate frisbee/other objects. Bring frisbees, balls, and other fun (safe) stuff to throw so we can have a fun night. Pickup will also be at the barn at 8:30 pm. Wear your Class B uniforms since it is a game night.

See you there,

Miles

Troop,

We currently have 8 Scouts signed up for our adventure this weekend, but only Mr. Turner and I to drive, and we cannot fit all these growing young men in our vehicles, especially with the troop gear. We are also in search of someone who could pull the troop open top trailer.

We also have 1 or 2 that may not want to summit, so if you don’t wanna summit and feel like a relaxing weekend in the mountains might be nice, volunteer to be one of the two adults we need to stay at camp if we are going to keep the option of base camp available.

We understand having other obligations. Not all drivers have to camp the weekend while driving round trip. We would gladly take volunteers to drop us and the trailer off on Friday, or pick us and the trailer up on Sunday.

Please help us out and use the link below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA8A828A4FD0-mount

Mr. Petree

Hello Troop,

This week we will be meal planning and preparing gear because we are doing a 14er this weekend! We will also do a lesson on bear safety and work on some rank advancement.

Remember to wear your Class-A uniforms!

See you there,

Miles

Troop,

Just a reminder that we need to have a good headcount in order to properly prepare for this upcoming outing. If you have not already signed up, but plan on going, please use the link below now to let us know.

See the previous post for more details about the trip.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA8A828A4FD0-mount

We will be finalizing all the details tomorrow night at the meeting.

Mr. Petree

Troop,

This month, like last, we will venture out to the continental divide area and visit another one of our glorious 14,000 foot mountains.

Our outing is scheduled for September 15th – 17th. We will camp Friday through Sunday, and will host a base camp and for those who are up for the adventure we will summit Mount Sherman on Saturday.

If you have never done a 14er, or have struggled in the past, don’t fret. Mount Sherman is arguably the easies of the massive mountains. With the trail only being a little over 5 miles round trip, and the starting point being above treeline, it will only be about 2,100′ +/- of elevation gain, depending on where we start.

The plan will be to camp near the trail head off County Road 18 Four Mile Road. We will look for a place with some shade cover, but will have pop up shades in case.

In order for this to happen I need at least one other adult to commit to the climb with me and also at least one that just wanna lounge around camp and hang with whomever chooses not to summit. Adults must have taken and completed BSA Youth Protection Training and should be a registered member of our troop.

Also if you plan on driving, 4WD or AWD is recommended. 2WD can do it, but it is posted as being a relatively rough road. I am also hoping someone can pull our troop open top trailer. It has a 2″ hitch and good clearance. Let me know in the signup comments.

We will begin planning at next weeks meeting, so please signup below so we are prepared with numbers of who plans on attending. Also in the comments please state whether you plan to summit the mountain.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C4BA8A828A4FD0-mount

We will meet Friday afternoon at the Scout Barn at about 4:30 pm and pack up to be on the road at 5:00pm. We plan to return Sunday between 11:00am and noon.