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.
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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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”
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.
This post is for those first year Scout and parents to help out with some common questions you may have.
If you have additional useful information, please pass tit along with either a comment to this post, or email me directly and I will do a subsequent post.
Getting there:
We have had so many parents sign up to drive on Sunday that I am absolutely blown away! Thank you so much for volunteering your time, fuel, and patience to have a bunch of pre-camp Scouts in your car for a couple of hours!
We will meet up at 9am on Sunday, 10 Jun 22, at the barn. Please be there on time (or before) so we can get the Troop trailer loaded with troop and Scout gear, cross load and get a vehicle load plan where each Scout is sitting. I would also like to ensure everyone’s phone number is on a roster so we can make contact as neccessary throughout the week.
We have 26 Scouts and 5 adults headed to camp. The roster will be supplied to each of the adults for informational purposes, but Ray will assume all duties as the point of contact once we leave the barn.
I would like to head out in a convoy no later than 10am. With 26 Scouts loading and cross loading equipment and all that, I think we will be just fine on time (jinxed it!).
Arrival:
We will drop the Scouts and gear in wherever the deisgnated location is, and the Scouts may or may not have to carry their stuff to the campsite (Apache). We will be allowed to drive to our campsite and drop Scouts and gear there. Then all vehicles will have to depart the area (say goodbye’s then). The troop trailer will be parked at the campsite, so will my truck. This is to facilitate the trailer’s use as a bear bin and have a vehicle at the site for emergency evacuation and such.
I will take the lump of paperwork we have collected from you and head over to check us all in. Once that process is started, the other Scoutmasters will take the troop to the campsite and the PLC (SPL/ASPL) will assign tents and all that.
Tents:
Scouts will bunk with their buddy or buddies. max three per tent. Max two years of age differential, or school grade differential. If there is a buddy team already established, the PLC will allow that, however, there will be a “no Scout left behind” concept, where everyone’s desires will be considered for buddy teams. We can also switch it up mid-week, if so desired.
Buddy teams will remain for the week. A Scout will stay with his buddy during non-course hours (after badge classes and those times). Each Scout is responsible for telling his patrol leader where he is going (Scout shop, dining facility, etc.) during the scheduled down time. The Patrol leader will maintain a system of knowing where all of his patrol members are. We also have a white board in the trailer to help with this. The SPL is overall responsible for knowing were all of the Scouts are.
Packing:
We have found that packing all of the Scouts stuff in a tuff box/plastic tote/or similar tub, is very beneficial. 1. They have ready access to their stuff. 2. it is easy to identify and mark with identifications. 3. it is easy to stack in the trailer for transport. 4. they seal to keep out mice, rodents, bugs, etc. There are many more reason they are a good idea. However, please make sure your Scout packs his own stuff. This helps him know where his stuff is. We have had parents pack and the Scout has no idea where something is when he needs it. When asked, he says, “I told my mom to pack it,” or “my dad told me he packed it.”
Bring Swim gear, just in case we can free swim.
SCOUTS SHOULD PACK THEIR OWN BAGS!
Knives:
BSA does not restrict the type of knife a Scout uses (folder or fixed blade). Hoever, there are some common sense rules to abide by. Please do not allow your Scout to bring a machette to camp. It is cool, and a great talking peice, but not a practical choice for this event. Many Scouts will bring that $30-$60 of spending money and blow it on a camp knife they found at the Scout shop. Just so you understand, most camps restrict knife sales until Wednesday, so the boys are super excited to get their “first knife,” then play with it and throw it into their knee, causing other Scouts to break out their first aid kits and do all that. Great times were had by all, and great stories continue to be shared and embellished! Not a bad thing!
Bikes:
I do not think bringing bikes is a good idea this year. Although it is allowed, I am not sure we can successfully transport as many bikes as there are desires to bring them. Many of our Scouts are first time summer campers, so lets rely on the basics of transport around camp. SISR is a small property, unlike Dobbins or Camp A, where it takes 15 minutes to walk from one MB area to another, I think bikes are not necessary. However, adults will be free to make that decision on their own as we have to visit all of the MB areas twice a day, everyday. That is a lot of walking! And they won’t let me bring my motorcycle.
Camp Merit Badge Schedules:
Thank you for being understanding in the last week of merit badge madness.
We will get hard copies of merit badge schedules on Sunday during check-in. I also have a copy of everyone’s schedule which I will have on my phone and ensure all the other adults do as well. Just in case!
Each Scout will have a map of the camp so they can find their way to their classes. With 26 Scouts, I do not think there will by any “lone” Scout headed off to a class, everyone will be in at least a small group.
Your Scout may come home with requirements remaining to finish a badge. He will know what he needs to do to finish that particular badge. With that, he will also receive a printout and an unfinished Blue Card with blanks for the items that remain unfinished.
Any Scoutmaster attending camp can sign off as the merit badge counselor for those remaining requirements. We still have a few Scouts with outstanding requirements from Summer Camps in the past. It is no big deal. He will get those items completed so dont fret about it. As long as he maintains a copy of that Blue Card/printout, he will be alright.
Uniforms:
We are required to travel to and from BSA Activities in Class A uniform (no sash required). Your Scout will wear his Class A to camp, every morning for flags, every evening for flags, and on the way home on Saturday. Sorry, parents! You can use a pressure washer on them when you get home to get the stink off!
Hygiene:
Please ensure when your Scout packs, he packs deoderant. I have no issue calling a kid out who “forgot” to put deoderant on (tactfully, of course). These kids are going to be very active for the week, and really, help us out here!
The Scouts will be required to shower twice during the week. Tuesday evening and Thursday Evening. Then they will put deoderant on right after that. being Clean is one of the points of the Scout law. They will be reminded of this as necessary.
These dudes are old enough that they should have an idea of what hygeine is, so there will be no checks by adults, but we will definitely have this subject matter covered in our daily briefings and pre-bed nightly routine: brush teeth and all that!
Pick-up:
Saturday is out check-out/pick up day. I would like to have everyone who dropped off do the pick-up, but I know that is not always a possibility. However, we will be ready and will need as many seats on Saturda to bring kids home as we did on Sunday to take them there.
If you are driving both ways, it would be benneficial if you took the same Scout home with you for ease of rosters and tracking purposes.
Please try and be up at Camp by 9am on Saturday for pick up. We will be clearing the campsite during that time and all the Scouts should be packed and ready to go. We will ensure all Scouts returning with the group are accounted for and leave no later than 10am to head home to the Barn for dowload and parent pick-up. Our estimated arrival to the barn will be announced by the Scoutmaster so parents can grab their kids and strap them to the roof of the car for the final trip home (it is possible they will smell funny).
Like I said at the beginning, please let me know if there is anything you think to add to this list, or you want to see added. I probably have more knowlege about this than I am relaying because I have done this a few times and don’t remember a lot of stuff I previously asked questions about, so please ask that question and I will make a post on it!
I am sure I forgot something, so (seriously) let me know!
Don’t hesitate to shoot me a text or give me a call!
Welcome to the website of Boy Scout Troop 287 at Wilson United Methodist Church, located on the northwest side of Colorado Springs, CO, in school districts 11 and 20. We are in the BSA Pikes Peak Council, Frontier District.
To the left, you can view our news and events. Below you can browse information about our troop, subscribe to our blog by email, download documents, and access useful links.
Game Night August 26, 2025
Manitou Springs Arcade, meet at the barn at 6:30. Scouts will return to the barn at 9:00
Vibes Baseball Game August 29, 2025
Rocky Mountain Vibes Baseball, 4385 Tutt Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80922, USA
Council sponsored baseball game. Game starts at 6:35, gates open at 4:35
Flags September 1, 2025 at 6:00 am – 7:00 am
Troop Meetings
Every Tuesday, 7-8:30 p.m.
Wilson Ranch Community Church
Scoutmaster: Anthony Turner
