Growing a Crew

 I've been busy busy putting stuff together for the Aspen Mountain Rover Crew. We had our Tenderfoot testing in September (although this is an ongoing process as we get more Rovers onboard), and we will be receiving our first Squire this week!

I've also created a website for our Crew. Please go have a look! 

Aspen Mountain Rover Crew website. 

It has information on contact and how to join the Crew, along with other resources. You can even buy an AMRC shirt!

Service and Quest

It's been interesting recording my service, as I've come to realize that service has become very second-nature. That happens when you're a mom doing your best to care for your family. However, it has also made me aware of the need to serve outside my family as well. My two large "projects" have been to donate blood regularly and clean up garbage. Both are easy and fulfilling, and it's a good feeling knowing that I can give a piece of myself to someone to help them live.

My main Quest as a Knight has been to apply Rovering to my marriage. I'm trying to be more conscious of applying the Scout Promise and Law to my marriage and children, and it's helping  me and my husband find more time for each other in our crazy busy lives. 

Practical Training Strip

As you've seen from a previous post, I've started working on my practical training strip. I've done the swimming, and I've completed the advanced knots. I've been working on lashings, which are really handy for building things.  It's a good way to learn something new, and it brings me a step closer to earning my other badges.

PTS - Knots

 For the practical training strip, a Rover Knight must demonstrate and know the uses of the following knots: bowline on a bight, fisherman's hitch/bend, man harness knot, rolling hitch, marlinspike/lever hitch, and timber hitch. I created a video demonstrating each of these knots, and hopefully they're easy to understand. The computer I created this on didn't have the best camera, but ironically it's the fastest computer in our household and thus easier to create such a video on. I hope you enjoy!

Practical Training Strip - Knots

AMRC Creations

 As I've been putting my Rover Crew together, I've been getting a lot of logistical stuff put into place, including means of paying for insignia and placing resources for my Rovers to access. I'm hoping it all works out the way it should so we can focus on Rovering together!

However, I've also had fun creating Rover insignia and uniform articles, including the neckerchief. At first I was going to order them, but I figured I had the skill to sew them instead and save a few dollars. It's been a learning curve (so far each necker is unique in small ways, ahem), but they look so good.

I've also designed the Crew crest and flash that we'll wear on our uniforms. It's going to look so good; one thing I've learned as an author is how good it feels to see my creation become tangible. I look forward to getting the delivery for these crests.

Aspen Mountain Rover Crew

Vigil

 I've been a busy woman.

On July 25th I had my Knight Vigil, which is a requirement to become a Rover Knight. It is a time of self-reflection on how I can be a better person, what my strengths and weaknesses are, and how I can best serve others. I hiked a local trail up a mountain, set up a small camp, and wrote in my journal beside a campfire. It was nice to have some solitude in such a beautiful place.

Entrance to Hidden Valley, Ogden,
where I had my Vigil.

Found an owl feather, so cool!

There's a lot of things I wrote about, but I had a chance to think about how I want to respond to challenges with more logic and reason rather than emotion. I don't want to be a "cuckoo," as Baden-Powell puts it, that gets offended easily. I also thought about how I need to be more attentive to my husband's and children's personal wants and needs, especially since most of my service as a mother and a Rover circle around my home life.

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful trail. There are several openings in the forest that would be good for camping. Evergreens and aspens line the trail, creating a world of green green green.

From BPSA-US to R4LA

I'm in a period of transition. In the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, the leadership of BPSA-US has decided they want to remove the name and general influence of Robert Baden-Powell from their program. This is based off of his personal views and I guess some racist language he used back in the day? While some terms he used for native peoples can come across as strong to modern readers (like the term "savage"), he spoke of many of them with respect and admiration for their scouting methods. Aside from his talk, I like to look more at his walk, something BPSA has apparently failed to do. B-P actively worked to create a world movement that connects many countries through scouting, with his original intention being that such a brotherhood would prevent any more world wars. I think in a way it has indeed prevented many conflicts. Brotherhood, education, high adventure, increased awareness for God, and more have been the fruit of his work. He wasn't perfect, but he should be honored for his work.

What has been the fruit of BLM? Firstly, their active calling to destroy friendship between people of different ethnicities (I don't like to say "races," because there's only one race, the human race). They have been actively influencing politics, and not just society,  through their movement, which should automatically bar any scouting organization from supporting them. They have a bizarre, disturbing obsession about skin color and the segregating thereof. There has been mass rioting, unneeded violence, and de-funding the thin blue line between civilization and barbarism, all in the name of BLM and which has not been condemned by the top leaders of BLM. Their manifesto, which you can read on their website, calls for many things, but most disturbing of all, the dismantling of heterosexual relationships and the nuclear family. If you destroy the family, you destroy civilization altogether.

So it's strange that the leadership of BPSA-US chooses to eat the rotten fruit of BLM rather than stick with a fruit, that of traditional scouting and the involvement of Lord Baden-Powell, that has worked for 100+ years in the scouting movement in general. I exchanged emails with the head commissioner of BPSA-US over their decision. After she made a blatantly racist, sexist, and bigoted remark about B-P, she completely invalidated her other reasoning for future program changes based on BLM's influence. It's both funny and sad how a people and program that boast inclusiveness don't want to include the founder of scouting that actively promoted inclusiveness in scouting. It's kind of like trying to practice true Christianity while trying to take Jesus Christ out of the picture because you don't agree with a few things He said. BPSA's current Rover program is great and adheres to the fundamentals laid down by B-P, but I've been concerned about changes and the qualification of BPSA's leadership.

With all that being said, and after much thought and prayer, I've decided to create my own Rover Crew under a different organization, Rovering 4 Life Association. R4LA was founded by a man who became disenchanted by BPSA-US and where they were headed as an association. Once I attain my Knighthood near the beginning of September, I will quietly leave BPSA-US and completely invest my continued personal progression and my Crew under R4LA. I'm grateful to BPSA-US for introducing me to traditional scouting, and I wish them the best of luck, but I am about ready to move on in case things do indeed go badly for their program.

My Crew is Aspen Mountain Rover Crew, based in Ogden/Weber County, Utah. The hub for the group is on Facebook, so if you're interested on learning more, send a membership request and I will happily approve you. You can remain a friend of the Crew, or if you live in the area or a nearby county, you can take steps to join the Crew. There is a Welcome document on the Facebook Group that outlines these steps, and which I may add to this blog. I'm still getting the infrastructure in place, such as where we will meet, the roster, our necker colors, etc., but it's starting to roll.

Thanks for reading, and happy scouting!

What Not to Leave on the Trail

I'm getting addicted to picking up trash. My community service as a scout has been to pick up garbage along trails and roads.

One of the most common trash items I see on the trail are dog poo bags. It's worse than just leaving the dog poo there to rot without the plastic. On one of my short hikes I loaded a grocery bag with them. It's sad to see people not care enough about their dogs, trails, or other people to take such things to the garbage bins at trailheads.

Picking up trash is an easy and satisfying service project the whole family can do. Doing service turns you away from the self and to others and is so fulfilling.

Rover Uniform: When, where, and why

A while back I posted a question on the Rover Trailhead forum about when and where it was appropriate to wear the uniform. I was asking it from the context of the BSA uniform, as there are certain guidelines they have for their uniform. I got a few different answers, but the best one was to wear it whenever I did scouting. It's a good, simple answer that allows me a lot more freedom of when to wear it, especially as a Lone Scout.

So this is my take on it. I wear my uniform when I am going out to do a service project. I may also wear it on occasion when going to church to show my appreciation to my Heavenly Father for the blessings that come from scouting and to show my Duty to God as written in the Scout Promise. Wearing it at civic events, or events that promote citizenship, and events that honor city heroes like first responders, is also appropriate. I also wear it when doing scouting at home with my family, as wearing the uniform is part of the game of scouting and is lots of fun. It just looks good on me too, heh.

Rover Squire

May was a fun month. We did a lot of scouting together as a family, which makes for good times. One of the things we explored with the boys was animal sounds, and we did an animal parade at home for the  Rumble in the Jungle Adventure. We made animal masks and told jokes.  I love being a scout mom!

I was officially invested as a Rover Squire, and to celebrate, me and my two older boys went to the river parkway to pick up trash. I figured doing service would be a fitting way to start my squiring journey. I now have many opportunities for advancement and new focuses for service as I work towards more awards and my Rover Knighthood. Right now I'm on a 6 month probation before I can be knighted, which means I need to prove myself in living the Scout Law and Promise and to render service to others.

I know there's a lot of crazy stuff going on right now that can cause fear and uncertainty, but the best thing to do is to focus on your circle of influence. Help those in immediate need that you can touch, especially your family and loved ones. Don't whine if things aren't going your way; instead work harder to improve your situation.

My Chipmunk and Home Scouting

I discovered that the BPSA-US has an unofficial section of their scouting for youth 4 and under, called the Chipmunks. I have a child under 5 who isn't old enough to become a BSA Lion Scout, but still loves scouting, so I decided to use the Chipmunk materials as a basis to introduce him to some of the more formal aspects of scouting, such as the oath, law, etc. It's been a lot of fun!

The first thing I did was download the booklet. Some BPSA Groups have the .pdf version of this booklet available on their websites, so I downloaded one and printed it off. The neat thing about Chipmunks is that the leaders get to decide what the proficiency requirements for the Chipmunks will be, so I created 7 of them and sewed corresponding badges that Jim can earn as a Chipmunk. These include:

1. Duty to God - Learn commandment "Love one Another" and do a good turn for 1 week.
2. Help family for 1 week - when sad, struggling, or with chores (or something similar).
3. Camp at least 5 nights with family.
4. Hike at least 10 miles.
5. While outdoors, collect interesting things for 1 cumulative month. Report to family.
6. Know cardinal directions, sunrise and sunset, and the North Star
7. Participate in Scout opening ceremony for 1 month. Describe the flag colors.

The Chipmunk program also includes investiture requirements, has its own simple motto, promise, and law, and its own sign. Since we're not near any BPSA-US Groups, Jim would be considered a 1st Lone Scout alongside myself. Good thing I made him that red necker!

Badges

I sewed simple badges for Jim to earn for his proficiencies. I was able to use a regular sewing machine for embroidery, and though it doesn't look as nice as professionally done badges, they're still pretty neat and I think he'll like them. I used a canvas bag that was sitting around doing nothing, and used Heat 'n Bond to bond two pieces of canvas together. This gave the badge a sturdy structure. After I sewed the borders and pictures onto the canvas, I carefully cut out the badges along the edges, and then added another piece of Heat 'n Bond. This gives the badge the stiff, strong quality you expect of Scouting badges.

Jim has already earned his Hiking Badge. I counted the times miles he's hiked with me while I used my Ramblr app on my phone, and he had already done over 10 miles. I was pleasantly surprised at how much hiking he's done!

Uniform

Typically Chipmunks wear yellow shirts. However, the only place I could find a yellow shirt was online, and I admit I didn't want to wait for one to be delivered. I decided to be a Thrifty Scout instead and use a blue shirt we already had available. Since it's not an official section and we're not in a Group, I think I can get away with it. Paired with his red necker, it looks good on him.

Scouting at Home

Because our BSA Pack isn't meeting due to all the coronavirus craziness, we started doing Scouting at home. We had been working on Scouting Adventures with our Lion since school closed, but last week we started doing formal Scout meetings, including an opening ceremony with the uniforms. This also helps Jim get more involved with Scouting.

Last week and this week we worked on the Gizmos and Gadgets Adventure. Last week we observed the movement of objects down a ramp and made neckerchief slides. This week my husband showed the boys his various tools and they discussed the functions of them. We then took a trip to Home Depot to pick up a few things for the new deck we'll be building behind our house.

I hope you enjoyed some of our Scouting experiences. See you on the trail!

My Tenderfoot Proficiency

Hello fellow scouts!

I've managed to record the knowledge required for the Tenderfoot proficiency and wanted to share. I've put them here for your viewing pleasure and so you can get an idea of what it takes to become a Rover Squire in the BPSA-US. I know I tend to be pretty dead-pan in front of the camera, and most of these were filmed in the evening after the kids were in bed, so that's why I sound so tired. Please follow the links, as they are unlisted on Youtube at the moment and only accessible through direct link.

1. Scout Promise, Law, and Motto - https://youtu.be/4TSzWPVxSiA
2. Scout Sign and Salute - https://youtu.be/X9W038FNT5k
3. Woodcraft Trail signs - https://youtu.be/fsKPvNonS_0
4. History, Composition of, and folding of American Flag - https://youtu.be/gi25Dv6y9HE
5. Scout Staff - https://youtu.be/eiubQ2phCAg
6. Knot Tying - https://youtu.be/S7kvPsa_FPg
7. Rope Whipping - https://youtu.be/OBFvOGNA2SU

Aside from the Tenderfoot knowledge, Rovers are expected to dedicate their lives to the service of others (the Rover Motto is "Service", along with the general Scouting Motto, "Be Prepared). It's not unlike what I've already covenanted to do as a Christian at baptism, so becoming a Rover Squire is simply a way for me to refocus on those covenants and strengthen my relationship with God and with people. It's lovely how we can use the Scout Law, Promise, and Motto to strengthen our values and morality.

The interesting thing about the Rover section is that many Scouting organizations used to have them, at least here in the United States, but eventually different organizations dropped the Rover section. That's really unfortunate, as in this day and age, having a motivational structure to both learn practical skills and serve others as an adult is much needed.

Mini necker

My second oldest son, almost 3 years old, has been very interested in scouting ever since I was a cubmaster. He's too young to be registered as a Cub Scout, so can't really wear the official uniform yet.

So I decided to take some of the extra red material I made my necker from and make him a kerchief, as it's called in the BSA. I based the measurements off of our Lion Scout's kerchuef, and after sewing down the seam, I embroidered a tiger in one corner. (Jim wanted a tiger.) It was a lot of fun to make, and now he has some unofficial scout regalia he can wear to scout meetings until he can register as a scout :)

Tarp tent

Yesterday I experimented with clove and bowline knots and setting up a tarp tent. I sharpened some sticks for rudimentary stakes. I forgot to take outside pictures of the two tents I set up, but I have one of the inside.

 I learned that when tying the tarp to a tree that the opeing should be done maybe 2-3 feet off the ground depending on the size of the tarp. Mine is about 7x9 or something to that effect. That way you can tuck in the edges as needed and prevent drafts along the ground. With just a rope, tarp, and small metal stakes you can have a light tent kit for 3 season camping.

The Scout Necker (kerchief)

While most BPSA groups choose their own necker colors, a Lone Scout is assigned the red neckerchief. I decided to craft my own, as to buy one is very expensive.

So I picked up some cotton and got to measuring and cutting. I started with a 36"x36" square. I'll post more once I've sewn the edges.

Welcome and Introduction

My name is Sarah Bailey, and I live in the beautiful state of Utah, USA. After much thought and prayer, I recently registered with the BPSA-US as a Rover, which is an adult scout and program based on the traditional methods created by Robert Baden-Powell, the father of scouting. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which in itself is epic, and I'm hoping that my new journey as a Rover scout will add to my fulfilling experience as a Christian.

Let me tell you about how I became so interested in scouting. Growing up, I watched my brothers do scouting with the BSA, and I wanted to learn the woodcrafting skills and do more camping like the scouts did. Our parents took us out once a year to the family reunion camp, and I've been blessed with a father that taught me some outdoor skills. I was blessed to go up into the mountains every summer until I was 14 or so to spend time in the forest, roaming through the trees and being with extended family at the cabin my grandpa built. I love the mountains and the woods. I love the fresh mountain air and the rigor of climbing up a trail. I love to find a good, primitive campsite, set up my tent, and listen to the sound of a stream gurgle through an otherwise quiet forest.

However, when I was young I wasn't aware of many scouting opportunities for girls. I knew about the GSA, but ultimately I wasn't interested in it. At the time, the BSA didn't have packs and troops for girls (although they do now!). If I had known about Venturing, which is co-ed for 14 and up, I would have joined in a heart-beat.

Badges and Camping Manual for the Young Women camp.
This part of the program was the closest I came to scouting
as a youth.

I did camping as a Young Woman. I loved my time in the Young Women program that the LDS Church offers, and the summer camps were one of my favorite events. We learned practical outdoor skills, many of the same basic skills scouts learn, tied in with our relationship to God. Now that I think about it, I wonder if whoever wrote the camp manual drew from Baden-Powell's work or from scouting in general. I earned all 6 Young Women camp badges, one per year, and a special jewelry box only awarded to Young Women who have completed the 4 preliminary years and the 2 youth leader years. I still have the badges, and the jewelry box still sits on my dresser. It was an awesome experience!

As I entered adulthood, got married, and started having boys, scouting started to enter my mind again. My husband James is an Eagle Scout, and both of us wanted our boys to have the scouting experience. A few years after moving to Ogden and living in our Church ward, I was called to be a Cubmaster for our Cubscout Pack.

This rekindled my interest in scouting. I accepted the call, got registered with the BSA, and studied the materials and training needed as a Cubmaster. Our Pack was tiny and was floundering, mostly because of lack of training among our leaders, no real committe, and parental/guardian disinterest in working with their boys through the Cub Scout program.  I was Cubmaster for about a year, but due to pregnancy with our 3rd little boy and the various complications that came with it, it became too exhausting for me and I resigned as Cubmaster. Fortunately our ward got a service missionary couple to take over the roles as Cubmaster and Assistant Cubmaster, and as far as I'm aware, they really got the ball rolling and created a much more vigorous program until the LDS Church officially dropped the BSA program the beginning of this year.

The YW Youth Leader
Camp award, a
beautiful little jewelry box.
Like it, I can be filled with
beautiful things.

The BSA has a terrific program with a lot of merit, as long as parents/guardians are fully involved and there's strong leadership and a full committee. (Although I must admit, to me it seems a somewhat watered-down version of the program Baden-Powell originally envisioned.) Once our oldest son Devin turned 5 we registered him as a Lion Scout. Him and the second oldest, Jim, would come with me to Scout activities while I was Cubmaster, and even almost 2 years after I resigned, they still love it. For anyone reading this who wants to get their kids involved with Scouting, I highly recommend the BSA.

So I'm a BSA parent-partner alongside James with Devin in the Cub Scout program. So why the BPSA-US? Well, I never got the chance to progress through scouting like a young person can, learning about woodcraft and scoutcraft along the way. I learned a few things as a BSA leader, but that can only take you so far if you want to be a scout yourself. Here are my main 2 reasons I joined:

Reason 1: The Baden-Powell Service Association has an adult program called Rovers, created by B-P himself, as he believed adults could continue to learn scouting and apply it throughout their lifetime. I haven't been able to find any other adult scouting programs, at least none that are readily available in my area.

Reason 2: The BPSA-US draws their practices and program from the original sources written by B-P, including Scouting for Boys (also known as Campfire Yarns), the Wolf Cub Program (based around The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, which is an awesome read), and Rovering to Success. I read the latter before registering, and I related to so much in it. He wrote to his audience, intentionally young men, frankly but with great compassion on subjects including facing challenges, chivalry, chastity, and religion. He taught how Scouting is an avenue to become a better citizen and to grow more appreciative of nature and God. I highly recommend Rovering to Sucess to everyone. (You can download it for free on the BPSA-US website under their Resources page.)

So after a lot of thought, prayer, and reading, I decided to join the BPSA-US and invest in learning new things through scouting.

I'm literally hundreds of miles from any Rover Crews, so I registered as part of the 1st Lone Scouts, which is the Charter for individuals and their families who wish to join that aren't near any Rafts, Packs, Troops, or Crews. A Lone Rover can still progress through the program and earn recognition by communicating by internet or even phone if necessary with their leader.

Anyway, that's my story. This blog will be a platform for me to share my experiences as a Rover and the progression I make as a Tenderfoot, Squire, and hopefully a Knight. I'll write things I learn and share pictures, but they won't be a substitute for proving myself for investiture (becoming a Squire and a Knight); I will be doing those in video form, and will share those when ready.

If you want to learn more about the Scouting program the BPSA-US has to offer, check out their website: www.bpsa-us.org.

See you on the trail!