Tuesday, October 30, 2012

March 9, 2013 - Bear Mountain annual Snow Sports Merit Badge Day

Bear Mountain's annual Scout Merit Badge Day will take place at Bear Mountain, Saturday, March 9, 2013. If you have any Scouts working toward their Snow Sports Merit Badge, this is an opportunity to demonstrate their skiing or snowboarding abilities to a Snow Sports Merit Badge Counselor at our lowest rates of the season!

If you have any Scouts working towards earning their Snow Sports Merit Badge, then this would be the perfect time to participate. There is no minimum amount of participants to qualify for this event. Parents and siblings are welcome to take advantage of the discounted rates.

Your troop will receive discounts on lift tickets, rental equipment and lessons. Plus, with each block of twenty lift tickets purchased, your group receives the 21st free. Also, we offer a way to help easily coordinate a lunch for your troop with Value Priced Food Vouchers which can be purchased with your order for $10.00 (redeemable for $13.00) or $12.00 per person (redeemable for $16.00). Your troop can still enjoy a lunch together or have the opportunity to choose where and when they eat.

We understand the amount of time and effort that is involved in planning a group outing, and appreciate all of your hard work. Getting an early start can be extremely helpful to your efforts. Here are the forms you will need to set up your group trip. Please take the time to read the Group Sales Guidelines as this will explain the Group procedures to assist in your trip planning and will provide answers to some questions you might have.


New this season: Electronic Waivers. The online system will make gathering waivers for the members of your group easier. You will be assigned a login number /name for your group. This will allow you to manage (add/edit/email/text) the members of your party; see who has completed their waiver and those who need some prompting. This new system makes it more convenient for parents/guardian to sign liability waivers in advance for their children 17 and under. And it will be less hectic for the leader and streamline your group check in.

We are still in the process of getting the Electronic waivers implemented. Once it is up and running, someone from the sales department will contact you with the login.

We are excited to have you visit us this upcoming season. The Sales Department will make our best efforts to help you plan a successful and fun-filled day at the slopes.

Please let me know if you have questions. I look forward to working with you.

Have a nice day.

Karri McDonald
Sales Coordinator
Big Bear Mountain Resorts
Snow Summit/Bear Mountain
P. O. Box 77
43101 Goldmine Dr
Big Bear Lake, CA 92315
(909) 584-0220
(909) 584-0286 fax

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Outing report: Sage Ranch

Unit: Troop 415
Leader: Paul Brown

Date of outing: Oct. 12 - 14
Name of camp / trail / waterway: Sage Ranch

How did your unit's trip go?

Great Weekend for Webelos invitational, skills and water rockets activities, and good day hikes trails. This campground can only be used by groups.

Attended: 30 youth, 15 adults
Campsites used: 12
Max camping: 60
Max parking: 25

Type of outing: Camp

Distance to start: .03
Distance hiked: 2.6

Conditions

Weather: Great Weather, does get fog during the winter months
Site: BBQ are locked, so you need to get the code. Also only one port-a-potty in camp. They have water. No open fires.
Trail: A 2.6 mile loop trail takes you through some of Sage Ranch’s most spectacular scenery. Easy to moderate in difficulty.

Facilities

Number of sites available: 10
Water: Piped
Toilet facilities: Kybo
Tables: yes
Fire rings: no
Type of fires allowed: Gas Stoves, charcoal
Permits/fees: Available by advance reservation for organized groups. For reservation information, call the Sage Ranch ranger station: (818) 999-3753.

Recommend return visit?: Yes
Recommendations: Great place for Webelos Invitational, Troop Annual Planning, Leadership Youth Training, Outdoor Skills, and day hiking.
Scouts had fun?: Yes
Scout's Own?: Yes
Scout's Own highlight: Clean campground, unusual rock formations, great view of Simi and San Fernando Valley, water rockets launching, and close to home.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

January 26, 2013 - Cub Scout Leader Pow Wow / University of Scouting / College of Commissioner Science

Save the date
Saturday, January 26, 2013

Pinecrest School
5975 Shoup Ave.
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
(corner of Shoup Avenue and Oxnard Street)

Dress is Scout Field Uniform

Cub Scout Leader Pow Wow and University of Scouting

A day of fun-filled, action-packed, hands-on supplemental training sessions for adult leaders to help us better deliver a fun and exciting program to our youth!


College of Commissioner Science

Become a better Commissioner!
Need Basic Training!

  • Don't have your Bachelor of Commissioner Science degree? Get it!
  • Started your Bachelor of Commissioner Science degree? Finish it!
  • Started your Master of Commissioner Science degree? Finish it!
  • Don't have your Doctor of Commissioner Science degree? Start it!


All unit leaders welcome

Presented by the Western Los Angeles County Council

For more information, contact:

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Stoney Point 2012 - Thank you for your service

I am humbled by the number of Scouts, community members and friends of friends that came out to Stoney Point today and made a huge difference in our landmark hiking and bouldering park.

We had an estimated 130 volunteers who collected a mass amount of rubbish and cleared many pathways. Anyone walking through Stoney Point will now have a safe and clean path because of all your dedicated efforts.

Special thanks to the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council and their representative Jelena Csany for supplying the great coffee, bagels and those awesome hot dogs.

This was our 7th year, and each time we host this event, the number of volunteers keeps on growing. What more can a community member ask for?

The number of Scout volunteers was up this year, and that in itself was great to see, being I am a seasoned Scout myself.

I just love those little Cub Scouts. Everything they saw and did will have a monumental impact in their lives because of what they learned from watching the older Scouts do. They learned that, as a Scout, the meaning of "Do a Good Turn Daily" is what our nation will expect of them as they grow to be the next generation of our country's citizens.

We had over 50 tall trash bags full of anything from old beer bottles to a folding chair. A folding chair? What was that person thinking?

Kudos to REI for all the cool Stoney Point shirts, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office for the energy drinks and the United Methodist Church for allowing us to use their parking facilities.

Yup, it was sprinkling a bit of rain but we only got a little bit wet. But what impressed me the most is that, even though it was overcast and sprinkling for a while, you all stayed without any hesitation whatsoever. What more can I say about the outpouring of environmental Stewardship and your time and commitment to make this event rock?

Thank you all again. I'm sure I will see you all again next year!

Some photos by staff photographer Julian Francis Salay (more to come):




Friday, October 19, 2012

November 15, 2012 - Eagle Scout Reconnect event

Eagle Scout Alumni Association announces our first Eagle Scout Reconnect event

November 15
6 pm - 9 pm
Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks

You must be 21 or over to attend the event.
The event is free and includes drinks and dinner.
Dress is business casual.


Questions: Contact Erik Godfrey egodfrey@bsamail.org


Monday, October 15, 2012

Outing report: Calico Ghost Town

Unit: Troop 92
Leader: Jordan Brown

Date of outing: October 12-14, 2012
Name of camp / trail / waterway: Calico Ghost Town

How did your unit's trip go?: Went well

Attended: 12 youth, 3 adults
Campsites used: 4

Type of outing: Camp

Distance to start: 134

Conditions

Weather: Mostly sunny
Site: Hard, rocky, enough wind to overturn tents - bring heavy duty stakes

Facilities

Number of sites available: lots
Water: Piped
Toilet facilities: Flush
Tables: yes
Fire rings: yes
Type of fires allowed: wood

Permits/fees

Normal pricing: non-hookup sites $30, 6 people/site, 1 car/site, 1 tent/site, $10 per extra car, $5 per extra tent. All per night.

Group pricing: $5/person/night, minimum 20 people, plus $20 reservation fee. Any number of sites (presumably within reason).

Note that with two people/tent, the extra-tent prices run up fast. Depending on details, group pricing is cheaper starting at 16 people.

Recommendations

Recommend return visit?: Yes

Sites are small.

A burger in Calico is around $9, and a drink around $3. That makes a typical lunch in the restaurant around $15 with tax and tip.

A combo ticket - gold panning, mystery shack, mine - is $5. Each individually is $2.

There is a night-time "ghost" tour, ~8pm?, $10.

Campground prices go way up for special events.

Bring money for shopping. Some good / interesting stuff (though presumably at inflated prices), some total junk. (Guess which the boys like to buy.)

Come home via Bass Pro Shop in Rancho Cucamonga, outdoorsman's Disneyland store - hot dog with chips and drink at the fudge stand $4-$5 including tax.

Scouts had fun?: Yes
Scout's Own?: No

Friday, October 12, 2012

October 20, 2012 - Annual Stoney Point cleanup

Annual Stoney Point cleanup
Saturday, October 20
8 am to 11 am

Volunteers will be asked to clear the many walking trails of dried brush and making the trails more "user friendly" by removing the mass amount of debris and rubbish from the park.

What started out as an activity of 15 Cub Scouts has raised the bar in 2011 to over 125 plus Volunteers, Families, and our many community organizations such as the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council, the office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilman Mitch Englander, Ride On Therapeutic, L.A.Works and REI Sporting Goods, who will be giving away prizes and the Stoney Point Clean Up Shirts!