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Hey Ben, I know you have led scout troops on many trips over the years. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this - what did you learn that maybe you didn't anticipate even after tripping on your own so much prior to guiding scouts? I am expecting to help lead a group of scouts next year that will be 14 years old and on their first BWCA trips (we are doing a Namakagon trip this year as a "warm-up"). We will not go through Northern Tier since we are local in the cities and can mostly self-outfit. I have some entry points in mind, and our troop has done the Cherokee loop out of Baker many times. We may have enough scouts that we need 2 permits, in which case I would probably go completely elsewhere to avoid anyone being tempted to "group up". I guess I find myself wondering where my blind spots are regarding planning for these scouts! Any thoughts are welcome about what you learned over the years. Especially about what kind of food you brought that they were able to help cook. Food is my weak spot personally since I often just do freeze dried meals. Thanks!
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I'm a former Scout, former Algonquin Park guide, and 26-year Scout Leader. I have learned these things about Scouts and canoe tripping:
1) Pack extra food. And then pack more.
2) Scouts will eat anything if you give it a whacky name.
3) The bigger the Scout, the bigger the whine.
4) Be prepared to carry more than you expect over the portage. On one trip with five boats, I had to carry three of the canoes over every portage.
5) Scouts are loud. When they're quiet, they're probably doing something they know they shouldn't.
6) Bring earplugs and keep them in your sleeping kit.
7) Number one injury on trip...splinters. Pack a magnifying glass in your first aid kit.
8) As fun as camping on a small island is on a personal trip, avoid them with a group. There's not enough fire wood, and nowhere to [censored] .
9) Pack some goodies for the adults. Hide them and don't share them with the Scouts. You'll need a morale boost at some point.
10) Never underestimate the reek of teenagers at the end of trip. I ALWAYS make them leave a full set of clean clothes in the vehicle for the ride home.
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