TROOP/CREW 179 SPACE EXPLORATION CAMP May 17, 18 & 19, 2023 Camp Kiwanis, Frankenmuth, Michigan
As NASA returns to Manned Missions to the Moon in November 2024 we will spend the month talking about the history and future of Space Exploration. Space enthusiasts, former 179 Assistant Scoutmaster, and President of Michigan Team 1Rocketry Club, will attend meetings and work with the Scouts as we prepare for the camp. For our May Camp we will travel to Frankenmuth, MI and stay at Camp Kiwanis. Our Main activity will be to attend the Michigan Team 1 Launch at the Alkay Airport - 51G in Clio, MI. The FAA has cleared air space for Launches up to 6,000 Feet (more than a mile). Scouts will see dozens of large rockets launch throughout the day. There is also Launch Pads where our Scouts can launch a Model Rocket made by themselves. We will also have plenty of other Space related activities at the Camp. This is not one to miss!
SCOUTING AND SPACE EXPLORATION: Scouts have been involved in Space Exploration since the beginning. Scouts have experienced what might Be considered the ultimate in high adventure. Roughly two-thirds of NASA’s career astronauts have been Scouts, resulting in most of NASA’s human space missions included at least one former Scout. Notably, 20 of the 24 men who flew to the Moon in 1968 to 1972 (on Apollo 8 and 10 to 17) had been Scouts, including 11 of the 12 men who walked on its surface.
EAGLE SCCOUTS: Forty-one of those selected as NASA’s career astronauts are Eagle Scouts. Some have become legends, like Neil Armstrong, the first man to land a spacecraft on another world, and Jim Lovell, the commander of the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission who led his crew safely back to Earth. That legacy continues today where Eagle Scouts fly high as crew members and commanders of the International Space Station (ISS). Eagle Scouts Raja Chari and Kjell Lindgren were furthermore selected as commanders of the SpaceX Crew-3 and Crew-4 missions, respectively.
ANNUAL FAMILY CANOE CAMP MAY 30 - JUNE 4, 2024 COLE CANOE BASE
Bring the whole family! Our annual Canoe Camp has us trekking the Rifle River and hiking the trails of Cole Canoe Base. New Scouts get a first look at the place we'll spend the week of Summer Camp. REMINDER: All adults attending this Camp must be Registered with the Boy Scouts of America, see Chuck Williams to complete this task.
Our Ventures spend the weekend taking on the Rifle River Gauntlet ran by the Michigan Crossroads Council Venture Officer Association.
SUMMER CAMP 2024 JUNE 30 - JULY 6, 2024 COLE CANOE BASE
The Best Week of the Year
Each year our troop goes to Summer Camp for the most fun and learning a Scout can get. Everything that Scouting promises its members can be found at Summer Camp. Every Scout from the newest member to the seven year veteran should attend Camp!
This year Troop 179 will attend the Edward N. Cole Canoe Base. Cole has the biggest Scout and Venture program in the State of Michigan. While at Cole most Scouts will achieve at least one rank. With more than 70 Merit Badges to choose from there is plenty to do. Merit Badges are not the only requirements we work on though. There is no better place than summer camp to work on Leadership and Scout Spirit requirements.
Don't miss the Best Week of the Year!
2021 Philmont Scout Ranch
Scouting's Paradise July 13 through July 26, 2024
Philmont Scout Ranch is a large, rugged, mountainous ranch located near the town of Cimarron, New Mexico, covering 140,177 acres (219 sq mi) of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range of the Rocky Mountains in northern New Mexico. The ranch, formerly the property of oil baron Waite Phillips and now that of the Boy Scouts of America, is a National High Adventure Base in which crews of Scouts and Venturers take part in backpacking expeditions and other outdoor activities. It is the one of the largest youth camps in the world in land area. Philmont is the one camp that thousands of Scout goes to each year and everyone remembers throughout the rest of their lives. It is truly Scouting's Paradise and should be seriously considered by every Scout or Venturer in 179.
Between July 13 and July 26, 2024 Venturers. Scouts and adult leaders will backpack across the Ranch's extensive backcountry while over 1,130 seasonal staff personnel maintain the Ranch's summer operations. To be eligible to attend Philmont in 2024 a 179 member must be 14 by July 13, 2024 or have completed the 8th grade. Adults may register for this trip, selection will be announced by October 31, 2023. The estimated cost is $2,600.00; $150.00 Deposit due with registration holds your spot.
A SPECIAL ATV HIGH ADVENTURE TREK
This High Adventure trek is for Venturers age 16 or older, a week of riding trails, fellowship and camping in northern Michigan. We start off from Cole Canoe Base and head to our campsite in the Ogemaw Hills area east of West Branch. From their we will explore the world class Ogemaw Hills ATV Trails. This is where the X-Gamers come to train.
In 2019, Troop 179 held the inaugural trip for Cole Canoe Base. Now were going back to make this incredible trip even better.
For 2024 we estimate the trip to cost no more than $700.00. This includes a week of Camping, Food, and rental of ATV, Helmet, and goggles. venturers must be a Certified ATV Driver, which many have taken while at Summer Camp at Cole Canoe Base (where you can take it in July if needed).
Annual Planning Conference: On March 2, 2024 our Youth Leaders spent a very long day training to be better leaders and meeting for our Annual Planning Conference. I am pleased to announce our monthly themes for next Scouting Year:
September 2024 - Scout Skills Competition
October 2024 - Cub Scout Shooting Sports & Webelosfest
November 2024 - Emergency Preparedness for the Zombie Apocalypse
December 2024 - Gamesfest
January 2025 - Ski Date and Polar Bear Camp
February 2025 - Snow Sports Camp
March 2025 - Clash Royale Camp
April 2025 - Wright Patterson Air Force Museum & Trail Hike
May 2025 - Shooting Sports
June 2025 - Annual Family Canoe Camp
July 2025 - Summer Camp
High Adventure - Pictured Rocks & Grand Island
If you have a question, comment, or suggestion, please e-mail: Chuck Williams