Scout and Outdoors

Following an open process carried out in collaboration and agreement with the Interamerica Regional Scout Committee, Luc Panissod, Secretary General of World Scouting appointed Mr Raul Sanchez Vaca, from Mexico as the new Regional Director of the World Scout Bureau, Interamerican Regional Office.

Geneva, 10 March 2010 -- On the 8th of March, the security service of the United Kingdom submitted to the National Archives three bundles of declassified documents covering a period extending from 1937 to 1944. The World Scout Bureau acquired these documents for examination. These were essentially notes from the police declaring the coming and going of members of the Hitler Youth in the UK. Other parts are under the heading of the Nazi youth movement.

Geneva, 10 March 2010 -- On the 8th of March, the security service of the United Kingdom submitted to the National Archives three bundles of declassified documents covering a period extending from 1937 to 1944. The World Scout Bureau acquired these documents for examination. These were essentially notes from the police declaring the coming and going of members of the Hitler Youth in the UK. Other parts are under the heading of the Nazi youth movement.

A group of young enthusiasts undertook a coastal trek along the eastern coast of India extending from Chandipur in Orissa to Digha in Bengal from December 27 to 29 to spread awareness about the menace of global warming.

Q. I really like hiking but I don’t have anything for covering my backpack when it rains. What should I use?
– Soaked Spencer, Earlham, Iowa

A. Dear Mr. Soaked. Excellent question. You have a couple options to consider. First, there’s a waterproof pack cover, basically like a shower cap for your pack with an elastic band around the outer edge. They are cheap (today, I found a generic pack cover for $16 bucks on Campmor.com) lightweight, work relatively well, but tend to be not so durable—especially when hiking in heavily wooded areas where trees snagging your cover is likely. Some backpackers skip the pack cover in favor of something called a pack liner, which is essentially a large waterproof sack that slips inside your pack to keep everything inside dry. You can get a lightweight Sea to Summit Ultra-sil pack liner for around $35 at www.seatosummit.com. Meanwhile some guys simply use a plastic trash bag. Though not quite as durable as an actual pack liner, a trash bag will totally do the job and for next to nothing. You might also simply consider packing certain things that you don’t want getting wet (like your sleeping bag and your clothes) inside separate dry bags. Scoutstuff.org sells waterproof 10-liter and 30-liter Dry Packsacks for $10 to $17. Depending on how much rain you expect to encounter on the trail, you can use just a pack cover or all of these items together and you should be good to go. Stay dry, Soaked.

It’s a jacket. Wait, it’s a sleeping bag. No, it’s a tent. Actually it’s a JakPak, an interesting new waterproof jacket with a built-in, deployable pack that converts the thing into a bivy sack (a tiny one-man tent).

At first glance, the JakPak ($300; www.jakpak.com) looks like any other outdoor-style rain jacket, but positioned inside the back of the jacket is a fold-down sleeping bag. Just slip your legs in, then reach over your shoulder, open the pocket, and pull the tent out and over your head. It comes with pre-curved hoop poles to hold the tent over your head and includes mosquito netting to keep biting pests out.At 2 lbs 15 oz. it’s not exactly lightweight for a jacket, but not heavy at all given it’s a jacket, sleeping bag and tent. Either way, this is definitely the sort of jacket you’d want to be wearing if you happen to get lost in the woods. A night in the JakPak may not be the best night of sleep of your life, but the sleeping bag is rated for +45 degree Fahrenheit so depending on the weather, at least you’d survive.

The designer of the JakPak was inspired to create this product as an all-in-one jacket and shelter for homeless people but soon realized it could be very handy for outdoorsmen, hunters, and sports fans too. Cool idea indeed, but we’re not going to get rid or our sleeping bags and tents just yet.

This post is quite late because I haven’t really had much time this week. I’ve got loads of coursework that needed to get done and I’ve been revising for a maths exam I have next week. Also, I AM NOW SIXTEEN! It was my birthday on Wednesday  so I didn’t bother blogging then either! Anyway, last [...]

Geneva, 9th March 2010 – A working group on issues related to the growth of the Scout Movement, is being held at the World Scout Bureau since Monday. This meeting brings together the professional staff of the World and Regional Bureaus who are in tasked to assess this question as promoters of Growth.

Adiero troop's gateway- a cloverleaf octopod. A drawing of the construction process will follow.

At 11:00 on Sunday, the rafts come off the water, and are rapidly stripped down for the trip home. Congratulations to 1st Horison who were the overall winners. More Kontiki photographs will follow.

Every Year on the 8th of March, millions of women and men around the world join to celebrate International Women's Day.

Since 1910 in Denmark, IWD has been internationally recognized as the day to honor women in our society as they play a great role in the shaping and building of the society we live in today. The 8th of March is also a day that we share in advocating for the rights to work, vote, be trained, hold public office and end discrimination towards women.

After spending the night on the water, the raft crews prepare for a naval review at 10:00 this morning

My last post for the night - the opening of the campfire for the supporters campsite.

Akela Joy, who runs our cub pack, has some great photos from today over on Akela's Cubs - http://akelascubs.blogspot.com/2010/03/kontiki-murray-park-springs-6th-march.html

One of the competitions for the supporters who are not on the raft is the STA or spare time activity. This year there were 5 different activities related to the legend of El Dorado, the theme for this year. One of them was to build a catapult. Here is one of the troops. There were a number of trebuchets, ballistas and catapults on the waterfront.

The rafts have launched, and are making there way around the dam completing the navigation and mobility challenge.

Opening ceremony- rafts launch in 30 minutes

Construction began at 17:00 (about 3 1/2 hours ago). Most rafts are progressing well, with barrels and decking being attached. Just after I took this photo, it started to rain. In the past 25 years, we have only had three years without rain- as the Kontiki rulebook says: "Kontiki will run even if it doesn't rain."

Today is the start of Kontiki 2010. With a bit of luck, I'll be posting some photographs of the rafts and campsites over the course of the weekend (if I can get my phone to work).

Prince Charles has spoken of his support for Scouting by revealing concerns for young people who are unable to join the Movement.