This year we decided to hold the Pack 1229 move-up ceremony outdoors at the Congressional School amphitheater. It was the perfect venue for the event offering lots of seating and a large stage/platform for the evenings events. All the Scouts in my Webelos den completed their adventure requirements, thus earning their Webelos Rank and would be allowed to move up to the AOL Den next year. And take a wild guess who will be officially leading all thirteen of the Scouts next year to get them through AOL and ready to move on to a BSA Troop… Me, That’s who! Don’t worry… I Got This!
This years Cub Scout Pack 1229 spring campout was held at Lake Fairfax, Virginia. It was a pack level event and there was a good turnout despite the last minute event planning of Pack leadership. One thing that worked out well was putting Leader Bruce in charge of the food situation… specifically dinner, because he Crushed It! It was a great weekend for a campout and the Webelos that attended all worked together and earned one of their elective adventure pins. And as an added bonus, the boys had the opportunity to watch the International Space Station fly over from the athletics filed that night after the campfire. You can see the ISS in the pictures with the full moon.
This weekend the Webelo Scouts from Cub Scout Pack 1229 visited the Alexandria Fire & Rescue Station 210 training center as part of their First Responder Adventure requirement. We scheduled our tour with the Alexandria Fire Department several weeks before and were told that while there was no problem with having the boys tour the station, they couldn’t guarantee that all the equipment and trucks would be on site. Well we lucked out… they had all kinds of toys in the garage and the fire fighters were more than accommodating in showing us around and demonstrating how all the equipment worked. Now I remember why I wanted to be a fire fighter when I was a kid… it’s an equipment intensive profession where you get to work with cool gear and the job makes you work both with your mind and your hands. This is also the reason I became a technical wreck diver… it’s also very equipment intensive and dangerous. Here are some of the photos from our visit to Alexandria Fire Station 210… Thank for having us guys!!
As part of the Webelos First Responders Adventure, one of the requirements is to visit a fire station and ask questions about what they do and how they help to save lives. This year we went one step better and invited a certified Medical Technician with the Alexandria City Fire & Rescue Department to come out to the Congressional School and join us for a den meeting. The Scouts got a chance to ask questions, see the different types of equipment they use and get a first hand tour of an advanced life support unit. With Cubmaster Darryl’s help, we even demonstrated how to immobilize an accident victim with a neck collar and back board for transport. A big thank you to Clayton for allowing us to use him as our rescue dummy. I still think the personal hands on approach with stuff like this works best with kids.
Every Spring the Boy Scouts of America and the NCAC put on a weekend event known as Shooting Sports Weekend at Camp William B. Snyder in Haymarket, VA. This year was no different, except that for the first time (that I’m aware of anyway) Pack 1229 would be represented at the event at the Pack level. This is a BSA sponsored event that combines an overnight camping trip with instructor lead courses in shooting sports on Saturday afternoon. Over the course of the weekend, the Scouts learn the safety rules and techniques for safe handling and use of bb guns, slingshots, and archery. This was Dylan’s first experience with Shooting Sports and he not only approached it with a positive, respectful and mature attitude, but also turned out to be a crack shot with the bb rifle. We also had a Pack campout to deal with, so there was food, fun, adventures and the evening campfire too! Sunday morning was cold, but thanks to Ed and Bruce, we had a roaring campfire first thing… even before the coffee was ready!
For this years annual spring hike, the Pack 1229 Outdoor Committee decided on the loop at Turkey Run Park in McLean, VA. This is a great park with a beautiful hiking trail situated on the Virginia side of the Potomac River across from Cabin John, MD. The weather was absolutely perfect and we couldn’t have asked for a nicer day for the hike. The loop is about 2.4 miles with a elevation gain of about 240 feet, which was perfect for the boys in the Webelos den who needed some more hiking miles for one of their adventure requirements. The trail can be a bit narrow where it runs along the river, so you have to hike in single file at times, but it is still a super fun hike!
Here is a small collection of photos from this years CS Pack1229 Pinewood Derby at the Congressional School in Falls Church, VA. Dylan and I worked really hard on his car this year and even though he won several of the preliminary heats for his den level, he still wasn’t quite fast enough to beat out Connor M. (also a Webelo) who had the fastest car in the entire pack. All the Scouts did a great job on their cars this year and remember… there’s always next year.
Dylan and the other boys in my Webelos Den have been working extremely hard at completing their adventure requirements and tonight while sharing an up coming project, Dylan and some of the others are being awarded for their most recent accomplishments. Looks like I need to teach him to stand still when he shakes the Cubmaster’s hand and receives his award, so I can get a decent picture!
This years Pack 1229 Fall Hike event was held at Theodore Roosevelt Island in Fort Myers, VA. The island, which sits on the Potomac River between Arlington, VA and Washington, DC. is only about 88.5-acres in size and sits about 44 feet above sea level at its highest point. The island, which is a national memorial, was given to the federal government by the Theodore Roosevelt Association in memory of the 26th president, Theodore Roosevelt.
Our Cub Scout Pack did a guided nature hike around the island using guide books supplied by the National Park Service and then tried to answer questions about the island and memorial that were in the back of the Park Service guide. Except for it being muddy from all the recent rain, I think all the Scouts had a great time… and I believe they actually learned a little something about history at the same time.
This year we held our Cub Pack Pack 1229 fall campout at Curtis Memorial Park in Fredericksburg, VA. During the camping trip, I had the Scouts from the Webelos Den work on several of their Adventure requirements including ‘Cast Iron Chef’ and the ‘Webelos Walkabout’. The Webs stayed busy by first completed a 3 mile hike on the Curtis Memorial Loop. Then they prepped and helped cooked dinner using ‘silver turtles’ (foil packs) for the entire pack. And they were also responsible for prepping, lighting and tending to the campfire for the evenings events. Dylan and the boys did an outstanding job handling and completing their tasks for the campout and I could not have been prouder of them.
