This year our family has become even more involved in Cub Scouts than previously would have expected. The recent shake up in leadership left the Pack without several key members due to the older Scouts and families moving on to Boy Scouts. With that, I found myself being talked into volunteering again… this time as the senior Webelos Den Leader. Since my son Dylan was a Webelo this year, it was nice to be able to lead his den and teach all the boys about the outdoors. Scouting at the Webelos level is a lot of fun and the adventures are more geared towards outdoors, camping, cooking and outdoor survival… all of my favorite things.
Being a Scout leader also requires you to gather the boys and encourage them to volunteer for service projects around the community. This year, with a Webelos Den of 13 boys, I had my hands full, but always found time to help out with Pack events. One of our service projects for the year was to help out at the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC during the BSA NCAC National Mall Project. We had a great total pack turnout and at least half of my Webelos Scouts showed up to help with the Mall Project.
Here are some photos from our annual Pack 1229 Cub Scout event… the Raingutter Regatta at The Congressional School in Falls Church, VA. Dylan made a really nice boat with a good sail design that did very well in the preliminary heats, but as in years past, the kids with the larger lungs took the top spots to go on and race in the finals.
Congrats to all the Cub Scouts of Pack 1229! Here are a couple of photos from the Pack’s Move-up Ceremony. Dylan and the rest of the Bears all earned their rank and will be moving up to the Webelos den next year.
“Wait… you mean we’re suppose to eat the marshmallows too!” – Lake Fairfax, VA
So last fall, I took Dylan on his very first Cub Scout camping trip to Prince William Forest for what I like to call ‘Cabin Camping’ with his CS pack. This past weekend, Dylan got to try tent camping with me for the very first time and he loved it! Cub Scout Pack 1229 sponsors two camping trips a year and last weekend they had their Spring Camp out at Lake Fairfax in Fairfax, VA. Aside from a little rain and wind overnight, it turned out to be a really nice time. Dylan and I opted to use my REI Passage-2 two person backpacking tent for our first outing together and it did a great job protecting us from the overnight wind and rain. However, I think that in the future I will take my ALPS Mountaineering Morada 4-person Tent and ALPS Air Bed, so that I might get a little better nights sleep. At this level of Scouting, car camping is pretty much all these kids do, so there’s really no need for an ultralight weight backpacking tent. The most important piece of camping equipment for kids at a young age is a good mummy bag. There is nothing worse then having your child complaining all night that they’re cold.
‘One of Dylan’s woodworking projects for the Bear Den’ – Pack 1229, Falls Church, VA
Here are a batch of random photos from Dylan’s Cub Scout meetings and adventures. They are in no particular order and I will be adding more photos to this gallery as I take them, so don’t mind the dates either.
I never thought I would ever be working on another BSA Pinewood Derby car ever, but yet here I am designing and making a new car for my son to race in his very first pinewood derby. I must admit, I’m a bit rusty on the woodworking side of things especially when it comes to small scale projects, but I do have the tools and the time. I did make Dylan work with me on this project as much as his attention span could handle. Dylan picked out the design and helped with the sanding, painting and final assemble. It turned out to be a really nice car, just not the fastest car on the track. However, he did win an award for ‘best Race Car’ design for the pack. Great job Dylan!
‘Taking a break for a photo op on the bank of the North Potomac River’ – Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, McLean, VA
One of the nicest things about living in the Northern Virginia area is the diversity of the area and the ability to change your scenery by doing nothing more than traveling 30 to 45 minutes in any direction. Living in Arlington, we are literally walking distance to Georgetown, which is one of the more beautiful and popular spots in Washington DC. Even though we enjoy being close to the city, it’s nice to get out of the city and enjoy a nice hike in the woods from time to time.
‘Scouting friendship… Lily, Dylan, Liam & Henry’ – Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, McLean, VA
This year the location of the Pack 1229 fall hike would turn out to be a favorite of mine… Scott’s Run Nature Preserve, which is located on the Virginia side of the Potomac River in North McLean. I’ve hiked these trails before and truly enjoy both the scenic views of the north river and the rocky waterfalls. Dylan has shown much more interest in hiking since joining the Cub Scouts and I believe this outing will be yet another positive bonding experience for both of us and his new Scouting friends.
Here are a couple more photos from Dylan’s first month in Scouting with Cub Scout Pack 1229, Falls Church, VA. He should have joined the Pack as a Wolf this year, but because his friend Liam was a grade level ahead (and he insisted on being in his friends Den), we let him join the Bear Den with the condition that he puts in twice the effort and tries to earn both his Wolf and Bear rank this year. Being the great dad and former Scout that I am, I told him that I would work with him one-on-one to make sure he accomplish the tasks and adventures that were required to make his ranks. It’s nice to see that he has taken to Scouting like a fish to water. Oh yeah, and he also earned his first belt loop this month too!
‘Dylan the Cub Scout – Let’s Go Camping!’ – Arlington, VA
I have to admit, ever since my son joined the ranks of Cub Scouting last month, I have been looking forward to getting back into the woods myself to help out on some of his camping trips There’s nothing better than pitching a tent in the middle of the woods and falling a sleep under the stars listening to the sounds of nature. However, it turns out that Dylan’s first camping trip with Pack 1229 would wind up being a little different than what we first expected… they call it “Cabin Camping”. Okay, so it didn’t turn out exactly as I had envisioned, but the event was a lot of fun and seeing how we were in bear country (and there had been several sightings), it was probably a better idea to start the ‘first timer’ out in a cabin sleeping on a somewhat comfortable raised cot. Next trip will be tent camping for sure!!
‘The cabin Dylan & I slept in for his first camping trip’ – Prince William Forest, Prince William, VA
‘Dylan testing out his very first Raingutter Regatta boat’ – Falls Church, VA
Thanks to a friend who Dylan meet in summer camp, we have officially become a Cub Scout family. I was a Boy Scout myself when I was younger, and even though I never made Eagle Scout, I did learn a lot from the program. Being a Scout brought me closer to nature and helped to make me a better outdoors-men and survivalist. I hope that Dylan will stay active in Scouting long enough for me to teach him the ways of the woods. I’ve already been asked by several of the Scout Leaders if I would be interested in helping out with the program. My reply was a simple..”We’ll see how things go”.
