Summer Scouting Opportunities.....
Our Troop's summer plans and dates are subject to availability and changes, but here is an idea of our tentative plans (or maybe its better to say "desires"). >>Scroll down the page for descriptions of these various activities.>>See links at left for photos from some of these summer events and planning pages for upcoming summer camps.
| 2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
| last
day
school: 6/11/09 |
last day
school: 6/17/10 |
last day school Thurs 6/16/11 |
||
| Brownsea 6/14-6/20 |
Brownsea 6/20-6/26 |
Brownsea 6/19-6/25?* |
Brownsea 6/17-6/23?* |
Brownsea 6/16-6/22?* |
| Cherry
Valley 6/14--6/20 |
Cherry
Valley 6/19-6/25 |
Cherry
Valley |
||
| Marin
Sierra 7/5--7/11 |
Marin
Sierra 7/11-7/17 |
Marin
Sierra |
Marin
Sierra |
Marin
Sierra |
| SeaBase 6/28-7/4 |
SeaBase? |
|||
| Natl
Jamboree 7/22--8/7 (see below) |
Intl
Jamboree 7/27--8/7 |
|||
| ** |
** |
Philmont? |
Philmont? |
Philmont? |
| 50
miler 7/18-7/26 |
50
miler |
50
miler |
50
miler |
50
miler |
| first
day
school: 8/26/09 |
first day
school Wed 9/1/10 |
* Brownsea (SFBAC) usually starts on Father's Day, which is the 3rd Sunday of June. Brownsea dates for out years are in grey as they are estimates.
** Philmont: the Piedmont Council is not planning to send a group to Philmont in 2009 or 2010 (due to Jambo), but it is likely that a group will go in 2011.
Camp
Marin
Sierra 
This BSA summer camp is in the Sierras,
near Lake Tahoe, and is owned and
operated by the Marin Council of the BSA. It is a good camp
for new
scouts. Marin Sierra has a good "Trail to First Class" program as
well as many merit badge offerings and high adventure
activities. Our Troop goes there every year. Dates: T11 generally goes to Marin Sierra in early July.
For details see our Troop's: Camp Marin Sierra Planning Page
Camp Cherry Valley
This is a classic BSA summer camp on Santa Catalina Island
in Southern
California. We camped there in 2006 and 2007, and we are booked
again for June 14-20, 2009.
It is among the most highly rated summer camps in the country, thus it
is booked 3 years ahead. They are on the leeward side of Catalina
so the water sports activities take place in the Pacific, including
fabulous opportunities for swimming, sailing, kayaking, snorkeling and
even scuba diving training for older scouts. They have beautiful
hiking trails, many merit badge programs, Trail to First Class and lots
of water and land activities. Fees:
week at Camp Cherry Valley
is $495
plus travel costs (plane to LA and van from airport to ferry). For more info see our Camp Cherry Valley Planning Page
BSA National
Jamboree
- the next BSA National Jamboree will be held the Summer of 2010 (dates: 7/26 to 8/4).
This
will be the 100th birthday of scouting in the United States, so it will
be a very special event. National
Jamborees are held at Fort A.P. Hill
in the Washington D.C. area.
The Piedmont Council will put together a special troop comprised of
interested scouts from all of the five Piedmont scout
troops. (Applications will be available from the Council
Office). The
Jamboree Troop usually does some touring of the East Coast prior to the
Jamboree.Web Sites:
BSA National Jamboree Web Site
Piedmont Council Jamboree Web Site
(added 7/13/09) Requirements: To go to the National Jamboree a scout must be: (i) a First Class scout, and (ii) 12 years old or have completed the Sixth grade by July 1, 2010. (i.e. birthday on or before June 30, 1998). (updated: 7/23/08)
Florida SeaBase - is a
BSA facility in Florida that offers "high adventure" activities in and
around the water, including sailing, snorkeling and scuba diving
adventures.
We went there in 2008 on the Coral Reef Sailing Adventure (sailing and
snorkeling trip) and our crew of
6 scouts and 2 adults had a terrific adventure. Here is a link
to a description of this trip: Coral Reef
Sailing Adventure Here is a link to some pictures
from this trip:SeaBase Trip 2008
Age Requirement: you must be 14 by Sept 1. SeaBase Trips are in high demand and there is a lottery for trips about 1 1/2 years in advance. Our next opportunity to go to SeaBase will probably be Summer of 2010 if we get a spot in the lottery.
Cost: BSA Seabase--Coral Reef Sailing fee is $650 per person based on crew of 8 (6 scouts and 2 adults). Other costs: airfare to Miami, ground transportation and spending money.
Note: This is a high adventure trip and it differs from a Boy Scout summer camp in the respect that SeaBase does not offer merit badges as part of their program. Of course it is always possible for the unit's adult leaders on the trip to work on individual merit badges with the scouts, but there is not a formal, multi-badge program offered by the staff, such as at Camp Marin Sierra or Cherry Valley. (8/20/07 update).
Link to our SeaBase 2008-T11
Photos from our SeaBase trip(s): SeaBase 2008
Philmont Scout Ranch
is a huge wilderness area in northern New Mexico owned by the
BSA.
It is forested, beautiful and at high altitude. It is near the
town of Cimarron in the Sangre de Christo Range of the Rocky
Mountains. The Piedmont
Council sent two "crews" to Philmont on July
27--August 8, 2008. These are coveted spots, the
Council typically will have openings for 20 scouts from all 5 Piedmont
troops. Each crew
plans its own Philmont trek, which involves 10 days of backpacking plus
travel
days on either end. A typical day on a trek would start with
hiking for 3-4 hours and then arriving at a back country camp,where the
crew will spend the night. There are approximately 57
trail camps and 34 staffed camps. Each staffed camp offers
different staffed activities and each crew plans its own trek itinerary
based
on that crew's interests. This is a great opportunity to
complete the requirements for Camping, Hiking and/or
Backpacking
merit badges. (Camping
is Eagle Required and Hiking
is an Eage
choice merit badge). One of the peak experiences of a scouting
career! Mr. Rich Harms
is coordinating this trip for the Council. Information on Philmont Planning:
There is usually an informational meeting in April for interested scouts and parents. Scouts should review the brochure and submit an application to the Council office if you want to go (Scoutmaster approval required).
Age requirement for Philmont are STRICT and are as follows:
(a) must be at least 14 by Jan 1, or
(b) must have completed the 8th grade AND be at least 13 years of age prior to participation.
Philmont Brochure and Application (2008)
Un-Official Philmont
this web page is about Philmont, but is not the
"official" BSA page. Photos from our Philmont Trek(s): Philmont 2008
Brownsea Training 
NYLT / Brownsea Training: This is a week-long youth leadership training program. It is offered by local councils during the summer at their scout camps (such as Wente and Camp Lindblad). The program is entirely leadership training, none of the merit badge type of program at the regular scout camp. It is an excellent opportunity for scouts interested in building leadership skills, for scouts and for life. First Class scouts can take the course and trained scouts can be on staff.
Summer 2008 NYLT / Brownsea Options:
June xx-xx (three options this week):
(i) Camp Tamarancho (Marin Council)
(ii) Wente Scout Reservation (San Francisco Council)
(iii) Camp Lindblad (Mt. Diablo Council)
July xx-xx
(i) Camp Herms (Mt. Diablo Council)
See the Youth Training Page for more information, brochures and links.
The San Francisco Bay Area Council hosts a Brownsea Training for Boy Scouts each year (in 2008 it was June 15-21) at the Wente Scout Reservation in Willits. For those who haven’t heard of the Brownsea program, it is an intensive leadership training similar to Woodbadge for adult Scout leaders. For more information, feel free to review the flyer (see below) and visit this website: www.brownsea-nylt.org. With questions, feel free to e-mail Course Director Rod Dore at rodneydore@yahoo.com or Jerry Tomaszak at jwtomaszak@aol.com.
Brownsea SFBAC Flyer
50
Miler - Our troop plans a summer back pack trip. July 18-July 26, 2009.
Contact Dick Turney for more info and to sign up. Click on this
link to go the T11 50 Miler page 
International Jamboree
Scouting is an active youth program for over 25 million youth in over
148 countries around the world. This special event is held every
four years and is an opportunity for these scouts from around the world
to meet, share scouting experiences and build international
friendships. The next International Jamboree will be held in Sweden in 2011. Here is a link to the Jamboree web site:
Sweden 2011 -
International Jamboree 
The last International Jamboree was in the summer of 2007 at Hylands
Park, in Chelmsford in England. T11 sent about a dozen scouts and
several adults, and it was an amazing experience, commemerating the
100th anniversary of the founding of the Scouting movement. Camp Ideas:
Camp Chawanakee, by Shaver Lake has been recommended.
Questions? Contact the Troop Webmaster by email (see Contacts page).
