Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Boy Scouts, outdoors, and danger

To me, that final line in the article sums up the whole problem. There are too few backcountry-experienced troop leaders in scouting, and that's a recipe for disaster at times. It's been a lotta years since I was a Scout, but I recall that all of our adult leaders were parents of boys in the troop. If that's still the case today then it's no wonder that these situations arise from bad judgment in the field, lack of proper preparation, poor planning, or all three. Being a kid's parent carries zero qualifications in taking a group of kids on an adventure in dangerous territory or conditions. A degree of required training improves things somewhat, but I suspect that varies greatly from adult to adult.

For every truly experienced troop leader out there who knows what they're doing in the backcountry - especially with young kids - there are other adult leaders whose skills are overmatched by their own backyard, but would never admit it, and present themselves to their troop as a reincarnated Grizzly Adams (I'm thinking here of a specific blowhard neighbor who is bound to get himself, and possibly some of his troop, killed one day with his testosterone-fueled bravado).

I thank God there are committed and experienced adults like Doug and Chris that volunteer their time and abilities to bring the wonders of the backcountry to our kids through BSA, perpetuating that fascination for the next generation. Thank you both. We need many more like them in an organization that is almost totally dependent on volunteers but has no real vetting capability for solid skills. People like - well, actually . . . like most of us on these boards. Definitely food for thought.

Let's face it - if Scouting (and all of it's variations) doesn't get these kids outdoors, who will?