DUG, Nobody is aiming their complaints at you at all! Please don't take those complaints personally!!!

Boy scouts has been a lightning rod because they have taken on the goal of providing wholesome life-building experiences and training for boys and girls during their most important growing years. Since BSA is involved with such an influential role, the organization and their policies become targets of organizations and people from all political and religious angles.

And they become a lightning rod for attention and negative publicity when things go awry. You and Chris have both seen examples of adults who were turned away due to their being inadequately prepared to lead scouts. Apparently and unfortunately, other groups within the organization have been more lax with their standards and training.

And it just happened that in this thread, a number of people have shared their less than positive experiences regarding the organization. I don't think anyone here would have ANY reason to say anything negative about you or the fine scout group you lead. From everything I've read about your trips, both from the planning and the actual trip, your group should be held up as a prime example of how every scout troupe should operate. My son was in scouting, and they NEVER went on backpacking trips (you can picture the condition of the leaders.)

And with all the negative publicity, I have to tell about my experience. Hiking over Silver Pass to Blainey Hot Springs (across the San Joaquin river from Muir Trail Ranch), I encountered about 10 teenage boys relaxing in and around the hot springs. They were the best behaved group of teenage boys I have EVER encountered -- clean language, friendly and respectful of each other and everyone else. So I had to inquire what group they were. It was a scouting group from So California!

It could very well have been your group.

So there are some really fantastic groups in the BSA. And I hope you will continue to participate here with your planning and reporting on your group's activities. It would be good if all scouting groups participated in planning -- we could help educate and inform those less prepared.

Everyone here appreciates what you do. Please keep it up.