Ginny Millar, Elodie Wyles and Evie Schreiber review a map.
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Ginny Millar, Elodie Wyles and Evie Schreiber review a map.
You might not enjoy every Scouting activity. That’s OK — if you don’t like one, there are more than 130 merit badges and a lot of Scouting skills to explore.
Troop 1861 of Wyoming, Ohio, worked on a few, like tent pitching and fire building, during a weekend at Camp Michaels in Kentucky last winter. Probably their least favorite activity was orienteering, the navigation skill of using a map and compass.
“We literally went in three circles before Rosalind told us where to go the right way,” says Scout Lanie Kellner, 12, referring to Tenderfoot Scout Rosalind Schroer, 12.
Della Anderson, Rachel Fischer and Ginny Millar review a map before going through an orienteering course.
But they couldn’t just rely on their fellow Scout. Struggling to learn a new skill can be frustrating. But Scouts don’t give up. The girls figured out how to take a bearing, orient a map and measure their pace as they trekked through the orienteering course.
“We had to work as a team to figure it out,” says Tenderfoot Scout Elodie Wyles, 13.
Rosalind Schorer walks out of one of the camp’s yurts.
A few years ago, Camp Michaels — one of four Dan Beard Council camps — set up a couple of yurts for troops to use. A yurt is a large, circular shelter. The ones at the camp had enough bunk beds for the whole troop, plus a wood-burning stove so everyone could stay toasty at night.
During the day when the Scouts were outside, they needed to bundle up.
“I’m pretty sure at some point I was wearing all the clothes I packed,” says Evie Schreiber, 12, a Tenderfoot Scout.
Mabel Wilson, Maisie Anderson and Lanie Keller prepare their fire during a challenge.
The troop’s plan for the day involved a race in the style of the TV show The Amazing Race in which they used orienteering skills to locate multiple stations, where they then had to complete Scouting skill challenges or answer trivia questions. At one station, they lit a fire, feeding it so the flames would burn through a string above it. At another, they lashed poles together to create a ladder to climb.
“It was not fun; it was terrifying,” says Rachel Fischer, 12, a Tenderfoot Scout. “It was coming apart.”
“We had to relash it twice,” says Rosalind.
Maisie Anderson and Lanie Kellner work with their team to lash together a ladder.
Orienteering also required some do-overs. Being precise is important when using a map and compass, since even a small miscalculation can throw you way off your target.
“We ended up 50 feet from where we were supposed to be,” says Mabel Wilson, 11, a Tenderfoot Scout.
Even though it slowed them down in the race, when the Scouts took their time, they could point themselves in the right direction. That helped them find the tie-dyed markers, which had bags attached with the fixings for s’mores that the girls would make later.
Della Anderson makes marks on a map of Camp Michaels.
“It’s likely that conflict will come up, but that’s part of being in a group that works together,” says Life Scout Della Anderson, 16.
Despite the setbacks, the Scouts remained cheerful. They found plenty of chances to laugh and relax, like skipping rocks at the creek and playing around the yurt.
It was a fun and challenging campout, where the group completed rank requirements and learned new skills.
“It was one of my favorite camping trips I’ve done,” Elodie says. “If you want to do something, persevere through everything you need to do.”
Camp Michaels offers yurts for Scouts to sleep in.
If you want to figure out where you are exactly, you need to find a bearing.
First, point the baseplate direction-of-travel arrow on your compass at a landmark you can identify on your map, like a building or mountaintop. Holding the baseplate still, turn the compass housing until the needle lines up in the outline of the orienting arrow.
You have now taken a bearing on a landmark. You can use this information, along with additional bearings you take on different landmarks, to pinpoint where you are on a map. Learn more techniques in the Orienteering merit badge pamphlet.
JL VETERAN 37 MALANG
