rank ADVENTURES

call of the wild


Resources

for this

Adventure

Learn About the Adventure

Current requirements can be seen HERE as well as found in your rank manual - along with great ideas for completion. We guide you through the completion of the requirements in bold below.

Complete Requirements 1-4 plus at least one other.

  1. Attend one of the following:

(a) A pack or family campout
(b) An outdoor activity with your den or pack
(c) Day camp
(d) Resident camp

  1. With your family or den, make a list of possible weather changes that could happen during your outing according to the time of year you are outside. Tell how you will be prepared for each one.

3. Do the following:

(a) Recite the Outdoor Code with your leader.
(b) Recite the Leave No Trace Principles for Kids with your leader. Talk about how these principles support the Outdoor Code.
(c) After your outdoor activity or campout, list the ways you demonstrated being careful with fire or other dangers.

4. Show or demonstrate what to do:

(a) In case of a natural disaster such as an earthquake or flood.
(b) To keep from spreading your germs.

5. Show how to tie an overhand knot and a square knot.

6. While on a den or family outing, identify four different types of animals you see or explain evidence of their presence. Tell how you identified them.

Office/ School Supplies


Camp/ Outdoor Gear Supplies

  • Length of Rope (For learning to tie knots we recommend and rope between 1/4"-1/2" thick)

Misc. Supplies

#2 | prepare for weather

NOTE: This requirement can be easily taught with Paws on the Path Requirement #3

☐ What kind of weather should you expect when camping in the SUMMER/ WINTER/ FALL/ SPRING?

☐ How will you prepare for each?

Part 1: Check Before You Go

Always check the weather before you pack the car and head out! That is the best time to cancel, if need be, or bring extra items that will help you deal with more minor weather changes.

Part 2: Prepare for Rain

TENT:

      1. Waterproof Tent - If you camp in rain prone areas you should waterproof your tent when you get it and reapply waterproofing each season. Seam seal is another step you can take to help your tent weather the storms

      2. Rain Fly - The rain fly is the best step you can take to keep your tent dry. This is true even if there is no rain but you are camping in a humid area. The morning dew can make an unprotected tent soggy

      3. Check the “lay of the land” - Before you set up your tent make sure the area is high and dry. Do not choose a spot that looks like water has or will run through it.

      4. Ground Cloth - A waterproof barrier between the ground and your tend bottom helps to protect the tent from damage and keep the wet ground from coming up.



DECK OF CARDS: Or some sort of tent friendly entertainment.

RAIN GEAR: Plastic ponchos are cheap and small to pack - you can upgrade to more official rain gear as you camp more. Also, consider bringing rain boots if you expect muddy conditions. They will make moving around camp more comfortable.

  • If you expect rain and muddy conditions you may want to bring an old rug you can put at the entrance of your tent for shoes.

EXTRA SOCKS: The worst part of being wet is wet feet. It can also be dangerous depending on other conditions. Make sure you have enough socks that your feet can dry out completely. Wool blends are best.



Part 3:

Prepare for Cold

SLEEPING IN THE COLD

  • Sleeping bag ratings - Make sure your sleeping bag is rated to the lowest temperature you are expecting. Keep in mind when shopping, that the number listed is often a survival level not a comfort level. So while you may make it through the night it may not be a comfortable night without additional layers.

  • Sleeping pad - Layers for you, layers for your tent! Put a solid barrier between the ground and your sleeping bag. A lot of the cold will come up from the ground. An air mattress will trap the cold and make you colder. Put a sleeping pad under your sleeping bag or even under your air mattress or cot.

    • Cardboard: If we expect cold weather (or even if it might be) we break down large cardboard boxes and line the bottom of our tent with them. It gives a cheap extra layer that takes up negligible cargo space and can be discarded on the way out of camp.

DRESSING FOR THE COLD

Clothing/ Layers/ Blends - Plan to layer your clothes and the temperature will change throughout the day and your activity level. Thin base layers made of moisture wicking blends covered by thicker warmer layers will give you the most comfort.

  • Stay away from cotton base layers. When cotton gets wet (from sweat) it does not dry quickly and will keep you colder.

  • Wool is great for layers and socks. Aim to get at least 60% wool in your sock blends. If you budget is able go higher.

    • We have found great sales on nice wool-blend socks at our local scout shop and, for adults, the hiking socks produced by the Kirkland’s brand at Costco are great.

Part 4: Prepare for Heat

  1. Insects - Bugs and critters are at their most active when the weather is warm. Be prepared with insect repellant, tick checks, and knowledge of what to do if you encounter wildlife.

  2. Thin Fabric - It may seem to make more sense to strip down while sleeping but wearing a thin moisture-wicking fabric can keep you cooler and cleaner. Expect a lot of sweat in this environment.

  3. Fans - We don’t judge! Bring a fan if you think it will help and keep morale up. There are many battery operated ones that will offer a little relief. Some campsites have outlets - just don’t forget the extension cord and extra batteries.

  4. Activity - Hot weather is prime time for water activities. Make sure you have all the safety preparations completed and bring appropriate supplies for all levels.

#3 | Outdoor Code

The Outdoor Code

Sing it to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle

(hear it)

As an American, I will do my best to -

  • Be clean in my outdoor manners,

  • Be careful with fire,

  • Be considerate in the outdoors, and

  • Be conservation minded.

#3 | Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace Principles


  1. Know before you go

  2. Choose the right path

  3. Trash your trash

  4. Leave what you find

  5. Be careful with fire

  6. Respect Wildlife

  7. Be kind to other visitors

Leave No Trace Cootie Catcher

Make a Leave No Trace Cootie Catcher and use a Leave No Trace Ethics Card to remember the rules. Attach it to your day pack so they will always be with you!

Each panel of the Cootie Catcher asks scouts to tell or discuss parts of the Leave No Trace Principles:

LNTP #1: Know Before You Go

What should you prepare and plan before going on a hike or outdoor adventure?

Anything that will help you avoid unexpected situations like proper groups size, permits, timing, proper clothing and supplies for the terrain and weather, plan for putting out campfires and taking away trash, etc.

LNTP #2: Choose the Right Path

Answer one. Which is the better option and why:

In high-use areas: Should you use an existing trail or forge a new one?

“Minimize resource damage by using existing trails and selecting designated or existing campsites. Keep campsites small by arranging tents in close proximity.”


In more remote areas which is the better surface option for setting up camp? Compacted soil or soft, loose ground.

“Avoid places where impacts are just beginning to show. Always choose the most durable surfaces available: rock, gravel, sand, compacted soil, dry grasses, or snow.”

LNTP #3: Trash Your Trash

Answer one of the following. TRUE or False:

  1. Remove all litter from your campsite. (True - even if it is not yours)

  2. It is okay to wash with soap in a lake, river, or stream. (False - “Help prevent contamination of natural water sources: After straining food particles, properly dispose of dishwater by dispersing at least 200 feet (about 80 to 100 strides for a youth) from springs, streams, and lakes. Use biodegradable soap 200 feet or more from any water source.”)

  3. If there are no restroom facilities you need to act like a cat and bury your waste. (True - “Proper human waste disposal helps prevent the spread of disease and exposure to others. Catholes 6 to 8 inches deep in humus and 200 feet from water, trails, and campsites”)

LNTP #4: Leave What You Find

Why should you not take home rocks, sticks, squirrels, or things you find on a hike?

“Allow others a sense of discovery, and preserve the past... It may be illegal…”

LNTP #5: Be Careful With Fire

List two ways to put out a fire.

Smother it with water or sand. Use a shovel to disperse the ashes and coals.

LNTP #6: Respect Wildlife

How should you safely observe wildlife? (“from afar to avoid disturbing them”)

What is okay to feed wildlife? (Nothing! “Never feed wildlife. Help keep wildlife wild.”)

LNTP #7: Be Kind to Other Visitors

How can you be a thoughtful camper?

”Travel and camp in small groups (no more than the group size prescribed by land managers); Let nature’s sounds prevail. Keep the noise down and leave radios, tape players, and pets at home; Select campsites away from other groups to help preserve their solitude; Always travel and camp quietly to avoid disturbing other visitors; Make sure the colors of clothing and gear blend with the environment; Respect private property and leave gates (open or closed) as found.”

How to fold a Cootie Catcher

#4 | Earthquake and Floods

#5 | Stop the Germs!

Wash your hands while singing the Outdoor Code - twice!

#6 | Overhand & Square Knot

Overhand Knot

    • Make a loop in one end of the rope.

    • Tuck an end through the loop.

    • Pull to tighten the knot.

Square Knot

    • “Right over left, Left over right”

#7 | Critters

Take a family, den, or pack outing - camp, hike, walk, or drive. Use your Animals of Texas printout to help identify four different types of animals.

  • You do not have to actually see the animal. You can identify by nests, scat, footprints, feathers, fur, etc.





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