Camping Carabiners
"The best way to be sure you have quality time is to have quantity time."
While that saying applies far beyond time outside, we at Troop 70 believe a Scout should camp far more than the nights required for the Camping Merit Badge or the Order of the Arrow. Many of our Scouts have over 50 camping nights, and a few surpass 100.
How do we quickly know who has lots of camping experience? Troop 70's Camping Carabiner Program recognizes Scouts who have gone above and beyond the minimum, and it serves as an indicator for our younger Scouts who look to our experienced youth for guidance in the outdoors.
The program is simple: on the morning after his first campout with Troop 70 as a visitor or as a new Scout, each boy gets a carabiner, which he'll put on his left front belt loop as part of his uniform. On that carabiner the Scout will find a ring and a single white bead, which recognizes one camping night while affiliated with Troop 70. After his next campout he'll earn another white bead for his carabiner, and when that Scout has his fifth night, he'll trade in his four white beads and the fifth he's about to receive in exchange for a blue bead. Two blue beads equal a black bead, which signifies 10 camping nights, so:
White Bead: One Camping Night
Blue Bead: Five Camping Nights
Black Bead: Ten Camping nights
Beyond camping nights, we have a few programs we want to highlight in Troop 70, so -- in addition to the nights reflected in his black, blue, and white beads -- a Scout will proudly display the following awarded by the Troop:
Orange Bead: Summer Camp
Clear Bead: Winter Camp
Green Bead: High Adventure or Jamboree
Silver Bead: NYLT or NAYLE
The path to more beads is clear, and the benefits are, too. At Troop 70 we like it that way.
