TROOP RECHARTER **IMPORTANT INFO***

 Hi everyone.  It's troop 595 Recharter time and that means everyone has to recharter to be able to go to Philmont this summer.  For scouts 15-17 it involves the same procedure as always including getting a check to Dr. Dolle.

IF YOU ARE 18 YEARS OLD OR OLDER...

If you are 18 years old or older then your registration will cost a little less but you will have to:

• Take Youth Protection Training
• Take the Catholic Church Safe Haven Training 

I know what you're thinking. "GROAN! More training?!"

Relax.  It doesn't take that long and you can do it online now and just print out the certification.  And by the way I think you should put the "!" before the "?" in that quotation.  Just helping out with your grammar there.

These trainings are required in the troop and to go to Philmont.

Online YPT Training: https://my.scouting.org/

1. Go to My Scouting dot org (above) and make an account or sign in if you already have one.

2. Click on the menu in the upper left corner and then on My Training.

3. From there you can sign up and take the YPT course.  It takes about an hour from what I remember.

 

 

 ST. BERNADETTE SAFE HAVEN TRAINING: 

https://stbchurch.org/safe-environment-virtus

This is much better than it used to be.  You no longer have to find one of these somewhere in Houston and sign up for an in-person training that lasts hours.  It's much quicker online.

CONTACT DR. DOLLE AND LET HER KNOW YOU ARE STARTING THESE TRAININGS.  A GOOD GOAL TO SET FOR YOURSELF IS TO GET THIS DONE BEFORE THANKSGIVING.

 

HOLY SOCKS!

 Your backpacking socks are important.  Use the right socks the right way and your feet will be  happy the whole trip.  That means starting a new habit when backpacking, if you haven't already.  We spoke before and at the Tellepsen practice hike about socks and boots but here it is in writing.

Your feet should first have on a pair of sock liners.  Don't be afraid and think you should spend a fortune on this them.  I mean... you can if you want to, plenty of places would happily charge you $20+ for a pair of "hiker socks" that do wonderful things, but it's not necessary if you don't want to.

 

Here's a pair of "hiker socks" that is actually pretty reasonably priced.  But if you can find a pair of poly socks that fit nicely then that's all you really need.  Don't let me dissuade you from a nice pair of sock liners if that's what you want!  These are your feet and need to be treated well.  Just know that you don't have to.

Next up is your wool socks.  This can be real wool or "smart wool".  The reason for that is wool or "smart wool" will still keep your feet warm even if they are wet.  Also they are thicker than normal socks so they fit snugly in your boot so your foot doesn't move around as much.  Less movement, less chance of blisters.

 

 

WHY A SOCK LINER AND A WOOL SOCK?

You need both because you'll be wearing your socks for multiple days at a time.  If you have a wool sock and a sock liner, the majority of sweat will go into the sock liner and not the wool sock.  That way you only have to wash the sock liners every couple of days to keep your feet fresh.  That way you only have to have one pair of wool socks.  

Just wash a pair of the sock liners every couple of days and let them dry while wearing a second pair.  Your wet socks WILL be dry by the next day when you need them.  Northern New Mexico is dry, not humid like Houston.

To Summarize:

2 pair of sock liners

1 pair of wool socks

Not listed but needed: package of  moleskin.  If you don't know what that is, it's a soft spongy material with a peel-off sticky side.  It can be cut to any size to cushion a blister on your foot.

 

 Leave a comment below if you have suggestions or experience that can help others get ready.