After several years of serving the great Orange County Council, we have returned to serve Michigan Crossroads Council.  While we are adjusting to the new area we are also looking to see where we can best serve MCC.  

Wood Badge Honor Roll

 
The first Wood Badge course was offered in 1919 at Gilwell Park in the United Kingdom.  This Lord Robert Baden Powell knew that every scout deserved a trained leader and Wood Badge was created to fell that need.  Wood Badge is now offered in every country and proves to be a training that goes above and beyond expectations.  It combines both classroom sessions and outdoor activities which bring the scouting experience to life.  It also provides deeper understanding on how and why the Scouting program works.

 Jay Simancek (1988) EC-CS-15

Marianne Simancek (2002) C-23-02

Clysta Simancek (2016) W4-39-16-1

Jeff Simancek (2015) W4-39-15-2

 
Dimitrios Simancek (2019) W4-39-19

Going Digital with Merit Badges

To make the skills needed for the Wilderness Survival and Pioneering Merit Badges easier to access, view and practice, I have start to post videos online.  I have added 2 playlists to my YouTube Channel.

The first playlist is Rope Work.  This channel contains videos for knots, knot challenges, rope making, and I am in the process of creating videos for lashings and more knots.

The second channel is for Wilderness Survival.  This playlist will contain some of the skills necessary for the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge, include fire starting I will be expanding to include shelter building.

Check out these videos at:
https://www.youtube.com/user/wolftracksmassagethe

Wood Badge

In September 2015 I embarked in a journey which has given me tools and training both inside and outside of Scouting.  Wood Badge is a world-wide training course for adult scouters which teaches the participant about all aspects of the Scouting Program.  Participants will learn about the stages of building a team, group dynamics, programming and so much more.  This course does not take place just in a classroom, but is a 2 weekend intensive course involving classroom and practical applications. After the course the participants are given 18 months to complete "tickets" which they select to help them achieve a goal of theirs specific to scouting.

This has been a wonderful and changing experience.  I encourage each and everyone who is involved with scouting, go through this course and work those tickets.  On October 10, 2016 I was finally presented with my beads to complete my first Wood Badge Course.  I am sure I will be back to help staff a course in the future.

Support Group

For those who have been following me on Facebook know I have recently accepted a challenge to bring an awareness regarding Combat Veterans.  The challenge is known as the 22 for 22 challenge.  Here is a little background . . .  Roughly 22 Combat Veterans commit suicide a day.  The challenge is to commit to doing 22 push ups for 22 days in recognition of these fallen soldiers.  Now let's add to this that September is National Suicide Prevention Month and Sunday was 9-11.  I requested to talk to our boys briefly at our meeting and shared another story with them.

On Sunday, September 11, 2016, I had the privilege of working on a client who was at the towers when they fell 15 years ago.  I have seen this client for 2 years and we rarely discussed this event in his life.  He shared how New York provided counselors, how he sought help, but it had little to no effect.  He discovered acupuncture and bodywork and that it had a profound impact on his ability to cope and deal with the PTSD he struggled with.

In recognition of our former military in our Troop, for those soldiers, friends, and people we do not know, I asked the my Troop to join me, for the day, in doing the 22 for 22 challenge with me.  While only a couple hands went up in the air, what happened next was more than amazing.  25 Scouts and Adult Leaders showed their support, not just for me, but for all the fallen warriors, soldiers, friends, family, and those who are suffering with thoughts of suicide. 

Thank you Troop 606. All I can can is thank you!

 

Repurposing Firewood

Out here is California, we tend to be limited in our campfire options.  It is common to have left over firewood. One nice thing by us is the place we get our firewood carries redwood.  We had left over firewood from our last campout, so, naturally, it got stored in my garage.  I was getting ready for our next campout and thought I should split some of the wood to make some kindling.  I saw this one piece and thought, "This could be something . . ."  After several weeks of chiseling, carving and sanding.  Then add some stain and gloss this is what came out of the former piece of firewood.

Now there was a reason to do this.  I recently saw something in our local scout shop which I thought would be a good idea.  I didn't want to purchase one thinking I would make one instead.  I will say I do like the way it turned out.  I may need to create another one as I increase my coin collection.

 

And to think that we almost cut this down for its original purpose, a campfire.  There is beauty in everything, sometime it just needs a little work to shine through.

Knot Tying Station Mark 2

Question:  What do you do when you have extra wood from a knot tying station????

Answer:  You make another one!

Well, the wood left over was not long enough to make a full three and a half foot station so I made a 3 foot version and added an eighth knot.  Here is the list of knots:

1. Square Knot
2. Clove Hitch
3. 2 Half Hitch
4. Taut Line
5. Timber Hitch
6. Bowline
7. Sheet Bend
8. Figure 8