A Brisk Winter Hike

Just because spring is here doesn't mean there isn't winter hiking to be done! This past week we were able to hike the Little Cottonwood Creek Trail. Despite the generally warmer conditions in the valley, there was still a good 4-8 inches of snow over the bulk of the trail. The side of the trail is "littered" with ancient boulders, some larger than houses, that were the original materials from which stone was cut to fashion the Salt Lake City LDS Temple.

Although the hike up was demanding, the scouts made record time going downhill, picking up any trail trash found along the way.















Afterwards, the scouts wound down with a game of imaginary baseball.

Photos from the Theatre...

I'm sorry it's taken so long, but here are some pics I snapped at our trip to see "Captain Bree."

Getting together before the show.
It pays to be early!

In fact....







We were so early that Mr. Layne took us on a tour of the U's campus. We took in the lovely landscape and even saw the beautiful murals in the Park Building.







Finally, it was time to go inside. The Cubmaster laid down the rules for all the boys and also explained the historical importance of theater.

He's a smart one!





Places, everyone! Once the show started, the boys really got a kick out of whole performance experience.

Best of all, there was even a song where the audience could sing along!




All in all a great trip. We've got to do this again.

Planning Ahead...

Esteemed Parents and Cubs,

As I've mentioned before, the Den will be attending the Youth Theater at the U 11:00 am showing of "Captain Bree and Her Lady Pirates" Saturday, 11-22-08.

Think about it...A uniformed outing to a theatrical performance? This is going to be great!

Anyhow, in order to ensure that sufficient funding can be allocated for this trip, I ask that our Cubs RSVP me to confirm their attendance.
Sadly, stake funding will only cover Scouts and Leaders.
So any extra kids or parents shall have to cover their own admission.
Sorry for the inconvenience.

As usual, please contact me with any questions, comments or concerns.

Sept. Field Trip: Time to start planning ahead....

Esteemed Cubs and Parents,

For our September field trip, it is my plan to take our Den to the Salt Lake City Greek Festival on Saturday, September 6th.

Diversity is such a big part of scouting. And by giving them a chance to taste different foods, view folk dances and celebrate another culture's identity, I believe that our Cubs will have their horizons broadened as to just how big the world can be.

Needless to say, this is going to be a big undertaking for us. The festival may be congested and traffic will certainly be an obstacle due to a 10k run. Even so, I think we can pull this off with a little planning.

To beat the crowds, it is my plan to have the Den at the festival when it opens at 10:00 am.
As such, I'd like to assemble everyone at the LDS Church Building on Capecchi Drive at 9:00 am and then carpool to the site. Once there, we'll spend 1-2 hours taking in the fun and then return to the church for pick-ups. Nice and easy.

OK, here's the tricky part. To help keep track of our boys amidst the throng of folks, I'd like at least five adults to help act as chaperons.
For now, I'll accept volunteers. (Never fear, I'll start begging next week.)

Finally, every scout in attendance is going to need a completed consent form.
Sorry, no exceptions.

Guys, I really think we can make this work. Best of all, it might make a lasting impression on our boys and help them enjoy different world cultures.

We've got a whole week to plan. Please e-mail me with any questions, comments or concerns. And thank you so much for your continued support of Cub Scouting.

Understanding Our History (7-19-08)...

For this meeting the boys got together to visit one of the University's best kept secrets, the Fort Douglas Museum.

We picked the perfect day for the trip. The weather was hot, but bearable. And the soft breeze coming out of the mountains really helped cool things off.

The museum was divided into inside and outside sections. Sadly, I was unable to take any inside pictures due to the small spaces and having to keep up with the guys.

But I did make sure that some pics got snapped outside. Take a look for yourself!

All posed-up outside the main building.
The Cubs were really excited to get inside and take it all in.








Eventually, our tour made its way to the outer artillery park.








Outside, we talked about the different components of an artillery piece and what kind of work went into firing a cannon.







Being an ex-artillery guy myself, this section was one of my favorites.








The guys really dug the park, too. They asked a ton of questions and really immersed themselves in the military history.








Admittedly, some of them just enjoyed the shade.












I believe the boys really got something out of this trip. The museum was steeped in the rich military tradition of Utah. Best of all, the museum was close by, the price was right and hopefully the memories will last all their lives.

Great job, guys.

Cub Country! (Part II)

Unfortunately, I myself couldn't make it to the second day, which was Jurassic Journey, but I do have a lot of photos. Since I don't exactly know what's going on (besides fun) I'm just going to slap them all up here!

Cub Country! (Part I)

Whew! This Friday and Saturday were very exciting and very successful! All of the boys that went were great, and we did a lot of cool stuff. Unsurprisingly, we have a ton of photos to post here. So let's waste no time and move on to the pictures!




Starting out in the morning, everyone watches enraptured as the staff give their opening performance!









Here's the staff, joining us in the pledge!









Our guide for the day was none other than Zorro! He started out by teaching everyone about maps, which our pack were already pros at.







Then we made some very cool masks. J.W. shows off his progress!












Next the boys got to drive their own
Batmobiles!













Everyone exercised their trust in a blind walk, where they relied only on their friends' advice for guidance!






Next was the obstacle course, where there were so many cool photos that I'm just going to post a bunch of them right here!

We were shown up into Batman's personal treehouse secret base!










And after that,t hey boys were very responsible learning to shoot with BB Guns.









The staff performed to a packed arena in the goodbye ceremony!






I hope that everyone had fun on their first day of camp! Day #2 will be posted right after this!