Scouting, Volume 97, Number 5, November-December 2009 Page: 52
60 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
LETTERS
FROM PAGE 6
the Mattole River and head south
to Shelter Cove. Since the prevailing
winds are from the north, the theory
goes, you would hike with them. In
reality, you'll get winds from every
direction.
access: From the north: U.S. 101 to the
Ferndale exit. Once in Ferndale, follow
signs to Petrolia. One mile past Petrolia,
turn right on Lighthouse Road; it's 5
more miles to the Mattole Recreation
Site. From the south: U.S. 101 to the
Redway/Garberville exit. Follow signs
to Shelter Cove/King Range NCA.
Caution: The roads to the coast are
rough.
contact/permits: BLM, King Range
Office at 707-986-5400 or blm.gov/ca/
arcata/kingrange/ All organized groups
accessing the King Range National
Conservation Area need a BLM Special
Recreation Permit. The King Range
office must receive your permit appli-
cations at least 30 days before the date
of your arrival.
shuttles: If you don't want to hike
round-trip, arrange for a shuttle.
Contact: Lost Coast Shuttle, 707-986-
7437, or Lost Coast Trail Transport
Service, 707-986-9909.
bear canisters: The BLM requires
groups to store all scented items-
food, toothpaste, deodorant—in a bear
canister. One per person is recom-
mended, and the BLM office will rent
them for $5 per person, per trip.
bird viewing: Visitors to King Range
can see dozens of different bird
species, including many varieties of
loons, wrens, gulls, and herons.
local wisdom: You'll find several sec-
tions of the coast impassable at high
tide. So carry a tide table, and when in
doubt, hike these stretches during an
outgoing tide to avoid danger.
Buena Vista, Colo.-based writer larry
rice is a contributing editorfor Canoe
& Kayak magazine andformer contrib-
uting editor to Backpacker. He is the
author of Gathering Paradise: Alaska
Wilderness Journeys.
ducted the tests at a troop
meeting before our annual
troop picnic.
Anyone who could beat
me got a special dessert
at the picnic. The Scouts
learned that this wasn't as
easy as they thought and
that you should never under-
estimate your opponent,
even if he is 59 years old.
Boys like challenges, and this
was certainly one that got
their attention. I recommend
that every troop (Scouts and
adults) challenge themselves
to do these five tests once
per year.
Francis W. Kearney
TUCSON, ARIZ.
As a registered dietitian,
certified personal trainer,
and Scouter, I applaud Chief
Scout Executive Robert
Mazzuca for aggressively
bringing to the forefront
the importance of healthful
lifestyles and challenging all
involved in the BSA, includ-
ing leaders, to become more
physically strong. Any of
us who truly live the Scout
Oath and Law recognized the
seriousness of their words.
These are tenants to live our
lives.
As a Personal Fitness
merit badge counselor, I
have witnessed first hand
the positive changes in
many Boy Scouts' lives while
working with them. Many
have become advocates
of healthful lifestyles long
after completing the merit
badge. The Scouts also rec-
ognize that they are able to
participate in and actually
enjoy more fully the troop's
outdoor activities. Many
times, the Scouts end up
completing additional merit
badges that involve physi-
cal fitness, reinforcing the
importance of health.
The outdoor activities
that are a central theme in
Scouting are the catalysts to
inspire Scouts and Scouters
alike to become more physi-
cally strong.
Thank you for placing
such emphasis on health
and how we as Scouts and
Scouters can make a positive
impact on the health of our
Scouting units, communities,
and country.
Fran Bevins Williams, RD, LD, CPT
RICHMOND, KY.
Although I agree that today's
Scouters definitely could
use more exercise and to
lose quite a bit of weight. I
disagree with the published
weight standards. According
to your standards, I am out
of shape.
I am 68 inches [tall], but
I weigh 210 pounds. Yet my
body fat is 16 percent. I exer-
cise 3 to 4 days a week at
the gym, and I am an endur-
ance rider (long-distance
horseback riding)—along
with being able to throw
around 100-pound bales
of hay. Even the military, in
which I served for 20 years,
has become smarter on
standards of fitness than a
height-weight chart.
So now what the Scouts
have done is effectively
reduce the chances for boys
to participate in high-adven-
ture camps because their
leaders don't meet a height-
weight standard but may in
fact be physically fit.
If this is to be the stan-
dard for Scouting, where
physical fitness is extremely
important, start at the
top and lead by example.
Perhaps Scouting needs a
physical fitness test. Can't
pass, can't be a leader.
That should really expand
the knowledge base for our
future Scouters.
Keith Rae
HEREFORD ARIZ.
My physical exam with the
new medical form was a big
awakening for me. I have
always been fairly active, but
I was beyond the maximum
[weight], and thus was not
qualified to go on the high-
adventure events with my
now 14-year-old Scout. Talk
about motivation!
I have lost 35 pounds
since June and have another
25 to go for my goal. I am
below the disallowed weight
for my height, and I will
be revisiting my doctor to
update my medical form with
my new weight.
Key to my weight loss was
understanding the calories
of the food I was eating. Did
you know that a bagel could
have twice the calories of a
doughnut?
I used the "My Plate"
food and exercise tracker
on the Livestrong Web
site (livestrong.com). This
immediate feedback on the
foods I was eating (or chose
not to eat) has made all the
difference.
Mark Bauer
DEL MAR, CALIF.
letters about articles
appearing in Scouting magazine may be
submitted online at scoutingmagazine.org
or addressed to Scouting Magazine,
1325 W. Walnut Hill Ln., Irving, TX 75038.
Letters may be edited for space or clarity.
52
SCOUTING * NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2009
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 97, Number 5, November-December 2009, periodical, November 2009; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth299168/m1/54/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.