September Activities

• The Mystery Trip is scheduled for September 14. The specifics are being shrouded in mystery as they develop. The general parameters will be announced the week of September 10th.
• The Fall Court of Honor is scheduled for Tuesday, September 24 at 7:30 PM at O'Donnell Center to celebrate the achievements of the scouts. The agenda was reviewed and plans are being developed for the Court.

October Activities

• The Hometown Fair booths were discussed and the need to have volunteers step forward to coordinate each of the booths was discussed.
• A flyer will be circulated to solicit scouts to run the Hometown Fair 10K on Saturday morning of the Fair.
• October 18 to 20 is the Fall Rock Hike to Joshua Tree. We have reserved 1 group site and some individual sites to accommodate about 80 people. We will need to be sure we have enough trained instructors going on the trip. We will solicit to see if there is enough interest to start an instructor's class beginning on September 13th.
• The Eagle Court scheduled for October will be cancelled. We are looking to possibly holding an Eagle Court on November 17th.
• An Eagle Project was approved for the weekend of October 26/27. The project will involve the relocation of the murals from the fence on the East side of the Metlox property. These murals were made as part of a prior Troop 849 Eagle Project.

Future Activities

• The Fall Bike Hike is scheduled for November 2/3. Plans are being made for the location. There was some discussion about making this an easier bike trail.
• Plans are being made for Troop participation in the Manhattan Beach Veteran's Day activities on November 11.

Discussions of Past Events

• The first long-term hike was on August 5 to 13 with 12 people hiking the Whitney Loop. The hike was very successful with all participants reaching the summit of Whitney.
• From August 9 to 20, nine scouts and three adults went to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico for a ten-day trek. All the participants came back excited about their experience. We will plan to secure reservations for two crews for the summer of 2004 when the reservation process opens this fall.
• On August 25 to 31, five scouts and three adults hiked the Silver Moccasin Trail in Sequoia National Park. Again, the hike was very successful and all had a good time.
• Emerald Bay summer camp was August 25 to 31st. 30 scouts and 5 adults went on this trip. Many merit badges were earned and other advancement took place. Everyone had a great time.

Committee Chairman Report

• The re-registration letter sent to the returning scout parents last year stated our goal is to provide a quality program to those Scouts who are committed to active participation in the Troop. Specifically, during 2002 we are requiring each scout to participate with the Troop in one overnight backpack trip, two additional weekend outings, and twelve hours of service projects. Scouts that do not meet this minimum participation level may not be invited to re-register in 2003. If your son has not yet met the minimum requirements, please review the Troop calendar for activities planned for the remainder of the year and discuss the situation with your son.

Scoutmaster Reports

• Patrol realignment was discussed to insure that each patrol is viable.

Subcommittee Reports

• Service Project Subcommittee - There is only one potential Eagle Project being discussed for the remainder of the year. Service hours are needed for scouts to fulfill their rank requirements and their service obligation to the Troop. Ideas for service projects should be brought to the Committee meetings.

Other Discussion Items

• HAT (High Adventure Team) Backpack Leader Training for Troop 849 adults was discussed. The District HAT training is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of February 14 to 16, 2003. We are investigating our options to have our own training for Troop adults. It was noted that past history shows we have been able to add only one or two new hike leaders a year. Because of the number of hikes and weekends we are now doing, we need to add at a higher rate than in the past.
• Backcountry first aid was discussed. The troop is committed to providing the necessary training to its adult and youth leaders to maximize participant's safety on all Troop outings. One or more training sessions will be developed in the near future.
• We are encouraging all parents and scouts to sign-up for our broadcast system at announce@troop849.org. We need to use this system to communicate more thoroughly and completely because of the size of the Troop. If you are not on the list, please sign up by going to www.troop849.org/homeMailingList.html.
• Suggestions/ideas for improving the Troop are always welcomed and should be directed to the Committee Chairman or Asst. Committee Chairman.

The next Troop Committee Meeting will be Thursday, October 3rd, 2002, in the School Hall, American Martyrs School at 7:30 PM.

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