5/18/02
The upcoming camp out is most eagerly anticipated camping trip of the year.
Sleeping Bear Dunes, aka the biggest sand box in Michigan.
Information/permission slip below:
Sleeping Bear Dunes Permission Slip (rtf format)
3/18/02
Hi Older Scouts!
This message is addressed to boys who will have completed the 8th grade by June 2003. The Great Sauk Trail Council is taking a contingent to Philmont Scout Reservation in New Mexico, June 28 - July 12, 2003. This is a 10 day backpacking trip at the largest Scout camp in the USA, located in the mountains near Cimmaron, New Mexico. Six boys from Troop 5 and I went in 2000 and it was a great experience.
Competition for the available spaces is high. The approximate cost is $965 per person. Sign up is 10:00am - 1:00pm on Saturday March 23, at the Boy Scout Service Center. A $100 deposit is due at that time. Unfortunately this coincides with our camping trip this weekend.
NOTE: Troop 5 will be running our own high adventure trip in the summer of 2003, which will not be to Philmont. Our destination for 2003 will be decided this Spring. It will likely be a back packing trip also, of 5 or 6 days duration. The Philmont trip is organized by the Council.
If you are interested in Philmont for summer 2003, please talk to me at the Troop meeting Tuesday.
Yours in Scouting,
Dave Coupland
3/6/02
Here is a list of our special events in March and April. Between Eagle
projects, planning meetings, and campouts, it's a busy time of year! Please
mark your calendars. "PLC" = Patrol Leader's Council, the Troop's governing
body, consisting of the Senior Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol
Leaders, Patrol Leaders, Scribe, Quartermaster, Scoutmaster, and Assistant
Scoutmasters. Acting Patrol Leaders of the New Scout patrols should attend
PLC events, except for leadership training on April 20.
March 12 (Tue): (whole Troop) Special Troop meeting at Mack Pool, 715 Brooks
Street, Ann Arbor. Arrive at 7:15, pick up Scouts at 8:45. The Troop will
pay the fee. Directions: From the Church, take Miller toward town. Turn
left on Brooks just after 7th St. (light). Turn left into the Mack School
parking lot about 100 yards from 7th. SPECIAL NOTE: We need some adults to
stay and help supervise, even if you don't plan to get wet. Swimmers bring
swimsuit and towel.
March 16, March 30, April 6: (older Scouts) Eagle Scout project work days
for Daniel Coupland. Dan will need about 8 Scouts each day to help replace
the footbridges in Eberwhite Woods. Best for 7th grade Scouts and older.
Great service project opportunity for Scouts working on Star and Life
awards, and a way to serve our community. Dan will have a sign-up sheet at
an upcoming Troop meeting.
March 17: (PLC) PLC meeting, 4:00 - 5:00pm, Church. Plan March outing,
coming month.
March 22 - 24: (whole Troop) Campout at Highland Recreation Area in White
Lake, MI, about 15 miles west of Pontiac on M-59. Tents, patrol cooking on
stoves, fire building, camping skills, patrol hike/scavenger hunt, capture
the flag game.
March 26: (whole Troop) Court of Honor, 7:00 - 8:30pm, Church. Parents and
siblings invited to attend as Scouts receive their awards. New Scouts will
receive their Scout badges and be inducted into the Troop.
April 13: (PLC)Annual Planning Conference, 9:00am - noon, Church. The PLC
will plan the outings and program for the 2002-2003 year.
April 20: (PLC) Leadership training day and PLC meeting. 9:00 - 3:00 at the
Church. This is the standard junior leadership training course designed by
the BSA, required for patrol leaders, and a big help in doing and enjoying
your job.
April 26-28: (whole Troop). Campout at Portage Lake, Waterloo.
2/6/02 -
We are looking forward to an excellent downhill ski trip this weekend. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Mr. Ron Smorlarski,
I think we may be getting the best price in history for a lift ticket, rental, and lesson at a northern Michigan resort: $50 for 12 and under, $60 for 13 and older.
And the Troop will pay for the food out of our treasury, so if you were ever looking for a great skiing deal, this is it. A few notes:
- We are skiing at Shuss Mountain/Shanty Creek instead of Sugarloaf. Sugarloaf never opened this year. Shanty Creek has 46 runs, 450' vertical drop, 37% beginner trails, 30% intermediate, 33% advanced, 30 km of cross country, 5 quad lifts, and 100% snowmaking.
Current snow conditions are described as base up to 45", machine groomed with packed powder, fresh natural snow last weekend. Sounds nice! Shanty Creek is located in Mancelona, northwest of Grayling. See www.shantycreek.com for more.
- Do not ski in jeans or cotton pants! They will get wet, freeze, and you will be miserable. Wear some kind of wind/water resistant shell over your pants. And wear a warm winter coat, warm gloves, and a HAT. You will also need ski goggles. Buy or borrow them in advance, there won't be much time once we are there.
- We need more people! So far about 24 are signed up, we promised 30 to get the discount rates. So come on, and bring your families! Email Mrs. Hueter if want to come but haven't handed in a slip yet. VHueter@umich.edu.
- Bring $10-15 for lunch on Saturday at the ski hill and snacks. The rest of the food will be Troop cooking, bought and prepared by the Venture Crew (thanks!).
- Eat dinner before we leave.
- We'll meet at 5:30, leave at 6:00, arrive at the National Guard base in Grayling about 9:00pm Friday. Expect to be back around noon on Sunday, Scouts will be dropped off at home.
- Those who do not need to rent skis and/or take a lesson will receive some money back, TBD.
Happy skiing!
1/29/02 -
Hi Troop 5!
We now have 7 Klondike sleds. 5 are designed to unbolt into sections for more compact storage.
The other two are not designed to be broken down. Does anyone in the Troop have garage or barn space for storing these sleds until next year?
If we stack them on top of each other, they should fit into a space about 6' x 3 ' x 6'.
Thanks,
Dave Coupland
1/21/02
I'm hoping to see some cool looking sleds this weekend. Tucker offered a reward for the most original paint design, so get those things souped up.
Looking ahead, the Downhill ski trip is just over the horizon and is looking to be a lot of fun. Here's a little info from Mr. Coupland
February 8-10 we will go downhill skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain near Traverse City. Sugarloaf is one of the biggest and coolest downhill ski areas in Michigan.
Thanks to Mr. Smolarski we got a terrific deal there: $50 for Scouts 12 and younger, $60 for Scouts 13 and older. This includes lift ticket, rental, and a lesson. If you have skis or already know how to ski the cost will be less.
First time skiers welcome, the lesson will teach you enough to have lots of fun. BUT - to get this deal, we need 30 skiers. So mark you calendars and invite your siblings and parents.
We'll be staying in cozy heated barracks at the National Guard base in Grayling.
Here is the cost breakdown for skiing. 12 and under/13 and older:
lift ticket $15/$20
ski rental $15/$20
snowboard rental $25/$30
lesson $10/$10
barracks $10/$10
food - Troop 5 will pay for it
You will also need money for lunch on Saturday.
On a final note, new troop rosters were just e-mailed out. We can't post them up here for safety reasons, but if you didn't get one, feel free to e-mail me or Mr. Coupland.
Oh yeah, and if you havn't already done so, check out my new Elimination 101 guide on how to play Troop 5s offical game.
1/11/02
The first camping trip of the new year is coming up in a
few weeks. The Klondike derby/cub fest. We will have as many as five different packs of Webelows joining us for the weekend. For more information, click below.
Click here for Cub Fest info
Also, we still need skis for the construction of the new sleds, if you have any old skis in the back of your garage, we would appreciate the donation.
12/25/01
Happy holidays everyone, and please enjoy your break. Remember, we only meet when school meets,
which means no meetings until school resumes. Next meeting is on January 8, 2002. See you next year!
12/05/01
Our annual Feast and Court of Honor, a perennial favorite, it just around the corner. About 80 Scouts and family members are expected for the Feast Saturday night.
The Scouts have planned some extraordinary dishes and each patrol will use a Dutch oven. Families of Scouts who will be advancing at the Court of Honor are especially encouraged to attend.
We're meeting at the church at 5:30pm.
By popular request we will be trying a different procedure for leaving camp on Sunday. Our objective is to leave at 9:00am.
Drivers please arive by 8:30am. We cannot return our gear to the Church at that early hour due to services, so the gear will be stored in a trailer until the Tuesday meeting.
Expect your son to be dropped off at home around 9:45 - 10:15am.
12/01/01
Sorry it's been awhile since I've updated, I've been vary busy with school lately, and writing a term paper. Ok here's what has been going on recently:
1. Your Scout brought home a slip of paper from the last meeting with something like "girl age 10" written on it. This is for our service project for the firehouse in New York City.
Ken Dixon is leading this project. We are asking each Troop 5 family to buy and wrap a holiday present for a child of the age and gender indicated on the paper, with an approximate value of $20.
Families from 3 or 4 other Troops in the area are also participating. Tape the slip of paper to your present so we know who it is for, and put a tag on the present saying who it is from (your family name, city, and state).
We will collect the presents at the Dec 11 and 18 meetings, and drive them out to New York for personal delivery Dec 22-24.
Flyer description and additional information
If by some odd chance you don't have a permission slip for the upcoming feast, you can get one here.
11/12/01
The meeting this Tuesday, November 13, will be held at Mack Pool, 715 Brooks St. From the Church, drive toward town on Miller.
Turn left onto Brooks immediately after the light at 7th. Take the first left into the school parking lot.
Meet there at 7:15, pick up Scouts at 8:45. Bring $1.50 per Scout, swimsuit, and towel. Scouts working on 2nd class will work on reaching and throwing rescues,
followed by game time. Scouts working on 1st class may ask to work on specific requirements they need, time permitting. For everyone else it's game the whole time!
There is also a committee meeting Tuesday night. Parents are asked to proceed to the Church after dropping off their boys for the meeting.
11/06/01 -
Just a reminder: Next weeks meeting (11/13/01) is at Mack Pool. Come at 7:15, the pool opens at 7:30.
11/04/01
Another fun campout in the bag. So, the magical items were golden goblets. Who would have thought?
Well, it's a month later and I've finally got the pictures from the October campout posted up.
Check em out in the October section in the table of contents below.
10/30/01
Well, isn't this exiting? Magic owls visiting Mr. Coupland late at night!
Seems like there is some kind of plot afoot and I for one am eager to see what happens next!
Looks like the questions will be answered this weekend at the campout. We're meeting at 5:30pm at the church as usual.
Remember, it's going to be pretty chilly, and everyone needs to be prepared for a little cold weather. Mr. Couplands cold weather tips can be found below.
Mr. Couplands Cold Weather Camping Essentials
10/23/01
Next campout is November 2-4, 2001. We are going to Camp Munhacke for Patrol Camping.
The Permission slip can be found below.
Troop 5 Patrol Campout and Adventure Hike
10/16/01
Alrighty, wasn't that a fun game of Elimination tonight? Hope everyone got a good menu planned for the next campout,
and I defiantly hope that the food is a LOT better, but that's all up to you guys. As far as the first contest went,
I did say anyone who e-mailed me would be assured candy, but only one person e-mailed me, and that was Lee. Anyway this next one will be better,
all you have to do is click on the calendar page, and then print it out. This time, everyone that shows me their new calendar will get candy, guaranteed.
In the mean time, every body make sure your patrol has a flag and a menu for the next campout if you don't already have one. Later.
10/5/01 -
Pictures! - Hi everyone, I just added a link to pictures from the September Canoe trip/campout.
They can be found by clicking on the link marked "September" in the Table of Contents a little ways down the page.
Everyone check it out, and please enjoy.
-Remember, First person to correctly identify the scout being thrown into the river next meeting wins a blow pop.
In addition, if you email me the correct answer before then, you will be guaranteed at least one bit of candy at the next meeting.
9/27/01 -
Here's that teaser for my next big project that I promised. Find it here. Please enjoy.
I'll post the rest of my work when I finish it. If people e-mail me, and let me know they
have seen the site, I'll be motivated to get it finished that much faster.
10/2/01
Many people were asking for directions to camp Teetonkah. You can
find them below:
Directions in
Microsoft Word format.
teetonkah_directions.txt Directions in TXT format.
9/28/01
Next campout is the webelows overnighter. You can find a
permission slip and info below:
Permission slip in
Microsoft Word format.
Permission slip in
pdf format. Click to view in Acrobat Reader.
Webelos Info-sheet
in Microsoft Word format.
Webelos Info-sheet
in pdf format. Click to view in Acrobat Reader.
9/25/01
Alright, that wasn't quite as bad as it could have been, some
good stuff was said, and it didn't take too long. Hey, I even got
a nifty patch. Anyway, I got to hand out my flyers, and I hope I
finally attracted some people to come visit the page. For all
those that are finally getting a chance to see my work, I've been
working here for about a month and a half by now, and I update
often. I've got some projects I'm working on, that I'll post once
they're ready. Expect a teaser for my first big project sometime
later this week. Until then, keep checking in.
9/25/01
Crud! I just got an e-mail saying that the Court of Honor is
still on at Bandemer park. Morgan (our new SPL) says that he has
plans incase it rains to move under a pavilion and set up a tarp
as a wind shield. Yes, we will have a fire and Morgan seems
confident that everything will be fine. Mr. Coupland advises
"Bring warm clothes, a raincoat, and a smile." Morgan,
I hope you know what you're doing.
9/25/01
Brandon here, No word yet on whether or not the court of honor
has been called off or move to a new location. Oh, I hope, I
hope, I hope, that's it gets moved. It is WAY too cold outside
for this sort of thing. The only exception I suppose is if we
actually start a fire to keep everybody warm, but I suspect that
there may be too many people for that. I hope, I hope we move
back to the church for tonight.
On Tuesday Sep 25 we will hold our Fall Court of Honor from 7:00 - 8:30 at Bandemer Park. Families are encouraged to attend. See your son receive his merit badge awards from summer camp! Also our newly elected Troop officers will be installed.
To reach Bandemer Park, go north on Main St. and merge onto M-14. Stay in the right lane and exit immediately on Barton River Dr. At the base of the exit ramp, turn right and go under M-14, then immediately turn left into Bandemer Park. Drive over the bridge and follow the dirt road back under M-14 until you come to a parking lot. Scouts will direct you to the Court of Honor, which will be held in the new fire ring being built there as Ben Coupland's Eagle Scout project. This will be the first use of the new fire ring approved by the City.
The Troop committee meeting has been rescheduled for Sunday, Sep 30, 7:00 - 8:30, at the Church. The agenda is:
1. 2001-2 Plan
2. Outings Report
3. Treasurer's Report
4. Newsletter Report
5. Eagle Committee formed
6. Recruiting efforts
7. Fund Raiser Report (football flyers and popcorn)
We will also discuss a new fundraising opportunity: selling cheese and accessories at special events for Vreneli's, a local importer of fine Swiss cheeses. This is a chance to raise money for high adventure trips and have the Scouts learn a bit about business.
