Adventures

Troop 3G gets outside every single month. Our Scouts plan the calendar themselves with adult guidance and a lot of enthusiasm. Nearly every event is tied to rank advancement or merit badge completion, so the fun does double duty.

Here's a taste of what a year with Troop 3G looks like.

Monthly Campouts

We camp roughly once a month, all year round in tents (provided by the troop), cabins, on historic boats, in museums, and everything in between. Most campouts are built around a merit badge or rank requirement, so Scouts come home having earned something as well as having had a great weekend.

General skills are passed on Scout-to-Scout. Older Scouts mentor younger ones using the EDGE method — Explain, Demonstrate, Guide, Enable — so a new Scout learning to pitch a tent or light a stove is taught by someone who was in her shoes a year or two ago. It builds real skills in the younger Scouts and real leadership in the older ones, and it's why our troop culture is so tight-knit. Speciality skills are taught by trained adults like merit badge counselors.

A highlight of the campouts is campfire where skits, songs, and terrible puns are a proud tradition. We also send out an after action survey to gather feedback on each event. These surveys encourage everyone to reflect and they provide data for the PLC (Patrol Leaders Council) as they look forward to upcoming events.

On the Water

Every year we plan at least one water-based adventure. Recent trips have centered on canoeing, kayaking, and white water rafting with Scouts working toward related merit badges while paddling, swim-testing, practicing rescues, and generally getting soaked. Water trips are a favorite for good reason.

City Adventures

Once a year we swap the woods for a skyline. Recent city trips have taken us to Baltimore, Washington D.C., and New York City, where we mix sightseeing with advancement. In Baltimore, for example, Scouts spent the night at the Aquarium and spent a full day at the B&O Railroad Museum earning the Railroading merit badge. City campouts are a great equalizer: Scouts who love the outdoors discover they love museums and public transit too! It also provides an opportunity for our Scouts to learn how to navigate a city safely.

Amusement Park

To celebrate a fun year of Scouting, each year we camp near an amusement park and spend a day just having fun! Whether we trek to Kings Dominion, Hersheypark, or elsewhere, it's a troop favorite.

Klondike Derby

Every January, Troop 3G competes in the Klondike Derby, a district-wide winter competition where patrols pull a sled between stations and are tested on Scout skills — fire building, first aid, knots, teamwork, and staying cheerful in the cold. It's competitive, it's freezing, and our Scouts love it!

Summer Camp

Each summer we spend a full week at a Scout sleepaway camp. Scouts knock out several merit badges, swim, and live in a tent for a week. For most new Scouts, summer camp is the trip where Scouting really clicks — it's where friendships form and confidence takes root. In recent years the Troop has elected to do summer camp at Resica Falls Scout Reservation in Pennsylvania. The girls love the special theme each year, the lake and the pool, and the dining hall food. Parent leaders attend trainings everyday, like Assistant Scoutmaster training, and participate in fun challenges during the week like "napping" and "coffee drinking."

Hitting the Trail

In addition to shorter hikes that are included in some campouts, trail time working on a merit badge is where Scouts surprise themselves. Scouts who opt into the Hiking merit badge train through a series of progressively longer treks culminating in a 20-mile, single-day hike — an accomplishment they'll talk about for years. Scouts may also choose to hit the trail via bike, tackling the merit badge and participating in long rides along scenic paths such as the C&O Canal towpath right in our own backyard.

High Adventure

Every few years, older Scouts take on planning and participating in a High Adventure. Scouting America offers several programs including Summit, Sea Base, and Philmont. These trips generall take 1-2 years of planning and training. Scouts are also welcome to sign up for crews that are run jointly with other units.