The solution: a solar oven — a box with a glass lid and reflective panels that absorb energy from the sun, trapping the energy inside the box to heat food and water. Solar ovens can bake, fry or steam any type of food.

Volunteer Soldiers mentored the scouts in how to use the ovens by cooking meat, potatoes, rice, stew and both Afghan and American dishes. The ovens also make it easy to make tea, a common Afghan drink. Using the ovens to make these foods also kills bacteria and helps prevent illness.

“Burning wood is expensive, time consuming and causes pollution, leading to eye problems, miscarriages and even cancer,” said one of the project’s volunteers. “The pollution even ends up killing some people, especially children.” Not only do the ovens reduce pollution, the Afghans make the ovens themselves from their own resources, such as insulation and plywood.

U.S. Army Col. Felicia French, previous brigade surgeon Task Force Phoenix, started the project after witnessing Afghan children being burned over and over again by wood fires, getting scalded by water left over the fires and the impact of using wood in an environment where trees are scarce.

A Minnesota solar oven company sold the ovens at reduced rates to the U.S. Soldiers who then donated them to the scouts.

“Through using these ovens it will reduce the environmental impact of not having to collect wood and reduce the amount of kids getting burns from wood fires,” said U.S. Army Sgt. Samuel Eads, the non-commissioned officer in charge at the Camp Phoenix Optometry Clinic.

This refers to exercise, but, shouldn’t be limited to that.  It might refer to school work, to job responsibilities, really to any of life’s challenges.   It just so happens that the gym is a good place to experiment with and practice this ethic.

Paddles, like boots have to be sized to the young man and dang it they keep growing. Chin to floor is a reasonable length (a little long  is better than too short).   For, flat water, a spare paddle per boat is more than sufficient, but for running a river each person needs a spare, at least. While they are ugly the aluminum and plastic paddles are cheap and durable and light. I can get 2 for the price of a single wooden paddle… makes sense to me.

Personal flotation – spend some money here since the life you save may be your own. Each person should expect to provide their own. Look for something that will keep your head out of the water in case you are knocked unconscious.

The counterpart to the backpack in a canoe is a dry bag. Fortunately the troop owns a bunch of these. Obviously you can buy or make your own as well. Also, line stuff sacks with trash bags, and pack in Ziploc bags and you have additional insurance.

Some folks have been asking about buying canoes.  Don’t feel like you have to go out and buy a canoe.  We have access to a lot of boats so spend time using these different boats before you even think about buying.  That said, I think you should study the geometry and components of a boat, rather than studying brands or product lines.  Terms like “rocker” and “tumble home” are important.  Look at the bowline, will the shape shed water, or will it scoop it up?  Is the boat symmetrical?  That is can you put two in it one way, and then, single boat it by reversing direction?  Or, is it asymmetrical with only one bow and stern?  A boat with extreme rocker will be vary agile and better for whitewater, a boat with average rocker and balanced symmetry will track straighter and offer greater versatility, it can be used on open water, and, stretched to handle some white water — but, it is an average boat rather than a specialized boat.  For most of us that is good.  Boats come in several different materials, Royalex again is probably your best average material.  It splits the difference between cost, durability, repair-ability, and weight.   You can get Old Town boats at LLBean, ask for factory seconds, for a price break.  You can shop Uncle Henry’s but be cautious buying a second hand boat.  Look for mis-matched gunnels and wrinkles in the sides, replacement thwarts, all show the boat having been wrapped around a rock.   Don’t buy a hog backed canoe (that is one with reverse rocker), and worry about leaks, if the boat has been patched, put it in the water before money changes hands.

Summer Camp was a complete blast!  I had more fun then the guys did… perhaps.  Griswold Scout Reservation, and Camp Bell are top notch facilities and program.  The weather was perfect, mostly, Sunday and Monday, were hot, hazy, and humid, but, the campsite was up on a ridge, with breeze and so not too bad.  The weather cleared and we had temps in the mid-seventies, with breeze, and little humidity.

Camp Bell is one of a few camps left that let the guys cook all their meals in the campsite.  The guys came to really enjoy this.

The program unlike most merit badge mills is aimed at adventures and experience and incidentally you complete some requirements on merit badges.  Much better priorities, and the guys responded well to the format too.

Warm up
Knee Machine,
sit and Reach,
forward skip, backward arm circles,
backward skip, forward arm circles,
lunge walk to quad stretch,
high knee walk,
carioca,
forward shuffle, 2 left and 2 right,
knee out walk,
pick up and reach,
backward shuffle, 2 left and 2 right,
back pedal,
scorpions,
crucifixion,
hips out shuffle,
hips in shuffle
lunge and double reach,
kick walk.

Pre-work
5 minutes of continuous movement,
2 push ups
3 reach worms
4 walking lunges

Work
4 rounds
Clock face lunges, 2x
run, 100 yards
20 Mtn Climbers, singles out
run, 100 yards,
10 pushups and 10 dips, or, 2x hill Bear Crawl
run, 75 yards
10 up downs, and 10 get ups
run, 75 yards

folks wrote their own adventure, some did one round, one did all 4, most were in the middle

Run through the swings forwards, backwards, and sideways
Pick up and reach walk, 25 yards
balance beam forwards and backwards

Acceleration Warm up

100 yard course,

increasing from 50% effort for 50% of distance, to 90% effort for 90% distance.

Mobility:
Inch worms
Walking Sit & Reach
lunge to quad stretch
clap under leg raise
pick it up and reach
knee machine
superman walk
knee up walk/quad stretch
kick walk

Sprints, 10 yard hard, decelerate for 10 yards
headfirst on belly
head first on back, l, and r
belly up feet first

Circuit, 3 times around
Trigger event was shuffle and run bases to pitchers mound
sled pull
kettle bell high pulls
incline push ups
Bulgarian split squats

metabolic jumble, squats, jumps, and so on

Warm Up

Cones, placed on diagonals:
Run
Skip Forward
Skip Backward
Shuffle Forward
Shuffle Backward
Bear Crawl
Back Pedal
Carioca

Mobility
Knee Machine with a hop
lunge with a twist
high knee to quad stretch
clap under leg
sit and reach
superman walk
inch worm
kick walk

Tabata cycle, 4 sets, of 8, 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest
Jump Tuck/Supine Hip March
Squat/Front Plank
Rocket Girls/ Side Plank, L, R
Speed skaters/ supine plank

1 Cycle
Blast off, 2 lateral shuffles, blast off
supine rows
Good mornings
diagonal plate raises

Warm up

GENERAL MOBILITY

Various skips w/arm swings
Carioca
Forward shuffle, 2l, 2r
Backward shuffle, 2l, 2r
Puddle Hops
Backward Push
Butt kicks

DYNAMIC MOBILITY:

Tiger Pushups
Inchworm
Knee out walk
High knee walk to lunge to quad stretch
walking Reverse overhead lunge
Superman Walk
Kick walk

Pre-work 3 Rounds
T-drill

Blast offs or Split Squats

Workout

The Machine

8 Rounds

Run either, 80 yards once, or 35 yards twice, or 10 yards 4 times
4 rounds of work, 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest
for example:

80 yard run
20 seconds of push ups, 10 seconds of rest
20 seconds of high plank, 10 seconds of rest
20 seconds of lateral lunges, 10 seconds of rest
20 seconds of bird dogs, 10 seconds of rest

The play ground has a balance beam so we spent time working on the balance beam, and we switched to agility work and ran between the swings, frontwards, backwards, and sideways, and then changed directions.

Finally, 3 sets of 8 reps, each side, Bulgarian Split Squats.