CAMPING AND OUT-DOOR CODES
CAMPING AND SCOUTING
Some people talk of “roughing it” in camp. Well a “tenderfoot” may find it rough and uncomfortable. But there is no “roughing it” for a backwoodsman. He knows how to look after himself and make himself comfortable. If he had no tent, he would not sit down to shiver and grouse, but sets to work, to rig up a shelter or a hut for him. He chooses a good spot for it, where he is not likely be flooded out if a storm of rain were to come on. Then he lights a camp fire, and makes himself a soft mattress of ferns or straw.
“A scout is full of resources. He can find a way out of any difficulty or discomfort.” Baden Powell describes in his book, “Scouting for boys.”
To become a good scout camping and the outdoors are essential. To be a scout it is important to know “living in the open.”
Camping is the joyous part of a scout’s life. Living out in the open air, among the hills and trees, living with nature, having your own little canvas home, doing your own cooking and exploration – all this brings health and happiness such as you can never get among the bricks and smoke of the town.
When u go camping, you have to spend days and nights out-of-doors, away from comforts and convenience of home. This serves as your training on how to live in the open.
CAMPING PREPARATION
As you live in a camp with your fellow scouts, you will have lots of fun and adventure. You will experience walking up among your friends to a beautiful, fresh and dewy morning and have the thrill of swimming, playing games and working in a happy comradeship with your buddies, both in the patrol and the troop. You will discover the mysterious enchantment of being with your fellow scouts, singing and telling stories around the glowing campfire under the starry sky.
To get the most fun out of your camping experience, you must learn to make proper preparations. You must know ahead of time what kind of cloths to wear for any kind of weather and place. You must know what equipment you need and how to pack them and you must know and remember several other things that will make camping more comfortable and enjoyable for you.
CAMPING GROUND
Before going on a camp, you must first decide where you will have your camp, and what kind of a camp it should be. The best place for a camp is close by a wood where you have permission to cut firewood and to build huts. The seaside also gives some good camp grounds if you find boats are available and bathing is possible.
In choosing the camp site, always think what it would be when the weather becomes very rainy and windy. Choose the driest and most sheltered spot. Not too far, not too far away from your water supply. Remember that a good water supply is of first importance and make sure your drinking water is pure.
LATRINES
On reaching the camping ground the latrine is the very first thing to attend to – all scouts should bear this in mind. Before pitching tents or lighting the fire the latrine is dug and screens erected around it. The trench should be two feet – deep, three feet long and one feet wide so that the user can squat as astride of it, one foot on each side. A thick sprinkling of earth should be thrown in after use. After a few days the whole trench should be carefully filled with earth.
TIDENESS
The camp ground should at all times be kept clean and tidy, not only to keep flies away but also because SCOUTS ARE TIDY!!
“LEAVE NO TRACE”
CLEANING CAMP GROUND
Never forget that the state of an old camp ground, after the camp has finished, it tells exactly whether the patrol/troop which has used it was a smart one or not.
“No scouts who are any good ever leave a camp ground dirty. They sweep up and burry or burn every scrap of rubbish” says BP
It is a big disgrace for any troop or patrol or lone camper to leave their camp ground dirty and untidy. Remember the only two things that you leave behind you on breaking up camp:
NOTHING!!!!!!!
YOUR THANKX TO THE OWNER OF THE GROUNDS
OUT DOOR CODES
1. PLAN AHEAD AND PREPARE
Proper trip planning and preparation help hikers and campers accomplish trip goals safely and enjoyably while minimizing damage to natural and cultural resources. Campers who plan ahead can avoid unexpected situations and minimize their impact by complying with area regulations such as observing limitations on group size.
2. TRAVEL AND CAMP ON DURABLE SURFACES
Damage to land occurs when visitors trample vegetation or communities or organisms beyond recovery. The resulting barren areas develop into undesirable trails, campsites, and soil erosion.
3. DISPOSE OF WASTE PROPERLY (PACK IT IN, PACK IT OUT)
This simple yet effective saying motivates backcountry visitors to take their trash home with them. It makes sense to carry out of the backcountry the extra materials taken there by your group or others. Minimize the need to pack out food scraps by carefully planning meals. Accept the challenge of packing out everything you bring.
Take everything back in your pack, even line trimmings. Use a sealed plastic container to take out any leftover food. Fish entrails and human body waste should be buried at least 6-inches deep and 200 feet from water, trails or campsites.
4. LEAVE WHAT YOU FIND
Allow others a sense of discovery: leave rocks, plants, animals, archaeological artifacts, and other objects as you find them. (It may also be illegal to remove archaeological artifacts.)
5. MINIMIZE CAMPFIRE IMPACTS
Some people would not think of camping without a campfire, yet the naturalness of many areas has been degraded by overuse of fires and increasing demand for firewood.
6. RESPECT WILDLIFE
Quick movements and loud noises are stressful to animals. Considerate campers observe wildlife from afar, give animals a wide berth, store food securely, and keep garbage and food scraps away from animals. Help keep wildlife wild.
Quick movements and loud noises also reduce fish catching opportunities. Respectfully handle fish that are caught and baits that are brought. If you are keeping a fish, dispatch (kill) it quickly and humanely, such as with a blow to the head or slitting the gills. Consider the use of lead-free fishing tackle.
7. BE CONSIDERATE OF OTHER VISITORS
Thoughtful campers travel and camp in small groups, keep the noise down, select campsites away from other groups, always travel and camp quietly, wear clothing and use gear that blend with the environment, respect private property, and leave gates (open or closed) as found. Be considerate of other campers and respect their privacy.
A SCOUT CAMPING OR HIKING KIT LIST
*this can be used as a sample kit list
ONE PACK
Blankets/sleeping bag
Ground sheet
Rain coat
Pair of sneakers
Pair of slippers
CLOTHS BAG
Extra uniform
Swimming trunks
Change of underwear
Pajamas
Handkerchiefs
Towel
SEWING/REPAIR KIT
Needles
Safety pins
Threads
Buttons
MESS KIT
Knife
Plate
Fork
Spoon
Cup
Bowel
TOILET KIT
Tooth brush
Tooth paste
Hand held Mirror
Soap
Hair cream
Comb
OTHER
Flash light
Watch
Camera
Scout knife
Compass
Papers and pen
PATROL EQUIPMENTS
*this can be used as a sample kit list
TENTING CREW
Tents with poles and pegs
Dining fly with poles and pegs
Guy lines
Patrol flags
Hand axe
Shovel
REPAIR KIT
Sharpening stone
Twine
Wire
Safety pins
Needles
Thread
Hacksaw
FIRSTAID KIT
CLEANING MATERIALS
Scouring pads
Food containers
Paper napkins
Plastic bags
Soap
Matches
COOKING CREW CONTAINER/COOKING UTENSILS
Can opener
Carving knife
Hand axe
Knives
Frying pans
Kettles
Pots (theli)
Roashi dhamaa ehthi
Roashi fihaa ethi
Serving plates
Cups
Water pails
Electric or gas lantern
Stove
Undhulhi
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