October Hike

  

The October hike is TOMORROW!  So join Pack 1910's Hiking Club -- we're always in session! 

Head to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge located at 9601 Fossil Ridge Road, Fort Worth.  Directions may be found on their website here.  Please convene between 9:45-10am in the Hardwick Interpretive Visitor Center so we can do our pre-hike introduction including Leave No Trace, the Outdoor Code, a safety, water and gear check.  

Let's face it -- one of the main reasons kids want to join Scouts is to get OUTDOORS! There's no better way to do that than getting out for some good ole fun on the trails. Jeromy Lackey, Pack 1910's Hiking Chair will be your point of contact to help keep the OUT in scOUTing! 

Attendance at these events is completely optional, but... you know you want to come! 

Cant make this one?  We hold hikes -- usually the 2nd Saturday of every month, Pack 1910 will have a Pack-wide hike at varying locations somewhere in the D/FW area. Hikes will be anywhere between 1-4 miles. Oh, and did I mention that we will be logging miles! Why? Because for logging miles -- the Scouts will receive AWARDS for specific miles reached along the way.

Hikers should be prepared with their six essential items for hiking: 

1. first aid kit -- not a full sized, a mini backpacking size is great
2. FULL water bottle -- one that they can manage on their own
3. sun protection (wide-brimmed cap and/or sun screen)
4. whistle -- NEVER blow this unless it's an EMERGENCY
5. trail food -- snack that is easy to manage, not melt, calorie dense
6. flashlight -- I prefer a headlamp. Obviously they won't need it during the day, but we are teaching them to BE PREPARED so have them bring one.

Take this list and let your SCOUT gather these items into a lightweight backpack -- why? Because if you do everything for them, they lose the opportunity to learn for themselves! We will discuss the buddy system before departing. We will discuss the Outdoor Code AND Leave No Trace before and during the hike. 

All Pack events are FAMILY FRIENDLY but please do not bring the 4 legged kiddos unless they are service animals.  

 

Two apps that are a great resource for hiking is the AllTrails app and Weatherbug.  AllTrails will turn your phone into a GPS tracker to help you track your mileage and pace as well as save your favorite trails.  Weatherbug helps you track weather and alerts you to lightning in your vicinity.

We will always err on the side of caution and safety when it comes to our Scouts and Scout families.  If there is only a forecast for sprinkles, we will proceed.  In the event of lightning/thunder, we will postpone.

September Hike

Amazing job today Scouts!  

The heat index was 93 when we were completed but you did it -- got those 3 miles in! This is the longest hike scheduled this year and we had some SUPER TROOPERS out there holding their own!  Proud of you.

Please add YOUR photos HERE

Make sure you have plans to join us for the October hike at the Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge.  This is one of the best places to hike in our area (in my opinion).  We can have multiple groups on this one in case some want to do a longer hike and others can take a more leisurely pace on a shorter hike.  

We will also get to be led by our new Hiking Chair, Jeromy Lackey!  

CUB-O 2021 - REGISTER NOW!

Save the date and make plans to join us January 2, 2021 at Cub-O, the annual Cub Scout orienteering event held at Sid Richardson Scout Ranch.

Cub-O is the most popular orienteering event for Cub Scouts. A fun day of hiking and friendly competition for Cub Scouts, parents, and leaders. Orienteering, the use of map and compass, to find locations and plan a journey, has been a vital skill for humans for thousands of years. Thousands of people participate in the sport each year in local clubs and competitions. Longhorn Council has two events annually for orienteering. One is for Cub Scouts (Cub O), and one is held for Boy Scouts.

NEW Safety Changes for 2021

**No mass start crowd in 2021 - CUB-O has been redesigned to have Dens starting every few minutes all day long. The staggered start times by individual Dens and Packs will turn one big start into hundreds of small Den team starts throughout the morning and early afternoon.

**Roads Stay Open - Pick your Arrival Time! come out to camp or make a Day Trip of it. The roads will be open all day (with speed enforcement roadblocks), so you can arrive and leave when you need to.

**No Hole Punches to touch! The markers will be using cards with number codes printed LARGE, rather than hole punches. Cub Scouts won’t have to touch them. Just read from a distance and write down the code!

**No Hot Dog Lunch! - Switching to a totally prepackaged trail mix snack lunch instead! We will pick up the lunches with your patches at Check-In and add them to each Scout's daypack.

**Easy “How-To-Orienteer” Beginner Training Videos on YouTube! - No more crowds at Training! The Orienteering Committee is making several short videos on “How to Have Fun Orienteering for Beginners”! Learn on your own time or watch it on your phone on Saturday!

CUB-O is an event that teaches your youth to think for themselves while learning to read a map and hiking in the woods. It’s fast, exciting, and FUN. And it’s all Cub Scouts. The locations of 40-50 orange and white orienteering flags are marked on the map and you and your team will go hiking in the woods to find them – or most of them! Each flag now has a code that you’ll write your scorecard. Flags are worth 5, 10, 15, 20, or 30 points, depending on how hard they are to find. Your Den team will get a Cub-O competition map 20 minutes before the race starts. Then you plan a hiking strategy to find the most flags and score the most points in just 2.5 hours! You’ll stay warm ‘cause you’ll stay moving!

Cub-O is a team event for teams (Dens) of 3-6 Cub Scouts plus at least 2 adults. Each team must have at least two adults registered for Cub-O. Be sure to dress warmly in layers and bring lots of water! Bring a compass and a watch so you’ll finish on time. All registered participants will get a Cub-O patch, our latest 5-color competition map, lunch and a great day of orienteering. Maximum team size is 8 people.

Additional adult attendees (attending, assisting, or camping, but not competing) can pay $7 for lunch and liability insurance only but must register and be prepaid. Registrations must be received by 5:00 PM Wednesday, December 30th.  Siblings are $20.

Finish Line Sandwiches. Venture Crew 1910 will again have BBQ sandwiches available for purchase at the finish line. Includes: sandwich, bag of chips, and a drink. Cost to Pre-order is $5.50 per meal. A limited number of meals may be available on the day of Cub O for $7.00 each. Great care will be taken with food safety and Covid-19 protocols!

T-shirts are available for pre-order with your registration as well. Those are $12 each.

Be thinking if you're interested in attending. Our registration deadline is December 18.  Pack 1910 will cover registration for all Scouts. Parents and siblings will pay the additional fees for lunch/registration. If there is interest in camping, weather permitting, indicate that on the Google form. We will determine based on weather and attendance if we want to reserve campsite space.

To register, do so on the Pack's CUB-O Google Form HERE.  

Again, the trail-mix snack lunch is included. Each team of 3-6 Cubs gets a Cub-O map half an hour before the race starts. Your goal is to hike in the woods and find as many of the 40 orange and white orienteering flags as you can.

Plan your strategy to score the maximum point total possible in 2 hours!

This is a rain or shine event: extreme inclement weather (ice or snow) may cause a one week postponement. Weather announcements will be made on the Longhorn Council Website and on our blog as well.

Sound like something you want to do? REGISTER ONLINE HERE.

September's Hike

One of the main reasons boys want to join Scouts is to get OUTDOORS! There's no better way to do that than some good ole fun on the trail! We want to be more a outdoor-oriented Pack and keep our boys ACTIVE! In short, we will keep the OUT in scOUTing!

Pack 1910 goes hiking almost every month at areas around the DFW metroplex for distances between 1-4 miles. These fun outings are an integral part of our program. We want to get the boys outside and know that it's more fun to do these things with friends. That being said, there are incentives to participation. Attendance at these events is completely optional, but... you know you want to come.

Besides providing enjoyment and rewards, the hiking program helps boys become confident and comfortable outdoors and encourages healthy habits and lifestyles. It also helps makes the transition to Boy Scouting activities easier.

Our first hike will be Saturday, September 8 at 9-10:30 am on the new Shady Grove/Rapp Road Trail (approx. 1.5 miles). Check Scoutbook for where to park and meet.  We will be GEOCACHING!

Hikers -- be prepared with your six essential items for hiking! Check out THIS LINK for more information on that. Let your SCOUT gather these items into a lightweight backpack -- why? Because if you do everything for him, he loses the opportunity to learn for himself!




Parents, please take a look at Pack 1910's Hiking Club packet for more information on what to bring, what to wear, etc. It would be good to go over this with your scout BEFORE they show up to a hike.

If you plan to attend, please be sure you RSVP on Scoutbook so we know who all to expect! All Pack events are FAMILY FRIENDLY but please do not bring the 4 legged kiddos!

If this is your 1st hike with Pack 1910, you’ll even earn your first pack hiking badge by attending!!

National Trails Day

Saturday, June 3 is National Trails Day  

It's a day where everyone nationwide is encouraged to lace up their hiking boots, air up their bike tires, grab their kayaks, or even saddle up their horse and HIT THE TRAILS!



From the American Hiking Society's website: 

National Trails Day is the only nationally coordinated event designed to unite all muscle-powered trail activities with the goal of connecting more people to trails. Every trail beckons adventure and has a story to share with any person willing to discover it, and American Hiking Society believes these trail experiences can improve the lives of every American.  

Each year, on the first Saturday of June, American Hiking Society and the trails community invite Americans of all ages and abilities to find their own adventure and discover their unique story at one of the thousands of events hosted throughout the country.  

By coordinating a wide array of trail activities on a single day, National Trails Day attracts new trail users and helps connect existing trail enthusiasts with local clubs and organizations with the hopes of creating trail advocates and stewards. The task to protect and maintain more than 200,000 miles of trails in the U.S. requires a collaborative effort among trail clubs, organizations, government agencies, and most importantly passionate trail advocates and stewards.

There are lots of activities going on nationwide so if you won't be in town to join us Saturday for our outdoor experience with leader, Eric James, please CHECK HERE for something near where you will be! Check ScoutBook for Saturday's location, time and to RSVP so we know to expect you.

Pack 1910 Hit The Trail!

On a somewhat humid September morning, 12 members of Pack 1910 and their families headed out of the parking lot along a wooded path of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge located along the west fork of the Trinity River near Lake Worth.

It was a perfect day for a hike took us through open prairie and wooded area. We started at the Hardwicke Interpretive Center, walked along the Prairie Trail and merged with the Oak Motte Trail. 

Since the Oak Motte Trail is diverse with grasslands and wooded areas, a variety of flora and fauna awaited us.  In the prairie areas, many species of grasses are found, including Little Bluestem, Yellow Indiangrass and more. Proceeding on the trail takes you through wooded areas with spiny trees such as the Hercule’s Club, Honey Mesquite and Honeylocust. Trees adapted to the Cross Timbers habitat, such as Blackjack Oak, Cedar Elm and Western Soapberry can be found as we traversed this trail.

Hiding among the many trees and the grasses are all forms of wildlife. Deer were spotted on the way in, though being the first hike and it being a bit of a noisy bunch, we didn't spot much else.  

However, during spring and fall migration, migrants such as warblers, orioles and others take advantage of this trail to refuel with food, rest and relax during their long flights.  Maybe we can come back!

As you may know, Pack 1910 goes hiking almost every month.  These fun outings are an integral part of our program.  We created this program because we wanted to get the boys outdoors more.  That being said, there are incentives to participation -- patches (which they are THRILLED about), a hiking stick and more!  

However, besides providing enjoyment and rewards, the program helps boys become confident and comfortable outdoors and encourages healthy habits and lifestyles.  It also helps makes the transition to Boy Scouting activities easier. 

So, what do we do with the little guys?  I mean, we have LIONS now!  Guess what -- they went today and THEY LOVED IT!  They loved all 3.5 MILES of it!

Hiking helps them learn to be prepared.  Before each hike Pack leaders are going over the buddy system, exposure to Leave No Trace credentials and a review of the Outdoor Code are all part of the program.  

Couldn't make it this month?  Join us next month!  

2015-2016 Monthly Calendars of Events

We have been in the process of updating and packing as much AWESOME as we are legally able to do in these monthly calendars!  There may be some tweaks here and there for when we get some dates finalized, but otherwise -- here is your access to the year of fun we have planned for Pack 1910's Cub Scouts for 2015-2016!

Do you want a copy yourself?  Click here.  You'll be taken to the link to download the 12 monthly calendars for our Pack year.  A sample is below just so you can see!

If anything changes, the file will be updated and the link created on this page will be invalid.  There will ALWAYS be a new link added for any updates to the calendar because we want to make sure that there is no confusion and that you have access to the most recent and most up-to-date information.

Clicking the above link will take you to our action-packed planned calendar which will help make your planning streamlined and provide your scout the opportunity to have the time of his life!

October Pack Hike

The Pack 1910 Hiking Club will meet this Saturday for the October Pack Hike.  

Let's face it -- one of the main reasons boys want to join Scouts is to get OUTDOORS!  There's no better way to do that than getting out for some good ole fun on the trails!  We want to be more a outdoor-oriented Pack and keep our boys ACTIVE!  We will keep the OUT in scOUTing!  Attendance at these events is completely optional, but... you know you want to come!  

The 3rd Saturday of every month, Pack 1910 will have a Pack-wide hike at varying locations somewhere in the D/FW area.  Hikes will be anywhere between 1-4 miles.  Oh, and did I mention that we will be logging miles!  Why?  Because for logging miles -- the boys will receive AWARDS for specific miles along the way.

One of the great things about taking part in a pack hike is that the boys will be on their way to earning the Hiking Belt Loop and/or Activity Pin as well.  To find out more about that, click here.  Simply print it out and once it is complete, turn it into your den leader.  You must earn the belt loop before you can earn the pin.  (Note:  you only need to turn in the first page if you are only seeking the belt loop.)

October's hike will be Saturday, October 18 at 9:00 a.m. at Bob Jones Nature Center in Colleyville.  The scheduled trail is the Walnut Grove National Recreation Trail.  You can find a link here with the trail maps.  From there, we will hit the trails as a group after going over important information on hiking, the buddy system, and such.  We will be going to the trail head that is where White's Chapel deadends into the lake area... you will park there and pick up the trail from there.  I will be there early to determine exactly where to park and will send out an e-mail on Scout Track.

Parents, please take a look at Pack 1910's Hiking Club packet for more information on what to bring, what to wear, etc.  It would be good to go over this with your scout BEFORE they show up to a hike.

If we have an avid hiker or parent that would like to become the Pack Hiking Chair, please contact April.  Many hands makes light work and we need to be sure we are all helping make the Pack "go".  

If you plan to attend, please be sure you e-mail April so that we know to expect you. All Pack events are FAMILY FRIENDLY but please do not bring pets.  


Another real helpful application to download to assist you and your boys is an application called Map My Hike.  I was told this was a must have by the Nature Center Staff.

Our Newest Program - Pack 1910 Hiking Club

Pack 1910 is proud to announce the first ever Hiking Club just for Pack 1910.  The Parent Manual for hiking is available here.  

One of the best way to get boys unplugged and outside and to get them into organized activities such as a hiking club.

I'm going to cut and copy a few paragraphs from the Parent book:

So why did your son want to join Scouting? He wanted to do out-of-door stuff, hike, camp, and explore. Thus, the idea for a Hiking Club is an excellent way to meet many requirements and desires of the boys.  Hiking encourages healthy outdoor activities and engages the boys in an outdoor program unparalleled in our area.  In Pack 1910’s Hiking Club,  we will hold hikes year round.  We also will track Scout’s miles and present recognition for reaching set marks.  On their first hike, they will be given a patch.  After reaching 25 miles, they earn their hiking staff.  If they reach 50 miles, they will earn the medallion and leather grip to place upon it.  After that, Scouts receive additional recognition as miles accumulate. The hiking program provides the pack an opportunity to enjoy an outdoor activity that is healthful for boys, their families, and leaders.   
We have a complete set of rules in place along with a complete annual calendar of hikes already on the schedule.

Hikes for 2014-2015 are:

2014-2015 Pack 1910 Hikes

September 2014

Location: Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge

Trailhead: Oak Motte

Trail Map: http://www.fwnc.org/docs/map/TrailMap.pdf

Distance: 1-4 miles

October 2014

Location: Bob Jones Nature Center

Trailhead: Walnut Grove Trail, Whites Chapel access

Trail Map: www.cityofsouthlake.com/parks/bobjones.asp

Distance:

November 2014

Location: Eagle Mountain Park (FORT WORTH)

Trailhead:   11601 Morris Dido Newark Road, Fort Worth, TX 76179

Trail Map: http://www.trwd.com/docs/eaglemountainlake/EM-Trail-Map.pdf

Distance: About 4 miles

December 2014

Location: Cedar Ridge Preserve

Trailhead: 7171 Mountain Creek Parkway, Dallas, Texas 75249 (972-709-7784)

Trail Map: http://www.texasoutside.com/hikebike/DallasNatureCenter.htm

Distance: 1-4 miles

January 2015

Location: Lewisville Outdoor Learning Area

Trailhead: 201 East Jones Street, Lewisville,

http://www.ias.unt.edu/llela/assets/documents/trail%20brochure%20revised%202013.pdf

Distance: 3-5 miles (1-3 hours)

February 2015

Location: Dogwood Canyon Trail

Trailhead: I-35E N to I-35 N to Exit 483 onto FM-3002. R into Ray Roberts Lake State Park (Johnson Branch Unit); Dogwood Canyon trailhead @ first parking area on R.

http://dogwoodcanyon.audubon.org/sites/default/files/documents/dcactrail_map_v6_2.pdf

Distance: 2.1 miles

March 2015

Location: Dead Woman - Haller’s Haven Nature Loop (DALLAS) 1.5 hours away

Trail Map: http://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Haller's%20Haven%20Nature%20Trail.pdf

Distance: 3.2 miles

April 2015

Location: Dinosaur Valley State Park (GLENROSE)

Trailhead: 1629 Park Road 59, Glen Rose, TX 76043

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/park_maps/pwd_mp_p4503_0094s.pdf

Distance: 3-4 miles depending on what you pick

May 2015

Location: Coyote Run

Trailhead: Sulphur Springs, I-30 E to TX 19 N to FM 71 W. In 4 mi., turn L onto FM 3505 N and enter park. Veer R @ Y and turn R @ sign for Heron Harbor Day Use Area parking lot.

Trail Map: http://www.backpacker.com/destinations/hikes/20738

Distance: 4.7 miles lollipop

You asked for it...

... and we're going to deliver it!

We had our den leaders poll the boys to find out what THEY wanted from THEIR Cub Scout experience!  And you know what? We are going to make it happen!

Some of the top requests repeatedly heard from boys at different age groups/ different dens were:

• Pizza party
• horseback riding
• fishing
• climbing walls

Guess what?  They're ALL part of the bigger plan we have in store for this year or the upcoming summers.  Pizza party? Check!  The end of summer is a back to school pizza party/rain gutter regatta! 

They want horseback riding?  That is on the rotation of summer events for next year.  

They want to go fishing!  We are working right now on incorporating one of the Trout-O-Rees held at Camp Tahuaya into our annual calendar!  They want climbing walls!  Well, guess what?  Those are going to be after the kingsnake show in August!  How's THAT for meeting the call!  

We're not stopping there, however!  Our new Scout year is going to be packed full of fun!  

Not only are we starting a PACK 1910 HIKING CLUB with scheduled hikes EVERY SINGLE MONTH!  But, for the boys that attend -- they're going to get really cool things like patches and hiking sticks and medallions for reaching certain milestones!  

Oh wait...there's more!  We typically have operated on a NASA/USS Lexington rotation for "big trips" but we're going to mix that up as well so that there is no repetition for those who will be in the program from Tigers.  We are going to start a NASA/Fossil Rim/NASA/USS Lexington rotation!  Since this year is the NASA rotation, we will make plans for Fossil Rim next year! Oh yeah!  That's right...an AWESOME program is in store for Fossil Rim!

Your den meetings will continue to be fun and productive... but our Pack meetings?  Yeah, we're kicking them up a notch (or ten)!  Our Pack meetings are going to have a THEME and ... well, they're going to ROCK!  There's simply no other way to put it!  A couple of things we DO want to make sure EVERYONE is aware of is that we will be checking attendance at these events for two purposes 1) if you miss, we want to know because a lot of the activities that we are working into our Pack meetings may cover rank and/or electives and most importantly 2) we want to send you a card and tell you that we missed you and hope to see you soon!  You see, these are going to be awesome Pack meetings that you just will NOT want to miss!!!  Here's a little idea of what is in store:

September - Our first official Pack meeting of the new scouting year.  Welcome back.  Walk right into a uniform inspection.  Each den will have all of their inspection totals averaged.  Highest average picks the first skit sack and so on and so forth.  There will be a title on the outside of the bag but no other contents of the bag will be revealed.  You have to choose based on name alone.  (Yeah, you know how your mother told you not to judge a book by its cover.... you're gonna be doing it!).  After that we will have awards -- (well, if you can CATCH them!)  Then, they will be given a kit and will have one month to work their genius on it to bring back to the October Pack Meeting to show it off!  This is just going to be the first leg on our journey upwards to bigger and better!

October - We are going to have a Halloween Party!  Not just ANY Halloween party but a COSTUME party!  EVERYONE should come in costume!   We are going to have games and relays and races and a costume parade.  Scary good time!

November - We are fortunate in that our Pack meeting falls on Veteran's Day.  Not only are we going to have a campfire at Bear Creek Park like last time.  But we are also going to have a very memorable flag retirement ceremony where our Webelos will be able to be a large portion of that.  We have also reached out to the VFW to be present as well.  It should be VERY special!

December - We are going to have a Christmas pizza party with games and treats... 

January - This Pack meeting is going to set the bar for how the rest of the year must resonate with the boys.,  You see.... we are hosting a CUBANOPOPLIS!!!!! It's a neat word but really, what the heck is that thing we can't pronounce?  It's a car race!  In December we are going to give each scout a box to take home with him.  He will have a month to turn that box into a car!  It can be ANYTHING  It can be a Lightning McQueen or it could be Herbie (I know someone has to know Herbie the love bug still and prove I'm not THAT old!)  I'm farily certain we will have SpongeBob Squarepansts here.  So... more information will be provided later but just know it's going to be  a blast!

February - This Pack Meeting is going to feature the "Minute To Win It" challenges.  They'll have to try them one by one.  And we can't forget that Blue & Gold will be later this month.  

March - The March Pack Meeting Theme is CSI - Cub Scout Investigations.  We will need our super sleuths to get through a laser grid and solve crime to make sure we know what to do to find the missing awards!!!

April - And we are saving the best for last.  You see, this month's Pack meeting is likely the end-all-be-all of Pack meetings.  Our theme?  LEGOS!!

May - We will have our bridging picnic at the H-center again.  Maybe we will have a den competition Dutch Oven Cookoff for best dessert! 

So as you can see... we are going to have TONS OF FUN!!!!

Oh and I completely forgot to mention... the REALLY COOL PATCHES we are going to start instituting into our program!  Attend a Pack event -- you get a patch.  Not just ANY patch, however, it's a segment patch.  Your initial patch will be about a 3" circle and then as you attend events, you'll receive segments that look like this (shown right)  and then by combining those around the provided base patch, your cub scout career is there for everyone to see!  It just grows over your cub scout's career into this (below).

So, as you can tell... we have a LOT in store for you this year!  I hope you stay along for the ride!