Thank you for understanding, we’ll try to get this rescheduled as soon as possible.

Maybe expert isn’t really the word I am looking for; let’s call Kevin an enthusiast. 

When I think of an expert I think of someone with a great deal of experience and knowledge in a given subject who shares knowledge and expertise. An enthusiast, however, shares enthusiasm. An enthusiast may be an expert but few experts have the energy of an enthusiast.

Kevin is a Canadian, a famous Canadian. He’s on Canadian television and radio, he’s a well-known author, a famous canoeist and camper in a country of canoeists and campers. Fame north of the forty-ninth parallel does sometimes translate to fame south of the parallel, but there’s a whole world of Canadian entertainment and culture that we Americans know next to nothing about (you’ve probably never heard of Ricky, Julian and Bubbles).

Kevin’s new book Dazed but Not Confused: Tales of a Wilderness Wanderer is a collection of stories that happened while Kevin was researching and writing more, well, serious books like A Paddler’s Guide to Algonquin Park or Top 50 Canoe Routes of Ontario.

Kevin writes about his (mis) adventures with honest good humor that is, like the rest of his work, delightfully free of pretension:

We had no cooking pots, I had forgotten them back at the boat launch.

After taking an increasingly panicked inventory of the campsite, I stared at the river and considered paddling back upstream, but we were too far away and the current was too fast. We were trapped and I was humbled.

I think I have the humble pen thing  figured out, though. It seems to come naturally when I write about my misadventures. Humility has taken me far on wilderness trips. Lacking humility in wild places is the surest way to get into trouble. I’m frequently awed and humbled when I am out there. In fact that’s one reason I go out. Frequent humblings are good for the soul.

In sharing  a comically tragic story Kevin tips his hand, he’s no buffoon,  he ‘s an experienced outdoorsman. Only an experienced outdoorsman knows “Lacking humility in wild places is the surest way to get into trouble.”

I’d like to think I am an experienced outdoorsman after thirty some years of camping and canoeing and backpacking with my Scouts. I’d also like to think I am humble in wild places (I have survived them all so far).  I’ve learned at least one thing – anyone who tells you they have everything under control, that they have everything figured out, almost certainly doesn’t.

Like most of us Kevin doesn’t have it all figured out yet, and he pretty much knows he never will. That’s the difference between and expert and an enthusiast. Enthusiasm is infectious, it get’s people out of their chairs and trying things out.

Experts just tell you how to do things. Enthusiasts share what they know, tell you there’s more to know,  and inspire you to try things and see what happens.

Who would I rather have along on a week-long canoe trip? I’ll take the enthusiast over the expert every time.

Dazed but Not Confused: Tales of a Wilderness Wanderer by Kevin Callan at Amazon

Come join author Kevin Callan at this month’s ScoutCircle presentation – Sunday April 14th 9-10 PM EDT.

Kevin Callan is author of many guidebooks and a well-known Canadian canoe and camping enthusiast.

Kevin’s newest book Dazed but Not Confused: Tales of a Wilderness Wanderer is a humorous and often poignant account of his adventures in the back country of  Ontario’s most alluring wilderness areas as well as the twists and turns of being an author, professor and presenter on television and radio.

We’ll be talking to him about some of the practical parts of canoeing and camping, the best way to get your Scouts out on a big adventure, and the great stories he has to tell.

Dazed but Not Confused: Tales of a Wilderness Wanderer on Amazon

The Troop Committee is the troop’s board of directors and supports the troop program. But you ask, “What does the troop committee do?” The troop committee does the following:

• Ensures that quality adult leadership is recruited and trained. In case the Scoutmaster is absent, a qualified assistant Scoutmaster is assigned. If the Scoutmaster is unable to serve, a replacement is recruited.
• Provides adequate meeting facilities
• Advises the Scoutmaster on policies relating to Boy Scouting and the chartered organization
• Carries out the policies and regulations of the Boy Scouts of America
• Supports leaders in carrying out the program
• Is responsible for finances, adequate funds, and disbursements in line with the approved budget plan
• Obtains, maintains, and properly cares for troop property
• Provides adequate camping and outdoor program (minimum 10 days and nights per year)
• Serves of boards of review and courts of honor.
• Supports the Scoutmaster in working with individual boys and problems that may affect the overall troop program.
• Provides for the special needs and assistance some boys may require.
• Helps with the Friends of Scouting campaign.
• Assists the Scoutmaster with handling boy behavior problems.

Join us on March 10th at 9 pm EDT (don’t forget the clocks change that morning) for a discussion with Frank Maynard about the Troop Committee!  Submit your questions here on scoutcircle.org.

So join us on Sunday March 10th at 9 PM EST (6 PM PST) for a presentation and question and answer session here on scoutcircle.org for an hour of great information on Troop operations!

The Scouting Party
BY DAVID C. SCOTT & BRENDAN MURPHY

The Scouting Party tells the story of the strong-minded and at times conflicting individuals who shaped the Boy Scouts of America.

The authors examine the role of British-Canadian naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton, whose trailblazing Woodcraft Indians strongly influenced the British founder of Scouting, General Robert Baden-Powell. Seton became the intellectual mainspring of the Boy Scouts of America in its formative years. But BSA organizers preferred Baden-Powell’s more conventional model to Seton’s vision of a youth movement based on the culture and values of the American Indian.He also clashed frequently with Daniel C. Beard, an illustrator for Mark Twain and founder of the Sons of Daniel Boone, a rival to Seton’s Indians. Seton and Beard both wrangled with BSA Executive Secretary James E. West, who arbitrated their frequent wrangles while keeping BSA solvent as the organization rapidly expanded.

The Scouting Party at Amazon

Dallas native David C. Scott has been involved with Scouting for over 30 of his 43 years. As a 1981 recipient of the Eagle Scout award, including 5 Eagle palms, Mr. Scott grew-up in the Circle 10 Council and prospered under quality adult tutelage as a Cub Scout as well as a Boy Scout. A Vigil Honor member in the Order of the Arrow and a Wood Badge recipient, he graduated Vanderbilt University in 1988 with a B.A. in Psychology and continued onward to SMU, where he earned a master’s degree in Applied Economics in 1993.

He has been married to his wife, Aimee, for nearly 20 years, and they have four children – two girls and two boys.

The inaugural topic is the BSA’s new STEM/Nova program launched in 2012. This program is focused on developing the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities across the scouting program with materials and requirements for Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Venturing. The Nova Awards are recognition for completion of requirements that introduce STEM topics to the scouts, and the Supernova Awards are recognition for completion of requirements that include a considerable effort

During the hangout the STEM/Nova program will be introduced and discussed by Lisa Balbes and Matt Myers. Lisa is chemist and a volunteer in the St. Louis Area Council focused on bringing the program to scouts in her area. Matt is a professional scouter that was a Program Development Specialist with the National Council during the creation of the Nova program. Our Keynote Speakers’ presentation lasts about thirty minutes followed by answers and discussion related to questions from the audience.

HOW DO I SEE IT?

If you have a Google+ account you can watch the hangout and comment in Google+. If you don’t have a Google+ account go to www.scoutcircle.org to view the streaming video.

HOW CAN I JOIN IN?

We’ll be gathering questions for the Q&A via G+ comments, email, and the Twitter hashtag #scoutcircle. Only the presenters and moderators will be ‘live’ participants, but there will potentially be several “parking lot” hangouts after the program hosted by other volunteers to continue the discussion.

ScoutCircle is a volunteer effort aimed at assisting our fellow Scouters and is not officially sanctioned, sponsored, nor endorsed by The Boy Scouts of America.