University of Scoutings was awesome

Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day at Pellissippi State for the Boy Scouts of America’s University of Scouting. I had some classes in the Order of the Arrow which I found very enlightening in regard to this organization within the BSA. I also took a class on lightweight backpacking which was terrific. They highlighted some of the fancy equipment that we like to buy like nalgene water bottles which may weight 6oz and cost $7 whereas an empty Gatorade bottle is "free" (came with the drink) and weights less than an ounce. So what’s 6 ounces? Two nalgene bottles weight almost a pound without water. That’s significant when you are trying to keep a pack under 25 pounds. A pack should weight 25% of a person’s weight so a 100 pound person/child should be carrying no more than 25 pounds. The outdoor cooking class was fascinating. And the class on the Cumberland Trail was enlightening. It never occurred to me that established trails like the Appalachian Trail change over time due to land rights, mining, etc. Made me want to get out and do more frequent hiking.