For Scouts who love to be outdoors, earning the camping merit badge can be a fun and exciting way to gain valuable skills. But for those who don’t have a lot of experience, it may be one of the more difficult requirements to complete on their journey toward Eagle.
Camping is a big part of the Scouting program, from family campouts to summer camp and high adventure treks. For many youth, it is also their first experience sleeping under the stars in a tent and getting closer to nature.
Requirement 1a asks Scouts to understand potential hazards when participating in outdoor camping activities. This includes understanding the importance of anticipating, helping to prevent, mitigating and responding to them. Potential hazards include hypothermia, frostbite, heat reactions, dehydration, altitude sickness, insect stings and bites, snakebite and blisters. Scouts can mitigate these risks by planning their activities carefully, staying safe, ensuring that the group is aware of each other, and using a buddy system.
Scouts can also mitigate these dangers by practicing navigation skills before camping trips. This includes learning how to read topographical maps and utilizing the compass on their scout belt or GPS device. For example, Scouts can practice finding campsites by determining where to pitch their tents. They should look for sites that are far from water sources, not on rocky terrain or near unstable trees, and make sure the campsite is large enough for the group to comfortably sleep in their tents.
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