Troop 26 Newsletter – 2014-05 (May)

Scoutmaster Minute: Everybody’s Canoe

A young Indian brave was busy at work carving a canoe out of a log. As he worked, members of his tribe passed by. They all had a piece of advice to offer the young man. “I think you are making your canoe too wide,” one of them said. The young brave, wishing to show respect for the advice of an elder, narrowed the canoe.

A little later, another warrior stopped and said… continue reading at troop26prod.wpengine.com

Summer Camp Payments & Merit Badges

For scouts who’ve signed up for summer camp the following must be done, within the next 1-2 weeks: (1) Pay the balance of fees (to total $350) to Susan Swider and (2) Pick merit badge subjects to undertake for up to 4 sessions, in order of preference. Each Session meets at the same time on Mon, Tues, Thurs & Friday.

If you haven’t done so already, come to the next Troop meeting with your list of desired merit badge sessions and give them to Mr. Mintzer.

Read more about Summer Camp here.

Committee Corner

This month’s Parent Committee Meeting will be this Tuesday, May 6th. Please know that all parents are part of the Parent Committee and are encouraged to attend the meetings.

After the meeting on Tuesday there will be a meeting for parents of scouts participating on the San Francisco to Santa Barbara bike ride from 8:30 to 9:00pm.

We still need parents to step up and help with the driving. There are plenty of opportunities for parents who haven’t yet had a chance to help out. We may need drivers for summer camp as well.

I look forward to seeing everyone at Tuesday’s meeting on May 6th.

You can read the minutes from last month’s meeting here.

Voice of Experience – Body Tuneups

Orthopedic surgeons know all about “runners knee” and “bikers wrist,” but they have few, if any, labels for backpacking specific maladies. That’s because ours is a slower, safer way to enjoy the world.

As for why such injuries, minor though they are, occur in the first place, it is because people haven’t conditioned their bodies to fit their goals.

Please take a moment and read Mr. Soga’s May edition of the Voice of Experience to learn more about staying healthy for backpacking trips.

Read more here.

Recipe of the Month – Moroccan Sweet Potato Stew

What are you waiting for? Get the full recipe here.

Recent Hiking & Camping Summaries

If you haven’t been to the Troop 26 website recently, you’ve missed out on three great write ups from our scouts who attended our most recent camping and hiking outings.

Wesley wrote up a nice summary of our recent day trip out to The Playground.

Andrew put together a nice recap of the Spring Break 2014 Canoe and Joshua Tree trip.

Nathan penned a 436 word summary of this weekend’s 7 mile hike at Gaviota Peak.

Don’t Stop Here

More To Explore

Tomales Bay Kayak Camping 2025

There was a great turn out for the kayaking adventure in Tomales Bay above San Francisco with 17 scouts, two leaders and several parents. We set out from Santa Barbara on Saturday morning stopping for lunch at King City and

Troop 26 Family Picnic

This year, our Annual Troop 26 Family Picnic was held at Tucker Grove Park in Goleta. We had a good turnout of scouts, parents, siblings, and scout leadership, with an especially good showing of the younger scouts. The cloud cover

Troop 26 Rescue Backpacker

My Boy Scout Troop Rescued a 78-Year-Old Backpacker (and Former Scoutmaster) Lost in the California Wilderness The older man had no food or water, and he’d been wandering without his pack for two days when the troop found him By Kris

Troop 26 Court of Honor

September 16, 2025St. Mark United Methodist Church Call to Assembly:Liam Cook, Bugler Scoutmaster Remarks and Installation:M-J Hey,  Scoutmaster Master of Ceremonies:Tripp Martin, ASPL, Webmaster Presentation of Colors: Troop Color Guard;Tarkan Ezal, Colin Renehan, Diego Rodriguez, Reeves Schley Benediction: Kieran Murphy, Bat

Goleta Bike Ride

Goleta Bike Ride

Our original ride was to be a two-day event in Carpentaria but due to camping limitations, we enjoyed a great one day cycling event in Goleta through the Ellwood Mesa Open Space. Before we could cycle, we had to go