Scout spiderweb

There are some pictures from this past weekend at the site below. The troop backpacked into the camping area. Several of the Scouts worked to create a "spiderweb platform" in a large oak tree. The goal was to be able to set up a tent on the platform. We ran out of daylight....the platform was completed and ready to use...maybe next time.

http://gypoclimber.com/showthread.php?p=79831#post79831

I tried to attach this as a teaser...let's see if it worked this time.

that is excellent cool panthro! did you orchestrate the whole outing? were there any liability issues? how did you train the scouts? where did you get all that rope?! i remember my scouting trips. they usually involved long death marches through the wilderness without much explanation about where we were or what we were doing. we definately never did anything fun like climb trees! you are giving them a good experience that they will always remember. what kind of oak tree were you climbing. is it a common oak in your area?

I'm pretty sure it is a quercus phellos (willow oak). We did the training on site, just took our time. The perimeter rope was a 1/2 inch, 120' "tree rope" that I use to lower limbs. The web ropes were from a 55 gallon drum full of rope that we have...we got a lot of misc. length and mixed diameter rope from a rope mfgr, scraps they cannot use...all new, perfect condition, they just vary from 10 feet to 50 feet. It has been a great resource for the troop.

Hey Gary, It looks like you were having more fun than the scouts as usual! I think that scouts / kids today are more interested in seating in from of the TV blasting at alien games than being outside hanging from a tree or hiking up a trail with a pack. Sorry situation. I have been involved with a local troop for many years and I can see that current scouts are less active, less interested in outdoors and less willing to tackle hard tasks. We even have a hard time recruiting adult parents to participate regularly! We do rappellin, Black powder rifle shooting, canoeing, backpacking, Biking, Summer camp events and used to have high adventure treks to Colorado and the Boundary waters of Canada-US. Quite a bit of diverse opportunities for kids and adults. I'm slowing down in my old age! Once we did a survival camp that they needed to instal a platform 6 feet up in tree, tie it all together and get every member of their patrol up to avoid a "flood" in a some limited time frame

Desi,

Sounds like a great troop...I like the activities y'all do...much like us. Hopefully, giving the young ones a variety of activities will tweak their interest in being active and not couch potatoes.