Troop Meetings are held most Thursdays, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at the McCammon City Offices (Old Train Depot), 802 Front Street, McCammon, Idaho. [ GOOGLE MAP ]

Costs Include: Boy Scouts of America registration fee of $80 + $15 to Grand Teton Council towards cost of activity liability insurance premium). There is also a “new scout” fee of $25 required the first time the boy joins the troop. Troop 88 dues of $10 per month and paid annually or quarterly. If you would like to pay online using a credit or debit card, use the PAY TROOP DUES buttons below. Arrangements can be made for monthly billing, if needed. There may be other costs involved beyond yearly registration and troop dues—including uniform shirt and outdoor gear, adventure fees, and event fees. [ MORE INFORMATION ]

JOIN TROOP 88

1) Stop by a troop meeting (contact us for the best time) and meet us, pickup up a BSA application, and/or

2) Register with the BSA and then join Troop 88 via the online process at BeAScout.org.

3) Your application will be reviewed and an acceptance notification sent to the email address you supply at registration. A Troop 88 will then contact you.

4) Download and read the Troop 88 New Scout and Parents Guide, start gearing up, and begin attending meetings and activities!

STAY IN THE LOOP

SCOUTBOOK. The troop uses Scoutbook, the BSA’s online unit management tool, providing tracking data for advancement progress, camping nights, and service hours, an events and activities calendar, a messaging function, and more. Parents and Scouts can download the SCOUTING app, a free mobile app (app title: Scouting) at the Apple App Store or Google Play: search “Scouting BSA.” The Scouting app provides access to the troop’s Scoutbook info.

EMAIL LIST. Please provide us with an email address you actively monitor. We’ll use it only for troop and BSA business. Emails from the troop will come from official troop email addresses tied to our domain. For example: troop88@mvscouts.org is used by the troop committee chair; troop88sm@mvscouts.org is used by the scoutmasters. Please set them up to clear your spam filters (whitelist them).

GROUP TEXTS. With permission, we’ll add the Scouts and their Parent’s phones to our troop text list. Troop texts most often consist of reminders about upcoming meetings, activities, and deadlines. Sometimes it may be a notice to check email for a longer-winded message sent through Scoutbook’s messaging function.

TROOP LEADERSHIP

Scoutmaster: Ryan Carter • ryan@solvhomedesigns.com; 208-904-0427

Scoutmaster: Bryan Beus • red2319@yahoo.com; 208-681-3888

Chartered Organization Rep: Mike Doyle • doylmich@isu.edu; 208-317-8508

Troop Committee Chair: Michael Waite • michael@bonefrog.com; 208-776-5210

Resources

The lists below provide site links and downloadable files to provide Scouting families with the information and resources they need for a successful experience.

ONLINE RESOURCES

DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it cost to join? Total of $196 per year in base costs. BREAKDOWN: The Boy Scouts of America registration fee is $76. ($66 to BSA; $10 to Grand Teton Council towards cost of liability insurance premium). Troop 88 dues of $10 per month.

What other costs are involved? In addition to the annual registration fees, additional costs to participate actively in a Scout Troop include:

Uniform and Gear. Each Scout will need an official BSA uniform shirt and access to some basic camping gear like a stuff-style sleeping bag, a backpack, a mess kit, and hiking/outdoor boots that support and protect feet and ankles [ SEE THE TROOP GEAR GUIDE ].

Adventure Fees. Depending on the nature and projected expense of a particular troop activity, there may be an adventure (activity) cost for food, fuel, permit fees, and so on.

Event Fees. BSA Scout Camps, Jamborees, Camporees, High-Adventure Bases, Merit Badge PowWows and other events carry a participation fee. Also, most multi-day events require a doctor’s physical completed on BSA paperwork (see online resources section above for link to health forms). Please know that we won’t leave anyone out for lack of funds and resources. Talk to us; we'll figure something out. The troop’s fundraising efforts also go a long way towards offsetting (or even covering) these costs.

Does Troop 88 do fundraising? Absolutely. Scouts will participate in troop fundraising activities to pay for troop equipment, help fund troop travel and adventure activities (like camp outs), and to help individual Scouts offset the costs of attending BSA summer camps, jamborees and other scouting-centric functions. One fundraising activity the Troop participates in each year is the Council-wide popcorn fundraiser held in September/October.

What kind of knives can a Scout carry? The BSA neither encourages nor bans fixed-blade knives nor do we set a limit on blade length. Additional information is found in the Guide to Safe Scouting. However, no scout can carry a knife until they earn a Totin’ Chip, which means they have had several hours of training and hands-on experience using knives, saws and axes. Each scout has to have that chip on them at camp if they’re carrying a knife. If the scout is seen acting in an unsafe manner with his knife, he is warned and a corner of the chip will be cut off. When all four corners are gone, the scout has to take the Totin’ Chip class again before being allowed to carry a knife. [ SEE TROOP GEAR GUIDE: KNIVES ]

Does the troop camp in the winter? Yes we do. While winter camping is a bit challenging, it is extremely rewarding and a whole lot of fun. We know what we’re doing, and we prepare the Scouts for success.

Where can I find a list of all the merit badge requirements? The Boy’s Life website, for one. Also on the troop’s Scoutbook site.

How old do you have to be to join Troop 88? Ten-and-a-half years old. Scouts BSA is for those eleven to seventeen years old. Those younger than eleven can join a Cub Scout Pack. Contact the Grand Teton Council for help finding a pack in your community.

Can girls join Troop 88? Girls can join Scouts BSA, but must be registered with a girls-specific troop, which Troop 88 is not. The leadership and chartering organization behind Troop 88 are open to forming a Girl’s Troop based in the Marsh Valley area if the interest is there. Contact us. FYI: Girls between the ages 14 to 20 can join co-ed BSA Venture Crews or Sea Scouting ships. Boys and girls ages 10-20 can join Exploring Posts. Contact the Grand Teton Council for information on finding and joining these types of units.

As a parent, how can I help? Effective troops run on dedicated and involved volunteers, including the parents of Scouts. You can serve a role on the Troop Committee, help with the various troop activities and events (providing transportation, additional supervision, subject expertise, etc.), even help recruit other families who might be interesting in Scouting. Just let us know you want to help.

Is Scouting safe? Yes. Scouting programs follow a strict set of rules and policies. These can be found in the Guide to Safe Scouting. Every registered adult in Scouting—from the Scoutmasters to the Troop Committee to the Merit Badge Counselors—is required to complete a Youth Protection training course and a criminal background check. For more information, visit the BSA’s Youth Protection page.

Do I wear my uniform shirt to every meeting and activity? You can wear either the official uniform shirt (known as class A) or the Troop 88 activity shirt (which we provide as part of your dues) to Scouting activities like meetings, outings, and service projects. Some Scouting activities (like a Court of Honor) require you wear your official uniform shirt. We’ll let you know which activities and events require the official shirt be worn.

Gear Selection Tips

The advice provided below is by no means exhaustive. We want each Scout to have a quality experience in the outdoors, and the gear he uses matters. Staying warm, staying dry, protecting feet, and plenty of food make all the difference. The BSA sells a collection of “official” camping gear, but any brand of quality gear will do the job if you keep the following key points in mind. Another resource is the Boy’s Life magazine website (boyslife.org), which features advice and articles on gear selection under the OUTDOORS & GEAR tab. An tried-and-true method for outfitting a Scout with quality gear is to leverage the gifting cycles in a Scout’s life—birthdays, holidays, accomplishments, and so on. It’s also a great way to involve extended family and close friends who are looking for gift ideas.

BOOTS. Fit, protection, ankle support: those are the key features of a functional boot for Scouting adventures. A Scout’s feet are always growing, so most of the better entry-level boots made from fabric and leather and other materials will typically do the job. The FIT of the boot needs to include the thick socks (or sock combo of wicking liner sock and outer wool sock) that should be worn with the boots. Wearing the socks that will be used with the boot, the heel should be snug with enough wiggle room for the toes up front. A good lugged sole provides traction and protection, and a high-sided boot provides support for ankles. A silicone waterproofing spray like CampDry, applied per directions, will provide a measure of water resistance for snow and muddy trails. Finally, and very important, the boots need to be broken in to the boy’s feet BEFORE hard hiking use. New boots bought just before a long hike is a recipe for blisters and a miserable boy.

KNIVES. Stay away from a cheap folding knife—not only is the locking mechanism likely to fail, the low-quality steel won't hold an edge, and a dull knife is a dangerous knife. Pocket knifes are small, easy to loose, and the blade can (and often does) fold in on fingers. A quality fixed-blade knife is a great choice for Scouts for three reasons: they are easier to keep clean, inherently strong, and will have a more ergonomic handle. A four- to five-inch blade is plenty for most scouting purposes—and a good compromise between ease-of-carry and get-the-job-done. Choose one with a safe, secure and sturdy sheath. A scout troop in Bend, Oregon recommends (and has used for over a decade) the Swedish Morakniv Companion Fixed (Stainless) Blade for its low cost (under $20), wide availability, and great quality—making it a great beginner knife.

SLEEPING BAG. The BAG should be the lightweight “stuffable” backpacking type, not the bulky cotton-shell, roll-up car-camping type. When possible, get one with a temperature rating of at least zero degrees.

SLEEPING PAD. A sleeping pad provides a little cushion and serves as a insulative barrier between the sleeper and the cold ground. An inexpensive closed-cell foam backpacking pad does the job, while the more expensive self-inflating style pads provide a sweet combination of open-cell foam insulation and air cushioning. For cold-weather camping, stacking a closed-cell pad under the self-inflating pad is a winning combination.

BACKPACK. The PACK can be internal or external frame-type. The external-frame packs are getting harder to find, but tend to be more affordable to buy new. A hand-me-down or used backpack is just fine—the most important criteria being this: does it have (or can it be fitted with) a wide, padded hip-belt? The hip belt allows the weight of the pack to be carried on the hips, not hanging from the shoulders. Many of the bargain-basement external-framed packs of yesteryear had only a narrow nylon belt pinned to the frame, and that’s not good enough.

EATING SERVICE. The Scout’s MESS KIT need only to consist of personal eating items, as cooking will be done at the patrol level using troop gear. The kit can be as simple as a durable cup, a sided plate/bowl combo, and a single “spork” utensil. A mesh bag to store the kit is a plus.

Scouting’s Foundations

Scout Oath: On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout Law: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.

Scout Mission: The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

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