Falley Scout Reservation - Camp Jayhawk
October 12, 2009
Possum Trot Orienteering Club furnished 2 consultants for the Powder Horn training at the Falley Scout Reservation, Camp Jayhawk on Monday, October 12, 2009. Falley Scout Reservation is between Oskaloosa, KS and Lake Perry. It is mostly heavily wooded with some open areas. There is a good trail network on the west side of the area where most of the campsites are. PTOC has established some good contacts with the leaders of Jayhawk Council and hopes to schedule an orienteering event for next season (March 2011 ?). PTOC is assisting in establishing a TRIM course (permanent orienteering course) at Camp Jayhawk.
Venturing is a co-ed program of Boy Scouts of America for youth 14 to 20 years of age. A major activity of Venturing is the Ranger Award which recognizes elite outdoor men and women. One of the core requirements of the Ranger Award is Land Navigation. Powder Horn is a training program for the Venturing Crew advisors. PTOC'ers Dick Neuburger and Paul Clatterbuck were consultants for the Land Navigation: Map & Compass section of the training. We had about 30 participants in 3 90-minute sessions. We taught a little about orienteering maps, compass skills, and navigation techniques. The training was followed by a 30-minute Score O.
The weather was a bit chilly in the morning (about 45 degrees) but warmed to the mid-50's by afternoon. The skies were cloudy, but luckily there was little wind.
The students seemed to enjoy the training. Even though most of the students were from central Kansas (there were some from Nebraska and St. Louis too), they seemed interested in learning more about PTOC and we hope to see them at future events.
Submitted by Dick Neuburger