Issue 652 – August 16, 2020

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Hi Folks! I’m going to have a bit of surgery tomorrow, to fix a physical problem that’s been buggin’ me for a while, and that’ll knock me out of action for several days. So here’s an “advance” column and I’m hoping to be back to you by the week of August 24th…

Just the other day, John Burnham asked about hiking and camping in a “Covid environment”—Very sensible question, and here’s a way to handle it, from another long-time reader and contributor…

Hi Andy,

This may be some help for the Scoutmaster with the Scout looking to earn First Class by November. I believe that Scouts gain more if we can get them outdoors, doing Scout-like activities, like camping. Cyber-anything short-changes them.

This doesn’t have to be as big a challenge as it may seem. Our own troop has successfully pulled off a couple of campouts and backpacking trips in the middle of this Covid crisis. The first step is to be educated—Understand how the virus is transmitted. We know now that it’s not easily transmitted via surfaces, otherwise we’d have breakouts across the country stemming from local grocery stores and other retailers’ countertops and check-out lanes. So my first recommendation is for extra-diligent cleaning on the campout. We know that the virus is not easily transmitted via aerosol—that is, through the air. That’s why the outdoors is actually the safest place you can be! Good air circulation is the key here. Outdoors provides that. But we do know that this virus is easily contracted by inhaling another person’s exhaled contaminated water droplets—those expelled by heavy breathing, singing, or yelling. This is the genesis of the 6-foot rule: any Covid droplets will tend to fall to the ground within two meters (+/- 6 feet).

So how did we pull these events off without anyone getting sick? First, “social distancing,” even at the campsite. Everyone sleeps solo; no buddies in tents. Cooking is also solo, backpacking style (not Philmont style). Everyone brings their own mess kit, and then washes their own. (You can communally boil the water—boiling kills germ, right?—but each Scout prepares their own freeze-dried meal. Adults, too!) Camp activities are structured so that the Scouts aren’t put into situations where they can’t maintain the 6-foot distancing (maybe we skip First Aid and pioneering this time around). Singing ‘round the campfire and patrol yells might have to be curtailed entirely, or keep these quiet and soft (build a game around how far apart two Scouts can be and still communicate via whispers, or maybe even teach rudimentary ASL)…the forest animals might appreciate that! For travel to-and-back, we didn’t cram the vehicles full. We put only two Scouts in that three-person bench seat, and everyone in each vehicle wore a face mask (we had one Scout who was really concerned, and so he rode to and from just with his dad).

Last, proper hygiene! Wash your hands. Use hand sanitizer in great quantities. And if anyone felt or looked sick at the depart spot, they stayed home, no exceptions (luckily, this didn’t happen!).
These solutions may not work for everyone, but that’s how we did it, and it worked for us. Good luck! (Lee Murray)

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay positive!
Happy Scouting!
Andy

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Just drop a line to askandybsa@yahoo.com. (Please include your name and council, and if you’d prefer to be anonymous—if published—just say so and that’s what I’ll make sure to do.)

Although these columns are copyrighted, all readers have my permission to quote or reproduce any column or column part, just so long as you attribute authorship: “Ask Andy” by Andy McCommish.

[No. 652 – 8/16/2020 – Copyright © 2020 Andy McCommish]