Dog Sledding!
I just thought this was really cool.
Girl Scouts earn badges through dog-sledding program
Arielle was one of a dozen Scouts age 10 to 14 who made the trip from Lavelle, Schuylkill County, to the Dutch Springs recreation park in Lower Nazareth Township to earn dog sledding merit badges. Scout leader Julie Putcher said the trip took months to plan, but it was worth it. She was intrigued as soon as she heard of the program.The North Star Adventure program on dog sledding is being offered for the first time this year by Dutch Springs.
‘’It just sounded neat,’’ she said. ‘’Anything [the girls] do, they learn from it. None of the girls have ever interacted with a dog as a work animal.’’
But earning the merit badge required more than making friends with the dogs. The Scouts sat for lectures on the various types of sled dogs, canine first-aid, and exactly what role each dog plays in a sled team, all delivered by dog trainer Kari Hunyadi.
Damn it, where was the Dog Sledding merit badge when I was a kid!? How cool would that be?! Of course, when I was in Camp Fire, we were sort of stuck in the Dallas area. So, we built kites and, like… walked. And, tried not to die of heat stroke. Not nearly as much fun.
New Moon magazine put together some trips for Girl Dog Sledders, as well.
Apparently, there’s also a 170 mile Junior Iditarod open to teens 14-17.
tags: childhood
What fun!
I actually have a collection of Scout Manuals. Mine, my Mom’s, my Grandmother’s and my Great Grandfather’s.
It’s fun to see the changes and worth an anthropological study.
In my Grandmother’s, the Horse badge required you to raise a horse from birth and teach it to ride, pull a cart, etc.
For my horse badge, I had to cut a picture of a horse out of a magazine and name the different parts.
We have it so easy these days!
— Ravenmn Mar 21, 11:45 AM #
Heh. Well, I’d like to see my grandma try to master the “computer programming” badge. And, the “Genetically Modified Food Awareness Badge.” And, the “Keeping Afloat in the Global Economy” badge. Then we can talk about easy.
;)
— Veronica Mar 21, 01:20 PM #
LOL! Good point.
— Ravenmn Mar 22, 08:07 AM #