Information for Future Scouts

If you are a young man thinking about joining a Boy Scout Troop in the Mountain View area, this page is for you. Read it to find out what it means to be part of Troop 80.

Troop 80 Colors

Red, white, and blue are the patriotic colors of the American Flag and also the colors of Troop 80.

Red stands for high energy and fun.  We go camping, backpacking, or canoeing almost every month, and every troop meeting has a game.  Scouts learn to cook their own meals, to build their own shelters, to look after each other, and to improvise.

White stands for the ideals of Scouting: the Scout Oath and Law, good citizenship, and leadership.  We teach Scouts to plan and run their own troop.  Every troop activity is planned and run by the Scouts.

Blue stands for the sky overhead, the heavens, and for God who watches over all of us. We spend a lot of time in the outdoors.  Morning starts with assembly and a brief religious observance and evening ends with assembly and a song.

Troop 80 Philosophy

The job of the adult Scout leaders is to ensure safety and coach the Scouts in leadership and outdoor skills. The goal of every troop activity is to train Scouts further in leadership and self-reliance. So sometimes we do things the hard way, because the hard way requires more skill and you only really learn by practice. Scouts learn quickly when they are allowed to enjoy their own successes and failures in a safe environment.

Part of doing things the hard way is wearing the full Scout uniform. A boy wearing the Scout uniform is instantly recognizable as a member of the troop. The boy leaders conduct regular uniform inspections at troop meetings and campouts. This teaches Scouts to take concern for their personal appearance and hopefully to learn to take pride in being neat and orderly.

Another part of doing things the hard way is using tarps instead of tents for shelter on campouts. Since the local climate is dry and mild enough that rain, bugs, or wind are seldom a problem, most of the time a tent would just be extra weight. Then again, when you have a storm, it takes more skill and ingenuity to pitch a tarp to keep the rain out. A tarp is more versatile than a tent and cheaper too. This teaches Scouts to be frugal and inventive.

And the hardest part of doing things the hard way is to coach the Scouts to run their own troop.  Following the Patrol Method, Scouts elect their own leaders who are responsible for planning and running all troop activities.  This teaches Scouts to take responsibility, to plan ahead, and how to improvise when things go wrong.

Troop 80 Invitation

If you think that Troop 80 might be the troop for you, please accept our invitation to visit the Troop.  There are two versions of the invitation letter, the first for boys to invite other boys, and the second is an invitation for parents. Alternatively, you can send us a message via our contact page.

Tom Rodeheffer, Scoutmaster, Troop 80