The Geneva Conference Center in Rochester, Indiana served as an outstanding venue for the Central Region Seabadge CR-V March 7-9, 2008. Under the leadership of Kerry Cheesman, Seabadge CR-V Course Director, fourteen experienced and dedicated Sea Scouters provided a weekend of leadership and management training to forty-six Sea Scouters from all over the Central Region as well as the Southern and Northeast Regions.

Venture Crew 75 has been formed to serve the Middle Pennisula area of Gloucester, Virginia. Meetings held every other Monday at Gloucester Point Baptist Church. Come join in and help get this Crew off the ground!

Hey everyone,
There is a new Crew serving the Bullhead City, AZ and Laughlin, NV area. We are Venturing Crew 928. If you are interested in joining Crew 928, please contact William Willden or Rick Hinson. You can also check us out at http://crew928.spruz.com.

Crew 160 (Des Plaines, IL) will be getting started soon! If you are into music, and wish to become part of our crew, we want to talk to you! We will be learning the details of how to organize bands, play music, and learn all about sound, video, and lighting production techniques. These are skills that can be used later in your adult life or to get a jump start for college courses. And we plan on having Battle of the Bands that will be shown on local cable access channels. There are also lots of future surprises that the details are still being worked out, but all I can say is: Wanna be famous???????

Visit our web site for more information.

In July, members of Venturing Crew 360 and Boy Scout Troop 316 traveled to Skagway, Alaska to follow the Klondike Goldrush Trail of 1898. They climbed the Golden Stairs to the summit of Chilkoot Pass on their way from the ghost town of Dyea, AK to the ghost town of Lake Bennett, BC. During the winter of 1898 these were two of the largest cities on the west coast of North America. Today, Dyea is nothing but a tidal flat and Lake Bennett is a Parks Canada Campground and railroad station for the White Pass and Yukon Railroad (more on this later).

The trip began just north of Seattle in late July. Scouts and Venturers loaded up in a converted greyhound bus and started the 1800 mile drive up the West Access Highway to Dawson Creek, BC and then west on the Alaska Highway to Carcross, near Whitehorse, Yukon. Carcross is a First Nation Village at the east end of Lake Bennett and marks the beginning of the Yukon River section of the Klondike Goldrush Trail. It is about 500 miles by canoe or row boat from Carcross to Dawson City, Yukon, where gold was discovered on Rabbit Creek in 1896.

Crew 360’s fourth annual Whitewater Kodiak will be held on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River in Glacier National park in summer, 2008. Staff development will be held during the week of June 28 through July 5, with an American Canoe Association Whitewater Raft Guide Course, an American Red Cross Wilderness First Aid Course, and a Kodiak-X Course. The following week, successfully trained staff will host a Whitewater Kodiak Course, running 46 miles of the Middle Fork from Essex to West Glacier, MT. The Kodiak Skills Course teaches 5 leadership commissions and the advanced Kodiak-X teaches 2 more.

Any Venturer who can pass a First Class Swim Test and a Class III Medical Exam may participate in the second week’s Kodiak Course. No backcountry camping experience is necessary, and all river equipment is provided. Candidates for the Staff Week must be comfortable swimming and boating in swift water, be physically fit, and have already completed a Kodiak Course. No previous whitewater rafting experience is necessary.

Leaders Guides for both Courses are available at the Venturing Kodiak website, Venturing Kodiak website. Click on Course Dates in the right hand column and look for “Flathead River”. This is an annual program, and participants are often invited back to serve on staff in subsequent years.

Ground transportation can be arranged form Seattle, Spokane, or Missoula, MT.

Please click on the Read more link for more photos.

On January 19, 2008, Crew 308 of Bellevue, Michigan presented its first Bronze Outdoor Award to Charles Seltenright, Jr. during an outdoor ceremony attended by Troop 337 of Marshall, Michigan and Crew 308 o­n a Polar Bear Campout in Great Sauk Trails Council.

Charles Jr has been in Scouting since joining as a Tiger Cub in Pack 383 where he earned his Arrow of Light and crossed into Troop 337. He has served in many leadership positions in Scouting, serving as a Den Chief, Senior Patrol Leader, and as the Troop's O/A Represenative.

In October he was presented with his Life rank at a Court Of Honor by Troop 337. He is currently Crew 308's President and an Assistant Scoutmaster in Troop 337. Charles is actively involved in establishing a VOA and promoting Venturing in Nottowa Trails District and the Southwest Michigan Council.

Charles Seltenright Sr.
Crew 308 Advisor
Troop 337 Asst. Scoutmaster

The last week of July 2007r Crew 2238 embarked o­n a backpacking trip at Delwebb High Adventure Camp (see below for more information). The crew covered 50 plus miles, including a trip into Zion National Park and the Narrows for a day hike.

They also did a 20 mile mountain bike ride and a little kayaking and sailing, and some mountain man activities including black powder, archery, hawk and knife throwing. The crew completed a service project while at Delwebb.

Nineteen co-ed youth and four adult leaders participated o­n this trip...It was a great summer event!

Delwebb High Adventure Camp is owned by the Las Vegas Area Council and is in Utah, at an altitude of about 10,000 feet above sea level. Zion National Park is in the camp's back yard. The Narrows mentioned above is in the Park.

The Camp is promoted as a Philmont type experience. Campers can Mountain bike, climb and repel on real cliffs, and participate mountain man activites. There is even a small lake to boat, swim and fish in.

The camp provides a good time and is not too bad on cost.

Please click on the Read more link to see additional photos.