Where can you find: Rope Bridges, Pioneering Towers, Camp Gadgets, Maps, Compasses, Survival Shelters, and the highest concentration of fire pits in camp? Scout Skills! Camp Ranachqua's Scoutcraft program offers the full spectrum of skills that every Boy Scout needs. Offering six merit badges and the widest array of extra-curricular programs in camp, Scout Skills has it all! Everything from a 5-Mile hike through three of the Ten Mile River Reservation's beautiful camps, a 1-Mile Orienteering course that leads scouts through the depths of Ranachqua's wilderness, an Overnighter in an abandoned campsite! Boasting an experienced and passionate staff, Scout Skills is armed and ready with miles of rope, dozens of dutch ovens, and enough tent stakes to ensure that every scout makes the most of his stay in Camp Ranachqua.

Advancement Programs:

Merit Badges

Camping: Camping is Scout Skills' fundamental merit badge. Scouts are instructed in the art of outdoor living through camp-cooking, backpacking, Leave No Trace principles, and more. All Scouts taking the badge attend the overnighter at the abandoned lean-to site Frontier Village, where they'll set up tents, gather 'round the campfire, and cook their own breakfast. *EAGLE REQUIRED* *PRE-REQUISITE WORK REQUIRED*

First Aid: Scouts taking First Aid merit badge will learn all facets of health, safety, and first response medical treatment. CPR instruction and Hurry Case Scenarios in conjunction with Stretcher Races and Bandage Relays make the perfect combination of lifesaving information and fun for everyone. *EAGLE REQUIRED* *PRE-REQUISITE WORK REQUIRED*

Pioneering: Knots, lashing, splices, and all manners of backwoods engineering, Pioneering merit badge gives scouts the opportunity and knowledge to design and create bridges, towers, camp gadgets and all manner of scouting projects.

Orienteering: Study and master the dying art of rough country navigation with Orienteering merit badge. Scouts are instructed on the proper usage of map and compass, GPS, and compass-less direction. And, when you're ready, take a stab at one of Ranachqua's challenging Orienteering courses.

Cooking: Delightfully prepared dutch oven dinners, backpacking stove one-pot meals, utensil-less cooking and all other manners of survival food preparation are just the beginning with Cooking merit badge. Scouts prepare and eat their own meals over the course of the week and help Ranachqua's most delicious endeavor: The Cooking Mega Event!

Wilderness Survival: Wilderness Survival merit badge informs scouts about edible plants, survival shelters, primitive water purification, and how to endure the whole spectrum worst case scenarios. All Scouts taking the badge attend the overnighter at the abandoned lean-to site Frontier Village, where they'll be let loose in forest with nothing but their survival kits and the clothes on their backs.

First Class Adventure

Offering a wide array of Tenderfoot, Second Class and First Class advancement requirements, Scout Skills spearheads Camp Ranachqua's first year camper program: First Class Adventure. Especially geared towards those scouts who are looking to get a head start on the trail to Eagle, first year scouts can leave Camp Ranachqua with most of the advancement up to the rank of Star, and even a few merit badges under their belts.

The First Class Adventure staff facilitates the 5-Mile Hike, which leads scouts off of Camp Ranachqua's grounds, through the Ten Mile River backwoods, two other reservation camps, and still has them back in time for dinner. Also organizing the 1-Mile Orienteering course, the Frontier Village Overnighter, and the full array of requirements, the FCA program gives scouts the opportunity to fulfill advancement that would otherwise be difficult in a non-camp setting.

Training Programs

Totin' Chip: Instructs and certifies scouts to use pocketknives, axes, and saws.

Firem'n Chit: Empowers and informs scouts how to build campfires, cooking fires, and fire starting techniques.

Awards

Paul Bunyan Woodsman Award: The highest honor that Scout Skills can bestow, The Paul Bunyan Woodsman Award is available upon request to scouts who wish to take their love for Scout Skills to the next level. All Paul Bunyan Woodsman candidates will work in close conjunction with the Scout Skills staff to earn this prestigious award.

To earn this certification, study the Boy Scout Handbook and the Camping merit badge pamphlet, and demonstrate to your Scoutmaster or other qualified person the following:

Camp-wide Programs:

Camp-wide Games: Scout Skills runs a variety of Camp Wide Games from week to week. Whether it's the Knot College, Stretcher Relay, Blindfolded Tent Setup, or the Fire-lighting race, you can expect to have a blast with us!

Cooking Mega Event:Wednesday night Scout Skills is home to the finest concentration of culinary expertise on the entire Ten Mile River reservation. Pork on rock, Turkey in the Ground, Fried Dough, Dutch Oven Pizzas, Foil Packs and more! Come on out, eat delicious food, and watch the Iron Chef Competition.

Overnighter:Scouts take a hike off of Camp Ranachqua's grounds, through the neighboring Family Camp, and over to the abandoned lean-to outpost Frontier Village. Camping merit badge scouts set up their own tents, Wilderness Survival merit badge scouts build their own shelters, and a great time is had by all.

Last Updated: April 07, 2011
Ten Mile River Scout Camps © 2011 Greater New York Councils, BSA Privacy Policy