Scout Patch Collectors

Tuesday Scouting Hot Finds Newsletter August 6, 2024

Just past midnight this morning I pulled up to the arrivals at the Charlotte airport and gave my Philmont Ranger a big hug. Sophia flew out in late May and had an epic summer out at the big ranch. She drank the Kook-Aid and went back for more flavors. On the way home she told me just a few of the stories and I hope I can get more out of her this week.

I have never hiked Philmont and so I don’t have the inside baseball language needed to translate everything she shared. I don’t know all the staff camps by name. But I did get a big smile when she shared with me that at one of the PTC campfires (she had a lot of friends on that side) that she led the singing of the Bear Song (the other day I saw a bear…). This was one that I sang to her at night when she was a toddler. 🙂

I get the feeling that she came back from Philmont a new person in many ways (she did turn 20 there!). Hopefully that translates to some better grades for year 2 at away college in the mountains. 🙂 But I am really happy to see the Scouting program giving her opportunities and grow and impact others. She showed me a book that was given to her by one of the crews she led that everyone inscribed with a note to her. What an awesome keepsake.

I pulled an epic and awful all nighter Sunday to get my entire stock of 2024 NOAC items put up on eBay for sale. My 1:1 no fuss trading resulted in about 225 unique listings with many duplicates. There are a few tough pieces mixed in there. I was a solo operation this time so I feel pretty good about reeling in these catches off my own blanket while shaking hundreds of hands to seal the deal.

CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE AUGUST 6, 2024 ISSUE OF THE SCOUTING HOT FINDS NEWSLETTER