Outdoors Challenge Badges

Scouts develop and demonstrate enhanced outdoors knowledge and skills, with an emphasis on safety and environmental responsibility.

Advance Tripping Badge

Purpose: Demonstrate extended lightweight camping skills by participating in Lightweight Camping, Long Distance Hiking, or Extended Tripping.

Requirements:

1. Complete twelve (12) nights of camping with at least two (2) three night camping experiences. These must provide the opportunity to demonstrate advanced lightweight skills.
2. Demonstrate your ability to plan and prepare nutritious lightweight menus for an extended trip.
3. Demonstrate how to use appropriate lightweight equipment.
4. Demonstrate your ability to pack and carry your equipment.
5. Earn at least two (2) of the following badges: Pioneering, Exploring, Winter Scouting, Water Tripping, or Year Round Camper.
6. Instruct other Scouts or Cubs in lightweight camping skills.
7. Lead a Patrol camp.
8. Demonstrate an understanding of environmental camping concerns.

Exploring Badge

Purpose: Scout to explore an unfamiliar area.

Requirements:

1. Plan, conduct and evaluate three expeditions of increasing challenge; by foot, bike, canoe, etc. Distance and durability to be determined with your Scouter based on personal ability.
2. Demonstrate the use of a map and compass.
3. Explain risk management for these trips, including safety precautions necessary.
4. Evaluate your experience.

Paddling Badge

Purpose: Demonstrate the skills and knowledge to safely handle a canoe, kayak or similar craft on flat or slow moving water.
NOTE: You must wear a properly fitted PFD while in a boat.

Requirements:

1. Safety:
   1. Explain safety in, on and around water.
   2. Properly select and wear a suitable PFD or life jacket. Explain your choice and how it applies to Scouts Canada regulations.
   3. Demonstrate the use of a rescue-line throwing assist and an additional reaching or throwing assist.
   4. Explain and demonstrate self-rescue. i.e. Swim canoe ashore.
   5. Explain and demonstrate Canoe-over-Canoe rescue.
2. Knowledge:
   1. Name and point out 10 parts on your craft and 5 paddle parts.
   2. Explain the care and handling of your small craft, including launching and landing from a dock or shore.
   3. Explain how to avoid the following conditions and their treatment:
      1. Hypothermia
      2. Heat Exhaustion
      3. Heat Stroke
      4. U.V. ray exposure
   4. Know the Transport Canada regulations that apply to your small craft.
3. Skills:
   1. Paddle equally well in bow and stern or, if your craft requires, solo.
   2. Demonstrate the stability of your craft, i.e. rocking vigorously.
   3. Pivot your craft 360 degrees, in both directions.
   4. Paddle a straight line for 100m.
   5. Demonstrate the following strokes as they apply to your craft; Forward bow stroke ; "J" Stroke; Stopping; Sweep; Reverse Paddling; Draw; and Pry.
   6. Paddle a distance of 10km.

Pioneering Badge

Purpose: This Badge recognizes the ability of a Scout in the area of pioneering. The ability goes beyond the basic knowledge of knots and lashing to the point that the Scout can create useful and creative items using easily obtained wooden poles and rope (cord, string, etc.)

Requirements:

1. Demonstrate the ability to tie the three (3) knots not covered during the Voyageur Requirements. Know the uses of the knots in a pioneering setting. (i.e. clove hitch for beginning and ending a lashing)
2. Prepare a demonstration illustrating square lashing, diagonal and tripod lashing and indicate the uses of each.
3. In a field setting and using only wooden poles and ropes (or other bindings), the Scout will construct any two of the following:
   1. a bridge type project
   2. a camp gate, free standing flag pole or other useful item
   3. an entertainment type project (turnstile, swing, etc.)

Powercraft Badge

Purpose: To encourage Scouts to practice the safe operation, and be able to demonstrate basic maintenance, of a powercraft.
NOTE: You must wear a properly fitted PFD while in a boat.

Requirements:

1. Earn the Canadian Red Cross Society's Power Boating Award, or earn the exact equivalent of this Award.
2. Know the safety equipment required for your craft by Transport Canada, and explain the appropriate use for each.

Sailing Badge

Purpose: Covers sailboats, sailing dinghies and keelboats.
NOTE: You must wear a properly fitted PFD while in a boat.

Requirements:

1. Have at least the Canadian Red Cross Society's Blue or Small Craft Safety Survival Level or the YMCA's Star IV Award, or demonstrate the following:
   1. Safety knowledge in, and on water.
   2. From shore, a dock and from a boat, throw a reaching assist, a throwing assist (no line) and a throwing assist (with line) to someone in difficulty, two metres from yourself. Bring the casualty to safety and secure, talking to the casualty throughout to calm them.
   3. While fully clothed and wearing a P.F.D. jump into deep water, tread water for five minutes without signs of stress and then swim 100 metres with any stroke.
   4. Demonstrate the Help/huddle positions as used in and out of the water.
   5. Show how to contact emergency services.
2. Properly select and wear a PFD.
3. Demonstrate the appropriate use of the safety equipment required for your craft by Transport Canada.
4. 1. Name and point out 25 parts of the hull and fittings, rigging, and sail.
   2. Explain the difference between the following types of boats: cat-rigged, dinghy, sailboard, keelboat, and catamaran.
   3. Demonstrate knowledge of proper procedures of care, maintenance and storage of your craft, and personal equipment.
5. 1. Demonstrate the proper methods of launching and landing a boat at a dock and shoreline. Demonstrate starting and stopping a motor if applicable.
   2. Correctly rig and de-rig your vessel.
6. 1. Understand the basic concepts that affect boat stability.
   2. Demonstrate stability of the boat by vigorously rocking it for 30 seconds.
7. 1. Demonstrate safe entry and exit from craft and changing of positions in a safe manner.
   2. Demonstrate how to right a capsized boat. (if applicable)
   3. Know how to tie and what the following knots are used for; reef, figure 8, round turn and two half hitches, bowline, rolling hitch and sheetbend.
   4. Properly secure the vessel to a dock by the bow, or/and by the bow and stern, using any extra lines required for weather conditions.
8. With adult guidance, demonstrate the following:
   1. Manoeuvre your boat to and from a dock, mooring and a beach.
   2. Sail a boat on both tacks.
   3. Sail a beam reach on both tacks.
   4. Sail a run on both tacks without gybing.
   5. Demonstrate how to tack and gyb in both directions.
9. 1. Knowledge of Scouts Canada's watercraft regulations (as described in B.P.&P.)
   2. Creation and use of a Float Plan.
   3. Knowledge of the potential dangerous waters in your area.

Water Tripping Badge

Purpose: Experience all aspects of extended water trips.
Prerequisite: Prerequisite for this badge is the Paddling badge, Sailing badge or Powercraft badge.

Requirements:

1. Help in the planning and participate in a three (3) day water trip.
2. Properly select and wear a PFD.
3. Understand and explain the importance of a float plan.
4. Demonstrate the ability to select the proper equipment for your trip.
5. Demonstrate and explain ways to weather-proof camping gear.
6. Demonstrate your skills at making emergency repairs to your tripping equipment.
7. Show skills in map and compass reading, estimation of appropriate time and distance goals.
8. Show weather observation skills.
9. Demonstrate how to load your craft for tripping.

Weather Badge

Purpose: To develop an interest in and skills about weather information.

Requirements:

1. Maintain an interest in weather by recording for a one month period the following weather data for a specific site:
   1. maximum temperature
   2. minimum temperature
   3. total 24 hour precipitation
   4. mean wind direction and speed
   5. barometric pressure and tendency at the same time each day
   6. brief description of the weather for the day
2. Using a current weather map such as is found in a newspaper (or other source):
   1. Identify and label a high pressure area; a low pressure area; a warm front; and a cold front
   2. For each of the four above, point out one station that exhibits typical weather
   3. Point out one station where the wind direction clearly shows Buys-Ballots Law and the speed related to the pressure gradient.
3. For any two of the following, what advice would you give to your Patrol if the forecast indicated you could expect this type of weather where you are planning to go:
   1. Lake-effect snow
   2. Chinook winds
   3. Blizzard or high wind chill values
   4. Tornado
   5. Water spouts
   6. Dust devils
   7. Nor'easter winds in Atlantic Canada
4. For two outdoor outings by your patrol or troop:
   1. provide a weather forecast to your patrol/troop for the area of the event (use an official forecast from radio, TV, Newspaper, Internet etc.)
   2. advise members of the equipment required because of the forecast
   3. maintain a weather log of temperature, precipitation and wind during the outing. There should be at least 6 observations per day.
   4. report to your patrol/troop the affect of the weather on the outing.

White Water Badge

Purpose: The safe and responsible handling of a canoe, kayak or similar craft in moving water.
NOTE: You must wear a properly fitted PFD while in a boat.
Pre-requisite: The Paddling badge is a pre-requisite for this badge.

Requirements:

1. Describe the effects on the craft of rocker, wind, river current and load positioning (including paddlers).
2. Discuss the following parts of a rapid: sweeper, keeper, souse hole, haystack, roller, whirlpool, eddy, deep water V, submerged rock, areas of strong current, and eddy line. Discuss the importance of scouting a rapid before entering it.
3. Select and wear a properly fitted PFD and helmet.

Suitable Equipment:

1. Discuss Provincial regulations on PFD's and demonstrate proper use.
2. Discuss the importance of a helmet.
3. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of three hull material. (Royalex ABS, Fibreglass, Aluminum, etc.)
4. When would a wet or dry suit be necessary.
5. Demonstrate accurate throwing with a throw bag.
6. Demonstrate appropriate footwear.

Paddle Strokes:

1. In moving water demonstrate an effective:
   1. High Brace
   2. Low Brace
   3. Sideslip left and right
   4. Back paddling
   5. Eddy in and eddy out on the left and right
   6. Up stream ferry left and right
   7. Down stream ferry left and right

General Knowledge:

1. Demonstrate what to do if capsized.
2. From the International River Classification System describe Class 1, 2, 3 Rapids
3. Considering your skill level, strength and the type of equipment you are using, what would make a rapid unrunable for you?

Winter Scouting Badge

Purpose: Demonstrate ability to hike and camp in the outdoors in the winter.

Requirements:

1. Plan and conduct three winter activities, one of which must be an overnight camp.
2. Demonstrate appropriate gear suitable for winter camping.
3. Know signs and first aid for hypothermia, frostbite, snow blindness, wet clothing, and getting caught in a blizzard.
4. Prepare a winter survival kit.
5. Demonstrate knowledge of meals good for the winter activities.
6. Lay and light a fire.
7. Show how to avoid and what to do about the following:
   1. breaking through ice
   2. carbon monoxide poisoning
   3. frostbite
   4. becoming lost in winter conditions
   5. getting caught in a blizzard
   6. snow blindness
   7. skin stuck to cold metal
   8. hypothermia
   9. wet clothing