boyscouts

whitewater merit badge

once you have mastered canoeing on still water you are ready to challenge yourself
with the thrills of whitewater. once again, we strongly emphasize safety along with
the fun.
in this two-day program the scouts will learn how to use and care for the equipment,
learn the international scale of river difficulty, how to read a river, kayak maneuvers,
canoe maneuvers, self and buddy rescue, safety, rafting, and many more exciting
subjects.

the scouts are required to pass a scout gate test in under 120 seconds. if they do it
in under 60 seconds they achieve an 'exceptional time'. testing with the scout gates
is done at the end of the first day and morning of the second day. once all the
scouts have completed the course on the second day the rest of the trip is spent on
the river for the one day adventure. prerequisites: first aid merit badge, swimming
merit badge, canoeing merit badge.

trailblazer program

this program is an outstanding day on the river in rafts and inflatable kayaks (i.k.’s).
lunch is included in the all day program. scouts go to the inflatable kayaks where
the scouts learn how to maneuver their i.k.'s around the river and rocks. the
objective is to introduce the skills and equipment with emphasis on safety and self-
protection. a scout earning this award will have taken the first step toward
whitewater proficiency, but will achieve true proficiency only through further training
and practice under proper supervision and conditions.