Trek-In X X X I
(2009) Registration Information as of 01/07/2009
MARCH 28, 2009
ONE DAY ONLY
PREREGESTRATON IS REQUIRED
VIEW THE TREK-IN PATCH COLLECTION!
Weather Forecast for the Hoopeston, Illinois
Area
| Choose Your File Format |
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| Registration Form | Registration | Registration |
| TrekIn Guidelines | Guidelines | Guidelines |
| Letter to Scoutmasters | Scoutmaster's Letter | Scoutmaster's Letter |
| TrekIn Schedule | Schedule | Schedule |
| Class Lists are no longer provided | ||
"Unlike other merit badge seminars, where the youth sign up for a class (only to have it cancelled, for one reason or another). TrekIn supplies only a list of potential merit badges. We do not take class reservations but instead use a shot gun start with a very refined method for letting the youth attending one class choose another when it is over. It has worked this way for 30 years...& we like it :)
NOTICE!
RAILROADING: Bring your model to TrekIn as per Requirement (1).
CITIZENSHIP IN THE NATION:
1. Please bring the names and addresses of your Senators and
State Congress Representative to and a copy of your letter with
the address to which it was sent for requirement # 8.
2. Please bring a written paragraph about one of these visits you
did after you became a Boy Scout for requirement #2 a, b, c.
3. Watch a national evening news program for 5 days or read the
front page of the newspaper for 5 days. Take notes about national
issues and bring them with you.
TREK-IN
A HISTORY
By Rick Hemp
Edited by
Trek-in is a
Merit Badge workshop started by two former Scoutmasters from the
Indian Trails District of the now merged Piankishaw Boy Scout
Council. As far as we know it was THE FIRST of its kind, but many
similar programs have sprung up since. Many of those were started
by scoutmasters or other leaders that had first been to Trek-In
and liked the concept enough to start a workshop of their own. In
the beginning Scoutmasters BOB MOHLER and GARY FOCKEN
got together and came up with an idea. That idea being that it
would be more beneficial to the Scoutmasters, Merit Badge
Counselors and especially the scouts if an event were held where
the Scouts could have a chance to meet with several Merit Badge
Counselors at one time. They would meet in an open forum instead
of going to someone’s house or business.
For several months
before the first event, they took their idea to Roundtable and
other gatherings of Scouters and pitched it whenever they could
get a word in edgewise. The event would be held in February, when
most troops were not very busy and thereby give them a program
feature to fill in that time of year. This program has three
major benefits-two obvious, one slightly ahead of its time.
1.
The ease with which a scout can find a Merit Badge Counselor.
Although not all Merit Badges are available at any one Trek-In,
there is a wide enough variety that most Scouts can find one that
they would like to work on.
2.
It fills a niche in the yearly calendar with a useful program at
an otherwise normally inactive time.
3.
Strength in numbers. At a time when the BSA had not yet come out
with its Child Abuse Policy and Youth Protection Program, Trek-In
virtually eliminated that problem because of the setting in which
it was conducted. Here you have an environment that is not one
adult to one Scout, but a large number of Scouts, counselors and
Scouters in one place watching over each other.
How
large are those numbers you ask? In the last few years the number
of Scouts and Scouters has amounted to between 400 and 500 each
year. In past years we have had contingents from Three states (
Troops
are charged a fee that covers four meals [three as of 1998] and
an event patch (shown below) and
pin. The patch and pin design for each Trek-In comes from
a contest held the preceding year in which the Scouts (No
Scouters are allowed to enter) work up and turn in designs. Those
designs are judged and the winning design becomes the patch and
pin for the following year. Designs must incorporate either and
endangered or threatened species in
Most
troops came in on Friday night and registered and stayed
overnight. [After all some have traveled a long way]. Friday
evening usually brought some kind of program feature such as
competitive games in which Scouts win prizes or some form of
entertainment followed by a cracker-barrel [also included in the
one fee pricing].
The remaining troops
register on Saturday morning and everyone sits down to breakfast.
Merit Badge classes start at 9:30am. There is a break for lunch
at 12:30, resume classes at 1:30pm and run the afternoon classes
until 4:30pm. They have supper and then engage in more program
features. Past features have included things such as a talk be a
falconer while a live Peregrine Falcon sat on his arm. If it is
at all possible we try to get someone to talk about the featured
endangered species each year. After the program it is time for
another cracker-barrel and heading back to the sleeping
accommodations at a local grade school. Sunday morning another
breakfast is served and a non-denominational church service is
held with Scouts and Scouters participating. (The Sunday portion
of the program was dropped beginning with Trek-In XXI.)
This program is not
an event that can be put together in a couple of weeks. To do it
right takes several months of telephone calls, flyers, mailings,
meetings and planning. It can be made easier of each individual
leader in the District can take some small part in helping to
make the event go.
Trek in was started
with one group of individuals placed first in everyone's mind ---
THE SCOUTS!
If you have any
memories of your experiences, or those of your scouts, involving
past Trek-Ins, please drop me a note at denverd.geo@yahoo.com
TREK-IN
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Trek-In
1 1978 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
2 1979 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
3 1980 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
4 1981 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
5 1982 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
6 1983 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
7 1984 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Treck!-In
8 1985 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
9 1986 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
10 1987 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
11 1988 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
12 1989 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
13 1990 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
14 1991 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
15 1992 (Quacity is a foreign word meaning EXCELLENCE!) |
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Trek-In
16 1993 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
17 1995 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
18 1996 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
19 1997 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
20 1998 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
21 1999 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
22 2000 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
23 February 16 & 17, 2001 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
24 February 15 & 16, 2002 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
25 February 14 & 15, 2003 We survived the STORM! Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
26 February 20 & 21, 2004 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
27 February 18 & 19, 2005 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
28 February 17 & 18, 2006 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
29 February 16 & 17, 2007 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
30 February 16, 2008 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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Trek-In
31 March 28, 2009 Click on any image to see an enlarged version |
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trekin[at]mchsi.com 
