This is a competition of basic survival skills and knowledge. There will be survival skill lectures, demonstrations, and contests. Each scout will qualify for "Wilderness Survival" merit badge if he completes all assigned tasks. We will be meeting at the town owned 29 Acres site at the circle at the end of Pine Meadow Drive at 7:30am, September 24. Each scout will be responsible to pack any gear he needs for the weekend. Use the pack-up list.

Food: What you eat depends on what you bring! All food and water must be packed-in by each individual. Each scout will be required to prepare at least one cooked meal. Since this is not a real survival situation no hunting is allowed.

Shelter: Shelter must be constructed after we arrive at 29 acres. A change this year will be the total use of natural, local materials. No plastic sheeting, tarps, or tents. Study the various designs in the handouts for basic shelter. Research the Web or in the Library. Scouts can join together to build group shelters or build their own individual shelter. All members of a group will receive the same shelter score.

Emergency Hiking Kit: Each person must build an emergency hiking kit to have with them at all times. As a minimum it must contain: flashlight, wooden matches, compass, whistle, knife, watch, string or rope, hiking first aid kit, $1 in change, rain gear or large trash bag. For those of us that wear glasses we also need to carry an eyeglass repair kit with spare screws. (Optional items: lip balm, phone card, snacks, space blanket, sparker, mirror or old cd, fishing line and hooks, sewing kit, safety pins, birthday candles, aluminum foil, tape and wire). This is best carried in a small fanny pack so you won't feel the need to take it off (you never know when you might need it!)

"Challenges": There will be various challenges during the weekend. Some will be scored by leaders, others will be voted on by the other scouts. They will include Shelter Building, Fire Starting, Target, Survival Trivia, Fire by Friction, Cooking, Puzzle Solving, Animal Tracking, and possibly others to be announced. The scout with the most votes overall will win the title of 29 Acre Survivor! Use your imagination in all your planning. Unusual shelters, interesting menus for meals and being prepared will count a lot towards the final score. Good Luck!

Hints: Pack your water in smaller containers to make it easier to pack. Bring around 1 gallon total. Leave a little air in some of the bottles and freeze them the night before (not all of them though!). They will thaw out slowly and give you a cold drink for most of the day. Condiment foil containers of ketchup, mayo, mustard, etc take very little room and add much to the enjoyment of your dinner. If you bring meat (hamburger, hot dog, chicken) you must freeze it so that it doesn't spoil. Any scout needing items of gear should contact Mr. Cross (676-2132) or one of the other leaders.

Weather: This is Survivor! We go rain or shine. Prepare, dress, and pack accordingly. If the weather is predicted to be very wet, we may change the rules to allow tarps.

Cell phone number for the weekend will be 781-690-2689 (Mr. Cross).