Members of Venturing Crew 1042 of Kitsap County provided support to the recent BSA Orca District Merit Badge Clinic, hosted this year by Boy Scout Troop 1555. The clinic was held over a period of three consecutive Saturdays in January and February and was attended by 336 boys. The Scouts chose from 18 different merit badges and signed up for a total merit badge count of 861.  Since many of our Crew were once Boy Scouts, this was a chance to pay back to the Scouting program.  Crew members staffed the merit badge midway and also assisted with classes for the Communications, Chemistry, First Aid, and Citizenship in the Nation.  This event provided a great opportunity for Crew members to help scouts earn merit badges and advance in ranks and it was great fun for all who attended!  This was the first exposure for many Scouts to Venturing and there was a very positive buzz.  We will see some of these young fellows again when they get older and come looking for a high octane Crew.

Congratulations to Dante, who earned his Venturing Outdoor Bronze Award and was recognized at the January meeting.  To qualify for the Outdoor Bronze, a Venturer must complete four of the eight Core requirements and two of the eighteen elective requirements toward the Ranger Award.  For his Core requirements, Dante chose Standard First Aid, Leave No Trace principles, Land Navigation, and Conservation.  His electives were Backpacking and Physical Fitness.  You can find those requirement listed on line here.  Dante, a senior at Kingston High, is a member of his school's Debate and Swimming teams.  He's trekked across Philmont Scout Ranch, staffed Wood Badge, and is serving his second term as the Crew Administrative Vice President.

It's amazing how fast a year can go by.  The Crew celebrated the close of 2010 with their ritual viewing of the Hollywood movie, The Htichhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, along with their brewing contest and search for the finest, most refreshing drink without going to the Restaurant at the End of the Universe.  From Wikipedia, President of the Universe Zaphod Beeblebrox is the inventor of the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster, a fictional cocktail. The Douglas Adams novel states that the effect of one "is like having your brain smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick."  In the BBC television series, two Gargle Blaster drinkers collapse in open-eyed unconsciousness after drinking while the spilled drink burns a hole in the floor; in the film, after the Guide is done explaining what the Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster is and its effects, Ford Prefect and Zaphod yell in pain. The novel gives the recipe as follows:

"Take the juice from one bottle of that Ol' Janx Spirit.

Pour into it one measure of water from the seas of Santraginus V

Allow three cubes of Arcturan Mega-gin to melt into the mixture (it must be properly iced or the benzene is lost).

Allow four litres of Fallian marsh gas to bubble through it (in memory of all those happy Hikers who have died of pleasure in the Marshes of Fallia).

Over the back of a silver spoon float a measure of Qualactin Hypermint extract, redolent of all the heady odours of the dark Qualactin Zones.

Drop in the tooth of an Algolian Suntiger. Watch it dissolve, spreading the fires of the Algolian suns deep into the heart of the drink.

Sprinkle Zamphour.

Add an olive.

Drink...but very carefully."

In an interview, Douglas Adams stated that there are a number of environmental and weapons treaties, as well as laws of physics, which prevent the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster from being mixed on Earth.

Nonetheless, 23 Venturers, Advisors, and their guests tried their hands at mixing.  In the end, amidst the bottles, powders, bowls, fruits, and dry ice, three finalists emerged.  Jake's intense safety precautions of welding-glass eye protection and acid-resistant gloves yielded still another First Place finish. Melissa's foundation of powdered backpacking Gatorade pushed her drink into second place.  With a brain fueled by lemons, Zack figured out something that merited third place overall and candidacy for a deforestation agent.

While under the influence, the Crew was treated to the unveiling of Advisor Eric Kvistad's long-awaited Philmont video and slideshow, detailing the adventures and highlights of the Crew's trek into the New Mexico backcountry this past summer.  We'll post excerpts in the web site's Files section.