February 23-25, 2024

Camp Strake
2020 Camp Strake Rd.
Coldspring, Texas 77331

The Venturing Challenge is a weekend campout for Venturers across the council. It is an opportunity for fun and fellowship and to bring prospective Venturers to a council-wide activity.

Venturers will be transported to a galaxy far, far away for a weekend filled with games, crew-against-crew competitions, and a campfire program. Camp for the weekend with your crew or attend for the day. Activities start on Saturday at 9:45 am and the campfire will be held around 8:00 pm. 

Registration

Registration can be done individually or by the crew leader. Meals are prepared and eaten with the crew. Extra patches can be ordered for $5. Register online with credit card or electronic check. All youth participants must be at least 14 years old. Council refund policy.

Register (opens soon)

What to Bring

All Participants

• *BSA Annual Health and Medical Record 
   Parts A & B (for all Scouting events)
• Field uniform (Venturing uniform)
• Activity uniform (Scout t-shirt) 
• Breakfast and lunch will be eaten with the crew (check with crew leadership)
• Snacks and drinks
• Hat 
• Jacket/sweatshirts
• Rain gear
• Optional: insect repellent, camp chair, sunglasses

If camping

• Tent / groundcloth
• Sleeping bag / extra blanket / pillow
• Camp chair
• Lantern - propane/battery
• Change of clothes, Scout appropriate
• Pajamas or sleeping clothes (wool, polypropylene or polyester, never cotton!)
  beanie hat and clean socks for sleeping
• Personal toiletries - soap, towel, toothpaste, toothbrush, comb
• Flashlight
• Trash bags
• Personal first aid kit

Optional
• Thermal underwear (pants and shirt), polypropylene or polyester, not cotton
• Spending money for trading post
• Nontoxic, noncombustible, environmentally friendly hand warmers
• Backup phone battery, rechargeable fully charged

 

Crew

  • Cooking gear and food: Saturday breakfast, non-cooking sack lunches, Saturday dinner, Sunday non-cooking breakfast
  • First-aid kit
  • Trash bags
  • Toilet paper
  • Wash soap for restrooms
  • Roster (due Friday at the leaders meeting)
  • Firewood, rakes and fire buckets; buckets and shovel to remove unused firewood
    
   *Mark all items with name and troop number.  Electricity is limited.

Don’t Bring: Valuables, electronics (e.g., iPad), fireworks, sheath or hunting knives, pets, hammocks, personal firearms and ammunition, jewelry, personal bows and arrows, fuel-burning hand warmers 

Winter Camping Tips

If camping, be prepared for variable weather. Although temperatures average between 40 to 60 degrees during winter camp, temperatures have been known to dip as low as 19 degrees and rise as high as 80 degrees.

Dressing for the cold. When dressing for cold weather, focus on a layering system including the three Ws: wicking, warmth and wind. Your base layer should be wicking (like an athletic shirt), an insulating layer should be warming (like fleece or wool) and an exterior layer should block the wind. Use clothing you have, focusing on the right combination of fabrics.

• Wicking Layer or Base. Also commonly known as long underwear, the base layer is worn closest to your skin. Its main job is to wick away sweat and moisture so your skin stays dry. Wear it relatively tight to the skin and use only wool or synthetic base layers. Never use cotton because it will not keep you warm once it’s wet, whether from sweat or precipitation. These base layers come in various weights, from heavy for frigid conditions to lightweight for warmer temps and activities that cause a lot of sweating, such as strenuous hiking and cross-country skiing. It’s a good idea to have one extra pair of base layers to change into every night at camp.

• Warmth Layer or Insulation. The insulation layer is worn atop the base layer and is designed to provide the majority of your insulation. It should be made of fleece, wool, down or synthetic insulation and can be a pullover, zip-up jacket or vest, depending on how much insulation you need.

• Windproofing Layer or Shell. The outermost layer, the shell jacket and pants protect you from wind and wet conditions. There are two types of shells: the hard shell is a lightweight layer that’s windproof and waterproof, capable of handling heavy rain and very wet conditions; a softshell is made of a more flexible, soft-faced material that’s windproof yet highly breathable, and water-resistant enough to protect you against everything except a heavy downpour.

Mittens. Mittens are warmer than gloves. If insulated mittens get wet, they stay that way. Wool mitts worn inside leather or nylon shells are removable for faster drying. Wool gloves are needed for dexterity when cooking.

Sleeping. Be sure to change into dry clothes for sleeping — moisture retained in field clothes will cause chilling. For overnight warmth, wear wool, polypropylene or polyester (never cotton!) long johns, socks and a balaclava to bed. Place a scarf across your neck to seal drafts.

Sleeping bags. Two sleeping bags — one placed inside the other — should provide enough warmth down to about zero degrees. If you don’t have a closed-cell foam pad to use as a sleeping mat, try half-inch-thick foam carpet padding.

Ground cloth. In warmer months, a plastic ground cloth should be used inside your tent to stay dry. However, in winter, use the ground cloth beneath your tent to keep it from freezing to the ground.

Toes cold? Put on a hat. Your body loses up to half of its total heat in 40-degree temperatures. So, when it’s below freezing and your head is uncovered, you could be radiating more than three-fourths of your overall body heat from your head.

Baggy clothes are back in style at least in the freezing-cold wilderness. Your body heats itself most efficiently when it’s enveloped in a layer of warm air. If your clothes are too tight, you’re strangling the cold right out of your body. Dressing in loose layers helps aid this convection layer of air. Tight clothes or too-tight boots can also restrict blood flow.

The three W’s. Every cold-weather camper needs to dress for the occasion. You’ll need a wicking layer (long underwear), a “warm” layer (fleece) and a “wind” layer (waterproof shell).

Stay hydrated. In winter, you may not be aware of how much you’re sweating. A gulp of ice-cold water is hardly appetizing, but it is important to keep drinking. Hot drinks and soup are a great way to replenish liquids, electrolytes, and heat. Keep extra tea bags on hand, as well as bouillon cubes, and hand out hot drinks liberally, especially at the end of the day when energy is low.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contacts

For more information, contact Venturing Program Chair.