Boy Scout Troop 849 - Long-term Hikemaster Handbook

Troop 849
Manhattan Beach, CA
Boy Scouts of America

Home
New Members
Calendar
Scout Pages
Advancement
Special Awards

Summer Camp

Backpacking
Weekend
Advanced
Long-term

Hikemaster
Weekend
Long-term

Ceremonies

Last Updated:
March 30, 2018

Search
Site Map
Navigation

About us
Contact us

	General \| Hikemaster's Handbook \| Reservations \| Showers \| Banquet This entire guide is also available in PDF format (315k)

Long-term Hikemaster's Handbook

Hike Locations

Route Planning

The long-term hike location is usually decided at a Troop Committee meeting many months or even a year before time. A list of past long-term locations is available on our website. New locations are always encouraged so do don't feel constrained by this list.

Scouts are generally available during the summer. The best time to schedule a long-term is between the end of summer school and the beginning of school. Avoid summer camp week too. Most often it is impossible to satisfy all constraints so just do your best. Other factors are the number of mosquitoes and possibility of rain. Both go down later in the summer.

Some long-term hikes are harder than others. In any one give year, there should be at least one easier long-term for first time Scouts and one more challenging long-term for the advanced Scouts.

Troop 849 requires three training hikes prior to going on a long-term. This requirement can be waived for those who have been on a prior long-term. Most long-term training awards require a minimum of two training hikes within 90 days of the long-term. That requirement cannot be waived. Long-term hikes are usually above 8000 feet and have multiple peaks available for climbing. Participants are encouraged to climb all peaks (weather permitting) but that is not a requirement.

Awards

Special long-term awards are available from the Greater Los Angeles Area Council High Adventure Team (GLAAC-HAT). There are awards for various areas in the Sierras along with awards for specific trails or routes. Award requirements vary but generally the hike must involve at least four nights of camping and 25 backpack hours to qualify. See Hike Aid 6 - High Adventure Awards Program for details. The most popular awards are:

	High Adventure Backpack	Any public lands, four night minimum, 25 or more backpack hours.
	John Muir Trail Award	Any one of six 50 mile segments of the John Muir Trail, six nights minimum.
	Sierra North	Trail must be entirely within the northern portion of the Sierras, four nights minimum, 25 or more backpack hours.
	Sierra South	Trail must be entirely within the southern portion of the Sierras, four nights minimum, 25 or more backpack hours.

Topo Maps

Full size topo maps are generally provided for all participants. Not only are they very useful during the hike, but they also make a very nice souvenir. Maps can be purchased at http://store.usgs.gov/. If only a small portion of a map is required, then a color copy of a full size topo can be used.