CategoriesAlaska High Adventure by

Northern Lights High Adventure Base Treks

The premier Alaskan High Adventure outdoor experience for scouts.

Backpacking, hiking, canoeing, fishing and more!

Thank you for your interest in the programs of the Northern Lights High Adventure Base. The Midnight Sun Council, Boy Scouts of America, based in Fairbanks, Alaska, operates the Base.

The mission of the Base is to provide a remote outdoor experience to youth and adults within the Scouting program.

Things to consider when thinking about a trip of a lifetime to Alaska:

1. Alaska is twice the size of the state of Texas. It may look small on a map and the distance between two points may not appear to be that much, but rest assured it is— and there may not be a road to it.

2. The Northern Lights High Adventure Base does not provide support to units that have not booked their Alaska trip through the Base. If you would like to customize your trip, please let the Base do it for you. That’s what we do best.

3. The Base provides the following services for each trip; transfer to and from the airport (Fairbanks International Airport), all ground transportation, meals, most specialized equipment, camp stoves, drivers, and Trek Leaders. You will need to provide your own personal gear, tentage, water filters, and something to eat with.

4. The mission of the Northern Lights High Adventure Base is to provide a high adventure experience to the youth in the Scouting program. While we encourage parents to participate with their sons or daughters, the trips need to have 51% youth.

5. Travel days do not/are not counted in those days. Your unit can extend a trip by adding an additional week. Some units use this extra time to see Denali National Park, hike Gates of the Arctic National Park, float the Yukon River, or tour Alaska.

6. To secure your space for a trek, a deposit is required (amount depends on the trek). Half of the remaining amount is due February 1st of the year you are attending. The balance is due by June 1st, or 30 days prior to your trek, whichever is earlier.

 

After you have viewed all the available information on our website and have any other questions, or would like to discuss a trek in detail, please call us at 907-452-1976 or email to Stephen.Smith@scouting.org

Ready to Plan a Trek?

The first step to planning your Northern Lights High Adventure Expedition is to answer the following questions:

1) Which trek do we want to attend? See “Treks” tab on Top Menu for more information on the treks.

2) What day do we want to arrive? Arrival dates are flexible on a first come, first serve basis.

3) How long of a trip do we want? From 3 days to 3 weeks we have an option for you!

4) How many crews will we need? Some trips are restricted in size due to land use permits. See the “Fee” section in the “FAQ/Planning your trip” tab for more details.

Once you have answered all of the above questions, contact NLHA to make your reservation.

CategoriesCouncil Resources by

Upcoming Changes to Calendar in Scoutbook

As of  Thursday, April 4, 2024, Scoutbook will redirect all calendar functionality to advancements.scouting.org, also known as Scoutbook Plus Internet Advancement.

This change is part of the migration of Scoutbook to Scoutbook Plus Internet Advancement due to the fact that Scoutbook is built on old classic ASP (Application Service Provider) which offers application services over the internet and needs to be retired.

Users have been given the opportunity to experience the new calendar since October 2023 by going directly to advancements.scouting.org. By providing calendar functionality in both platforms, developers have been able to receive and implement feedback while the old Scoutbook calendar was still in use.

The new calendar has added features such as the following:

-The ability to create recurring events such as unit, patrol, den, and committee meetings.
-Users can generate activity logs from events prefilled with event information
-An html editor for event descriptions
-An automatic update of event invitees when members join or leave a unit (available when Scoutbook calendar is fully retired)
-Quick entry for invitation and attendance

A user guide is available at Using Scoutbook Plus Internet Advancement Calendar (IA) – Scoutbook Knowledge Base (scouting.org)

A link will still be available to the Scoutbook Calendar (old) for a short time to assist users with the transition. Users can report issues with the calendar at Latest Scoutbook/New Calendar Bugs topics – Scouting Forums where experienced users with the new calendar are available to help troubleshoot.

CategoriesBlog by

University of Scouting

University of Scouting – Save the Date

October 5, 2024

The Fall edition of University of Scouting will include in-person position specific training (also offered online) and supplemental trainings.
The course list will be released soon.
Trainings for Cub Scout Leaders will be in the morning and Trainings for Troops will be featured in the afternoon following the Freeze Up Canoe Race.

 

CategoriesBlog, Training by

Intro to Outdoor Leadership Skills (IOLS)

IOLS collage

Intro

to

Outdoor

Leadership

Skills

Date: April 5-6, 2025
Place: Lost Lake

click here to view/download flyer

From the Course Syllabus: Specifically, this hands-on program gives adult leaders a practical introduction to the patrol method of a Scout-led troop by teaching many of the practical outdoor skills they need to lead Scouts in the out-of-doors. In addition, the teaching methods, activities, and games model the variety of teaching used in effective and engaging Scouting programs.

Participating troop leadership should include the Scoutmaster, all assistant Scoutmasters, interested troop committee members, and new adult leaders from Webelo’s graduation and round-ups.

This course is REQUIRED to be considered fully trained in a Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster position, in addition to the specific leader training for your position.

 

CategoriesBlog by

Fall Camporee

 

2024 Fall Camporee

Amazing Race Camporee!

 

Scouts will race in patrols to complete eight different Scout skills and try to be the first to cross the finish line. 

To be able to get access to Fort Wainwright we

MUST HAVE ALL ADULTS

to be registered with Full Name and DOB!

NO EXEPTIONS!

Final Day for Registration is September 24, 2024

When:              September 27th – 29th, 2024

Where:          Glass Park, Fort Wainwright, Alaska (directions forthcoming in Leaders’ Guide and via Scoutmaster email correspondence)

 

Early Bird Registration:  $20 until 9/18/2024

Regular Rate: $25 from 9/19/2024 – 9/24/2024

 

click here to register for this event

click here to view/download 2024 Fall Camporee Leaders Guide

CategoriesBlog by

Council Rock

 

Cub Scout, Scouts BSA

 Council Rock 2024 

When: Sep 13-15th, 2024

Time: Activities start at 8:30 am Saturday

Where: Lost Lake Camp

 

 

How to Register for Council Rock 2023

 

1) Register Online: Scan QR code (on flyer) or click following link to access event:
2) Pack Leaders + Adults:
a. Be prepared to enter your YPT date when you register. (ie. YPT
needs to be up-to-date before your register).
b. Lions and Tigers must have a guardian present the whole event.
3) Once you submit the form you will be provided with a link to pay by credit card. Options for payment:
a. Cash or Check: Visit the Midnight Sun Council at 1400 Gillam Way Fairbanks, AK 99701 and submit payment.
b. Credit Card:
 i. Over the Phone: Call the council office and pay over the phone (907) 452-1976
Square accepts these forms of payment:
4) Registrants should receive a copy of their registration form via email. If you have any questions if your registration went through, please contact Stacy or Phil at the scout
office.
5) Pack and Troop leaders will be responsible for ensuring two-deep leadership and current YPT prior to the event. They will be contacted by council office if we need to create cohorts or have lack of leaders attending. Our goal is to group scouts by rank to get the most out of their Lost Lake camp experience
Council Rock 24 Flyer to view/download
Council Rock 2024 Program Guide to view/download

 

 

CategoriesSupport by

Contact

Midnight Sun Council Office

midnightsunbsa@gmail.com

Phone: 907-452-1976

Stephen Smith: Scout executive

stephen.smith@scouting.org

Phone: 907-452-1976

Tasmine Stebbins: Senior Learning for Life Executive

tasmine.bennett@scouting.org

Phone: 907-452-1976

Stacy Brandon: Office Manager (Accounting)

stacy.brandon@scouting.org

Phone: 907-452-1976

Vacant: District Executive

Phone: 907-452-1976

Richard Baumfalk: Lost Lake Camp Ranger

lostlakeranger@gmail.com

C.J. Stewart: Development Director

Clinton.Stewart@scouting.org

Phone: 907-452-1976

Vacant: Director Camping Services

Phone: 907-452-1976

Linda Hill: Registrar/Administrative Support

linda.hill3@scouting.org

Phone: 907-452-1976

Spencer Snoap: Lost Lake Program Director

Email: TBA

Phone: 907-452-1976

CategoriesCouncil Resources by

Adult Registration Requirements for Summer Camp 2023

HOW AN ADULT MUST BE REGISTERED TO ATTEND SUMMER CAMP 2023

Adult leaders attending camp with their unit must be registered in their specific chartered organization’s unit if they are at camp for more than 72 hours. (Note the “72-hour” policy will change effective 9/1/2023. Early adoption is always encouraged; however, for summer 2023 the “72-hour rule” remains in effect. If you missed the webinar regarding the upcoming change to the 72-hour rule, click here to view the recording. You can also review Scouting’s Barriers to abuse here and the Barriers to Abuse FAQs here.)

 

Adult leaders cannot be registered as a merit badge counselor or any other non-unit position instead of through their unit to attend camp. They could be “multipled” or primary in their unit, but regardless, they must be registered with the specific unit they will attend with.

 

Why must they be registered in this way?
1. First: Camp is a unit program. Meaning, youth fall under the direction of their chartered organization’s approved unit leaders while in attendance (see NCAP HS-502).
2. Second: Because youth participate with their unit, the chartered organization must approve any adult working with their youth. A merit badge counselor (or other non-unit position) is registered through their council and therefore does not have the required approval from the chartering organization. There is a chart below with potential positions they could register in for their unit type.

 

Unit Positions

3. Finally: What about “provisional units”? Council organized camp units (sometimes called “provisional”) are a council-organized activity and therefore not unit organized. Chartered organization approval would not be required. These camp / council-organized provisional “unit’s” adult leaders would be required to meet SQ-401-402. Please ensure all of your registrars, participants guides etc. reflect this important guidance.