The ocean view for happy wanderers

Often, when following the trail which meanders over the hills, I pull myself up in an effort to encompass the glory and the grandeur which envelops the whole horizon. Often, when the clouds pile up in the north and the sea is churned with white caps, I say to myself: "This is the California that men dreamed of years ago, this is the Pacific that Balboa looked out on from the Peak of Darien, this is the face of the earth as the Creator intended it to look."

-Henry Miller

2010 Merit Badge Schedule

This is the predicted 2010 Merit Badge Schedule. Advancement is just part of the program at Pico Blanco. Advancement gives Scouts and Patrols something to work on when they go outdoors. Advancement challenges each Scout in a unique way to grow personally and to set and achieve goals.

Younger Scouts are wncouraged to take Skills Patrol at Scoutpost to work their way to First Class while older Scouts can work on a variety of merit badges offered in all program areas. Older Scouts also have the opportunity to participate in Pico Pathfinders where they will work on reqirments for Camping, Hiking, and Backpacking Merit Badges while participating in a week-long high adventure experience. Through Pico Pathfinders, Scouts can also work towards the Venturing Outdoor Bronze Award which is an integral part of the Ranger Award.

Also available for 2010 only are Centenial Merit Badges including Signaling, Tracking, and Carpentry.

At Pico, we believe in innovative teaching methods and making sure Scouts truly earn their Merit Badges. We strive to teach Scouts how to apply the skills they learn instead of simply passing off requirments.

Return

by Robinson Jeffers

A little too abstract, a little too wise,
It is time for us to kiss the earth again,
It is time to let the leaves rain from the skies,
Let the rich life run to the roots again.
I will go to the lovely Sur Rivers
And dip my arms in them up to the shoulders.
I will find my accounting where the alder leaf quivers
In the ocean wind over the river boulders.
I will touch things and things and no more thoughts,
That breed like mouthless May-flies darkening the sky,
The insect clouds that blind our passionate hawks
So that they cannot strike, hardly can fly.
Things are the hawk's food and noble is the mountain, Oh noble
Pico Blanco, steep sea-wave of marble.

The Drive to Pico

The drive in to camp is one of the most scenic drives you will ever take. It begins with a 10 mile drive down northern Big Sur coast on Highway 1 with sweeping vistas of the Pacific Ocean. Poet Robinson Jeffers called this "The Greatest Meeting of Land and Sea" and the road is rated the most scenic in America. Then, you enter the redwood-filled Palo Colorado Canyon and work your way up the historic road into the Los Padres National Forest at 2250' Bottcher's Gap. Then, you begin your descent to the Little Sur River via the dirt camp road with views of Mt. Pico Blanco and Ventana Double Cone before re-entering the old-growth Redwood Forest. The camp road is passable to 2WD vehicles, so pretty much anyone can make it into camp (for years, our program director made the trip in a Toyota Corolla). Please drive safely and use low gear. It's about an hour and a half from Monterey to camp.

Dusty Road (Tune: Country Roads)
Almost heaven, Pico Blanco
Launtz Ridge Mountain, Little Sur River
Life is old there, older than the redwoods
Younger than Mount Pico, blowin' like a breeze

CHORUS:
Dusty road, take me home, to the place where I belong
Pico Blanco Scout Reservation, take me home
Palo Colorado Canyon Road

All the Whammies gather 'round her
Doctor's daughter, stranger to green water
Dark and dusty, spin-art on the sky
Miss the taste of bug juice, moon-pie in my eye

I hear her voice in the morning when she calls me (LARS!)
The generator reminds me of my tent far away
And driving down that dusty road I get the feeling
I should have used the kybo yesterday. Yesterday!

The Captain Chipmunk Theme Song

Ding ding ding ding ding

Here comes my wagon, my wagon

I hear the keeper calling me-eeeeeeeee

Ding ding ding ding ding

Here comes my wagon, my wagon

To take me to the funny factory

Just like all the nuts that fall

I'm a little cracked, that's all

Ding ding ding ding ding

Here comes my wagon

My kiddie car, my bus

WHOOOOOPEEEEEEEEEE

Scoutpost

Want to be a master outdoorsman who can tackle high peaks and venture into the unknown? Even if you simply aspire to go on a weekend campout, Scoutpost can teach you valuable outdoor skills. Our Skills Patrol program helps first-year Scouts learn their basic camping skills and work on their trail to First Class while our merit badge offerings teach more specific skills such as wilderness survival, orienteering, and pioneering.

Throughout the week, Scoutpost offers a variety of activities such as the Scottish Games, Adventure Day hikes, ultimate frisbee, and the Scoutmaster Dutch Oven Cookoff. Scoutpost's highly qualified staff is here to create a dynamic learning environment; in 2009, 100% of Scoutpost staff were Eagle Scouts.

Scoutpost is located just downstream from the waterfront between Campsite 1 (Awanee) and Campsite 2 (Blackfoot).