1- Batteries die even when fully charged because of 2 reasons. Extreme cold stops the chemical reaction from taking place that produces electricity. Or heat that corrodes the internal parts.
On cold weather camping trips, keep your batteries in your tent overnight to keep them from freezing. During the day, place your batteries or battery-powered appliance in a pocket on your person.
In the summer, do NOT put your batteries or appliance on the dash of the car. At least keep them in the shade and as cool as possible. Charging the batteries generates heat internally. So, charge the batteries in the shade or in air conditioning if possible. It seems to me that several short charging cycles versus a long continuous cycle will subject the batteries to less heat stress.
2- As a Scout leader I recognize we adults have all different sizes & ages Scouts in our Troop, Pack, Den, etc….. I suggest that every adult, Troop, and Scout have an in-depth discussion with a medical professional about OTC / Over-The-Counter drugs. At what age or weight does a Scout get an adult dose versus a pediatric dose of OTC medicines? Do signs &/or symptoms display differently? How often can each medicine be given?
O- The pig wanted to be a standup comedian.
P- He just wanted to ham it up.
3- When I share a quote with you it is because it means something to me or speaks to me that there is a lesson that I should learn. When I am working either for pay or volunteering I try to give more than my share. General George S. Patton Jr. said it this way: “Do more than is required of you.”
When you do less, people notice. They do not always notice when you do more. Keep doing more even when no one is watching. Patton would give a group of soldiers a job to do and then watch from a hidden location. He learned that the first person that started the project was to lead his troops because that person had the initiative to get started and work without direct oversight. Be that person.
4- If you use a Camel Back or bladder type of canteen/hydration system, please make sure that you clean it thoroughly between camping trips. A 10 % bleach solution is the best thing I have found. Put the solution in the bladder and shake the bladder till the entire insides are coated. Unscrew the lid a little bit & let the solution drip out and coat the threads of the bladder and the cap. Force some of the solution out the drinking tube and through the bite valve. Do not use your mouth on the bite valve with this chemical solution. Squeeze the bite valve with your hand. I suggest that you do this over a sink drain and not over or around live plants.
Rinse out the bladder and drinking tube several times to flush out the bleach solution. I store my bladder upside down with a bent-up metal or thick plastic coat hanger inside to make sure that the bladder is dry and crud-free for my next trip. (Plastic does not rust.)
Q-What kind of room has no windows, no doors, or no ceiling?
R- A mushroom.
5- Another author that I like is Rudyard Kipling. If nothing else – look up the poem IF. He also wrote The Jungle Book. Kipling earned the Nobel Prize winner in Literature.
“If you can keep your head…”
Gaither