This course is conducted over six days / TWO weekends at Gerber Scout Reservation and limited to Adults and Scouts 16 years old and older. 

The purpose of a Powder Horn course includes:

• Safe participation in fun and challenging outdoor activities
• Introduction to resources to improve unit program
• Exposure to new and exciting high adventure activities
• Help deliver the promise at the unit level
• Promoting youth and adult creativity when delivering high adventure programs

Most of the presentations involve hands-on experience by the participants. Read more to find out what new experiences are being offered. This Powder Horn course will include the following topics: Backpacking, Cave Exploring, Communications, Conservation, Cooking, Cycling/Mountain Biking, Ecology, Emergency Preparedness, Equestrian, Expedition Planning, First Aid, Fishing, Hunting, Land Navigation, Leave No Trace, Life Saver, Mountaineering, Outdoor Living History, Physical Fitness, Plants and Wildlife, Project COPE, Scuba, Shooting Sports, Watercraft, Wilderness Survival, and Winter Sports. 

We plan to make this the best Scouting resource course you have ever experienced!

Print the brochure for more details!

COURSE SIZE The course will consist of no more than 48 participants. Once the course is filled, participants will be given the option of being placed on a waiting list in case of cancellations. The course deposit will be refunded to those on the waiting list who are not selected after the course has ended. Powder Horn introduces you to the best local resources for high adventure activities. This course will give you a running start on building and developing a high adventure program. Come and join us for inspiring and invigorating fun-filled weekends of activities. This Powder Horn course will include the following topics: ATV, Backpacking, Cave Exploring, Communications, Conservation, Cooking, Cycling/Mountain Biking, Ecology, Emergency Preparedness, Equestrian, Expedition Planning, First Aid, Fishing, Hunting, Land Navigation, Leave No Trace, Life Saver, Mountaineering, Outdoor Living History, Paddle Boarding, Physical Fitness, Plants and Wildlife, Project COPE, Scuba, Shooting Sports, Watercraft, Wilderness Survival, and Winter Sports.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Powder Horn is a resource opportunity designed to expose Venturing, Sea Scout, and Scouts BSA leaders and youth to activities and resources necessary to operate a successful High Adventure program in several ways: • Help adult and youth unit leaders to safely conduct outdoor activities of a fun and challenging nature. • Provide an introduction to the resources necessary to successfully lead their units through a program of high adventure. • This course will expose the participants to outdoor/high adventure activities. This course is not a total training program; it is a resource course and is not intended to enable the leader or youth to be an expert or even self-sufficient in any aspect of outdoor skills. The leader or youth will most likely still need knowledgeable, trained, and certified individuals (consultants) to help provide a safe and correct outdoor/high adventure program.

PARTICIPANT QUALIFICATIONS • Adults must be a registered member of the Boy Scouts of America. • Youth must be at least 16 years old and have unit leader and course director permission. • All participants must be fully trained for their specific position. • All participants must meet the physical requirements of parts A, B, and C of the Annual Health and Medical Record for high adventure activities. This is a HIGH ADVENTURE camp but under NO CIRCUMSTANCES is any Powder Horn participant required to participate in an activity they are uncomfortable with. They may choose just to observe and learn.

MISSION STATEMENT We will put on a resource course that will teach you how to plan a safe and exciting high adventure trip, how to find the experts to help with your trip, all while having the time of your life.

WHY POWDER HORN? Many Scouting leaders and youth face the dilemma of having a strong desire to provide a challenging and fun outdoor program to meet the needs of their older youth members, but lack the knowledge and/or resources to do so. Powder Horn responds to the quandary with an exciting new resource course opportunity that exposes adults and youth leaders in Venturing, Sea Scouting, and Scouts BSA to a wide range of outdoor/ high adventure activities. More importantly, Powder Horn provides its participants with valuable resources and contacts to assist them in delivering the promise of Scouting’s high adventure experience to their units.

Questions contact: 

Course Director: Rob Markiewicz, 540-656-0123, robert.markiewicz.ctr@gmail.com

Assistant Course Director: Brad Shafer, 231-286-3473, shafer_brad@hotmail.com