There are a few places on this thread where I could have posted a reply, but I decided to stick it hear as it's an extension of the "Leave No Trace" mentality.

First of all, I echo your sentiments. "back when I was a scout," we did not have propane stove as is the standard today. The rational makes sense but we lose the opportunity for practice. Aside from the instructiona and testing for a specific requirement, scouts today only build one fire per weekend on Saturday night. We used to cook on fire and charcol grills (no lighter fluid) every meal. Practice makes perfect. Hey, Tom. Perhaps a weekend of all wood fire camping as a theme is in order. Bring the firewood with to observe the low impact camping philosophy. Depending upon the number of scouts in each patrol, nearly everyone should have an opportunity to serve as fire marshal at a meal. Wouldn't they be surprised how much more effort it takes to make sure you have sufficient fuels for the entire meal. How about including a dutch oven cobbler? <img src="images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Secondly, things a far more regimented today. My Webelos den met in the same church as the Boy Scout troop. We didn't have elaborate cross-over ceremonies. The night I finished my Arrow of Light Award, my den leader walked me over to the troop and I joined that night. In fact, a patrol had planned a 5-mile day hike the next day. The patrol leader gave me a list of food and equipment to bring. For lunch, he taught me how to build a fire (I use the same lean-to technique today) and I started it with only one match as I had enought tinder and kindling on hand. I then cooked my first meal over the fire. So one my first day as a scout I passed three requirements towards Tenderfoot (we had no "Scout" rank back then).

Third, and lastly, I too vividly recall the era in scouting in the mid-seventies when BSA purposefully urbaninzed the program in an effort to increase membership. It was technically feasible for a scout to advance all the way up through Eagle without ever having to learn how to light a fire. Of course that would never happen as the volunteer leaders in the field would still insist upon the skills being taught. And some years later the powers at national recognized their folly when enrollment actually plummetted. So now the rallying cry is to "Put the OUT into scOUTing." Of course they never should have taken it out in the first place. But I'm not sure we've fully put it back either.