My younger son and the other Webelos in his den were invited to join the troop in our annual family ski outing at Grand Geneva. He was pumped. He’s been excited about joining the Boy Scouts and here he is starting off with an exciting new adventure. What a nice way to begin, so different from my older son’s first outing, the cabin campout at Ohdakoda where I had to come pick him up because of an asthma attack.
We’ve traditionally gone on Super Bowl Sunday, which is usually the last Sunday in January. But this year the NFL added an extra rest week between the league championship games and the Super Bowl. As a result, the lodge was packed when we arrived. There were easily twice as many people there than what we normally experience. Hence it was cramped at the tables. My older son took the younger under his wings and led him through the checking and equipment rental lines. He then took him out a bit and made sure he got to his class on time.
The day was actually uneventful, which is good. My younger son attended Mr. Mill’s session to complete the skills portion of the Snow Sports merit badge, then he and my older son just skied all day. They came in for lunch. Mr. Mill and Mr. Twomey decided to take the comp money (one free lift ticket for every 10 attendees) and bought pizzas for everyone. While they were outside, I sat in the lodge like always. I brought my beaded sash to work on, but when I opened my jars I discovered that I had inadvertently mixed the white and clear in both jars. Jim Clingingsmith volunteered to help sort while I strung on a few rows. But there were too many people and not much room. So when the pizzas came I put it all away and spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with folks. Usually, it was just Tom Flatley and I sitting in a near empty lodge. But this time there was about ten parents in the lodge, plus with the extra groups, the place was always packed. So it was nice anyways even if I didn’t make any progress.
Someone who noticed the troop logo on my polo shirt stopped me in the men’s room. He was there with his son who is a scout. I found out that they were from Oak Park and were going to Camp Blackhawk at Owasippe this year but would be there the period before us. I was also surprised to learn that the and his brother were good friends of Ron Kulak, who worked at OSR and is very active in the OSA. Ron’s wife Marilyn is Camp Blackhawk’s director this year. Once again I run into my scouting past and instantly I'm accepted because of it. Following tradition, My older son was nearly the last one off the slopes. But this time he was on time and I didn’t have to go out and find him in the lift lines! Both of my boys came up after checking in their equipment right at four o’clock. The drive home was uneventful except it was obvious that they both had a great time.
This is the second year in a row that I have organized the February day trip. This year we took the train downtown, hopped on the CTA bus and rode it to the new museum campus for a trip to the Shedd Aquarium. This was my first up close encounter with the campus and it’s certainly impressive. The new landscaping and underpasses really dress up the area and make it very pleasant to walk through, even in February. Well, we actually lucked out with some beautiful weather near 60°. Of course, that also meant that half of Chicago decided to go to the Shedd as well, but we arrived early enough to get through the more popular exhibits before the real crowd built up.
We first walked through the Amazon River exhibit on the way to the Wild Reef exhibit, which is based upon a Philippine reef ecosystem. Then after lunch we watched the dolphin show, twice actually, once from above and once from below. I think the boys enjoyed the show from below better than the one from above.
For the most part, there were no memorable events to report, except that we had about 50 people between the Scouts, Cub Scouts, parents and leaders. It can get nerve-wracking trying to make sure everyone’s accounted for and heading to where they’re supposed to be on time. This was also Joey’s first taste as acting Senior Patrol Leader as he was the oldest in the group. He did well, but it wasn’t a real test as I was in charge of the itinerary.
We did have one moment waiting for the bus one the way home. A car zoomed pass us on Columbus Drive and tossed a bunch of bills out the window. The money was actually poorly made counterfeit money. We handed all of them over to Mr. LaRue as he’s a police officer and would make sure the proper authorities would get it. Unfortunately, it all happened so fast that we had no description of the car or a license plate number.
We made all of our connection on time and the conductor stuck us in a separate train car away from the other passengers, which was good because a couple of the boy became a bit rambunctious. Nothing too bad, but annoying to us leaders so I’m sure regular passengers would have been bothered by the hoi-poi. Tommy made good use of the ride home and completed his Scout rank requirements. He missed is first meeting so this outing was actually his first official scout event and he managed to pass a rank!
This is our first campout with Tom, Joe and I. The boys were excited as was I. But I was also a bit nervous. We usually schedule a cabin campout for March with the new, first time campers that just crossed over into the troop, like Tom. I was watching the weather closely as the week passed to see how cold or wet it was going to be. Fortunately, it looked like the real heavy rain would pass before the weekend, but it was going to get pretty cold. So we bought Tom a new sleeping bag, which he needed anyway, that’s rated down to 0°.
Joey would be acting SPL again for the second outing in a row. This time, on a camp out, he would get a real test of the leadership position, and he loved it. Afterwards he confided in me that he couldn’t believe that “they actually listened to me and did what I told him.” He also arranged it so that he and Tommy would tent together. I’m starting to see a change in Joe’s attitude. Before, he made it clear he didn’t want to be in the same patrol with Tom, he wanted some separation between him and his younger brother. Now he’s taking the initiative and arranging it so he and Tom are together. I think he’s getting a taste of responsibility and is beginning to enjoy the satisfaction of seeing things come together because of his actions, whether it’s calling the troop to assemble or making sure his little brother is safe. He also helped Tom plan and prepare the patrol meal, which included Tom’s $5 Stew.
It’s a stew recipe Tom and I threw together at Aldi the preceding fall. We bought some ground beef, noodles and cans of almost every type of vegetable they sold. Brown the meet with an onion, pour in all of the vegetable, potatoes, peas, carrots, green beans, etc., along with a couple of bullion cubes. Cook it all together for a half-hour, then add a half a cup or so of Tony Chachere’s Roux mix to thicken it up. Then serve over noodles (or rice). We named it $5 Stew because it cost under $5 for all of the ingredients.
Set up went smooth except the leaders debated for a while on the proper orientation of the troop dining tent. We assembled it with the new side panels and wanted to make sure we faced the opening away from the wind direction that night as well as anticipate the wind direction after the cold front would move through later in the weekend. We actually guess right!
After playing capture the flag for about an hour, the boys hit the sack around 10:30 p.m., about the same time we heard the coyotes howling in the distance, and the leaders about half hour later. It was a bit nippy, but I was still more concerned about the rain that was forecasted. It stated to drizzle lightly as I climbed into the bag. Then there was a sudden LOUD thunderclap. I thought, “Oh, oh. Here it comes!” But that was it. I think the rain passed just to our north.
Saturday was beautiful day with the temperature rising to around 60°. After breakfast, we went for a short hike to the Des Plaines River. At one time, this camp was out in the boonies. Now it’s surrounded by urban development. The planes fly overhead as they leave O’Hare. Cars whiz by just out of eye sight, but within ear shot only a few hundred yards away. But it was still a pleasant stroll. After lunch we worked on advancement including Tote ‘N Chip knife and axe care and safety for the new scouts. Unannounced, Joey assembled the scouts to the axe yard and started to teach the class. It was unplanned and caught both Mike Guy and I by surprise. He did a nice job for the first time.
That afternoon the winds picked up as the front moved through and the temperature started to drop. The brisk winds tossed a few of our tents around, even with the gear in them. Tom and Joeys tents were one of them. That evening, we had invited the other troop, the one that reserved the cabin, to join us at our campfire. The initially accepted but then later backed out, saying they had a few things on their schedule to complete. We all guessed that the real reason was the dropping temperature. It started to plummet right after dinner. The forecast was for temps to be in the twenties. Brrrrrr. Mr. LaRue and Joey led a nice flag retirement ceremony at the fire and the boys played another game of capture the flag before retiring for the night.
The wind never let up all night and we woke up to flurries in the morning. Tommy was up early and was huddled around the fire he and another scout kindled. He said he was chilled, but was still having a good time. Later, he would admit that he was really cold. I started the the car and had him sit in there for about 15 minutes to make sure he warmed up and didn’t get too cold. I was pretty sure he was all right but I didn’t want to come home and explain why he was hypothermic.
This troop meeting marked another step in Joey’s growth. His growing desire to lead the troop spurred him o run for Senior Patrol Leader (SPL). On the way over, I prompted him to think about what he would say when it was his turn to speak to the troop why he would be a good SPL. The first thing that came out of his mouth instantly was that he wants to make sure the troop is a safe haven to all scouts. Part of his concer is for two of the new scouts that came over from his Cub Den where he’s been the Den Chief all year. One has a physical handicap and the other a mental handicap and it bothers him when others tease kids like them, so he wants to make sure he can help prevent that from happening. Once again I’m fortunate to have a front row seat to see him take steps of maturity as he grows.
At the meeting, Joey was first to speak and he said most of the points he wanted to make, including the safe haven, as well as to make sure that the meetings are fun and that the scouts come to the meetings because they want to be there. Then the other candidates spoke, the ballots cast, and Mr. Clingingsmith went off to count. Joey was truly excited when it was announced he was elected! He then selected Aaron to be his assistant (ASPL).
It’s amazing how far he’s come in the past few years. Two years ago we were anguishing over his inability to get elected into the OA. Now he’s suddenly a central figure in the troop leadership for the next 6 months.
This was only Tommy’s second outing and his second time buying food. A bit of a hassle for me, but definitely good experience for him, which is why scouts buy their food. Even though we ended up going to Jewel, which is usually more expensive, he managed to keep the cost to $8 per scout. And they had plenty of food for the weekend. The forecast for the weekend was mixed. A cold front was to come down from the north causing sever thundershowers. Then it would clear up during Saturday and get “unseasonably warm.” Then the same front was to move back north as a warm front, bringing more storms, followed by a very warm day Sunday and high winds, which may cause problems for our plans to join the Wisconsin rocketry club at bong to watch and launch model rockets. But perhaps the rain will stick to a nighttime schedule and we’ll be all right and nothing else will go wrong. That is until we pull into the camp entrance and I suddenly remember that I forgot my sleeping bag! Dang it!
But, luckily for me the troop has a few spares in the trailer for such emergencies. So Friday evening started out beautiful, in spite of my mistake. The weather was comfortable and the boys played Capture the Flag on the gravel slag mounds. Crown was once an old gravel pit that was bought or donated to Northeast Illinois Council (NEIC). It looks like they just stopped operations cold on the day the title transferred. The sites are scattered throughout the site between hills and mounds of leftover gravel. It was along time ago and there are full size trees and vegetation growing throughout the camp. But, as the head of the Wisconsin rocket club, who is also a Venture Troop leader and has camped at Crown, described in his letter to us, it’s “like camping on the moon.” It’s an ideal location for Capture the Flag and the boys took advantage of it.
It took us a while to round them all up and get settled in for the night. They were pretty well keyed up. But everything was set at around 11:30 p.m. buy the time us leaders hit the sack. But that sleep turned into a nap because the front moved through with a vengeance at 3:00 a.m. I was first awaken by a train horn blaring about a dozen times. It was so weird that I thought it might have been a warning siren because the tent was being light up at the same time by a rapid succession of lightning flashes, punctuated by an occasional crash of thunder! I had decided to try a small 2-man tent a friend had given to me when her son, John, died in a motorcycle accident. It was in great shape and I doubt it had ever been used, which is a thought that ran through my mind as the hard rain began to fall because I had never bothered to seam seal it. That could be a problem. The roof is a white nylon and the continual lightning flashed reminded me of a piece of photographer’s gear they use in portrait studies to deflect the camera flash. The tent is just big enough for my sleeping bag and my pack, so you feel very close to nature during such a storm.
I grabbed my weather radio and tuned into the nearest stations. We were in between two station’s signals so I switched back and forth as the lightning continued to light up my tent, the thunder boomed and the hard rain pelted the thin nylon rain fly of my tent. The reports indicated that the worse part of the storm would pass south of us and another severe wave up north by Milwaukee. I later learned that McHenry was pelted by hail. I’m sure many a mother was concerned about their son that night. But it let up after 10 minutes and stopped completely after an hour.
Being a former gravel pit, most of the rain water drained right through the sand and gravel so everything was relatively dry the next morning. There were a few puddles on the road were the cars and trailers pack down the material, but everywhere else was drying out quickly so that by mid-morning you could hardly tell that it rained. After breakfast I gathered the new scouts and worked on their Firem’n Chit card and Second Class cooking fire requirements. Meanwhile, the older scouts and Mr. Guy and Mr. Pepe, went off to string up the cabled for a zip-line.
After dinner, most of the boys ran off for the hills to play Capture the flag. They were competing against another troop or two that was camping there as well. They were having a grand time so we let them play until 10:00 p.m. We had forgotten that they all brought the makings for cobblers, so it was nearly midnight before we got everything cleaned up and the boys headed off for their tents. That’s when Tommy came up and told me he felt sick. He said he had a really bad headache and felt like he was going to throw-up. He had tears running down his sooty cheeks so I knew he was on the level. I sat him the car for a while figuring he was cold and had an upset stomach from the cobbler. But he felt no better after 5-10 minutes and said he wanted to go home. So I made arrangements with the other leaders and drove home.
The next morning I drove back up to Crown for our gear and to help the troop break camp. Mr. Twomey had already packed Tommy’s gear for us. I did notice something odd when I was rolling up my foam pad, there was a rock under my tent, right in the center of my back. Hmm… I thought, “that’s pretty amazing that I didn’t feel that Friday night.” Then when I struck my tent I found several more and it was clear that they were not there the night before. Obviously one of the other leaders was feeling puckish and tried to pull a prank on me. Unfortunately for him (or them), Tommy’s ailment foiled their well laid out plan!
I finished packing my stuff and headed home. The troop was taking the long way home and stopping at Bong Recreational Area to watch a rocketry club launch model rockets, as well as a few high powered rockets. One, built from scratch by a Venture Troop, was to launch a 16 lb. bowling ball 2,000 feet in the air. The bowling ball was the nose cone of the rocket and was to have floated back to earth on a five-foot diameter parachute. Boy! Unfortunately, the high winds shut down the launch site before the bowling ball rocket could be launched. Too bad, that would have been grand to see.
Although we didn’t realize it at the time, back in 2000 when Joey and I attended our first Circus World Heritage weekend, we were on our final leg of the scouting journey with Troop 131. Some of the attitudes and behaviors that would eventually become serious issues and drive us from the troop surfaced in Baraboo. It was not a particularly enjoyable weekend as the boys were more interested in the CD store than the Museum. I suppose that’s one reason why I wasn’t that fired up about returning there this year. However, this trip was the complete opposite from the first trip.
It wasn’t shaping up to be a pleasant outing as the weather gods were conspiring against us. Not only was the forecast for rain, it was for sever thunderstorms throughout the entire weekend. I watched the Weather Channel before we left and there was a line of nasty storms running through the Baraboo area in the late afternoon moving south and east, “perhaps we’ll end up driving through it on the way and the skies will be clear by the time we get there,” I thought to my self. How wrong I was. We did run through some nasty storms on the way up, and they let up to a drizzle the a mist by the time we got around Madison. But almost as soon as we turned off onto Route 33 to head into town, the skies opened up and it poured.
We were the last two cars to arrive since Mr. LaRue organized a split departure so we could have a shot at a better camp site. Luckily, they had managed to set up their tents and the dining fly before the rain came down. I had planned to have Tom and Joe stay with me in my big tent, the Taj Hahal, because of the small site size and our later arrival time. However, Kyle Shelton had already set up a tent for Tom and him, so it was going to be just Joe and I. So Tommy grabbed his gear and moved it into his dry tent while Joe and I hastily raised mine in the rain. The tent has mesh venting on top that’s protected by a separate rain fly. Unfortunately, it takes 5-10 minutes to raise the main tent, which allows the rain to pour in through the mesh. So the floor inside had puddles by the time we got inside. The ground tarp, which we spread out first, managed to capture a bucket or two of water as well. On top of all of that, there were leaks. I had seamed sealed the tent before, but it either was wearing off from use and age, or the rain was just overpowering the ability of the tent to remain sealed. Whatever the reason, we had a very wet weekend!
After setting up, Joe and I visited the trading post while Tom hung with Kyle and Nicky. We discussed Philmont and Elkhorn high adventure camps with the Scouter volunteering running the trading post. He had never been to Philmont but went backpacking in the Rockies at Elkhorn, just north of Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes, CO. We stayed until he shut down then headed back to turn in. I was actually looking forward to crawling into my sleeping bag and getting toasty while it rained outside. But that wasn’t to be the case as the tent continued to leak and the storms increased in number and intensity.
I learned from the Weather Channel that this weather system is a summer type of system and is rare for the spring. The jet stream was riding high creating a continuous line of storms moving from west to east. So all night long, we were literally hit with storm after storm . Just when you dozed off from being awoken by one round of wind, rain, thunder and lightning , the next wave would arrive. My big tent is less than ideal for sever weather as it has a high profile. The wind was shaking the tent back-and-forth so much that it looked like the tent was dancing. Plus the nylon was saturated to the point that the toggles used to roll up the window flaps became drip points, wicking water in steady drops onto my sleeping bag. It was not serious though as it never soaked through and I was warm all night. I was worried about Tom though as this is just his third campout, and the third in a row with extreme weather! But morning came and we got up, a little tired from lack of sleep, but ready for the day’s activities. The storms passed around 5:00 a.m., so we did manage 1 ½ hours of uninterrupted sleep at the end. Mr. LaRue, who was coordinating the campout had said the “wake-up” was at 7:00 so we were surprised to find that breakfast was almost over at 6:45 when we walked into the dining fly! Fortunately, there were plant of pancakes and sausage left.
This is where the differences between our first time at Circus World Heritage and this time stand out. We had one of the larger groups with 8 scouts, including Joe and Tom, and four leaders. The boys were enthusiastic and the foul weather had no effect on them. I did not hear of one complaint about the rain all weekend, except from leaders! Instead, the dove into the activities and enjoyed themselves. First we went to the activities at the fair grounds where they donned fire gear and were shown how to use a fire extinguisher. Then they got some wood plaques branded with this year’s event logo, a T-Rex. Then they rushed over to launch empty soda bottles with water and a bicycle pump. They were having a grand time.
We then headed into town and to the Circus World Museum. We made two stops on the way to the museum. First we stopped at a bakery for donuts. Oh, my! The pastries and rolls were out of this world. A couple Kyle and Scott were in heaven with their mint brownies. I was scarfing down their breakfast roll. Then we went around the corner to the surplus shop. It was 11:30 a.m. by the time we finally made it to the museum.
This is where the stark contrast between the two visits. One the first trip, the boys were rushing through the exhibits and making fun of them. The only highlight in their eyes was getting to meet two attractive young woman performers. Everything else didn’t matter and was secondary to their ultimate objective, getting back into town and going to the music store to buy CDs. It was the exact opposite with the boys I was with this time. We went form exhibit to exhibit taking the time to read captions, talk to the volunteers and really looking at the displays with interest. And because of that interest, I believe they actually came away from this weekend learning a few things about our circus heritage.
We wandered through several exhibits and watched a short film on the history of Wisconsin circuses. And we went through two huge exhibit halls with restored circus wagons. One is the building where the volunteers actually do the restoration. I watched in awe as the hefted up a four foot piece of hand carved scroll work gilded in bright, shiny gold leaf. The boys had fun by dropping quarters in the restored calliope wagon in the hall. How exciting that must have been to children at the turn of the century to hear the bright, cheerful sounds of the circus parade. We ate lunch at the
We then met up with the other patrols in the big top for the big show, which was pretty good. After the show, Mr. LaRue wanted to head back to camp right away. I wanted to view a few more exhibits so we split the group in half. Tommy wanted to go back to camp with Nicky Twomey so he went back to camp. We went on to see the big top model and the few remaining displays. The Nick, who we now nick-named “Dubya” because we had so many Nicks, led us into the Elephant House. Then they picked Nick to play the ringmaster in a fake circus where other kids from the audience played clowns, elephants and zebras. He was a riot. After the show, we gathered everyone together and headed back to the fair grounds for dinner.
The walk back to the fair grounds was rather uneventful. Baraboo is a pretty little town with some quaint old home were the folks take pride in maintaining lots of flowers and rockwork in their landscaping. We were just at the corner of the fair ground when we ran into Tommy and Nicky coming our way. Apparently, they each bought woven Hacky-Sack balls at the surplus store for a buck and Nicky’s started to unravel. He showed it to his dad who said he should go back and get his money back. At first I thought he said it in jest and that they misinterpreted his comments. But when I mentioned it to him latter he admitted that he sent them back to the store. I don’t know if he wasn’t aware of where the store was or how far away it was, it would have been at least 45 minutes each way, but there’s no way he should have sent two
One of the true highlight for me from my experience in 2000 was my introduction to the craft of beading. Ken Larson, also known as the Tikora Beadweaver (Tikora is the Four Council’s OA Lodge name), had a fantastic display with beautiful examples of his beadwork, including several OA sashes. I was inspired enough to purchase a loom and beads and to research various patterns. I found a cool 3-D pattern posted on the internet by Shawn Ashe, a leader from a troop in Massachusetts. I also developed my own patterns for the backside using logos from my scouting past: OA MGM Indian, Chief Owasippe, Owasippe Lodge 7. National Camping School, Owasippe Staff Association and Wulapeju Lodge 140, my current lodge. I worked on the sash while watching TV with my family. I finally finished it after nearly four years of effort. It was purely coincidence that Troop 149 had decided to return to the Circus World Heritage and I was excited about the possibility of bringing my sash to show Mr. Larson and to thank him for his inspiration.
But I did not see him at the fair grounds with the other demonstration booths. So I went into the office to see if he was coming. That’s when I learned the sad news that he has nearly lost his sight, and the even cataract surgery had not been able to restore it. Hence, he no longer beads. I was truly saddened by this news, in part because I was very excited to show my sash, which had turned out quite well, but also at the thought of someone losing the ability to continue in a hobby he obviously enjoyed and enjoyed sharing with others. One of the organizers found his phone number for my and intend to call him so I can thank him.
We got back to camp just in time for dinner. The skies had cleared, so Joe and I hung out our sleeping bags to dry them out a bit. But it didn’t last as it soon clouded up again. The weather radio reported another equally bad line of sever storms heading our way again. So we sealed everything back up after dinner and headed over to the grand stands for the awards and the entertainment. This year they hired a husband and wife comedy team, Chaney & Mills. They mixed juggling with rapid paced banter and a touch of slapstick. They were very good and very funny. The boys were won over once Chaney made bougger joke by wiping one of the juggling pins across his nose before tossing it to his wife. The show kept everyone in stitches.
It was just starting to mist by the time the show ended when we headed back to camp. Someone got a fire going and Joey grilled a few more burgers for those that were hungry and were the supplied Oreo cookies weren’t enough. Everyone was beat from a busy day and lack of sleep the previous night, so getting everyone settled in was no big deal. Plus I figured I wanted to try to get a few hours in before the storm hit as I was sure it would rouse me from my sleep.
It came at 3:14 a.m. and it hit hard! My tent was rocking and rolling back-and-forth. I almost expected the stakes to pull out and having to get out to secure the tent down. But unlike the previous night, the storm subsided after the first wave and I fell back to sleep.
I was awakened by Tommy’s voice calling softly from outside the tent. In my first thing in the morning stupor, I asked what’s up. He replied that he had coffee for me and hot chocolate for Joe. He had gotten up and went over to the food booth and brought it back for us. It was pretty special to be sitting up in my sleeping bag with Joe and Tom sipping coffee. It turned a miserable, wet weekend into a priceless moment.
Devils Lake is such a cool place to camp. I tried to raise interest in hiring Paul Herr again for his geology tour, but I couldn’t get any interest from the boys. We needed 25 to commit in order to bring the cost to $10 each, but only 12 people signed up. Oh, well.
This was an important weekend as it was our last chance for the Philmont crew to do a serious shakedown. I planned on using the trails up the bluff as a litmus test for the boys and myself. Unfortunately, some didn’t make it, including Joey, Alex and Leo. Art called on Thursday evening to let me know that Tim “tore tendons and ligaments” playing baseball. So Tim did not hike, although he did come to Devils Lake and sat in the camp site all weekend.
My goal was to pretend that we were on the trail at Philmont; set up camp, eat trail meals and break camp and carry the tents on our hike. Rob joined us on this pouting for the first time in almost a year and decided to hike with us. We headed out early and had an easy stroll to the start of the CCC Trail, which is like a stairway up the 500 foot bluff. I led the way and immediately noticed tow things. One, trekking poles are a godsend and are worth their weight in gold. Two, my training on the Stairmaster was paying off as I was winded but not knocked out by the exertion.
The weather was beautiful and we stopped a few times to take in the scenery and watch the Turkey Vulture circle in the early morning updrafts. At one point we thought we spotted the rest of the troop across the lake on the west bluff, but they were too far off to be sure.
We went up and down twice and made it back to camp in the early afternoon. I headed back out Rob, without our packs, in hopes of joining with the troop atop the bluff. They were hiking the entire perimeter. We decided to try going up the Balanced Rock trail in hope of heading them off. But we just missed them. Rob and I went 2/3 of the way down the East Bluff trail, hung around for a half hour or so, then went back up to the Balanced Rock trail and back to camp. They were all gone when we got there. They changed into their swimsuits for a quick refreshing dip.
Summer camp came up so fast I almost couldn’t believe that it was here. This was a special moment as I finally get to take both of my sons back to Owasippe with me and camp. It was not all rosy however, as the hassles of getting folks to agree about taking the ferry was frustrating me for months leading up to the trip. Also, some of the boys in our troop refused to act like scouts and embarrassed our troop to the camp staff.
A new ferry between Milwaukee and Muskegon opened this year and I saw it as an exciting opportunity for the troop to get to camp. I contacted the company and secured great pricing for our group. The arrangements where set with several cars driving under the lake to camp, while the majority of the troop traveled by ferry. Several parents volunteered to drive us to Milwaukee where only Mr. Guy’s car and the trailer would be the only vehicle. At the other end, I worked out a deal with Steve Adams at Chicago Area Council to have two camp vans pick us up to take us the last 15 miles or so to Owasippe.
The only real downside to the arraignments was that we needed to leave just after 4:00 a.m. in order to make the scheduled 6:30 a.m. crossing. Except one family didn’t make it on time. Mr. Beaderstadt woke them up with a phone call from the parking lot, so they were on their own to make sure they got to the ferry as we had to leave. So we were off! Luckily they caught up with us near Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. So we pulled over at a rest stop and put them in our cars and sent their parents home. I guess they had just returned from a long out-of-state drive late the day before and were just over tired from that trip and over slept.
This trip also broke a long standing tradition that Joey and I shared and I had hoped to continue with Tom. We’d always get up early and stop over at Little Chef, a small dinner on Riverside Drive, to have a pre-camp breakfast. We couldn’t do that because of the early hour. I don’t even think they open until 4:00.
Everything at the ferry was set and we boarded without incident and
on time. The ship was brand new and looked great. There was a snack bar on board where we
bought a couple of breakfast sandwiches and settled in for the two and a half hour cruise.
The harbor was fogged in so there was not much to look at. In fact, the fog persisted all
the way over into Muskegon harbor. It was so thick you couldn’t see the shoreline
most of the time. I spent most of the trip reviewing program schedules with the boys to
help them plan their week. I did go back on top to the “sun” deck, which the
crew called the “wind” deck today because of the strong gusts. Unfortunately, a
couple of the boys took fancy to spitting over the rail to see the wind take the spit. One
of them ended up spitting on another passenger, a women who’s husband approached us
to express his disappointment with our boys, and rightfully so as it’s not the type
of behavior one would want of any youth, let alone a scout. Unfortunately, this would
become the rule rather than the exception on this trip.
Our plan was to have vans from Owasippe pick us up and take to Ad Center for check in and then on to Blackhawk. But no vans were there and after ten minutes or so I called Ad Center. As the phone rang I thought to myself that this is not good. The staff really doesn’t start until noon and it wasn’t even 11:00 a.m. yet. But someone did pick up the phone. And he had no clue what I was talking about. Apparently there was a snafu in communications and it wasn't clear exactly when the rides were needed. So Pete, who worked at Ad Center scrambbled to find someone to pick us up. Meanwhile, the manager of the Ferry made some calls on our behalf without us knowing about it. He ended up getting us a coach bus for free from Gold Shield. The driver had just dropped of a corporate group at the Muskegon air show, which was scheduled to start that afternoon, and had a few hours before it had to pick them up again. The manager had also called back Pete to let him know that the ride was all taken care of. So we loaded up on the bus and I rode shotgun to give directions.
It had been a long time since I rode down Russell Road in a bus. I believe it was 1976 when a big “yellow banana” (a.k.a. school bus) headed north on Russell to take me to Ad Center when I was the French Voyageur. Because of the delay, the cars driving around the lake arrived way before us. They were concerned and called on my cell phone as we roared down Russell Road. So I explained that we were on our way and would fill him in when we arrived. We decided to head straight to camp because it was now getting late and Mr. Guy and Mr. Beaderstadt would drive back to Ad Center for check in. There’s a sign welcoming you to Owasippe just south of Holton-Whitehall Road. But to me, it’s the crossing of the road itself that signifies the crossing over to camp. I was home again.
Check in was a bit rushed because we were now late instead of early. But it wouldn’t matter as we had all afternoon to get settled in, run through health check and do our swim test. We were using their tents so we didn’t have to take time setting up camp. Some folks were worried about the tents because of mosquitoes. It was the rainiest spring in recent memory so I was a bit concerned too, but we had netting and made sure that all of the boys had it prior to camp so we were prepared. (Actually, they were almost non-existent that week.)
Going down to the waterfront for swim check was another homecoming for me. They opened up this waterfront in 1974 when I worked at the old Blackhawk. It was part of the plan to expand the camp and move it down to where it is today, occupying what was then known as Wilderness, a lone troop site. In fact, our troops campsite this year was atop the hill that “was” Wilderness. It was that year that I swam the mile swim at the waterfront. I had been switched over to dining hall steward so once my clean up was done; I had time before the next meal to hang out or work on advancement. I took advantage of that time and added a bunch of merit badges as well as the mile swim. But I had to do it in the swim area as the open lake swim was scheduled just after dinner and I couldn’t get done with dinner clean up in time to make it. So I did it by swimming laps in the swimmers area. One of my goals this year was to do the mile swim again, in part for the exercise in preparation for Philmont and for sentimental reasons. My other goal this week was to hike the entire perimeter of the reservation.
Ron Kulak, and friend from the Owasippe Staff Association (OSA) and who’s wife, Marilyn was Blackhawk’s camp director, had mentioned to me that there was now a Bald Eagle nest down by the old Blackhawk waterfront. “Follow the water front trail past the fire bowl until you get to the half mile swim marker painted on a tree. The nest is right there in a tall dead tree.” So Monday morning after all of the boys were at the program areas, Mike Guy and I headed down the trail to find the nest. It was also my first look at the new fire bowl seating the OSA built the year before. It didn’t take us long to reach the fire bowl and it looked great. It made me proud to be a member of the OSA even though I had nothing directly to do with its construction.
I kept looking for familiar signs as we walked, looking for something to trigger my memory from 1974 that would give me a point of reference. After a long while we spotted the remains of an old kybo up the bank. So we climbed up and found ourselves at what was once the western edge of the old camp. The kybo was from one of the old campsites. A little further was where the flagpole stood. From there it was easy for me to locate the hill where staff row once stood. It was totally over grown but I could still frame an estimate where the two cabins I slept in stood; the western side in 1973 as a CIT and the eastern side from 1974. We went back down to where the waterfront was located as the half mile marker would be near there. But we couldn’t find it.
We wandered a bit but gave up thinking we must have passed it when we went up the hill and headed eastward along staff row. So we went back up and found the foundations to the dinning hall and the nature lodge. I had been there when I was trying to find a way out when we got locked in during the BioBlitz weekend (also see Owasippe BioBlitz report). But now I could take my time and explore a bit as I wasn’t in a hurry like I was back then. It still amazes me how small the dining hall seemed to be. I can’t imagine how we managed to get 300 people in there at peak periods! Mike seemed interest for awhile, but I knew his interest was not the same as mine. So we went back down to the trail and headed back home, keeping our eyes out for the marker and the nest in case we did pass it by earlier. But we never saw it.
Tuesday evening marked a low point in the week. Mike and I were asked to meet with the waterfront director and Marilyn after dinner. They then explained that several of our boys had disobeyed and acted rudely when told they couldn’t fish from the water off shore. Michigan law prohibits them from being in the water without appropriate lifeguard supervision. They were told on Monday that they couldn’t do it and came back on Tuesday for a repeat performance. Only this time they didn’t move when she yelled at them from the waterfront. So she walked over to them and stood behind them on the shore. Still they did nothing. She finally told them to get out, which they sloooowly complied. One even mouthed off with foul language. She thought it was one of our scouts, but his back was turned to her so she couldn’t be sure. The boy’s account is that it was a scout from another troop, who also got in trouble. Still, they did not act appropriately and I was completely embarrassed to have to sit their in front of someone I’ve know for 30 years and hear about how my troop was misbehaving. Ron and Marilyn are not exceptionally close friends, but we know each other through the OSA and the Save Owasippe effort. So I was truly disappointed.
We addressed it back at camp but I don’t think it really stuck.
We were too lenient, which led to more problems during the week. Nothing on the scale of
this event, but the majority of the troop was using foul language and not keeping the
campsite in order all week. Their misbehavior put a foul taste in my return to Owasippe.
The camp was great, the staff was wonderful and the program excellent, but their “bad
boys” behavior soured my week. We didn’t let it ride as we were constantly on
their cases. But we should have called parents and sent some of them home, or at least
start that process in motion as an example that it will not be tolerated.
The protocol for the mile swim is to swim increasing distances in the swim area to build up strength and endurance before you try to swim it out on the lake. So Monday evening after dinner I headed down to swim the quarter mile, then on Tuesday I’d go a half mile and on Wednesday do the mile. Most of the troop went down for what they thought was open swim, but then found out that the swim area was restricted to lap swim only. So since they were already down there in their swim trunks, most of the boys decided to swim laps. I was a bit intimidated has the only swimming I had done this year was the swim test the day before. It had been thirty years earlier when I swam the mile and I wasn’t sure I could do it. I told the volunteer lifeguard that I intended to swim a quarter mile and asked if I could just keep going if I felt good and do the half mile. He said that was okay. I was thinking that I’d like to get it done earlier as we planned on a daylong canoe trip for Wednesday and then Thursday night and Friday I’d be on the trail at backpacking outpost. But my question sounded ludicrous to me as soon as I spoke it as I’d feel fortunate if I just complete the quarter mile.
So I put on my goggles, jumped in and started swimming east along the arm of the pier that runs parallel to the shoreline. I made my first turn outward and was about halfway out on that leg when I heard one of the lifeguards yell, “The eagle.” So I rolled over onto my back and looked skyward. One of the Bald Eagles that nested by the old camp was drifting right above swim area. As it floated overhead, the low light from the setting sun highlighted it like a spotlight as we were in the darkening shadow of approaching evening. The sun’s bright yellow light seemed unreal as the eagle turned and soared off inland. I flipped back over and resolved to go as far as I could, maybe even do the entire mile if I could. The sight of the eagle inspired me.
I was doing well. I easily passed the quarter mile lap and kept going. Then just after the half mile point, I experienced a bad cramp in my foot while I was just past the raft. My toes crossed uncontrollably and the pain shot up my leg. Damn! But I was resolved to continue so did the back stroke for a while and stretched my toes to work out the cramps. They went away and I swam on. But I would continue to get ramps every other lap from then on, but I swam on. I passed the three quarter mark, and I swam on. Finally, I was on my last lap and feeling pretty good. All of the exercise I had been doing to get ready for Philmont had built up my endurance. One last turn and I was heading in on my twentieth lap. I decided to swim it using the crawl (I swam the breast stroke most of the way) and close out with a flourish. But just as I started I got my worse cramp of the swim. So I settled on an easy breast stroke to bring it home. I made it! I had done the mile on my first day!
I got a late start because of some disciplinary issues with a few of our boys, so I was only able to go a half mile on Tuesday. So I arranged to swim the mile out on the lake Wednesday morning. The procedure is to swim east along the shoreline to the ½ mile marker painted on a tree and then back. Mike Guy volunteered to row the boat and Joe volunteered to be the lifeguard. So we got up at first light and headed down to the swim area. The lake was calm with a slight mist and the water understandably cold as I waded in to my waist. I dove outwards and started swimming away from the shore so I could be in deeper water. Then I turned right and headed towards the rising sun. I had been on this lake many times in a canoe or a sailboat. But I never swam out of the roped off swim area. So I was surprised on how shallow it stayed away from the shore. I must have been fifty or more yards out and it still was only 5 to 10 feet deep the entire way.
It’s a different feeling to swim in the open water. I’d get a little nervous or scared whenever the long tendrils of lake weeds reached up and tickled my body. I think it’s a natural reaction to experience fear when you encounter another object when you are in an unfamiliar environment. I was wearing goggles so I could see their outstretch fingers below me. Then I saw a flash of a bright object, a fishing lure that had caught in the weeds and left behind when the fishing line snapped. So I swam out a little further so I wouldn’t have to deal with the weeds our treble hooks. It’s ironic that I preferred the “security” of the deeper water.
Soon I fell into a rhythm and just kept going east. I soon rounded the point that marked the quarter mile point. I would peek ahead to see if I could locate the half way marker, but it was too far away to see it. On and on I swam. It seemed that I wouldn’t ever reach it. I wasn’t tired or hurting in any way. It just seemed to take a long time.
As we got closer, Mike called out that one of the eagles had flown from the nest over the water. I flipped over and caught a glimpse of it but not a real good look. In the dim light of this moody morning it looked rather uncommon. Still, it warmed my soul to think of it as a repeating omen, Just as its appearance on Monday inspired me to go the whole mile that night. It also meant that we were real close as we were told that the half mile marker was near the nest. Then Mike sighted the tree with the marker and almost laughed as it was plain as day and we had walked right past it. Even more remarkable was that the tree with the nest was “right” next to it and if they had a mind to, the eagles could have left their droppings on our heads we so close! I swam a bit more so I’d be parallel to the marker, then I turned and headed back.
As is the case with most trips, the return leg seems to take less
time. But it was still a long and boring task. I was feeling strong and kept my rhythm so
there was no question whether I’d make it or not, just whether we’d gee back in
time for breakfast! But I did have an awful long time to think and reflect. The
shenanigans of the bad boys left a bitter taste in my mouth about returning to Owasippe.
They had forever marred my dream. I was still there with my two sons, but the week was
less than perfect. So I resolved to enjoy the remaining time there with my sons, who were
now “Sons of Owasippe,” just like me.
We scheduled the troop for a canoe trip down the upper White River. We put in at Ciscos Rollaway and pulled out at Diamond Bend. My troop always had a canoe trip on the Saturday between weeks. Back then we always went for two weeks. Our trips started at Canoe Central on Cleveland Creek, about a mile or so below Gus Kopp dam. The creek empties into the White River. We’d then follow the river all the way down to where it empties into White Lake at the border of Whitehall and Montague. So this would be my first trip on this section of water. Because of all of the rain this spring, the river was running high and fast. In fact, our trip normally takes three hours but we ran it in two, and we were not rushing.
We almost didn’t have a trip as the new rules require that you have at least one BSA Lifeguard certified participant and we have none. Fortunately, another troop from Fox Lake had several and volunteered to come along. We were fortunate as they were also nice gentleman. One was the volunteer lifeguard during my mile swim laps on Monday .who I asked about continuing if I felt strong
The only draw back was that it was overcast with occasional drizzles and a touch on the cool side, but other that that we had a blast. Joe, Tom and I shared a canoe and rotated paddling positions. Tom would have liked to have paddled more but he’s still a bit on the small side and the quick current was a bit tricky to handle. We did end up in the drink. I was trying to launch the canoe back into the river after a quick bladder break on the shore and it tipped as I tried to climb in. But we all thought it was funny and the only casualty was the disposable camera in my pocket. The developed pictures have an odd color and streaked because of the water.
Ryan and Ben where up their usual shenanigans goofing off. Just after
we tipped, they got stuck against a log broadside to the current. They tried to free
themselves by rocking side-to-side, which tipped their canoe into the current. The water
poured into their canoe and pinned it tight against the log. And they laughed and laughed
and tried to free themselves by more rocking. That was never going to work. The only way
was to get them out and dump the water. So I jumped back in and did just that. A little
latter we caught back up to them after a series of turns and they were in different
canoes. Apparently our loaned lifeguards had enough of their shenanigans, which they let
interfere with actually canoeing, and decided to split them up for the rest of the trip.
We reached Diamond Bend soon after and pulled our canoes out. It was drizzling and a bit
on the cool side so we were glad to see the van to take us back.
We had come to camp expecting to be ravaged by mosquitoes because of the excessive rain that spring. So everyone bought mosquito netting to hang over their cots and fresh bottles of repellents. But it wasn’t necessary as the bugs weren’t that bad at all. I rarely applied repellent all week. And I’m sure the netting wasn’t even needed. But it was nice insurance to have. But the wet spring did have one remarkable result, the fungi population was in full bloom. I had never seen so many or such diversity of mushrooms before in my life. There was even an explosion of Indian Pipe, which is not a fungi but a parasitic plant that lacks chlorophyll. The first time I had ever seen Indian Pipe was in 1974 at the old Blackhawk between the dining hall and the water front. I had seen it only one other time and that was on the Muskrat Lake trail at Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan. This year it was all over the place.
I also talked Joe into going on a horseback ride at the corral. Tommy wanted to do it and I figured it would be good for Joe to try it here for the first time instead of at Philmont later in the summer. Here we could rush him to the hospital quickly if he had any trouble while up in the mountains it could take hours if he needed medical attention. The program of weekly allergy shots was successful and he no longer shows a reaction to most of his allergine, including dogs, so I didn’t expect there to be any problems. And I was right. But he did remark how much easier it must be for girls to ride horses than it is for boys!
While they boys were on the horse trail, Mike, Art and I went
to town to get ingredients for the staff dutch oven cook off. We decided to make three
recipes. Not only would this triple our chances of winning, but it also allowed us to
enter both scout recipes and a leader recipe.
Cory’s dad had an award winning Blueberry Cinnamon Roll desert, Ryan Burgess
contributed with a Chocolate Raspberry Cobbler and I decided to try the Devil’s Tooth
of Time Cheesecake recipe. I made it at Sol R. Crown earlier in the year and everyone
loved it. Only this time I would make it the night before so it would set properly. Cory
couldn’t quite remember his dad’s recipe so we improvised. It turned out okay
but I’m sure we missed something and we cooked it a bit too long. Ryan’s turned
out decadently delicious and mine lived up to its reputation. The contest was fair as
every entry received a certificate for different categories. So it really was just an
excuse for staff and leaders to indulge in some sweets, and there’s nothing wrong
with that!
What a busy week.! Herding scouts to program areas, mile swim, canoe trip, horseback rides dutch oven cook off and now a backpacking overnight. I insisted that Joe, Alex Teta and Tim LaRue participate in this as they missed the Devils Lake shakedown hike for Philmont crew members. I exchanged emails with Heidi about lengthening the hike either before or after the scheduled outpost leg in order to get more miles under their belt. I was also concerned that they spend some time with their new gear and learn how to live out of your pack., what you need to bring, where you stow it, how to pack, etc. I didn’t what them to have their first day on the trail at Philmont to be their first ever backpacking experience. Joe at least had been on the Kettle Moraine trip last spring. Plus it would be a good test for Tim’s ankle to see how he’d do on the trail under stress with a pack on. Heidi ended up running the outpost herself because her guides were all on the trail leading treks up in Manistee National Forest as part of the Manistee Quest High Adventure program. So she decided that we’d start as normal, but then hike up to Ad Center on Friday morning where she would leave us and we could then hike as far afterwards as we wanted.
So we hiked the mile or so from Blackhawk to the Crown High Adventure base, which used to be a regular section camp, Robert Crown (Mohave!). The outpost began with a shake down of our gear. I ended up leaving a few items behind in a locker, but it was Alex’s gear that broke us up. He had a pile of clothes, all cotton, including eight pairs of socks for one night! And he had even more inappropriate stuff, like a bottle of Disney Mickey Mouse shampoo. I think he ended up leaving about half of the gear he brought at Crown. But that was good because it was the very reason I insisted that they do this. It would have been disastrous if he had brought that as his gear to Philmont. At least now he could learn from the experience and have three weeks to re-outfit himself.
Heidi then explained some basic trail rules on hygiene, rests, leave no trace etc. Then we packed up and started on our way. Her plan was to had south on the Orange Trail to Quaking Bogs then loop down towards Reneker and then back north to Turtle Valley to camp. Then in the morning we’d continue north through Wolverine and on to Ad Center. Then Joe, Alex, Tim and I would continue back south on the red trail further west of our earlier path and loop back south near Reneker again and then head back north to Blackhawk on the blue trail, sort of an inside little “u” in one direction and an outside Big “U” going back the other way.
All three boys carped about having to put on the extra miles. But I insisted as I knew they needed the experience for Philmont only three weeks away. And these gentile hills would be small in comparison to the mountains at Philmont. I was pleased that all three did well. Tim did remarkably well on his braced ankle. Well enough that I felt more comfortable about his ability to handle the trails at Philmont.
We inadvertently missed a trail intersection for the White trail that would have taken us back to Crown to pick up out extra gear we left behind. I think it was in the big field just to the east of Crown and Carlin. I reminded Joe that we actually drove through this field during the BioBlitz weekend as part of our afternoon two-trackin.(also see Owasippe BioBlitz report). But our missed queue on the trail brought us just west of Mud Lake. From earlier accounts, it was all dried up as recently as last season. Now it was full of water and was even home to a pair of white swans. We also heard the cry of a raptor up above. My first thought was that it sounded like a Red Tailed Hawk. But after further thought, I think it could have been a Bald Eagle as we were just south of their nest at old Blackhawk. I was also surprised to run into an old saw horse with a trespassing sign from camp Gerber, the camp owned by the Gerald R. Ford Council in Grand Rapids, MI. I knew they were next to Owasippe but I didn’t know they were “right” next to us.
Soon we crossed Owasippe Road and were heading in to camp. I taught the boys “I’m Happy When I’m Hiking” and convinced them to sing it as we entered our campsite so that the others would see us coming in strong. So we tried it out a couple of times to make sure they all knew it. But Horse just wouldn’t stop. Even more impressive was that he seemed to pick up steam and increased his pace as he went along. So there he was, stomping his way into camp ahead of us singing away happy as a lark. We were all switching between laughing and gasping for breath. All in all it was a successful overnight.
Friday night’s closing campfire was special. We were sitting in
the new fire bowl restored by the OSA. The sun started to set out on Big Blue reflecting a
gorgeous palette of colors on the gently rippling waters. The counsel fires crackled and
lit up the bowl as each troop led a song or a skit. Then, as the fires started to settle
into their warm glowing embers, the call went out for all current and former staff to join
hands and sing the Owasippe Hymn as the scouts filed out of the fire bowl. My heart beat
with excitement as the memories rushed back. I felt a part of the camp once again. Once
again I was part of that elite brotherhood of those who dedicate a part of themselves to
the scouts who visit here each year. Earlier I was surprised after dinner when I ran into
Joey in the office. He was filling out a pre-application to join staff next year. I asked
him why he decided to apply when all of my previous efforts to convince him failed. He
said, “They [staff] seem to have a lot of fun. So as I stood their in front of so
many scouts and leader, including my sons, I couldn’t help but think of how wonderful
it would be to stand there again next year with my arms crossed and holding onto my
son’s hand singing the Owasippe Hymn. We’ll see what the new year brings.
Wow! Going to Philmont has been a personal goal of mine since I passed on an opportunity to go as a young 19 year-old leader in Troop 955. It was a remarkable trip and the Philmont experience is everthing folks say it is and then some. I was personally tested by the rigors of the terrain as well as some difficult decisions I as forced to make on th etrail, both as a leader and as a father. But the experience and memories and the sense of accomplishment will stay with me forever. There's so much to tell that I created a separate Philmont page to recount our trek. Click on the patch to read the entire journal.
Joe stayed home as he had rehearsals for his play, Noises Off, which was a smash hit by the way and in which he stole the show with his performance. So it was just Tom and I, which is sort of fun in itself because it gives me a bit of one-on-one time with him. But we couldn’t go on Friday night so we were driving up Saturday morning. I took advantage of the situation and timing and the two of us stopped at Little Chef for breakfast, just as Joe and I have done several times. He had been there before when we’ve gone as a family but this was the first time the two of us have gone before leaving for a scout outing. Amazingly, he ordered blueberry pancakes, just as Joe had done before leaving for our first trip to Ma-Ka-Ja-Wan five years earlier.
The troop has been to Bong several times as it’s a popular spot to launch model rockets. But this was my first time there. Tom was excited and we got couple of rocket kits and he was pumped to see them launch. I was surprised that almost every scout managed to bring up at least one rocket. A few didn’t have any but other members of the troop let them launch theirs so that every boy got a chance to launch at least twice. Mr. Huff and Mr. LaRue sat on the side and acted as judges for the event.
Two of our older scouts, Tom and Joe (not my sons), brought up some larger rockets they made from kits, like an SR-71 Blackbird Joe made and Tom had one with a glider attached that ejected at apogee and circled down on it’s own. Mr. Guy brought a bunch, including a 3-stage needle that nose dived on its second flight after a picture perfect maiden flight. Their was a cluster bomb rocket, one with an altimeter, another shaped like R2-D2 from Star Wars, and many more.
Tom’s first rocket didn’t fare too well. The top section wobbled slightly so that it became erratic in flight and didn’t do much. His second rocket was much different. It shoot straight up and like a dart. And at it’s apex, way up there, a little trail of white smoke gave clue that the chute was being ejected. Then it float and float and float on the wind as it came down. It floated so far down wind one launch I was sure we were going to loss it. Tom got a bad jump on chasing it down that time so I just stood there marking the line of sight were I saw it go down in the dry prairie grass. Then I bee lined to where I thought it would be. I joined up with Tom way out there but neither of us could find it. So I said we should follow my line a bit further just to be sure. We found it about 50 or more yards past were we thought it landed! Later at the evening camp fire, Tom was awarded the best launch award as his rocket simply soared.
The only downside to the weekend was it got cold. Down to about 20 degrees. I don’t have too much experience with winter camping, but I keep getting better with each trip. I was really worried about Tom as he tends to sleep on the cold side and got chilled on the early spring outings. So when I got up at 4:00 a.m. when nature called, I went over to his tent. He was awake and cold. So I went back to my tent and gave him my heavy duty polypro long underwear and a hand warmer. It worked but I was a bit chilled myself and I was glad to finally climb out in the morning. I think the next time I’ll bring two sleeping bags to double them up.
It was a beautiful morning, bright, sunny and cold! There was an eighth on an inch of frost on
everything which I take as a sign confirming what I already knew, that the it was cold AND
damp. All of the weeds and grasses were coated with the sparkling gems of jagged frost,
reflecting the morning sunlight as if diamond dust where sprayed on the plants like flock
on a Christmas tree. It was one of those personal moments when in image sets in your
memory for a long time.
Kurt and his brother transfered out of our troop a year earlier and moved over to Troop 131, our old troop. The reason had had more to do with issues between adults than anything with the boys directly. It's one of those situaqtions that happens. Kurt had been in for two years and was already Star. He’s an intelligent “go getter.” I worked with Kurt on a few merit badges, Geology, Insect Study and Reptile and Amphibian Study. He was smart and diligent. He had just completed his requirements for Life when all of this went down. His father asked me if I would do his Scoutmaster Conference before they left the troop so it would be complete before they transitioned over to a troop that did not know him. So I sat with him and went through with the conference.
I don’t remember exactly what I said but I do recall that I spend considerable time at the end on two subjects. One was to address his need to play a leadership role in the new troop. He said he would like to be Senior Patrol Leader (SPL). I suggested it may be tough to be elected SPL right away in troop that does not know him and that he should first seek another position such as Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and to work hard in that position as a way of introducing himself to the new group. Apparently he did just that. I also stressed that all of the political stuff that was going on had very little to do with him, even though it effected him greatly. And that he should put it aside and move on, focusing on his objectives and enjoy the scouting program as much as possible, regardless of which troop he belongs to.
I periodically run into Pete, most recently at Girl Scout events with Aubrey as both he and Judy are Girl Scout leaders. Several months ago he told me that Kurt had completed his Eagle and that I’d be seeing an invitation in the mail soon. Pete had also asked Dan, our Scoutmaster at the time they left the troop, to be master of ceremonies. Then a few weeks before the day, Pete called and asked if I’d be willing to read a poem during the presentation, to which I agreed. I still feel a bond to the leaders in Troop 131 even though it’s been a few years and several of them have moved on as their boys age out of Scouting. So it’s always pleasant to go run into them and renew my old acquaintances. My part was near the end when Kurt presents his mom and dad with and Eagle Mother pin and Eagle Father tie tack. This year the scouts have added another pin to the presentation kit, an Eagle Mentor. I was standing near Dan and Don Wright, Troop 131’s Scoutmaster, when Don asked Dan what to do about it as it was a new thing for him. Dan suggested that he ask Pete who then said they should approach Kurt and ask him direct. Other than that, the rehearsal went very smooth and we were all set.
After the opening, the Honor Guards escorted Kurt up to the front where Dan and Don took turns describing Kurt’s scouting career that that led him on the path to Eagle. Afterwards, Kurt was given a few moments to say a few of his own words. Afterwards he presented Dan and Don with gifts of scouting memorabilia to thank them. Then he reached in his pocket and called me forward. He has chosen me to receive the Mentor pin. I was totally surprised and honored. Aside from the scoutmasters conference a year earlier, which was a unique situation, I hadn’t treated Kurt any differently than the other scouts or developed any unique or special bond. It made me realize how important a role we adult leaders play as role models. I think I tend to overlook that as I get tied up in doing the weekly and monthly activities I do in order to help the troop run. But it’s probably more important than any knot tying or merit badge counseling.
Thanks, Kurt
