Scouting in the Carolina Pines
Has anyone found that blogging is addictive?
OK.
Packing up to take to the woods in the morning. We've finally got some cooperative weather and it's been about 4 months since our last camping trip. It seems that our previous attempts have been run asunder by unusually cold, wet, and/or icy weather.
As a rule our scout troop has a camping trip the 1st weekend of every month, just not if you can't get out of your driveway.
This trip should be fun, our campcook has returned from a weekend of herron fishing ( read nets and liquor ), we have 5 new boys who have yet to pitch a tent, and we have Camporee events to practice!!!
Oh the fun of teaching a 12 year old how to start fires without matches !
One of the events we will practice is string burning; what you do is elevate a cotton string 24 inches above the ground, you give 3 boys a dry log, flint and steel, charred cloth, pine straw and an axe. It is a timed event where they must split the log, build a fire, start the fire with flint and steel, and eventually burn the string. Time limit is 5 minutes, with 25 points off for each additional minute over 5, 10 minutes max, 300 max score.
Our next event will be flag pole raising; in this event you give 3 boys 4 poles measuring 8 ft each, and 7 ropes measuring 12 ft each,and 3 tent stakes, The object is to properly lash the poles together, attach a flag, raise said flag in the air, and secure to tent stakes for a free standing effect. Same time and deductions for scoring, with additional penalty for poor or incorrect knots/lashings.
The final event will be a compass course. A map with given coordinates is given to 3 boys, the boys plot out the course, recording numbers found on post matching the coordinates. Boys that find the correct post numbers receive 300 points, deductions for wrong numbers apply, 15 minute time limit.
All of this is to prepare the guys for district competition in May. The Camporee is a gathering of about 500 boys and leaders on the shore of the Albermar Sound, ( 3 years running our guys have finished no less than 3rd )
I find all but the compass course great team building exersises, however I think scouting needs to move up to the real world and start using a GPS, the boys seem to know more about them( I believe it's the gameboyesqueness of it )
This weekend we;ll be staying in old Camp Charles, a semi-retired Summer Camp, complete with old semi-retired caretakers that seem to be pissed off when we come. I wonder why they would be caretakers of a scout camp if they don;t like scouts?????
Oh well, we will just have to feed them some fresh herron, and that should shut them up, or perchance they may choke on a fish bone.......Scouts just learned the Himlich last month ( Did ya see the news about the boy who saved some kids life on a school bus, choking on a sandwich, he was a scout ). Who am I kidding, those old farts would probably complain that the kid squeezed too hard.............
Our adult leaders are getting old, the scoutmaster is 67, he's been doing this since 1956,( I wish I knew half of what he' s forgot ) the cook is looking at 60 something as well, with major medical problems ( could be all that liquor ) so we don't "rough it" quite as hard as some troops do. Our boys have tents, but we also have Army surplus cots, all cooking is accomplished by propane on a trailer sized grill on wheels, the real old guys sleep in a motor home ( that pulls the grill no less )and one of the new dad's is rumoured to be bringing a pop-up camper ( tent on wheels ).
Don't fuss, we're teaching these boys to be resourceful and prepared ( plus if we cooked on an open fire we'd starve, AND piss off the mothers )It's a great time for these guys to be away from TV, Radio, Computers, Vidieo games, and their mom. We truly have a fantastic time, even if it is a glorified backyard campout.
No electricity, no phones, no radios ( that's a real problem for some of the adults- Duke plays UNC Saturday nite ) just a blazing campfire, older boys taking the new guys out for a "snipe hunt" ( scout prank ), or new boys trying to find the smoke shifter ( another scout prank, ranks up there with sky hook, or lefthanded monkeywrench) good food, good conversation, complete relaxation. ( a beer has sometimes been considered an enhancement to this relaxation, but is banned, which is appropriate ).
I'll report back Sunday with a review of Misquito bites, splinters, new fire side skits, or herron recipes.