White Water and Calm Water

Have you ever been through white waters? I have. In a canoe. Very scary.

When rafting in white water you don't often have to use your paddle to move or propel yourself forward. Often you use that paddle to just direct your canoe or raft in the right direction. The white water takes care of moving you usually in the right direction.

When rafting in calm water, you must often do a lot of work to keep yourself moving forward by paddling in addition to using the paddle to making sure you are going in the right direction.

Sometimes life is just like that. Sometimes trials are like that. Sometimes it is scary, sometimes it is fun and sometimes it borders on both and you want to wet yourself. During difficult trials all you can do sometimes is just use your paddle to make sure you are going in the right direction. Calm waters seem easier but also require a lot more work to keep yourself moving forward. "Floating" doesn't always get you where you need.

So here is to a combination of both calm and white waters to keep us going in the right direction at the right speed!!

Buffalo

I will do my thorns, roses and bud for High Adventure but for right now, this pictures says it all about this years events.

High Adventure - So turned off by Scouting right now

I allowed my Scoutmaster (and the previous Venturing Adviser who is now the Bishop and best friends with the Scoutmaster) to manipulate me into combining High Adventure with Scout Camp with year.  I should have never let this happen!!  We have planned everything.  And because of that I am turned off by Scouting right now.  We have reinvented the wheel and it is my own fault for allowing it.  Granted, some of the stuff we have planned is going to be super fun and remind Scouts of the basics of Scouting but silly things like writing an emergency plan, emergency communication tree, etc are some of the lamest (yet important too) things out there.  Our Scout Committee (or lack there of) has been no help.  Our Bishopric was asked to fill out our Tour Plan and we ended up doing it.  So three guys, the Scoutmaster, the Varsity Coach and the Venturing Adviser, have done everything from the ground up.

Yes, the Varsity Scouts and Ventures will have High Adventure aspects to this trip.

We have picked a location that has suffered from a lot of tornadoes recently so we are also struggling with fall back plans.  And feeding 20 people with no kitchen 3 meals a day for 6 days.  And budget issues....blah, blah, blah, blah.  There are lots of little fires to fix.

This combined thing will never happen on my watch again......  I have a feeling my release though is around the corner though.

When I get home, I just want to catch my breath and do no Scouting for a month.

No Tour Permit

Months ago we asked our Scout Committee to fill out our Tour Permit for High Adventure.  We followed up multiple times.  And the day before the boys were supposed to leave, we find out they haven't even started.

What do you do?

My son and Scout Camp

My ex wife text me on Sunday before Scout Camp telling me my son was running a temprature of 102 and throwing up.  Later that day she found out her sister died of an overdose.  So with that information she decided my son couldn't go to Scout Camp.  I was extremely upset that she didn't allow him to go especially when with limited text service I got a text from my son telling me that he was at a Ranger Game less than half way through Summer Camp.  I can't help but think that maybe she was trying to screw with me..........but that isn't what this post is about.

I returned on Saturday to all of my kids.  My possession for my bio three started the day before I got home and my wife picked them up for me.  Today, Monday, the Teachers left for Arkansas for High Adventure.  They are going to be hiking about 40 miles.  Last night, I wondered out loud if my son would be interested in going even though he is not yet 14.  He told me he was very interested.  So when the YMP came over for dinner, I asked him if he was willing to take him.  And he was.  And the Scoutmaster was interested too (the Scoutmaster was my assistant).  So late last night he packed and this morning he left with a very heavy backpack and determination in his eyes.

I hope he does well.  I hope he has a great experience.  I hope all the boys do well.  I am grateful for good Scout leaders that will be there with him.

The Outdoors - A way to clear your brain

There is something magical about the outdoors.  I live in Texas and minus July through September, this is a wonderful place to live and find the outdoors.  I live near the big city but there are plenty of secluded places in the local area to get away.

The Varsity Leader Specific Training syllabus quotes the Varsity Scout Guidebook regarding the outdoors:

REI writter TD Wood has a great article on the importance of spending time unplugged.  I even followed his advice on my birthday and went on a 8.49 mile hike on my birthday to get away from it all.  The exercise was just an added bonus!!

Best Campout EVER!!!!

My boys would probably get stranded just for the helicopter ride!!!  Hats off to the boys (even though most were wearing tennis shoes to hike in~I hope those were their "extra" shoes) and to the calm headed Scout leaders!

NPR - The Summit Bechtel Reserve

NPR.org ran an interesting story on the new Summit Bechtel Reserve.  Check it out!

High Adventure 2011

Here is a quick run down of our High Adventure this summer.  Live on an island, kill chickens and pigs for food, beans and rice to eat if you can't find anything else, etc.  So sort of like Survivor.  So, here are some of the pictures.

The pig at the end of High Adventure as reward.

Our Troop and Crew boys.

The island they lived on.

Eating a snake.

Wow!

Survival Kit

My boys think they are Bear Grylle and have planned a High Adventure where they will need a survival kit.  I happen to have one that I made 23 years ago as a Scout that I haven't opened since I made it.  So at last nights meeting, we opened it.

Here is my 23 year old survival kit.

So as we opened it, the smell of "weird" chocolate came from the kit.

My kit opened.

So the contents of my kit were: 2 bandaids, matches (that didn't work), 4 beef cubes, 23 year old and melted M&M candy, cotton ball, metal wire for traps, fishing line, hooks, razor blade, needle and some bite weights for the fishing gear.  The M&Ms must not have been sealed right because everything smells like old chocolate.  They got a kick out of it and we talked about what they are going to be putting in their kits.

They had a hoot telling me how old I was and how bad kit was (actually, I still think if everything were not "expired" it is still a good kit).

High Adventure 2010

High Adventure 2009