Into the Woods

I’m off for a week of Boy Scout camp at Camp Loll in the Tetons.

I will get more than my fill of rain, cold, sunburn, mosquitoes, icy lake water, trails, herding boys around to merit badge classes, outdoor cooking, crude junior high humor, smoke in the eyes, etc. But I will be rewarded with some of the most fantastic scenery on the face of the earth, spending time in part of Yellowstone National Park that fewer than 1% of the park’s visitors ever see, canoeing on a lake where you can clearly see the bottom until it drops out of view at a depth of more than 30 feet, watching young men experience one of the world’s most unique places, watching young men create memories that will last a lifetime, helping young men learn to respect and reverence the wilderness and our country, and sharing some special experiences with my second son.

Our troop should be in good shape. With adult volunteers coming and going throughout the week, we should always have at least one adult for every two boys. That usually means enhanced youth safety. We have an even number of boys, so that makes the buddy system work relatively well. I’m a little concerned about the synergistic potential for mischief of one of those buddy teams. We’ll have to have 24x7 adult supervision for those two. Somehow I doubt their parents would approve if we were to shackle them to a tree every night.

Back next week.