GimletBlog

Old Scoutmasters never die, they just smell that way become Committee Chair.

When last we left you, I was Scoutmaster in my ward troop and also the Boy Scout District Training Chair.   After a wonderful week as a Course Co-Director for NYLT, I hoped to be able to be Course Director in 2012, but was waiting to find out if I would have the opportunity.

Wow, the changes a month can bring!   First, I was asked to be the Stake High Councilor over Young Men/Scouting and sustained on September 11.  As that precludes being Scoutmaster, the Assistant Scoutmaster was asked to be Scoutmaster and I became the Troop Committee Chair the next week on September 18.  Meanwhile, on Saturday, September 17 I was asked to be a NYLT Course Director, and then Monday, September 19, I was asked to be the District Commissioner.   It appears that both life and the Boy Scouts abhor a vacuum of time!

So now, I am recruiting constantly:  As Troop Committee Chair, I recruit troop committee members; as NYLT Course Director I recruit staff and participants for the program; and, as District Commissioner, I recruit Unit Commissioners.   Beware — I may be calling you!

This ends my five and a half year stint working directly with Boy Scouts as a Scoutmaster/Assistant Scoutmaster.  I still am working with Scouts directly as the NYLT Director but it is not a weekly activity.  I once again return to working with adults to try and get them to run the program to help out the boys.

Scoutmaster is one of those “jobs” that really becomes a self-identification and that has been a little bit hard to let go of.   When the boys went camping last month, and I had nothing to do other than answer the new Scoutmaster’s questions, it felt odd not to be going.  However, next year Thing Two starts Cub Scouts and I get to start all over again!

Triple Threat: New scoutmaster, visiting Japanese scoutmaster, old scoutmaster

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See more of Thing One’s photos from Mount Adams in the Gimlet Gallery.

My family had other travel plans for the end of August so I didn’t think I would be able to climb Mount Adams with the Venturing crew (15-18 year-old young men in our church youth group), but when those plans fell through about three days before the pack check, the youth group leaders said I could still go.

On August 24 we went to REI to have our boots fitted for crampons and also picked up other rental equipment, like ice axes and tents. Then the leaders checked our backpacks to make sure we had everything, and also distributed our food and equipment.

The next day we met at the Stake Center at 1:00 pm with all our gear.

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See all the photos from this year’s scout camp in the Gimlet Gallery.

Another summer camp has come and gone.  The staff at Camp Pigott is great and the facilities outstanding.  I am not just saying that because Thing One worked there all summer!

Monday August 1, bright and early we gathered 16 scouts from Troop 175 and headed off to Camp Pigott.  It is about an hour drive there.  We arrived just in time for the flag ceremony and breakfast.

After breakfast, the scouts quickly dropped our gear at our campsite and headed off to merit badge classes.

Once the scouts were on their way, I had work to do in my capacity as District Training Chair.  I headed down to the chapel where I was helping to teach an Introduction to Outdoor Leader Skills course.

An experiment in providing the course to Scoutmasters and Asst. Scoutmasters at camp.  On Tuesday I taught knife, axe, and saw safety.  I had to bring my axe unsheathed because the sheath that was on the axe disappeared once my scouts got hold of it.  “Imagine there is a sheath on this axe.”

On the topic of safety, our most serious injury during a Scout camp occurred this year.

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Before the summer gets started, here’s a look back at some of Thing One’s Boy Scout activities this year.

In January the Gimlet took some of his scouts to a Friends of Scouting breakfast.  Not only would the area’s scouting supporters get to meet and talk with local boys about their experiences in Scouting, but the guys would get to meet some of the Seattle Mariners and get their picture taken with the Moose.  And the appeal of a big breakfast to teenagers cannot be underestimated.  Win-win!

Next was the traditional Winter Camp at Paradise on Mount Rainier.

Plenty of snow this year for snow caves, snowshoeing and extreme sledding.

One of the adult leaders, Sam, took some great action shots and generously shared them with us.  This year two young men who had recently moved to the US from Africa (and had never seen any snow) came along with the troop.  Reports are that they were quite cold (never fear, they were provided with plenty of warm gear) but had a lot of fun playing in the snow for the first time.

Group photo under the mountain.  Look at how big these guys are now!

Skipping ahead three months, last week Uncle Q joined Thing One on the Mount Si hike.

It was a bit too foggy for photos, and it snowed at the top, but they had a good time.

The traditional OA visit to Evergreen-Washelli to place flags at veterans’ graves was bittersweet this year.

Looking ahead, Thing One has been hired to work on the staff at Camp Pigott for the summer, and following that a second year of NYLT staff.  We can hardly believe that he’s old enough to be on staff, and measurements taken last month revealed that Thing One is now taller than both his parents.  When did this happen?  We’ll try to be better about posting scout photos throughout the summer.

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Thing One and his Order of the Arrow chapter assist other local Boy Scout, Cub Scout and Girl Scout troops and other community volunteers to place flags throughout the Evergreen-Washelli Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, honoring the men and women who have sacrificed for our country.

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Editor’s Note: Just because we haven’t been posting lately doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy:  so far this month Thing One has attended an NYLT staff training campout at Camp Parsons, the Aurora District Camporee at Camp Pigott, the National Jamboree shakedown campout (also at Camp Pigott), and the Chief Seattle Council Eagle Scout recognition banquet.  At the banquet, he entered a drawing to win a seat on a Boeing 737 delivery flight to Alaska Airlines … and won!

Fifty Eagle Scouts enjoyed an approximately one hour flight as their Eagle Scout pilot flew the scenic route from Boeing Field to the Alaska Airlines hangar at SeaTac Airport.  Even without a barrel roll, it was a very cool adventure.  Many thanks to Boeing and Alaska Airlines for giving the council’s newest Eagle Scouts the opportunity to fly!

Thing One’s entire collection of photos can be viewed in the Gimlet Gallery.

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Editor’s Note: Earlier this month Thing One sealed his membership in the Order by going through the Brotherhood Ceremony at the April Ordeal held at Camp Brinkley.  Congratulations, Thing One!

A conclave is an annual regional meeting of neighboring Order of the Arrow lodges.  About 300 Arrowmen attended this conclave from three lodges in Western Washington and two in Alaska.  Over the conclave weekend, Arrowmen trade buttons and patches and take classes.  After the long drive to Camp Hahobas on Hood Canal, we checked in to the Section W1N Conclave of the Order of the Arrow.  I drove Thing One and two other Arrowmen.

After the long walk to the campsite in the rain, we were called to come quickly to the opening ceremonies, so we stashed our packs and walked back.  After the opening and a “cracker barrel”, we walked back to our campsite and set up the tent.  Fortunately the rain had let up some and it was just setting up a tent in the dark rather than the rain and dark.

The next morning we awoke to a fantastic view, but also a day of rain, then sun, then wind, then rain and repeat the cycle.  The cycle lasted about 30 minutes each time. Breakfast was a scrambled egg and bacon burrito.  The eggs looked unappetizing but with enough cheese and salsa breakfast was fine.

After breakfast it was time for classes.  There was a set of introductory classes to welcome the new Arrowmen, and advanced courses in three categories:   outdoor adventure, induction & ceremonies, and chapter & lodge leadership.  Thing One is on the Hyiu Chuck ceremonies team and took classes on that topic.  I took outdoor adventure track classes.  We had a hamburger lunch (about the worst burger I remember).   We spent the afternoon with Thing One at a ceremonies evaluation.  The team is excited and ready to continue on after a successful run.

After the ceremonies evaluation we packed up our gear along with one of the two Arrowmen who was leaving with us on Saturday.  We packed out our gear to the car and then returned for the feast: barbequed beef ribs and chicken.  They were stingy with the potatoes and generous with the meat.  The way a BBQ should be!

Thing One had a great time, and I had a pretty good time too.  Next year’s conclave is in Palmer, Alaska.  We will have to see if we can plan ahead and go!

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Thing One has been busy with scouting activities over the past two months, between helping out with Order of the Arrow unit elections around the city, attending his first campout with his Jamboree troop, and other activities.

This has been a very mild winter so there was some question how the troop’s traditional snow camp would work out, but there was enough snow at Mount Rainier’s Paradise to keep everybody pretty happy.  No snow caves this year, but the sledding was as exciting as ever.

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