My First Scout Trip
It was probably the summer of 1960 when I was able to go on my first official “scout packing trip”. I say probably because that is when I would have been twelve years old and eligible for “overnight” trips with the scouts. I do not remember a lot of details about the trip, but there are a few things about that trip that have always stuck with me and I will never forget.
Our trip was planned for the Granddaddy Lake in the Uintas, which I considered to be the greatest outdoor adventure that a young boy of my age could ever possibly imagine. The Uintas was where the real campers went and the real campers would always catch lots of fish. I had always heard about how great the Uintas where for fishing. The older boys had told us stories about being able to just throw your fishing line into any lake in the Uintas and immediately a fish would grab onto the hook. I was excited to make the trip and experience what it was like to be a “real backpacker”.
The trail into the Granddaddy Lake was not very long (as I think about it today) only about three miles. However, as I think back on the experience when I was twelve years old, I can only remember it seemed we would never get there. We hiked all day and finally arrived at Granddaddy Lake, where we had planned to make our camp.
Brother Jerry Riding, our scoutmaster reminded us that we needed to set up our tents and lean-tos before we went fishing so we would be ready in case it rained. I probably looked up at the sky and thought, “That was not a good idea.” There was not a cloud in the sky and we had been hiking for so long and besides that I wanted to catch a fish. My friend and I (and a few other scouts) decided that we would just go fishing for a while before we set up our lean-to. We had plenty of time before it got dark, so it did not seem like a big deal to have some fun before we started to work. Besides that we had been hiking for a long time and we deserved to have a break. Brother Riding was a good scoutmaster, as he was not demanding. He and the other scouts set up their tents and built their lean-tos, while my friend and I hurried down to the lake to see who could catch the biggest fish.
It did not seem that we were gone for very long, but we could tell that it was getting late as the sun started to dip behind the mountain. Reluctantly my friend and I left the lake and made our way back up the hill to our camp. Unfortunately, before we made it back to camp there was a big dark cloud that suddenly showed up from nowhere and it started to rain and rain and rain. The thunder crashed and the lightning flashed across the sky. I remember running up the trail that lead back to camp, but we were not able to get back to camp in time. The rain came down hard and by the time we made it back to camp, our sleeping bags and supplies was soaked. I remember standing over the top of my soaked sleeping bag and looking up into the trees. I could see Brother Riding and the other scouts all nestled in their tents and huddled under their lean-tos.
As I said, Brother Riding was a good scoutmaster. He was not demanding as he was willing to let us experience our own agency. He was willing to let us fish all that we wanted, but he was also not going to keep us from experiencing the consequences of our choice. He and the other scouts remained comfortably tucked away in their tents and lean-tos, while they watched my friend and I franticly trying to find some sort of cover. My friend and I along with a few other scouts, who also chose to play before the work was done, found ourselves trying to make a fire in the rain. I distinctly remember that night as being one of the coldest and longest nights that I have ever experienced. We huddled around the campfire with our backsides to the fire, while our front sides chilled in the cold night air. We would rotate from front to back throughout the night, but never able to get completely dry as the rain continued throughout the night.
The next day was spent mostly huddled around the fire, still trying to dry out our sleeping bags. We were finally able to build our lean-to, but it took the entire day to get ready for the next night of rain. I still remember how foolish I felt for not following Brother Riding’s advice when we first arrived at our campsite. I have never forgotten that experience as the Scout Motto of “Be Prepared” took on a whole new meaning for me. I am also thankful for Brother Riding. He could have pampered my friend and me, but he chose to let us learn from our own mistakes. I remember that second night as being the most comfortable night I have ever spent in the mountains. I still had the stark contrast from the night before, so I could easily tell the difference. I was warm and comfortable under my lean-to, even though it rained all night, which was not the feeling that I had from the night before.
That experience has taught me a number of lessons that has helped to give direction to me in my life. Some of the lessons that I learned from this experience include: 1) it is always best to take care of first things first; 2) sometimes you have to do things that you do not want to do, but you do them anyway, because you know that it is the right thing to do; 3) we will always have our agency to chose, but we do not always have the freedom to choose the consequences of our decisions; 4) good leaders will always help to give direction to our lives; 5) the lessons that we learn early in life will help us to avoid more “pitfalls” later in life.
It was probably the summer of 1960 when I was able to go on my first official “scout packing trip”. I say probably because that is when I would have been twelve years old and eligible for “overnight” trips with the scouts. I do not remember a lot of details about the trip, but there are a few things about that trip that have always stuck with me and I will never forget.
Our trip was planned for the Granddaddy Lake in the Uintas, which I considered to be the greatest outdoor adventure that a young boy of my age could ever possibly imagine. The Uintas was where the real campers went and the real campers would always catch lots of fish. I had always heard about how great the Uintas where for fishing. The older boys had told us stories about being able to just throw your fishing line into any lake in the Uintas and immediately a fish would grab onto the hook. I was excited to make the trip and experience what it was like to be a “real backpacker”.
The trail into the Granddaddy Lake was not very long (as I think about it today) only about three miles. However, as I think back on the experience when I was twelve years old, I can only remember it seemed we would never get there. We hiked all day and finally arrived at Granddaddy Lake, where we had planned to make our camp.
Brother Jerry Riding, our scoutmaster reminded us that we needed to set up our tents and lean-tos before we went fishing so we would be ready in case it rained. I probably looked up at the sky and thought, “That was not a good idea.” There was not a cloud in the sky and we had been hiking for so long and besides that I wanted to catch a fish. My friend and I (and a few other scouts) decided that we would just go fishing for a while before we set up our lean-to. We had plenty of time before it got dark, so it did not seem like a big deal to have some fun before we started to work. Besides that we had been hiking for a long time and we deserved to have a break. Brother Riding was a good scoutmaster, as he was not demanding. He and the other scouts set up their tents and built their lean-tos, while my friend and I hurried down to the lake to see who could catch the biggest fish.
It did not seem that we were gone for very long, but we could tell that it was getting late as the sun started to dip behind the mountain. Reluctantly my friend and I left the lake and made our way back up the hill to our camp. Unfortunately, before we made it back to camp there was a big dark cloud that suddenly showed up from nowhere and it started to rain and rain and rain. The thunder crashed and the lightning flashed across the sky. I remember running up the trail that lead back to camp, but we were not able to get back to camp in time. The rain came down hard and by the time we made it back to camp, our sleeping bags and supplies was soaked. I remember standing over the top of my soaked sleeping bag and looking up into the trees. I could see Brother Riding and the other scouts all nestled in their tents and huddled under their lean-tos.
As I said, Brother Riding was a good scoutmaster. He was not demanding as he was willing to let us experience our own agency. He was willing to let us fish all that we wanted, but he was also not going to keep us from experiencing the consequences of our choice. He and the other scouts remained comfortably tucked away in their tents and lean-tos, while they watched my friend and I franticly trying to find some sort of cover. My friend and I along with a few other scouts, who also chose to play before the work was done, found ourselves trying to make a fire in the rain. I distinctly remember that night as being one of the coldest and longest nights that I have ever experienced. We huddled around the campfire with our backsides to the fire, while our front sides chilled in the cold night air. We would rotate from front to back throughout the night, but never able to get completely dry as the rain continued throughout the night.
The next day was spent mostly huddled around the fire, still trying to dry out our sleeping bags. We were finally able to build our lean-to, but it took the entire day to get ready for the next night of rain. I still remember how foolish I felt for not following Brother Riding’s advice when we first arrived at our campsite. I have never forgotten that experience as the Scout Motto of “Be Prepared” took on a whole new meaning for me. I am also thankful for Brother Riding. He could have pampered my friend and me, but he chose to let us learn from our own mistakes. I remember that second night as being the most comfortable night I have ever spent in the mountains. I still had the stark contrast from the night before, so I could easily tell the difference. I was warm and comfortable under my lean-to, even though it rained all night, which was not the feeling that I had from the night before.
That experience has taught me a number of lessons that has helped to give direction to me in my life. Some of the lessons that I learned from this experience include: 1) it is always best to take care of first things first; 2) sometimes you have to do things that you do not want to do, but you do them anyway, because you know that it is the right thing to do; 3) we will always have our agency to chose, but we do not always have the freedom to choose the consequences of our decisions; 4) good leaders will always help to give direction to our lives; 5) the lessons that we learn early in life will help us to avoid more “pitfalls” later in life.
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