I’m now a trained Boy Scout Leader. A weekend ago I spent 9 and a half hours in classroom instruction on Saturday; this past weekend I was in outdoor training from 5:30PM Friday until 1:00PM Sunday. The classroom training wasn’t that much fun, since it was straight through with only a couple of bathroom breaks – even lunch was a working one as each patrol had to plan for the upcoming camping trip. The weekend outdoor training, however, was a blast, as we got to be Boy Scouts for a weekend and learn by doing. I especially enjoyed the knots, hitches, and lashings training. My district, New Horizons, had 10 patrols of 6-7 trainees (I was in the Picnic Rats), and several other districts in the St. Louis Council were also represented.
I’ve learned through experience the secret to a good camping experience consists of three things – good earplugs so the noises in the night (mainly snorring) don’t keep you awake, a good mattress/cot to get a good night’s sleep on, and a good grubmaster so that you eat and drink well. And good weather always helps, although all you can do about it is to prepare for bad weather.
One of the things that struck me during training is what great shape Beaumont Scout Reservation (where the training took place) is in despite decades of year round use by the Boy Scouts. During the summer months the use is nearly non-stop as it is the site of summer camps for cub scouts and boy scouts, and it is used by packs, troops, and crews throughout the year. You won’t see litter, but you will find plenty of animal life – and not just of the misquito, tick, and chigger variety. The BSA really does a good job of teaching its members how to be responsible and leave no trace.
Another part of Boy Scouts I enjoy is the adults. It’s a cross section in one sense – the adults come from all walks of life, male and female, rich and poor, white collar and blue collar – but in another way its not as its a great group of people, always ready to pitch in, to help out, and to have fun and above all dedicated to the youth.
