June 28, 2007
Just back from Goshen Scout Camp - Camp Marriott with the scouts from Troop/Team 1106 and wanted to get down a few highlights.
Day One - Monday
We had an early start with a 3:45am meeting time at the church. We had almost everyone there at 4, with the exceptions of the Janzens who were within minutes of on time. Wayne asked me who we were waiting for and I said just David Mangum. Wayne got a look I’ve often had myself and said, "Now I remember that Cheryl told me to pick up David this morning. I better go get him." A few minutes later Cheryl showed up with David. Wayne got back and was happy to be leaving for a few days in the hopes his wife might forget this little incident.
While most vehicles had many sleeping scouts, the Hamm van was party central. We had a brief stop for gas a couple hours into the trip and after that my occupants were finally dosing off. We were following a "new" high-tech route engineered by Wayne Janzen guaranteed to shave 30 minutes off the already reduced travel time of 3 hours. Janzen vehicle as lead, then Evans, then Hamm van, followed by Henderson and then Barrus. We were driving along placidly in our convoy when I saw a black and white object shoot out from the bottom of the left side of the Evans vehicle. Clearly, Bro Evans has scored a direct hit on a road kill skunk. Nearly instantly a smell that is nearly impossible to describe, but was later said to be a mixture of skunk, rotting meat, and wilted onions permeated the van. The smell was overpowering. Those sleeping in the back were instantly awakened to an olfactory nightmare. Any windows that could be opened were and through vision blurred by the burning and tear inducing stench I fought my way on bravely. Unfortunately, the skunk had created two problems, the first being that John’s van now has a new nickname "skunk mobile" and interestingly, in a crowded parking lot there are at least 1 or 2 empty spots on both sides of his van and secondly, my van was now wide awake. Not that they could have been asleep for long.
I knew we were in a bit of a quandary when the Janzen vehicle kept slowing down and contemplating turning at various cow paths along the road. The new high tech / GPS assisted route had been very accurate and gotten us within a few miles of camp. The challenge was that camp was, as the bear would say, "on the other side of the mountain." Well, maybe mountain is a bit much, rather, it was "the Knob." And that was the road we started over. Fortunately, the Janzen vehicle had 4x4 so the other vans and mini vans were sure that Wayne had a tow rope and chains to help get us out should it be necessary. We finally cleared the Knob and after another mis-step found our way quickly into camp only about 3+ hours since we had left the building.
We set up camp (which essentially consists of getting the gear out of the vehicles, dividing into tent buddies, rolling out sleeping bags onto cots and then standing around). Sarah was there to welcome us and tell us all about our camp. We then waited for med check time. We then waited in the med check line. We then went down for swim check and waited in line. After swim check we went back to camp and waited for lunch time. Then we went down to the commissary and waited in line for lunch. After lunch we waited till classes started at 2. You might be noticing a theme here.
We were able to get our favorite campsite #9. It turns out that Wayne Janzen was actually, and I can’t remember this title exactly, but something like "grand pooba muckety muck LDS district who haw." This meant that he was powerful. It also meant he had to sleep in a special leader area. It also meant that he would come eat our food every day and use our latrine. He was also able, ethically, to be sure our guys got their classes.
Monday night our Troop (Team actually since it was the teachers) did the flag ceremony for the camp. Josh Hamm was the caller and the color guard of Alex Janzen, David Mangum, Dan Evans, Jacob Morgan, Matt Schafer, and Jared White dressed out in class A uniforms and accompanied by Bro Evans playing Taps on the bugle made quite the impression. We had camp Family Home Evening with the Annandale Stake president who brought his banjo ("bonnie lies over the ocean" and "50 men and a dog went out to mow the meadow"). He spoke with a background of thunder and lightning, including one of the longest rolls of thunder many of us had ever heard.
Back at camp we had camp meeting and evening prayer and retired just as the rains came down. It was beautiful sleeping weather - rain drowning out the noise from the boys tents or snoring tent mates, it cooled things off, and brief lightning bursts lit up the tents for moments. It was a great end to a long day.
Day Two - Tuesday, June 26th.
Bugle call was at 7am, Reveille I believe. Those who needed extra encouragement were serenaded personally by the bugler. It was a foggy morning, but dry. Breakfast, which was late, consisted of pancakes and cold lumpy oatmeal. Breakfast for kings.
This was the first full day of merit badge classes. It got off to a bit of a rocky start when our First Class Adventure scouts came back and told us they had no leader. With the help of GPMMLDWH Janzen we were able to review where they were and get them into some classes that should help them get what they need. Bro. Evans also spent a lot of 1 on 1 with those boys reviewing the material that they needed to cover to help them get to 1st class.
We had a group of older scouts who had planned last year to spend most the day in the water. As you may recall the waterfront was closed all week. This year the plan for those scouts was the same - water all day. They were signed up for water skiing, motor boating, and sailing. This was a full day on the water front. On Monday they went down and sat on the hot shore without shade and covered basics without getting wet. Tuesday they went down to the lake and the motorboat wasn’t working so they got to sit on the shore and listen to how to water ski. In the afternoon the thunder started up again so they were stuck on the shore again, in the hot sun. When I left on Wednesday, other than the swim check they hadn’t been in the water. But I think they got in on Wednesday.
Other Tuesday highlights: At flag ceremony we were awarded Site of the day (which the other troop in the site claimed was their doing, but we know differently) and got some styling new cravats. Some of the fishermen caught fish, gutted them and cooked them up (Kevin and Robert). Jacob Morgan made some styling moccasins. We had corn-dogs for lunch and Salisbury steak for dinner (otherwise known to the boys as hamburgers - "where are the buns?"). All the swimming merit badge boys went down to the lake for a thunder delayed pants flotation exercise which they all passed. There was a rousing football game in the street until it was called due to darkness. Bro. Janzen was encouraged but refused to tell, XC (interesting that he asked who didn’t like scary stories and there were a number of hands that went up - hands which belonged to bodies that quickly left right after closing prayer). He did share the story of the lake and the German pilot. The troop voted unanimously to clean the showers and latrines in the staff area as a service project.
Day Three - Wednesday June 27, 2007
Bugle only woke part of the boys today. A handful who were in Environmental Science had gone off with Bro. Henderson to do their first of 6 observations. Breakfast was on time and by 9 nearly all the scouts were off to their classes. Bro. Evans was off to a meeting (remember, this is not only a scout meeting, but most of these leaders are LDS, and you can begin to understand that this meeting can get very long). With Bro Henderson in control and Bro. Frost coming up later to take my place, it was time for me to bid our campers farewell. Up to that point there were no minor let alone major injuries or even incidents (although, Dan putting Josh and Jacob Hamm together on dish duty came close!).
It was sad parting with those boys. A good group of kids that were generally being pretty good to each other. The trading post was well utilized with many bags of combos, pints of ice cream, sweet tarts and sodas being consumed. Seldom could you be in camp and not find at least 1 if not many more knives out and carving as they worked on woodcarving. Bro. Evans is taking pictures and so be sure to come to the Court of Honor to see the slide show.
Things I wish I had a quarter for every time I heard: "what time is it?" (Answer, by the way, provided by Bro. Evans - "time for you to get a watch"), "what class do I have now?", "Marcus!", "how come Dan’s name isn’t on the job roster?" (which, for the record, it was), and "Combos are the best!"
