W and Scoutmaster Kelly, working late into the night on duty assignments, tracking rank advancements, etc. A Troop Friend (camp staff) is consulting with W over his shoulder.
It’s been a very rough two weeks. During the first week, I went with W and J and their Boy Scout Troop to a week long campout on Catalina Island. We had well over 60 scouts and about a dozen adult leaders, of which I was one of the senior “experienced” leaders, and we shared the camp with a number of other troops.
W had the honor and the responsibility of being Senior Patrol Leader for the troop, under Kelly, our Scoutmaster, which put W in charge of assigning (or getting scouts to volunteer for) various duties including being waiters for meals at the dining hall, volunteering to clean the kybo (Kybo Warriors), fire chief, and a number of other things. He was the scout leader with whom the camp staff interfaced, along with the Kelly, and he had daily meetings separate from the Scoutmaster meetings to keep up with activities. He oversaw two assistant senior patrol leaders (L and V, friends from his regular patrol) and regular patrol leaders in making sure that our various campsites were ready for inspections, that we were at our regular morning and evening troop meetings, that the scouts were lined up properly at the parade grounds before meals, and that the Tenderfoot and Second Class Scout candidates were getting their sign-offs, either from the assistant senior patrol leaders, patrol leaders, assistant patrol leaders, or himself.
W spent the entire week often carrying around a notebook in which he kept track of things.
W, surrounded by M (far left, looking off to the left), A (glasses), L (foreground), and V (partially obscured, right of W), from among the senior scout leadership. To the right of V is C2, not a senior scout.
I’m very proud of W and how he handled himself during the camp.
I and the other dads were assigned various camp areas associated with our regular patrols at home, which meant I was sleeping in the same tent as J and sleeping in the same campsite as J’s regular patrol from home. (The camp area with the tents is divided into several campsites, each composed of groups of maybe a dozen tents sharing a wooden deck. Our troup had four adjacent campsites. Also, while our troop is composed of patrols of scouts, we had divided our scouts into slightly different patrols at the camp, for organizational convenience, since not all of our scouts went to this camp this summer.)
Additionally, I was assigned as Assistant Scoutmaster not for J’s patrol but for another one of the new camp patrols, and I had A (one of W’s patrol members and friends from home) as my patrol leader, and B as assistant patrol leader. C, a member of W’s patrol at home, was patrol leader for J’s camp patrol, and he slept in the tent with J1, one of his younger brothers, while J2, the other brother (and J1’s fraternal twin), slept in the adjacent tent with J3, another patrolmate.
John, B2’s dad from J’s home patrol, stayed with us from Sunday through Wednesday, when he went home and was replaced by Eric, J3’s dad.
As I said, I was one of two “experienced” dads and ASMs on the trip, in addition to Scoutmaster Kelly and former Scoutmaster Ron. We had a total of 9 dads/ASMs/SMs at any given time, spread through four campsites to work with the scouts; on Wednesday, two dads left and were replaced by two more.
We’d wake at 6 AM, dress up in our Class A uniforms, and prepare our campsites for inspection before going to breakfast at 7 AM. Then we’d return before 8 AM to our campsites for inspection and a brief meeting and announcements. Then we’d return to the parade ground in front of the dining hall for morning flag ceremony and additional camp-wide announcements.
On Monday morning, we held our swimming tests. Nobody was allowed in the water without passing the swimming tests as well as following buddy system rules. Then, Monday afternoon, the scouts attended merit badge classes. (W’s first period class, Surveying, was canceled, so he scrambled around to find an alternative that he hadn’t already achieved, winding up with Forestry.)
On Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, the schedule had regular Merit Badge classes scheduled in the morning, after flag ceremony. Our scouts tended not to be in Class A uniforms by flag ceremony, because some of the Merit Badge classes right afterward, like canoeing and kayaking, required activewear. Lunch was at 12:15 PM, after classes, and at 2-5 PM, scouts had free time to take elective merit badge classes, do some shooting at the archery or riflery ranges, spend time at the waterfront swimming, canoeing, etc., or just resting and relaxing as they wished. Some classes lasted to 5 PM, and with dinner right after, Kelly killed the requirement for Class A uniforms at dinner after the first couple of days.
Wednesday was hike day. W and many of the senior scouts went on a 17 mile hike over the island, to fulfill their Chief requirement for the Tribe of Torqua. I went with the younger scouts on a 7 mile hike that included a ~1000 ft hike straight up to a peak called Goat Whiskers — the most-killer climb next to Henninger Flats that I’ve encountered.
J at the top of Goat Whiskers, just as tired as I am
(On Wednesday morning, a scout was being returned to Two Harbors, to go home with his mother after severe homesickness. His mother was arriving by boat to pick him up, and Ron invited me to go along as a second adult, as part of BSA’s adult leadership requirements. He knew I was not strong at big hikes. I agreed to go, but late Tuesday night, I remembered that John and another dad were leaving for Two Harbors at the same time, so I suggested they be the additional adult leadership, and I went on the hike.)
Kelly had said that “it’s all downhill” after the climb to Goat Whiskers, which it was. That climb took all of the energy I had, though I was somewhat satisfied to note that I was not at the rear the whole time but was closer to the rear end of the middle group.
However, what Kelly didn’t note was that the downhill was very steep and long. While I was exhausted on the climb, I found my ankles, knees, and hip joints were taking a huge pounding on the descent. When we got to the beach at Two Harbors near lunchtime, where we met up with Ron, I told him I was spent, and he pointed out how I could take a water taxi back to the camp. Meanwhile, I took the opportunity at the beach to hold a scoutmaster conference with a scout — more on that below. And when I got on the water taxi, I met Eric, serendipitously, on his way to the camp to take John’s place. When we got to camp, I took the time to show him around and tell him about our schedule.
J’s troop is a mix of scouts from two different schools, and I’m very conscious of wanting to get the two groups to mix, so I had J2, C’s younger brother, move out of the tent he shared with J3, to make room for Eric (J3’s dad), and I had J2 move into the tent with B2, John’s son, who is from the same school as J.
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The big goal of the campout for us was to get our scouts their rank advancements to Tenderfoot or Second Class Scout. During the first couple of days at camp, none of the new scouts were ready, so instead, we ASMs and dads helped out with sign-offs — instructing them on scout skills and signing their books when they’ve mastered the skills. Actually, sign-offs are best done by senior scouts, in my opinion, so we mainly spent time trying to round up the SPL (W), the two ASPLs, the PLs, and the APLs to help the younger scouts. When we couldn’t get enough of the senior scouts — more on that below — we adults filled in the gaps.
By late Tuesday, some scouts had completed their sign-offs, so we ASMs and other dads started doing scoutmaster conferences and Boards of Review. During the scoutmaster conferences, we review all of the scout skills and other items that they have to know in order to pass their Boards, and if they don’t know something, we instruct them further and then tell them how much they need to review before doing their Boards. Then they do their Boards, which go over the same material, and they either pass the Board or they don’t. These meetings are one-on-one between a scout and an adult, although in keeping with BSA rules, they’re always in view of another adult. Also, one dad can’t do both a conference and a Board for the same scout.
For Tenderfoot at this summer camp, we’re pretty lenient, but we still want them to know their stuff, and they’re usually very well prepared by the scoutmaster conferences, anyway. Back at home, we require that they really know their material, and by First Class Scout, it’s best if they know everything 100% correctly (though 80-90% is usually accepted).
Because we had so many Tenderfoot advancements, we dads were doing scoutmaster conferences and Boards any time we could find — after breakfast and before flag ceremony, after lunch and before free time, sometimes during free time, after dinner and before evening flag ceremony. Mike, one of the new ASMs, became really adept at doing partial scoutmaster conferences or Boards during the half mile walk between our tents and the dining hall and even during the Wednesday hike, which I could not possibly have done, panting and wheezing as I was. I preferred sitting for the conferences or Boards, though during one evening walk with our Troop Friends, a few of us dads (including me) stepped aside on the road to do conferences or Boards. During one of the after-lunch times before 2 PM, I and a bunch of other dads were occupying outdoor tables at the Trading Post, doing conferences or Boards, some of which stretched slightly into the free time. And, as I noted above, I finished another scoutmaster conference with another scout at the beach, after lunch during our 7 mile hike. Sometimes we’d squeeze time in after evening meeting and before 10 PM lights out.
On Tuesday, J got the other experienced dad, Chris, for his scoutmaster conference, and they were taking an awfully long time, so during a lull, I reviewed his material with J and suggested he do a faster conference with John, which he got done quickly and then finished his Board quickly with another dad. On the other hand, for A, one of J’s friends, I strongly recommended he do his scoutmaster conference with the other experienced dad, since I thought that A lacked some of the seriousness that Chris would be able to bring to him.
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On a related note, J1, one of C’s younger brothers, is high-functioning autistic with ADHD. Fortunately, Eric knew him and his family well, so with a lot of information from Eric, I did J1’s scoutmaster conference with Eric in attendance, and then Eric did his Board immediately afterward, while the information from the conference was still fresh.
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“Old Man” Lange: The kitchen staff has prepared a delicious…
Camp Staff: And nutritious!
“Old Man” Lange: Meal for you this fine day!
…..
“Old Man” Lange: Troop Friends, will you please join your troops at their places!
Troop Friends: With our bright and shiny faces!
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The other dads occasionally spent their free time (“troop time”) with their sons at the beach. Unlike others, I had two sons at camp, but I found myself pretty much alone, without W or J, as both of whom zoomed off with their friends. Oh, well.
(I wasn’t entirely abandoned by my sons, though. Obviously, I slept in the same tent as J and chatted with him each night before lights out, but W also took time out during the occasional lull in activity to chat with me about how his days were going, or to ask a little advice, or to ask me to help organize the scouts for this or that activity. We once had a private chat between campsites in the dark after lights out about how some senior scouts were doing a great job while others weren’t quite so helpful. I told him how I was getting J’s patrol to mix better with each other, too. I think Kelly was a short way off in the dark, listening to us.)
When not doing the occasional scoutmaster conference or Board of Review during free time (which didn’t happen as freqently as it might have), and not spending time with W or J at the beach, I spent my down time either napping in my tent (frequently awakened by J and his friends playing a loud game of cards at the table just outside), having a drink at the Trading Post, or surfing the web on my iPhone when I could find a spot somewhere at camp (usually closer to the ocean) that had cell coverage.
Later, I found that one of the dads in one of our other camp areas had been enabling his son to be coddled and treated like a Cub Scout — or younger. This dad, who arrived mid-week, shielded his son from being more active, letting him sit on his lap rather than engage in activities, for example, while the son had otherwise been a pretty regular and active scout prior to the dad’s arrival. This sort of behavior really ticked off the other dads, because it meant that that dad focused only on his own son, and while it’s normal for the dads to pay a little extra attention to their own sons, we were really there to be responsible for every scout. Later, discussions of this dad’s behavior (which we didn’t direct to him — yet) had Kelly muttering things like “let your son grow a pair!”
This sort of irritating behavior — which I had noticed on another campout earlier in the year — counterbalanced my feeling left out of W’s and J’s free time activity, i.e. each of my sons had a pair.
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W and his senior scout friends achieved the Tribe of Torqua rank of Chief, and I was able to attend their special nighttime ceremony. In fact, I was also able to attend an earlier evening Tribe of Torqua ceremony just for the senior patrol leaders from each troop, so that was nice, too.
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J’s home patrol, coming together for lunch
There were lots of other activities throughout the week — skits by the scouts as well as camp staff, and lots of group singing by the camp staff before meals. Scouts eagerly earned their Totin’ Chits in order to be allowed to purchase and own pocket knives. We played highland games (tug of war and other such team games) one night and other games another night.
J and his friends performing a skit.
Kelly and W consulting on rank advancements and on which of the senior scouts pulled their weight and which, unfortunately, didn’t pull their weight during the camp.
On Thursday night, we had an Honor Hike, during which the Troop Friends spoke to us about elements of the Scout Oath and how it applied to us, and afterward, we dads, the scoutmaster, and W got to say a few words. I thanked the scouts for treating the Honor Hike with some respect, and I also said how personally proud I was of W.
Right after the Honor Hike, back at camp, J had to leave for the night and spend it sleeping in a shelter he and a couple of other scouts built for the Wilderness Survival Merit Badge.
We had a Friday morning of “bad inspection” in which our troop deliberately tried to score a 0 on our inspections (instead of a perfect 100). Our regular commissioner was losing her voice during the week, so our substitute commissioner — who had been the troop’s commissioner from previous years — really got into the “bad inspection” as he bellowed things like “WHAT am I SEEING, HERE!?!?!” and the like. A grand time was had by all. When the results were announced after morning flag ceremony, our result of a “big fat ZERO!” caused some visible bewilderment from the other troops when we raucously cheered our own astonishingly poor showing. (Seen from the other troops’ point of view, perhaps we were mocking their efforts to get perfect scores on inspection.)
Tying up a patrol leader and blocking the entrance to one of the camping areas for “bad inspection day”
C and W out of uniform and on the deck for Bad Inspection Day.
We drank lots of Slush Puppies and sodas, ate lots of candies, waved away a lot of yellowjackets. There were more than a few yellowjacket stings. With the heat and all the walking back and forth, not to mention the hikes, I kept myself so well-hydrated that I had to get up to pee twice a night.
By the end of the camp, I witnessed a lot of our scouts going up to hug the Troop Friends assigned to us, so much so that one of the Troop Friends commented the hugging was getting a little out of hand. Although the boat ride to the island was rough and stomach churning, the boat ride back was calm and quick. I did a Second Class scoutmaster conference during the boat ride back, but the scout ended up declining to do his Board of Review during the trip.
W teaching square lashing on the boat ride home.