So, my almost-10-year-old son just moved up to Boy Scouts from Cub Scouts. He's in Troop 81, I was in Troop 82, and being at the meetings with him brings back a lot of memories for me of my time in Scouts. Then we start hearing about the next camping trip. They're going to Gettysburg PA and doing a bicycle tour. Sounds great, right? Camping at a scout reservation nearby at the end of April, should be great weather. Then I remember the weekend that was to be my last Boy Scout camping trip.
It was early April 1980-something and I was really excited to go camping after a long winter. We were going to Gettysburg, too, and I was very into history at the time. As the time got closer, the weather folks were calling for cloudy skies, but nothing to worry about, right?
The day arrived and we all met at the school and divvied up among the 4 leader's vehicles with all our gear in the back of a couple Suburbans. Merging onto the PA turnpike, it started drizzling. By the time we hit Harrisburg, it was a steady downpour. We got a little lost finding the camp, so it was near midnight by the time we got there. Setting up old-style scout tents (the standard triangular, a-frame type with one pole at each end and not enough tie-down points to keep the roof taut) in a driving rain is no fun. Learning hours later that your entire site is in a floodplain is less fun. We all got up after a few hours of barely sleeping to a soggy breakfast and a drive to the battlefield where we all changed into dry clothes in the men's room. We boarded a bus tour, but due to the unstopping rain, we were pretty much stuck on the bus the whole time. When we got back to our campsite, the water over most of the site was ankle-deep, and the tents were stuck in the muck. We unanimously decided to cut our losses and pack up. All the tents, sleeping bags, etc. were packed up into the backs of those Suburbans, but because it was all saturated, the bumpers were nearly dragging on the ground. We got back to the school around 10:00 Saturday night and spent the next two hours wringing out tents and sleeping bags, then laying them out on the gym floor to dry.
So, my dilemma is this: do I send my son on this trip - his first trip as a Boy Scout - on his own to ensure that my own bad luck and track record doesn't ruin the weekend for everyone? Or do I just go and hope that that time back in the 80s was an anomaly. I mean, it didn't rain on EVERY scout trip I went on...and since he's been in Cub Scouts, we've had many fair-weather camping trips together.
Now, the up-side is that back then, I was a dumb kid. Now I know a lot more, and I suspect that the leaders of this Troop know more than mine did way back then. We have better tents and equipment now. Plus - not to be selfish - I really want to experience this with my son. He's going to have lots of other trips when he gets older, and weeks at summer camp, that I won't be able to share, so I'd really like to take advantage of this chance.
It was early April 1980-something and I was really excited to go camping after a long winter. We were going to Gettysburg, too, and I was very into history at the time. As the time got closer, the weather folks were calling for cloudy skies, but nothing to worry about, right?
The day arrived and we all met at the school and divvied up among the 4 leader's vehicles with all our gear in the back of a couple Suburbans. Merging onto the PA turnpike, it started drizzling. By the time we hit Harrisburg, it was a steady downpour. We got a little lost finding the camp, so it was near midnight by the time we got there. Setting up old-style scout tents (the standard triangular, a-frame type with one pole at each end and not enough tie-down points to keep the roof taut) in a driving rain is no fun. Learning hours later that your entire site is in a floodplain is less fun. We all got up after a few hours of barely sleeping to a soggy breakfast and a drive to the battlefield where we all changed into dry clothes in the men's room. We boarded a bus tour, but due to the unstopping rain, we were pretty much stuck on the bus the whole time. When we got back to our campsite, the water over most of the site was ankle-deep, and the tents were stuck in the muck. We unanimously decided to cut our losses and pack up. All the tents, sleeping bags, etc. were packed up into the backs of those Suburbans, but because it was all saturated, the bumpers were nearly dragging on the ground. We got back to the school around 10:00 Saturday night and spent the next two hours wringing out tents and sleeping bags, then laying them out on the gym floor to dry.
So, my dilemma is this: do I send my son on this trip - his first trip as a Boy Scout - on his own to ensure that my own bad luck and track record doesn't ruin the weekend for everyone? Or do I just go and hope that that time back in the 80s was an anomaly. I mean, it didn't rain on EVERY scout trip I went on...and since he's been in Cub Scouts, we've had many fair-weather camping trips together.
Now, the up-side is that back then, I was a dumb kid. Now I know a lot more, and I suspect that the leaders of this Troop know more than mine did way back then. We have better tents and equipment now. Plus - not to be selfish - I really want to experience this with my son. He's going to have lots of other trips when he gets older, and weeks at summer camp, that I won't be able to share, so I'd really like to take advantage of this chance.
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