Pet Peeves

[cougjunkie]

And then there's the opposite, scouts bringing everything. When working on the Camping MB in Texas, troops have to do some traveling to find a place to hike and gain 1,000 feet of elevation (there are several choices for this requirement but some are impractical in Texas like canoeing or a snow camping experience). Because we were traveling four hours, we were somewhat limited on car space. We had the entire troop packed and ready to go and were waiting on the last scout who was 40 minutes late. His Mom drops him off and the scout proceeds to haul three large tub totes from the SUV. We had enough room for the scout and his backpack. So we proceed to check the contents of the tub totes: an 8-man tent, queen size air mattress, tent heaters, a military sized cot, folding tables, etc. Would have been great for car camping and if we had a large trailer to put all that stuff in. So we went through all the gear and sorted out what the scout really needed while his Mom waited impatiently, tapping her foot while asking if she could leave repeatedly. It seems that Jr. needed some help packing for his first campout and instead of going by the gear list each scout was given, decided at the Dad's direction to just bring all the camping storage tub totes that were stored in the garage.

We hiked Timp last summer and slept in the meadow below the saddle. It was August but it still gets cold and windy up there. 3 of our scouts showed up with no water and plastic bags with snacks and nothing else. Another one who is 12 and might weigh 80 pounds, showed up with the biggest backpack I have ever seen. He could have strapped a canoe to that thing. Needless to say he made it about 400 yards before myself and the other leaders took turn carrying his pack up the mountain. Kids are dumb. But maybe we are dumb too as leaders since we didn't make them go home and get the proper equipment.

[hostile]

We hiked Timp last summer and slept in the meadow below the saddle. It was August but it still gets cold and windy up there. 3 of our scouts showed up with no water and plastic bags with snacks and nothing else. Another one who is 12 and might weigh 80 pounds, showed up with the biggest backpack I have ever seen. He could have strapped a canoe to that thing. Needless to say he made it about 400 yards before myself and the other leaders took turn carrying his pack up the mountain. Kids are dumb. But maybe we are dumb too as leaders since we didn't make them go home and get the proper equipment.

Yeah, some leaders aren't too smart. We hiked Kings Peak a couple years ago. Our varsity leader showed up with an 80 pound pack. He was 1.5-2 hours behind us as we hiked the 8 miles to our base camp. When the boys played "Hunger Games" that night one of them had his leg impaled by a homemade spear, whittled from a tree branch. Our varsity leader was happy to sit out the 10 mile hike to the summit and back and take care of the casualty.

[Moliere]

And then there's the opposite, scouts bringing everything. When working on the Camping MB in Texas, troops have to do some traveling to find a place to hike and gain 1,000 feet of elevation (there are several choices for this requirement but some are impractical in Texas like canoeing or a snow camping experience). Because we were traveling four hours, we were somewhat limited on car space. We had the entire troop packed and ready to go and were waiting on the last scout who was 40 minutes late. His Mom drops him off and the scout proceeds to haul three large tub totes from the SUV. We had enough room for the scout and his backpack. So we proceed to check the contents of the tub totes: an 8-man tent, queen size air mattress, tent heaters, a military sized cot, folding tables, etc. Would have been great for car camping and if we had a large trailer to put all that stuff in. So we went through all the gear and sorted out what the scout really needed while his Mom waited impatiently, tapping her foot while asking if she could leave repeatedly. It seems that Jr. needed some help packing for his first campout and instead of going by the gear list each scout was given, decided at the Dad's direction to just bring all the camping storage tub totes that were stored in the garage.

Canoeing is impractical in Texas

Several years ago a took a bunch of scouts up to Possum Kingdom Dam and we canoed 20 miles down the Brazos. It was a blast. We only did 1.5 days on the river but we could have done 40 miles if we didn't have other things to do.

[mtnbiker]

We hiked Timp last summer and slept in the meadow below the saddle. It was August but it still gets cold and windy up there. 3 of our scouts showed up with no water and plastic bags with snacks and nothing else. Another one who is 12 and might weigh 80 pounds, showed up with the biggest backpack I have ever seen. He could have strapped a canoe to that thing. Needless to say he made it about 400 yards before myself and the other leaders took turn carrying his pack up the mountain. Kids are dumb. But maybe we are dumb too as leaders since we didn't make them go home and get the proper equipment.

It's not a recent phenomenon. My grandpa told a story of a scout hike up Timpanogos, probably in the early 1930's, and he was one of the adult leaders. Of course, it was the days of the depression, so people didn't have much, and kids wore hand-me-downs. One kid got to the top of the mountain, but was limping badly and his feet were all bloody. My grandpa asked him how that happened, and it turned out the kid was wearing shoes about 4 sizes too big. My grandpa ended up packing the kid on his back all the way back down the mountain.

[Bo Diddley]

Yeah, some leaders aren't too smart. We hiked Kings Peak a couple years ago. Our varsity leader showed up with an 80 pound pack. He was 1.5-2 hours behind us as we hiked the 8 miles to our base camp. When the boys played "Hunger Games" that night one of them had his leg impaled by a homemade spear, whittled from a tree branch. Our varsity leader was happy to sit out the 10 mile hike to the summit and back and take care of the casualty.

I've gone as much as 52 pounds on a scout hike, but that's about 25% of my body weight.

It's not a recent phenomenon. My grandpa told a story of a scout hike up Timpanogos, probably in the early 1930's, and he was one of the adult leaders. Of course, it was the days of the depression, so people didn't have much, and kids wore hand-me-downs. One kid got to the top of the mountain, but was limping badly and his feet were all bloody. My grandpa asked him how that happened, and it turned out the kid was wearing shoes about 4 sizes too big. My grandpa ended up packing the kid on his back all the way back down the mountain.

We had a youth hike up Timp when I was about 16. One of the boys was quite large. I think he was at least half Hawaiian, and over 300 pounds. He fell and hit a sharp rock somewhere in the hamstring region--cholesterol everywhere. It took four men to carry him back down to a location where a helicopter could airlift him out of there to have his leg sewn up.

[Uncle Ted]

Canoeing is impractical in Texas

Several years ago a took a bunch of scouts up to Possum Kingdom Dam and we canoed 20 miles down the Brazos. It was a blast. We only did 1.5 days on the river but we could have done 40 miles if we didn't have other things to do.

Yeah, the Brazos is great for canoeing as long as there is plenty of water (i.e., spring or early summer). The same is true with the Buffalo River up in Arkansas. Great canoeing with lots of places to do some cliff diving along the way. I don't know what PBW is talking about.

[falafel]

We had a youth hike up Timp when I was about 16. One of the boys was quite large. I think he was at least half Hawaiian, and over 300 pounds. He fell and hit a sharp rock somewhere in the hamstring region--cholesterol everywhere. It took four men to carry him back down to a location where a helicopter could airlift him out of there to have his leg sewn up.

Nasty!

[Paperback Writer]

Yeah, the Brazos is great for canoeing as long as there is plenty of water (i.e., spring or early summer). The same is true with the Buffalo River up in Arkansas. Great canoeing with lots of places to do some cliff diving along the way. I don't know what PBW is talking about.

I'm talking about the Brazos where I had to drag canoe after canoe through several stretches because of low water levels. Even when water levels were high enough, there was no current. It was not a blast and we revised our plans to do more hiking instead of canoeing. And this was because the stake canceled our plans to canoe on the White and Buffalo rivers in Arkansas which we had done a few years before and had a blast.

[Commando]

I've gone as much as 52 pounds on a scout hike, but that's about 25% of my body weight.

We had a youth hike up Timp when I was about 16. One of the boys was quite large. I think he was at least half Hawaiian, and over 300 pounds. He fell and hit a sharp rock somewhere in the hamstring region--cholesterol everywhere. It took four men to carry him back down to a location where a helicopter could airlift him out of there to have his leg sewn up.

lol. I would have gone with barbecue sauce, but that works...

[Moliere]

I'm talking about the Brazos where I had to drag canoe after canoe through several stretches because of low water levels. Even when water levels were high enough, there was no current. It was not a blast and we revised our plans to do more hiking instead of canoeing. And this was because the stake canceled our plans to canoe on the White and Buffalo rivers in Arkansas which we had done a few years before and had a blast.

We went in a year with low water levels and only had to port our canoes maybe 100 feet in one place. Sounds like you went to the wrong part of the Brazos.

[Paperback Writer]

We went in a year with low water levels and only had to port our canoes maybe 100 feet in one place. Sounds like you went to the wrong part of the Brazos.

In hindsight, we did pick a bad stretch of the Brazos to canoe. Instead of relying on guides or doing better research, we relied on a leader who had done this high adventure a decade earlier and "had a blast".

[cougjunkie]

In hindsight, we did pick a bad stretch of the Brazos to canoe. Instead of relying on guides or doing better research, we relied on a leader who had done this high adventure a decade earlier and "had a blast".

Sounds like one of our current leaders who wants to do Havasupai because he did it when he was 12 and it was so much fun. Of course as he started to plan it was nothing like he remembered.


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[Pelado]

Sounds like one of our current leaders who wants to do Havasupai because he did it when he was 12 and it was so much fun. Of course as he started to plan it was nothing like he remembered.


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Havasupai is pretty awesome.

[kccougar]

I'm talking about the Brazos where I had to drag canoe after canoe through several stretches because of low water levels. Even when water levels were high enough, there was no current. It was not a blast and we revised our plans to do more hiking instead of canoeing. And this was because the stake canceled our plans to canoe on the White and Buffalo rivers in Arkansas which we had done a few years before and had a blast.

I took a scout group on the White River in AR many years back. That was a fun trip.

[Eddie]

We hiked Timp last summer and slept in the meadow below the saddle. It was August but it still gets cold and windy up there. 3 of our scouts showed up with no water and plastic bags with snacks and nothing else. Another one who is 12 and might weigh 80 pounds, showed up with the biggest backpack I have ever seen. He could have strapped a canoe to that thing. Needless to say he made it about 400 yards before myself and the other leaders took turn carrying his pack up the mountain. Kids are dumb. But maybe we are dumb too as leaders since we didn't make them go home and get the proper equipment.

When I was a kid we did a 16 mile pack trip into the Uintas. One guy from the ward came along to help as a leader. He had never backpacked before, but was pretty fit. More lifting than cardio, of course. He was bragging about his 75 lb pack for the first 5 miles, but was done by the time we got to camp. When it was time to leave, he gave away his hatchet, sleeping pad, and a bunch of other camp equipment to any of the boys who wanted it. He didn't take any of his clothes home with him.

About 4 years ago I took a group of boys on a 50 mile pack trip. They hadn't done much backpacking, so we spent a lot of time talking about what to bring, what not to bring, etc. We weighed all of the packs as we were loading them up. Some of the kids did great - there were a couple of 25-30 lb packs. A couple of the older kids did less great. One had a 56 lb pack. No way he weighed more than 160 or so. Among other things, he had his full size scriptures in their case tied to the back of the pack to bring along.

I told him I thought he should lose some weight. His dad said "He works out EVERY DAY. He'll be just fine." The kid agreed, so I told him I wouldn't stop him from bringing the heavy pack.

He struggled as we got further in that first day and was ready to be done by the time we reached our first camp. I went to get some water from a nearby stream while the boys began setting up tents, finding wood, and started a fire. When I got back to camp the kid was burning some of his clothes. He told me he wasn't going to carry it all the next day. That first day he burned everything but one change of clothes and a pair of socks for each day we were going to be gone. Each morning he burned the socks from the previous day, so when we went home all he had was the last pair he was wearing.

Prior to the 50 miler, we did a short 3 mile pack trip overnight-er to give the boys a taste of what they would be doing. The kids with the lightest packs were the ones that did that first trip with me.