The "overheard at scout camp" thread

[Jeff Lebowski]

BSA tends to take a beating here on CUF. For those of us laboring in the BSA vineyard, that can be depressing. I am starting this thread in the hope that some humor and a little commiseration will provide some good therapy for us.

I will start things off:

(Scout 2 is sitting with back to fire)

Scout 1: "Dude, you are on fire."
Scout 2: "Yeah, right."
Scout 1: "No, seriously dude. You are on fire."

That one got my attention from the other side of camp. Confirming the stated facts, I then proceeded to tackle and douse the flames going up the back of Scout 2. Fortunately, the only casualty was a Ute hoodie.

[Donuthole]

I wanted this to be a thread about heavily-financed tents and sleeping bags.

[Jeff Lebowski]

This one is probably my all-time favorite (happened to a friend of mine).

Troop is marching back to trailhead after spending a week backpacking in the Uintah Mtns. It is pouring rain and the trail is nine miles long. Scout leader looks down and notices that one scout has one boot on but is only wearing a muddy sock on the other foot.

Scout leader: "<name>!! Where is your other shoe?"
Scout: "It came off."
Scout leader: "When?"
Scout: "About 2-3 miles back up the trail."

[Commando]

I wanted this to be a thread about heavily-financed tents and sleeping bags.

[Jeff Lebowski]

Setting: In the car passing through eastern Utah on the way to another backpacking trip (2 hours from home).

Scout: "Hey Brother _______, are we going to need a sleeping bag for this?"

[Jeff Lebowski]

I wanted this to be a thread about heavily-financed tents and sleeping bags.

Nice. Took me a minute.

[TripletDaddy]

I wanted this to be a thread about heavily-financed tents and sleeping bags.

No way. Astronomy.

[CardiacCoug]

This one is probably my all-time favorite (happened to a friend of mine).

Troop is marching back to trailhead after spending a week backpacking in the Uintah Mtns. It is pouring rain and the trail is nine miles long. Scout leader looks down and notices that one scout has one boot on but is only wearing a muddy sock on the other foot.

Scout leader: "<name>!! Where is your other shoe?"
Scout: "It came off."
Scout leader: "When?"
Scout: "About 2-3 miles back up the trail."

That sounds like something my oldest son would do.

[TripletDaddy]

Setting: In the car passing through eastern Utah on the way to another backpacking trip (2 hours from home).

Scout: "Hey Brother _______, are we going to need a sleeping bag for this?"

This reminds me of one campout we went on....the camp was a fairly tame few mile hike from the parking area. One kid shows up with a suitcase. He tries to justify it because "it has wheels."

Many of us had to take turns carrying that thing.

[Jeff Lebowski]

4-5 hours after setting up camp for an overnighter.

Me: "What's that noise?"
Scout: "What noise?"
Me: "That chirping noise. There it goes again."
Scout: "Oh, that's ______'s chickens."
Me: "His what?"
Scout: "His chickens. He brought his chickens in his backpack."



Sure enough. The kid had a miniature pen set up with a little bit of chicken wire, some straw, and 5-6 baby chicks. I just shook my head and went back to the fire.

[byu71]

We had a teaching moment once up at mirror lake. One kid had brought some awesome treats. No way would he share. We therefor let him know someone who didn't like him had put laxatives in his goodies that he ate all by himself.

He sat up on the john a good part of the night waiting for the explosion to occur. He didnt want to accidently crap his sleeping bag. We let him know the truth about midnight.

Note: I was a scout not a leader.

[LA Ute]

This one's from pre-camp planning:

Leader: Those two camps are about equal. but I think Camp A is a better place for our summer camp.

Scout: Why? I like Camp B, we had a blast there last time.

Leader: Yeah, but the showers didn't work there.

Scout: They didn't?

[Surfah]

We hiked Mt. Baden Powell once as a young scouter. At the base trailhead there are mounds of iron rich red soil that the kids loved to play in. My dad was a chauffeur for the day and the owner of a brand new Ford Aerostar.

My dad: If any of you scouts who rode up with me play in that dirt you're riding home in your underwear. :rant:

Scouts: Okay.

<On the ride home>

Scouter : Surfah, I thought your dad was joking.

Surfah: I told you.

I am not sure that would fly anymore.

[PaloAltoCougar]

James was the most reluctant scout ever, and a bit of a pansy. As such, he was a target for troop hijinks. During a backpack trip in the Yosemite wilderness, after hiking a few miles and about to start a 1500 foot ascent, James threw his pack down and declared he was tired of carrying his heavy pack and wasn't going to take another step. After ten minutes of reasoning, pleading and begging, Bro. Frandsen was unable to persuade James to put his pack back on, so Bro. F said he'd carry his pack if James would at least walk up the mountain, which he did. Bro. F became extremely tired, carrying not only his own 60 lb. pack, but James's up the mountain. Halfway up, at a rest stop, one of the troop's pranksters came up to Bro. F., reached into James's pack he had been carrying, and pulled out two very large boulders that had been placed at the bottom of the pack. "Well, heck, Bro. F., if you're really going to carry this, we might as well make it a little easier for you." Mayhem ensued. Revenge was exacted. Tears were shed. It was a great hike.

[kccougar]

Last summer we did a 30-mile Yellowstone hike. The first day we covered 11 miles and most of the elevation gain for the entire trip. We had spent weeks leading up to the event coaching the boys on what to pack and what not to pack in their bags to keep things as light as possible.

One of our scouts, younger but tall and gangly, kept promising that those in his camp group (we hike together but split into two groups to camp each night) that he had a big surprise for them.

After a very long day, everyone dragged themselves into camp, worn out from the day's exertions. Then this saintly scout proceeds to pull from his 40+ pound backpack a huge watermelon. The thing had to have been 18 inches around. Bless that boy.

Unfortunately, since we were on Forest Service land he was forced to haul the watermelon rind with him the rest of the trip.