For many of the men in our graduating class, that “golden period” before the distractions of women and the daily grind of competitive sports was filled with the excitement of Boy Scouts. For boys between the ages eleven through thirteen, Boy Scouts provided knowledge and often thrilling experiences.
- Who can forget learning how to properly lay up a fire to start it? Or the gratification of lighting that fire without using matches?
- We all learned how to set a broken leg as we practiced first aid.
- Remember being amazed when you were able to communicate with only two flags or a flashlight?
- Wow – we planned and prepared meals for five to ten fellow scouts.
- We set up tents bigger than we were in a howling Kansas wind and thrived during an overnight with snow and blowing cold.
- Identifying animals from their tracks was an impressive accomplishment.
Laughing, joking and learning were all part of Boy Scouts.
All troops had a weekly meeting at their sponsor’s church, school, or other facility. Most had a monthly overnight where the boys camped out and ate what they had purchased at the store – if they cooked it properly, built large camp fires and sang camp fire songs, ran pell mell through the woods with the excitement of outdoor freedom, braved rain and cold, kept their fires burning brightly in spite of a hard Kansas rain, encountered many a Kansas outdoor animal in its own environment, played running games in the dark with the added hazard of barbed wire fences, and slept soundly in their sleeping bags after hearing ‘chilling’ camp fire stories.
Then there were the camps. One was Camp Ta-wa-ko-ni on Santa Fe Lake just east of Wichita. Here Boy Scouts learned to shoot a rifle, shoot a bow and arrow, swim, make pottery, build bridges using only raw timber and rope, paddle a canoe and countless other fun and exciting skills. At Camporees, many troops gathered in one location for a couple of days of scouting adventures. Some of you may remember the one at Kingman Lake that was cut short by torrential rain. If you were there, you may also remember the one troop with burning fires and dry tents as all others were packing up. We were ordered to leave – what a shame!
The main event, the pinnacle, was a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch in northern New Mexico. Here one walked in a place of absolute wonder. Dry, hot and parched land alternated with wet, cool and verdant landscape. Drinking quality water could be found if one knew where to dig a one to three foot deep hole in the earth (yes, at the right location), allowed the dirt and mud to settle, and dipped the water into canteens and dry mouths. In other locations, water could be dipped from the river one crossed multiple times during a single day. It was like a trip to a foreign land for a young boy from the hot plains of Kansas.
Whether you ended your scouting adventure as a Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life or Eagle – you learned a great deal and you had the time of yo
ur life! And I would bet you well remember the Boy Scout Law.
A Scout is
Trustworthy
Loyal
Helpful
Courteous
Kind
Obedient
Cheerful
Thrifty
Brave
Clean
and Reverent.
Editor’s Note: You can share your memories of accomplishments and adventures in Boy Scouts by leaving a Comment in the box below.
