13 May 2010
Recent Round-up of Scouting Outings
Posted by admin under: Outings .
I’ve neglected to mention a couple of things I was doing the last month or so and wanted to correct that. Firstly, I attended the Cuboree for my Cub Scout pack last month. I’ve been through the entire program with my older son who started as a Tiger, achieved Eagle Rank, and is now an Assistant Scoutmaster and a Venturer. With my youngest son I’m going back through the program and with a baker’s dozen of years under my larger-than-it-used-to-be belt I have a different perspective on these activities. I have to admit I’m not as energized as I was in my 20’s and 30’s now that I’m in my 40’s. I know how to pack smaller, cook better, and allow others to take on jobs that I was eager to do before. Of course, trying to be active in Scouting with 3 kids is different from when I was doing it with only 1 and that’s a huge difference.
So, my son and I showed up on Saturday morning, instead of Friday night, for Cuboree to discover that the Cub parents had pitched enormous tents on a plot size that the district had obviously designed for smaller tents. There was almost no space for my son and I. Fortunately, I’d packed small and we were able to squeeze in between two other tents. We just threw our stuff on the ground and headed off for the day’s festivities. Our district combines Camporee and Cuboree so we walked over to the other side of the park and toured Boy Scout units with the pack. These guys had some serious pioneering skills. Their gateways looked like they were good enough for the national Jamboree. It was very cool. Clearly, this is the district’s idea for enticing Webelos Scouts to pick a troop to bridge to. It’s a good one.
We then did the activities including sack races, target shooting with nerf guns, a South American bolo game, knot tying, and many others. Parents swapped into and out of running our pack’s event and there was also scavenger hunt (too much parent involvement, but they were having a great time). One thing I need to try to get rolling as a pack policy is to bring washable dishes on the camp-outs. It’s hard to live the leave no trace lifestyle when generating bags full of disposable dishes. Besides, my son kept begging me to do dishes (I was in charge of dishes because I wanted to make sure they got clean) until I relented on the last meal and let him do the whole batch.
The campfire was fun, probably. I fell asleep in my chair. I was bushed. I’ve never done that before and it came as a complete shock when I woke up with people picking up around me. I was prepared for a freezing night because of what people were saying about the previous night’s temperature, but my son and I were toasty and slept straight through without a problem. Our pack didn’t win any high placing overall awards, but we did come in 2nd for the scavenger hunt and we picked up some ribbons here and there on a few events. Because we’d backed light my son and I were able to pack everything up quickly and help others get there tents folded and equipment stowed back in the minivans. I had forgotten how many new Cub parents have no idea how to fold a tent and it was fulfilling to help them.
The following weekend was the Gathering of All Mariners with the Girl Scouts. This is like Camporee, but with water events. Canoing, rowing, kayaking, rigging, sea chanties, identifying boat terms, and much else was all built in. This is a senior Girl Scout troop I was with so they had the whole scenario down to a science. Adults cook for the girls (which is something they’re dying to do anyway so there’s no problem) and the girls spend every moment running from event to event and studying for the next one and preparing for campfire.
This was my first GAM so I was a “Swabbie”. This meant I was free to help on all the chores and be a gopher for everyone. My daughter and a few other girls were also swabbies, but they weren’t burdened too much because they had to participate in their events. I got overconfident and ended up scorching my legs because I put sunblock everywhere else. We had brand new tents and brand new canopies. I got to bunk with another dad who is probably the sweetest person you’d ever meet. I ran around and snapped lots of pictures and even got to witness the drama of a baby rattlesnake that someone had removed from camp that crawled back in. Just like at Tambu last November the girls roamed in packs doing chants all the time saying how great they were, how great the other girls were, how proud they were of everyone, et cetera. It’s very different from Boy Scouts.
The next day we went to a local college where the swimming events were held and our girls won first place in the relay races. Although we only placed 8th out of all the troops for overall scoring for GAM the girls did a great job. Our troop leader and her family were honored by the service unit (district) for their participation in Girl Scouts and other charitable activities with the Girl Scouts Family Award. Another family I’m very close to also received this honor.
I decided to stop the show and when I went down to collect my pin for participation as a swabbie I yelled out my own chant and brought the house down. It was fun and the other dads laughed at me for my temerity. It was exhausting and sunburny, but very fun and a great time to watch my daughter mature. I got to bond with other dads, learn something new, and camp which is always cool. Plus I got to take some of the extra food home and ate barbecued chicken for the rest of the week.
Camporee, Cuboree, and GAM all in one month. Who could want anything more? My wife, apparently, who called a moratorium on camping for the next few weeks. Hee, hee. See you at the Grunion Run!
- When We Ruled Camporee
- Girl Scouts Alumnae Stories
- GSUSA: Mountain Mama Marathon
- Cubs: Outdoor Skills
- Girl Scout Mom Hates America
