February Campout 2013

So, I'd like to say that we had a wonderful time camping in February.

I'd also like to say that I won the lottery, but if that was the case, I'd be writing my resignation post on a beach somewhere as oppose to my drafty office in NJ.

That being said, the truth is that our trip down to the Franklin Institute in Philly, PA was canceled due to inclement weather. A massive winter storm decided to descend on us that weekend, and our parents felt that it was better to stay home and keep warm then go camping.

After further discussion the weekend after, it was determined that we could probably all get together at the church to load the trucks, but we wouldn't have gotten much farther, despite the fact we were going south to the area that was getting the least amount of snow.

In the end, my parents made the decision to keep their scouts home, and that's fine with me. I may not like cancelling, but I also know when the time has come to cancel because it is just to dangerous to be out there. I make decisions on going or not going based on the info I have at hand. I watch the weather for the week leading up to the trip, and I listen to my adults who live in the town we meet in. While I grew up there, I no longer live there - I live 45 minutes south, and sometimes that can mean a world of difference in the weather.

If you are reading this and are a current parent you already know this - and if you are thinking about joining a troop and this is your "research" then this is something you should know: I won't make a Scout do anything I am not willing to do, or have not already done myself.

I am an Eagle scout, and went through everything that your Scout has and will go through - sweating it out at summer camp in a canvas wall tent, freezing with three layers of clothes on in February with the wind howling; cooking over an open fire, cooking on a sheep herder stove, loosing feeling in your fingers trying to tie a knot to hold down the tarp during a snow storm - I, and my adults, have done all that and more.

I've also been there when the weather is perfect, the Scouts get their work done, and we spend hours around the fire talking and joking and having a nice evening.

The other leaders and I can all do these things - and so can your Scout. Its my job to make sure that they learn the skills they need to reach Eagle, but to also take them out of their comfort zone so that they know that while they might not be comfortable, they can make themselves. Cold at night? Ask Santa for a new and better sleeping bag. Fingers cold from tying knots? Either get better gloves or learn to tie the knot so fast you won't even notice the cold.

That all being said, if you as a parent don't want your Scout going out in foul weather, then it is your right to keep him home - nothing we do is mandatory, and he can always make up what he missed next time. I'm not willing to put myself in danger either - I like all my fingers where they are, and don't need to loose any to frostbite - so if I feel that the weather is too bad, then I'll cancel.

Camping isn't for the lazy - its hard work - but that doesn't mean we can't have fun doing the work either (and be safe about it as well!).