I joined the Cub Scouts when I was 10 years old. You normally join Cub Scouts when you're 7 and earn your ranks as you get older.There were certain ranks that you have to earn as you go through Cub Scouts. You start with Bobcat, then Tiger Cub, on to Wolf , then Bear and finally you advance to Webelos. These are ranks that I managed to make in my one year before I advanced to Boy Scouts. These ranks are normally reached as boys are growing up and enjoying Cub Scouts between the ages of 7 and 10. But I was already 10 and I was planning on going into Boy Scouts when I turned 11, so I wanted to earn my ranks as fast as I could. I learned the requirements and studied hard so I could earn all my ranks before I turned 11. I made it! I received my badges. I was now officially a Boy Scout.
My brother, John, was already 13 and had made his Tender Foot Badge, his Second Class Badge, First Class Badge and was working on his Star Badge when I joined the Boy Scouts. I joined the same time Danny joined. Danny was the scout masters son and his birthday was the same as mine and we became best friends. We did everything in Scouts together; in fact we were inseparable. As we grew up and continued in Boy Scouts we got our badges at the same time. When I made Tender Foot so did Danny, all the way up to and including our Star Badge.
My father, John Sr., was the assistant Scout Master and he did a lot for Troop 103. He did a lot of camping with the troop. If we were planning a camping trip he was always one of the adults to go along and camp with us. He was very knowledgeable about camping. That came from his days in the army. He was also a very good cook. He was very good at teaching the scouts things out in the wild. How to start a fire without matches, how to track wild animals, how to make an oven with aluminum foil, and how to use a dutch oven. My mom did a lot to help, especially in transportation. She would load up the car and drive us to the camp site and if needed, she'd go back and pick up another load of kids and bring them. If we were camping far away where it wasn't convienent to drive back home, she would camp with us. She was a real asset to our Scout Troop.
I became a Boy Scout just after my 11th birthday in April. Camp came due in July and our troop had plans to go. My brother and I wanted to go to camp, so to raise money, we sold candy. We didn't make enough to pay for camp but mom and dad agreed to pay the rest. The camp was in northern California. I don't remember the name of the camp or the lake it was on. The camp was on the far side of the lake and the only way to get to it was to use a power boat and drive across the lake to the camp. The camp was beautiful, secluded and very good for teaching the scouts about camping and outdoor life.
We had all the activities of any camp; canoeing, row boating, swimming, diving, baseball, fishing, etc. Danny went to camp also and we had a great time. We did everything together except swimming. At 11 years old, I had not yet learned how to swim. The camp leaders tried to teach me, but no luck. But, I could dog paddle and keep myself afloat. Danny and I loved to canoe. Every free time we had ,we would check out a canoe and off we would go. I remember one time we went across the cove that the camp was on and when we got to the other side, we planned to beach the canoe and do some exploring. As we got close to the shore I looked into the water and it was so clear, I could see the bottom. It appeared to be about 3 feet deep, so I assumed it was safe to jump over the side of the canoe. WRONG!!! I jumped over the side and when I hit the water, down I went! My feet never touched the bottom, it was so deep. When I came up, I gasped for air and grabbed the side of the canoe and pulled myself up into it. Danny was laughing and as I calmed down I, too, started to laugh. By now I was soaking wet and had to go back to camp and change. That ended our adventure for the day.
I bet you're wondering by now where the "fearless" part of this story comes in. Ok, I'll get to the reason I am writing this story. While in camp we had a hike and camp out. We were going to hike about 2 or 3 miles and then pitch our tents, start a fire, cook a meal and spend the night. When it was time to go to bed I crawled into my pup tent. My dad was sleeping just outside of the tent because Danny was in the tent with me. My dad was along as one of the four adults that chaperoned us. It doesn't take too long to fall asleep in the wilderness. It's so quiet, dark and after hiking you are usually tired. Well I was very tired and fell asleep almost immediately. At about 1 AM I woke up because I had to pee. But I heard a buzzing sound outside. It sounded like a huge bug or a bat or a Scout-eating monster, or who knew what else. I was so scared that I just pulled my sleeping bag up over my head and forgot about my other needs. I slipped back into slumber until my bladder woke me up again. I still had to 'go', but I was too afraid to get up and go outside and relieve myself. The monster was still out there, making his scary sound. It was now about 3:30 AM. I knew I had to wait about 3 more hours before it was daybreak and it would be safe to go outside and answer nature's call. Finally, when it was light enough to see, I got up and peeked through the tent flaps. I could still hear the scary buzzing sound. At first, I couldn't see anything, but I was finally able to figure out where the sound was coming from. There is my dad, laying there just outside the tent, snoring up a storm. I was afraid to get up and take care of business because of my dad's snoring.. How brave is that? What can I say, I was only 11. Not the bravest time in your life. So when I knew it was safe to exit the tent. I went and found a nearby tree, and I mean I found it quickly because I had to goooo!
After making some breakfast and packing up our stuff, we hiked back to camp. What a great time I was having at camp. I never wanted to leave. I think every kid that goes to camp feels that way. It was a great experience that I will never forget.
What will my next story be? Maybe you'd like another scouting story, or it could be about my Corvette, maybe gold prospecting. Could be about my pin collections, or maybe my beloved 49ers. You'll just have to wait and see!
My father, John Sr., was the assistant Scout Master and he did a lot for Troop 103. He did a lot of camping with the troop. If we were planning a camping trip he was always one of the adults to go along and camp with us. He was very knowledgeable about camping. That came from his days in the army. He was also a very good cook. He was very good at teaching the scouts things out in the wild. How to start a fire without matches, how to track wild animals, how to make an oven with aluminum foil, and how to use a dutch oven. My mom did a lot to help, especially in transportation. She would load up the car and drive us to the camp site and if needed, she'd go back and pick up another load of kids and bring them. If we were camping far away where it wasn't convienent to drive back home, she would camp with us. She was a real asset to our Scout Troop.
I became a Boy Scout just after my 11th birthday in April. Camp came due in July and our troop had plans to go. My brother and I wanted to go to camp, so to raise money, we sold candy. We didn't make enough to pay for camp but mom and dad agreed to pay the rest. The camp was in northern California. I don't remember the name of the camp or the lake it was on. The camp was on the far side of the lake and the only way to get to it was to use a power boat and drive across the lake to the camp. The camp was beautiful, secluded and very good for teaching the scouts about camping and outdoor life.
We had all the activities of any camp; canoeing, row boating, swimming, diving, baseball, fishing, etc. Danny went to camp also and we had a great time. We did everything together except swimming. At 11 years old, I had not yet learned how to swim. The camp leaders tried to teach me, but no luck. But, I could dog paddle and keep myself afloat. Danny and I loved to canoe. Every free time we had ,we would check out a canoe and off we would go. I remember one time we went across the cove that the camp was on and when we got to the other side, we planned to beach the canoe and do some exploring. As we got close to the shore I looked into the water and it was so clear, I could see the bottom. It appeared to be about 3 feet deep, so I assumed it was safe to jump over the side of the canoe. WRONG!!! I jumped over the side and when I hit the water, down I went! My feet never touched the bottom, it was so deep. When I came up, I gasped for air and grabbed the side of the canoe and pulled myself up into it. Danny was laughing and as I calmed down I, too, started to laugh. By now I was soaking wet and had to go back to camp and change. That ended our adventure for the day.
I bet you're wondering by now where the "fearless" part of this story comes in. Ok, I'll get to the reason I am writing this story. While in camp we had a hike and camp out. We were going to hike about 2 or 3 miles and then pitch our tents, start a fire, cook a meal and spend the night. When it was time to go to bed I crawled into my pup tent. My dad was sleeping just outside of the tent because Danny was in the tent with me. My dad was along as one of the four adults that chaperoned us. It doesn't take too long to fall asleep in the wilderness. It's so quiet, dark and after hiking you are usually tired. Well I was very tired and fell asleep almost immediately. At about 1 AM I woke up because I had to pee. But I heard a buzzing sound outside. It sounded like a huge bug or a bat or a Scout-eating monster, or who knew what else. I was so scared that I just pulled my sleeping bag up over my head and forgot about my other needs. I slipped back into slumber until my bladder woke me up again. I still had to 'go', but I was too afraid to get up and go outside and relieve myself. The monster was still out there, making his scary sound. It was now about 3:30 AM. I knew I had to wait about 3 more hours before it was daybreak and it would be safe to go outside and answer nature's call. Finally, when it was light enough to see, I got up and peeked through the tent flaps. I could still hear the scary buzzing sound. At first, I couldn't see anything, but I was finally able to figure out where the sound was coming from. There is my dad, laying there just outside the tent, snoring up a storm. I was afraid to get up and take care of business because of my dad's snoring.. How brave is that? What can I say, I was only 11. Not the bravest time in your life. So when I knew it was safe to exit the tent. I went and found a nearby tree, and I mean I found it quickly because I had to goooo!
After making some breakfast and packing up our stuff, we hiked back to camp. What a great time I was having at camp. I never wanted to leave. I think every kid that goes to camp feels that way. It was a great experience that I will never forget.
What will my next story be? Maybe you'd like another scouting story, or it could be about my Corvette, maybe gold prospecting. Could be about my pin collections, or maybe my beloved 49ers. You'll just have to wait and see!
Great story! You've definitely got a knack for this!
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