So there you have it…
People of the Troop 18 Nation…..
Here are a few of the photos from our extended weekend: Mammoth Cave Photo Gallery
This was a Camping Trip of unprecedented magnitude for T18, and we really pulled it off. The logistics of moving 51 men 500 miles and feeding/entertaining them for a long weekend can stagger the mind. Check out what it looks like for 33 scouts and their Scoutmasters to show up in a “Class A” Uni for a 7 hour bus trip!!! No complaints were heard. Maybe that’s because we had nearly constant audio-visual coverage with movies like “War Games”, The Outlaw Josey Wales”, “Silverado”, and “RV”. Hats off to Mr. Bowie for the “in flight entertainment”. Also check out the 51 person Class B Uni photo done right before we descended into the depths of the belly of the earth is a Classic.
The weather was absolutely perfect, and the scenery breathtaking. The cave tour lasted almost 5 hours and we hiked alittle over 4 miles. We had a great tour guide who loved Scouting.
Campout cooking reached a new Culinary high-water mark this weekend. Sure we had some burgers and hotdogs, and they were very tasty….but we also had scouts cooking up spaghetti and chili pie. We even had the Green Patrol cooking pastries in the Dutch Oven for breakfast. Trust me….No One went hungry. Mr. Parker’s Venison Tamales, steamed table-side, were served to dozens of hungry scouts as an appetizer or even a dessert!!! I bet he steamed 8 dozen of them on cookware given to him as a wedding present. It was a 2-tiered steaming unit.
Although we never got deep enough in the Cavern to see the “Blind Fish”, we did see alot of wildlife. There were big deer roaming through the Campground at dusk(and even later). We also bumped a flock of Eastern Wild Turkeys from the road this am as we left MCNP.
Many thanks to the Dads with us this weekend. You were a large part of the success. And hats off to Dallis for all he did this weekend. Just one example was his Sunday am(very quick….scouts like brevity sometimes) Sunday Worship Service. He talked about Psalm 57, written by David when he was hiding from Saul IN A CAVE……This was 10 minutes before we went “down under”. How appropriate!!! Also seeing Dallis hold court around the Campfire telling stories was like listening to William Faulkner….it was like a one man play in our Camp. Lee Bowie has been planning this trip for over a year, and he really made it happen. If you see him soon, please thank him because he really got this done. Also, I have to mention the traveling Pickers and Grinners…..Stewart Swayze, Gary Smith, Mike Massey, and even Whit Ramsey(Lee Bowie counts as a 5th Grinner/Singer). We had 4 guitars on site, and they all made the evening campfires entertaining.
I am very thankful that God blessed us this weekend with safety. I opened the “Mother of all First Aid Kits” but twice…….Tylenol for a HA and antibiotic cream for a mild burn injury. In general, when you have this many Dads/kids for 3 days, you’d expect to dig deeper into the MoaFAK’s. God answered our prayers.
Again…..a great weekend.
Remember that the Winter Camp Hood sign-up deadline is next Monday…..October 20th.
Be Prepared.
The Scoutmaster.