Blog Catch -Up

I wanted to get a post up here about the scout outing that we took in November. This was far from the most exciting outing that I've ever been on.

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We went out to Superior and camped in the desert just outside of town. The place I intended we pitch our tents was already occupied by an RV. So we went further down the dirt road and found a great little spot that was secluded from everyone.

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Before the sun went down, I and the other leaders were commenting on what a beautiful night it was. It wasn't too cold and definetly wasn't too hot. The sun was going down, the boys were behaving and everything was just going good. It's times like that when it's easy to be a scout leader.

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Later that night, after the sun went down, and after eating dinner the perfect condidtions began to change. First the wind started up in the form of swift gusts that would blow over paper plates that weren't secured and the camp chairs. That was irritating, but bearable. Then, shortly thereafter the wind really started to blow. The sparks from the fire were being carried into the desert so far that we decided we needed to put it out before any accidents arose.

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After the fire was out there wasn't much more to do except wonder what was going to blow over next. The boys decided to climb in their tent and see if they could get some sleep.

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Well, they couldn't. The wind continued, and actually picked up speed to the point where their tent began blow over. I was pretty impressed with their 'solutioneering' but it was all to no avail. A couple of the tent sticks failed and the tent ultimately caved in.

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Meanwhile, the other leader and I were watching the boys struggle through this trial. Maybe I should have been helping them, but it was pretty entertaining to sit back and take some pictures.

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But, just so you know...ultimately, I did help and the boys all ended up sleeping uncomfortably in one of the vehicles.

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Here are some pic's

3 scouts didn't fit very well in this:

The next morning we got up early and set out to hike this mountain:

Here's one of the guys with supplies to last a week in the desert:

But, we made a wrong turn and ended up hiking 4 miles on the Arizona Trail instead for heading for the summit of the intended mountain.

We returned to the car tired and dejected. Luckily, one of the guys dads was there with his horse. The boys took it for a ride around the trailhead area.

So, although there were some redeeming events, you can see why this outing was less than exciting, we didn't even make it to the top of the mountain. Driving back I vowed to climb it over Thanksgiving...which I did (pics to come later).

I can't leave that mountain un-climbed.