Kayaks are Done! And they Float!

The kayaks are finished.  We have the paint on and the paddles done.  We took them out for a test drive on Saturday early in the morning as the sun was coming up.  What a beautiful day in Teton Valley.  The boys met at my house and we filtered down to the Teton River which is to the East of my house.  There is an access where Fox Creek enters the river and this is where we went.

Each boy got to try to portage the kayak as we had around 75 yards to get to the river from the trail head.  It was a little awkward so we all just grabbed the kayaks and down we went.  Kiowa was the first one in his kayak and in the water.  It was awesome to see the look of joy as he started paddling out into the middle.  One by one they all got in and it was the same expression. This is the thing that makes ones heart swell. We had worked so long on these things and now this was a real reward.

Those present were:  Dalton, Chase, Kiowa, Gabren, Josh, Andrew, and Zach came a little later.  The leaders were me, Andrew and Aaron.  Parents that came were Nick, Tom, Andrea, Jeff, Brent and Tara.  We had a guest appearance by Ryan as he came up the river in his river boat.  The boys thought it was neat that he made an entrance like that with the engine roaring as he pulled up.

Dalton portaging over the fence ladder.  What a brave young man.  Jeff coaching him on

Gabren in front, Josh helping him with his kayak.  Andrew and Aaron carrying Josh's kayak.  Chase is under the kayak to the left trying to get it on his shoulders.  Notice the shark teeth.  He calls it the "Sushi Searcher"

Nick and Chase

Kiowa was first in.   Here he is on  his return trip.  Andrew was second and you can see his kayak coming in from the right.

Andrew 

Kiowa and Andrew

Gabren heading out and Chase just getting in.  Notice that Chase's shark teeth are perfect in the water.  Aaron standing in the water and Jeff  up on the bank

Dalton and Gabren

Gabren and Josh

Kiowa takes a break.  Josh out there further

Josh, Kiowa and you can see the rest of the boys to the right.

Coming back in momentarily

Go back out!

Oh yeah the sound of a motor boat scares them to the side

Its only Ryan

I love how the sun is hitting them right now.  This is Gabren, Andrew and Josh

A couple of them need to get going so they pull them out.  Ryan and Andrew talking in the sunlight

Aaron, Nick and Jeff

Alex came to help

Zach finally shows up after almost all are out.  Nice Captain America paint though

Gabren didn't want to come out.  Zach getting up to speed

Zach being brave.  I bet he tips over some time

I'm still standing

Look Dad, I can balance!

Whoops!  Not for long.  Zachy almost gets a drink

Zach, Tara,  Josh and Ryan

We head back to the trail head.  What a beautiful day.

 We only had a few leak a little water in them.  It turned out that they only needed to put another coat of paint on to make it thicker.  All in all it was great to have that sense of accomplishment that all is done.

Carson entered the water later that day with his fancy paintjob on his kayak.  Here are a couple pictures of him that his mom texted me.  His mother's friend is an artist who helped him paint.

Why Join Troop 1?

As I was getting ready for bed on the first night of the second weekend I noticed that my little solar-powered light was making my Troop 1 Neckerchief glow.  I have seen these neckerchiefs over the years on various people and had always thought they were neat.  I never thought that I would actually go to Wood Badge though.  To be honest I don't think I even knew you had to go to Wood Badge to get one of these.  I knew you had to attend to get the mauve colored one, but for some reason I didn't know much about this, the plaid one.  I always felt, however, that I knew more about scouting than most and therefore didn't really need to go to  Wood Badge.

So I have been asked about 40 times if Wood Badge was worth it, or in other words, was it worth the time missed from family and work.  This is a hard question and is so individual.   To some of the inquirees I have said, "for you, definitely yes."  (Those are typically the annoying or know it all type folks).  For others I have said "I think so but you would have to go to find out." (These are they who I have respect for but are already wise beyond their years).  To those that are in the LDS church and are asked to take on a scouting position, I firmly say yes.

In many cases I am disappointed in the level of commitment of my fellow LDS members.  I hope to not offend anyone and I am not pointing fingers or singling anybody out.  I do not claim to be perfect either.  So before we judge anybody, some of the lack of commitment, could just be the fact that they have no idea what to do or how to do it.  I was lucky and had the guidance of a Grandfather who cared about scouting.  He got me started on the right path.  He encouraged me to get my Eagle and also to become a staff member at Camp Bradley in central Idaho when I was a teenager.  I learned the majority of scouting from these two situations and have since studied it off and on.  Most of my LDS colleagues have no idea what scouting is all about.  Some think its all about playing basketball on Tuesdays.  Others think its only tying knots and therefore is not worthwhile.  Wood Badge will put them straight and on the right path.

If you have ever seen a non LDS troop from a different part of the country, you typically are blown away by the much higher level of commitment from both the leaders and the boys.  I am fascinated when I see a troop of over 50 boys divided up into several patrols with each patrol acting as an individual that works with the other patrols to make a highly effective and unified troop.

Troop 1 is like that.  It is divided up into several patrols where each of them, (regardless of all the ribbing and teasing if you are a Bobwhite), will unify and help one another to reach their goals.  Troop 1 is an amazing and  highly dedicated group of scouters.  They go above and beyond what is required of them.  You can almost always spot a WoodBadger from the way they behave, regardless of whether they have the neckerchief on or not.
 
Was Wood Badge worth it for me?  One more thought.   Look at the photos below.  Why out of all the millions of people in this world did I happen to be combined in a group with these certain people, at this time and at this place?  Is it chance that we rub shoulders with who we rub shoulders, or is it planned from something higher?  I do not feel that our coming together was chance.  I feel we were supposed to be together and learn from each other at this time and this place.  Why, I do not know, but I appreciate and love the fact that we came together in the Bobwhite patrol, even if only briefly in our whole time on this earth.  These are people that I would not have met otherwise, had it not been for Wood Badge.

The relationships we form and the feelings that we get are what make it worth it.  We learn there is a higher purpose to all things and we are here at this time and this place because somebody needs to learn from us.  And maybe we learn from each other because we have certain traits that are common.  We need to sift and sort and process all that we have learned at Wood Badge, so that  by our actions and our efforts we can transfer it to the younger generation.  As we learned in Wood Badge, we are training our replacements.  As I left Wood Badge I bawled.  I never cry and am tough but nothing ever hit me as hard as the sight I saw when we walked out of the gates of Wood Badge.  I have never felt so honored and so grateful as I did that day.

Matt and Wyatt.  I was so impressed that Wyatt had made each of us a gift even before he knew us.  It meant alot.  Matt seemed to have lots in common with me and we related well.  I still feel bad that the first time I met him I had to cut him off and interrupt what he was trying to tell me.  Of course we can blame that on Shauna.

Sandy, Shauna and Michael.  Sandy is a mother of 7 who joined Wood Badge at the drop of a hat, just because she got a new calling and heard she should do it.  Impressive.  Shauna is our fearless Patrol Guide, who helped us amazingly well, even though she thinks she did not.  Michael has great wisdom and common sense and was easy to talk with. 

Sandy and Brandon

Brandon and Michelle.  Brandon is smart and easy to work with.  Michelle has a tough exterior and was always willing to step up when called upon.

This is still one of my favorite photos.

Staff, Staff, what a Laugh, (no just  kidding but it kind of would make a good cheer).  This is the greatest and most dedicated bunch of folks I have ever known.

And of course we end it with the two best and most fearless leaders of our course,  Me and me.  Oh whoops, actually I mean Ryan and Tom standing to my left.  Ryan was the senior Patrol Leader and did fantastic, despite all his oopses.  And I guess we can't go without mentioning the great mustache of the man in charge (Tom Barry) and his great leadership skills and mentoring ability.