Again to Horseshoe Dec. 1-2 2017

The boys' tent

We had so much fun the last time we went to Horseshoe Canyon camping that the boys decided they wanted to go to the exact same spot.  It took a little effort to get there as it gets dark early now and Aaron was having trouble with his 4 wheel drive not wanting to do what it was supposed to.  We met at the Fox Creek Parking lot at 5000 S.  Those who came were Kiowa (Old Reliable), Chase (Chewy Chocolate Chumpy Chunky Chewy Chase or just Chumpy), Gabren (Gabrenator) and Josh (Tall Mr. Teapot).  Leaders were myself, Andrew and Aaron.  We missed Dalton, Zach, Robert and Bowdy.

There was as much snow there this  time as there was the last time we were there but at least this time it wasn't actually dumping wet snow on us.  As there were only 4 boys they decided to set up just one tent.  We had brought the wall tent but it didn't look like it would get very cold so we didn't worry about setting it up.  Josh ended up sleeping in his dad's truck.

The highlight of the trip was dinner where we had decided to do tinfoil dinners.  We got the fire going and after awhile had enough coals to cook them.  They smelled really good.  Tinfoil dinners have really evolved.  I did not have much time to put much effort into mine.  I grabbed some hamburger out the freezer and whacked a hunk off it, then opened a bag of frozen hashbrowns and dumped that in.  The only other thing I could find was green beans in a can so I opened that and put a few of those in with a big lump of butter.  It turned out good, but the boys' had shrimp and steak, bratwurst, potatoes in ranch dressing with chicken etc.  As mine was frozen I had to wait longer to let mine cook and my stomach was growling really bad, especially after Kiowa gave me a bite of his.  It was really good and made me only hungrier.

Around the campfire I gave 2 scoutmaster minutes.  The first was a scripture in Revelations about being hot or cold and not lukewarm.  If you are lukewarm the Lord will just spit you out.  It basically means, are you truly committed to doing what is right?  And to stop sitting on the fence.  Be true both at church and when you are not at church.  The second minute was about the need for them to prepare now for missions as there are a lot missionaries that come home these days.  If they are committed and prepared they are less likely to come home if they go on a mission.

The boys went to bed fairly early and only talked until around 10:30, not the usual 5 am business.  It was so quiet and peaceful there.  The clouds were clearing off and the moon was coming out making it very bright.  It was a beautiful night.  After me and Aaron and Andrew had stood around the fire talking until 11:00 pm about we decided to go to bed.  I had brought my bivy sack and so just put my pad and sleeping bag in it and slept in the snow.  I was quite cozy.  Aaron and Andrew used the insulated tarps and just slept in them.  I woke up in the middle of the night and the stars were out and the trees were all silvery.  Wow, that makes sleeping in the snow all the more worthwhile.  I dreamed coyotes were running through the camp but it turns out they were just yapping somewhere as they do.

I woke up about 6:45 and laid around as I didn't want to get out of the warm coziness.  I could hear Aaron tromping around already and then he turned on his diesel pump, which sounded like a squawking dinosaur, to get some diesel to get the fire going.  So I reluctantly crawled out.  After the fire was going I woke up the boys and we had a good "Mountain Man" breakfast.  The funny thing, we decided, was the mountain men probably never used sausage, eggs, hashbrowns and tortilla shells to make a breakfast.  We cleaned up and went home after that.  Aaron had to take his truck to his shop and get his 4 wheel drive fixed but other than that things were uneventful and it was a very enjoyable campout.

Aaron's tarp

My bivy sack over by my truck with the kitchen in the foreground

Andrew rolling up his tarp that he slept on.

Hunters

Oct. 2017.

Got a couple good hunting pics.  Kiowa and Zach both got their deer this year.  Both are responsible young men and took their deer humanely.  The Boy Scouts teaches boys to respect and take care of the environment.  These are the types of hunters that do not give us a bad name.

False Paintball and Horseshoe Canyon 10/21-10/22/2017

We were going to go camping and take the paintball guns.  Two things went wrong.  It snowed about 4 inches and our little man in charge of the paintball guns forgot to put in the CO2 canisters.  It was a fun trip despite that.  We were originally going to go over by Conant Creek but the way the wet snow was coming down I figured the roads would be too greasy for a trailer.  As it turned out, going to Horseshoe Canyon instead, we had a little bit of trouble on the greasy wet road but we made it there ok.   Good idea we didn't go to our original place because those roads can get awful muddy and deep.

Those who came were, Chase, Kiowa, Dalton, Josh and Zach.  Myself and Andrew were the leaders.  It was snowing really heavy for awhile so we stretched a tarp out for a shelter since our awning got destroyed last year by some kind of whirlwind.  We cooked dinner which was hamburgers.  As usual we had hot dog buns for hamburgers.  Typically we have some sort of funny thing happen like that.   The boys were good-natured about it.  

The boys went to bed early which is weird for a campout.  Me and Andrew stayed outside around the fire, which for some reason, kicked out the perfect amount of heat.  I was going to sleep under the tarp originally but because of the snow I decided to put up my tent.  The snow made a nice cozy soft bed under the tent.  Andrew slept under the tarp and did very well.   

We got up that morning and had oatmeal for breakfast.  I put my paintball gun together and started popping off shots to get the boys moving out of bed faster.  Then I realized we did not have any CO2 cannisters.  The boys were a little bit disappointed but we will have to find time to do it some other day.

Kiowa brought a box of completely frozen hamburgers.  We just kept flipping them over like one big pancake until we could break them apart and cook them.

The boys tents.  Josh and Zach in the first one and Chase, Kiowa and Dalton in the far one.

Not sure why but this fire really kicked out the heat and dried out clothes out fast.

Our makeshift awning

cooking

my tent

Morning comes and we  find Andrew under the tarp

This is a video of Chase trying to throw my paintball grenade since we had nothing else to do.  It turned out to be a dud and just spurted to the ground

Somebody found my phone

Mike Harris Campout Sept. 2017

Kiowa helps Heber catch a fish

This was actually the funnest and easiest campout we have ever done.  We only had Gabren and Kiowa spend the night.  Chase came up for dinner and to fish but left around 10 pm.  We were bummed that we didn't have the majority of boys, but it was still fun.

 I brought Quinn and Andrew brought Heber and Henry.  They all had a blast even though only a couple brought a fishing pole.  If they weren't fishing they were spearing or just playing in the water.  We had a spare fishing pole in the scout trailer and the boys that didn't have poles shared that.  Only a couple fish were caught.  

We found some new entertainment around the fire with sprayable sunscreen which turns out to be quite flamable.  We roasted hotdogs and had chips for dinner and then for breakfast cooked sausage and eggs.  Kiowa and Gabren had to leave really early for football practice so we had to get up really early but we had breakfast done and camp put away in time.

Andrew catches a log that has somebody's lost bobber on it.

All the boys on the pier thing.  You could see quite few fish down there.

Gravity Factory, Sept. 8, 2017

Playing dodgeball, Andrew looks formidable

Those that went to Scout Camp and got at least 2 merit badges were allowed to come to Gravity Factory.  We had other incentives for who got the most merit badges and other things but I figured that everybody would at least be able to get 2 merit badges so we could go to this.  In other words, I set the bar quite low, so it was a given that all could enjoy bouncing on the trampolines.  It took us awhile to be able to come up with a day that all could attend, but we finally did it.  This was a blast.  I enjoyed watching all their antics and the stuff they came up with.  By the way, the prize for getting the most merit badges at scout camp was an AR looking pellet gun with a scope, and it was handed over to Zach this evening.

Those present were Chase, Dalton, Kiowa, Zach, Gabren and Josh.  Carson and Robert were not able to attend.  Me and Bro. Andrew Leavitt drove.  Andrew bought an hour's worth of jumping while the rest bought 2 hours of time.  I did not jump as I was a little worried about the extra crack and my temporary crown as this last week I had broken two teeth.  I'm not that nimble anyway.

This is a great place to go.  From all accounts it is much better than I-Jump.  We may do this again sometime depending on how well these guys behave over the next few months.

The boys jumped and played and they were pouring sweat the whole time, but they barely slowed down.  The highlight was a contest to see who could jump the highest over a stick that one of the workers held.  Everybody lined up and they got three bounces to get their height up and get over the stick.  Quite a few got out the first few tries.  Dalton, Chase and Kiowa made it a little farther than the rest.  At the end though, it was Dalton who dominated the game.  I call him the "Vertical Deer".  I have below a few videos of the event.  I didn't catch on to  what they were doing until most of them were out,  but at least I got some videos of the last few attempts.  You will notice in the video that the guy was standing on a block to get the stick up high enough.  At the end it was between Dalton and another boy and a girl and you can see that in the video, until Dalton wins.

We ate some ice cream at Dairy Queen on the way home, and rather than being dead tired they chattered lively the whole way home.  If a boy falls asleep on the way home, or they don't talk much it means it was just an ok activity.  If they chatter the whole time when they should be dead tired, it was a great activity.

Dodgeball.  This video cracks me up.  If you look at the upper right corner you can see Kiowa jumping in his own world.  They should have been playing the song "Dancing with Myself" by Billy Idol.

Dalton and Kiowa make it and then Chase hits the stick

Dalton messes up but they give him another go and he gets over fine.  Kiowa hits the stick.

The girl gets out

Its now down to another boy and Dalton.  Dalton gets over fine

The other boy doesn't quite make it this time.  Notice that the worker is standing on a block and the stick is as high as his head.  Dalton gets over and just touches it.

Dalton finally misses

Teton Valley Lodge District Event, May

Those present were,
Dalton, Chase, Josh, Kiowa, Robert, Antonio, Bowdy

Leaders:
Aaron, Myself

Kids:
Alex, Brayden

Fathers: Shane

Not sure what dance Shane is doing

The Grand

Camp at sunset

My backpacking tent

The Kearsley clan and our trailer.  Alex, Aaron and Josh

Robert and Bowdy

There's a good chance I'm going to catch a fish!

And here it is

Chewy Chase strikes again

Bowdy still showing off his fish.  Cody Kaufman in the back, Kiowa, Dalton and Alex

Chase brought us deer steaks

Not Chewy Chase now but Chef Chase

They slept around the fire all night

Gmorning Chase

Shane, Cody somehow ended up sleeping in our chairs even though he's not in our troop, and Chase

Kiowa the cook and Aaron

Shane, Dalton, Chase, Brayden

And Little Teapot Josh is born.

Josh had left his phone lying around and the leader of the event found it.  In order to get it back Josh had to sing "I'm a little Teapot" in front of the whole group.  I wish I would have video'd it but it caught me off guard and I wasn't ready

Learning the basics of fly fishing

First aid with Bob Foster

Learning to cast a flyrod

Did he die?

Kiowa wake up!

Robert hangs on for dear life while riding the trailer to learn  how to tie flies

Brian Berry explains how a fly rod is like a bow and arrow

Learning to tie

and now we get to put our new found skills to the test

Chase, with the help of Brian almost catches one