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.

Woodbadge from Dawn to Dusk

 We arrived at Wood Badge on a beautiful morning.  The sun was bright but it was a little cold.  Our stuff was quickly thrown on a trailer to be brought to our campsite.  We walked across this bridge with the sun in our eyes, promised by this sign that the next 6 days would be well worth the time.  My mind was fresh and I was anticipating good things but also dreading the pile of things that was building up as I was going to be gone.  As I walked across the bridge with the sun in my face, it didn't matter, as I knew that I would be blessed for my efforts.  The sun was bright, a symbolism of great knowledge and light.  Look how it invites and beckons.  This light and knowledge can be spread to others, just like the rays of sun are spreading and radiating out in this photo.  It is just like the pebble that is thrown in the water making ripples that radiate out.  The effect can be felt and magnified to all people surrounding the individual and the resultant generations.

There is something that I've always noticed and I feel like I should share.  Anytime I take off time from work for a worthwhile event, my business does not suffer.  Other than the large pile of things to catch up on, it is like the time lost never existed and the business picks up from where I left off as if I never took the time off.  The business seems to just stop in time, while my life goes forward and doesn't restart until I'm back.  The bank account seems not to waiver even a fraction.  I do believe that Heavenly Father gives us back blessings for helping him try to save our youth.  There are fewer and fewer people involved in good causes and we need more than ever to teach our youth good things and hard things.  They will have times later in life as they are hit with storms to make decisions on which path to take.  If we have been effective, they will take the right path.  As we learned in Wood Badge, we are training our replacements.  We have been given a huge amount of trust by our Heavenly Father and we should endeavor to work as hard as we can so that those under us will return back to him.

The bridge on a hot day at midday.  

The bridge is hot, we have now come back for a second time.  Wood Badge is like this hot bridge.  The bridge is collecting lots of heat from the sun.  We do that as well at Wood Badge.  During the middle of the course we have collected a lot of information and it feels like your  brain is overheating.  It can be hard and it can be fun, but notice the sign is still there and the saying means the same thing.  If we persevere the meaning behind the sign will become  clear.

The sign at dusk.
The bridge has now cooled down.  This is how it is later in life after we have been away from Wood Badge for awhile.  Maybe our memories will dim or our abilities will become less as we age.  But the sign is still there, we still need to persevere.  The meaning will still be the same even though our minds and bodies will age.  Let us all mentally cross this bridge every day or every time we find ourselves in a teaching situation with youth.  Let us always remember and mentally "Run the 12" no matter what situation we face.

I invite all who read this to Wood Badge, to take the time as I did and find the meaning behind the sign.  The man on the sign is Lord Baden Powell, who started this as well as the Boy Scouts.  You will feel his spirit and the same inspiration he felt.

Canvas is on the Kayaks

The first kayak to walk out the door was Chase's.  He reports that his is all painted like a shark and has named it the Sushi Searcher.

Just a report on the progress of the kayaks.  The canvas is on all of them.  We just need to paint them now. If there is anybody who has not taken their kayaks  home to paint, it must be done this week.  We are going to try to put seats in them this week and build the paddles.  Thanks to all the leaders who have helped. 

Don't forget Scout Camp is coming up quickly and we will want to get them in the water the week before for a test run.

Wood Badge.... Stay tuned for a full report

My Wood Badge experience started at 5 am on Thursday June 16 when I woke up to take a shower and load my gear.  I picked up Andrew at his house and us two tired fellows left the valley heading for Krupp Scout Hollow close to Rigby, Idaho.  Ryan, from my same troop in Teton Valley, and the Scoutmaster Tom Barry met us bright and early as we arrived about 7:20 am.  We threw our stuff on a trailer and was ushered right into the program.

Ryan was going to be the Senior Patrol Leader which is some of the reason why I picked the June session.  Unfortunately Teresa couldn't make it as we ended up having a lot of plans fall through and nobody to take care of our kids.  It turned out for the best though as some of them came down with strep throat which we would not want to spread to our poor would-be babysitter.

Like a dummy I didn't take any pictures until the last day of Wood Badge this week.  I do plan on remedying that this next week as we are going back on Thursday.  The staff have been taking tons of photos so I am wondering if by chance we can get copies of those.

For now I am just posting a few photos and will write more as the week progresses.  This little bit is just a primer for what I will eventually add.  I can say that it has been a great time so far and I have learned a lot.  A good majority of this has been turning the light bulb back on and letting me know that I have been slacking in my duties as a Scoutmaster.  I will shortly remedy that as well as I have a lot of things to consider and improve on.  One good thing that I will mention right now is that one of our assignments is to create a vision of something we want to accomplish over the next course of a year or so.  We create specific goals to accomplish this.  I will expound on what I am doing later but I promise it will make these boys great men and leaders.  I also promise to do my best to not fail them.

I've only known a little about Lord Baden Powell and have learned a lot more here.  I can say he was a fantastic man and leader and probably inspired by God to form the Boy Scouts.  I think I will find a book about him to learn more.

We have played a lot of great games, all with meaning.  I wish I would have at least taken a photo of our rocket we built.  It shot pretty far but wouldn't hang in the air as long as we would have liked even though it went way across the field.  I think it was too aerodynamic with the amount of  weight we had in it so it didn't waste any time letting the air push it around.  

We learned to set up camp stoves and tents and to work as a team.  We have learned how to hold proper non-denominational meetings with a wonderful simulation (which I was always curious about). Communication and team building exercises are predominant among many other important things. We had a good discussion on productivity and morale in a team.  We watched great movie clips and even a full movie all with a purpose. We are making good friendships that will probably last a lifetime.  

Some of the games will hit you in the gut.  I was actually a little mad at the situation after one of the games.  I felt like my integrity had been compromised and that people were looking at me as if I was a traitor.  You could tell by the way other patrols would groan as we progressed through the game.  At first I didn't recognize that the groans were directed at us.  I had an idea that maybe we weren't doing something right toward the end but I did not take time to look at the scorecard to figure out why it was going bad.  We thought we were actually winning and as we had been kind of the butt of a few jokes, it felt good to be ahead for once.  In the end we found out we had not won at all and if this had been a real life situation, would have let a lot of people down.  I was definitely upset and I had to go out and call Teresa and talk it over with her to kind of sort it all out.  

I have never quit anything in my life  and am ashamed to admit that the thought crossed my mind to just leave.  I said my prayers that night and read my scriptures and it just happened to be a section of Isaiah that talked about hardships and that God gives you hard things because he loves you.  I have done a lot of hard things in my life, things a lot harder than Wood Badge.  I have patients that sometimes think I am a traitor and call me names on the internet.  They call me names because I won't give in to a request that would affect my integrity or harm them.  They do not understand sometimes that they could be harmed if I give in or that I could potentially be breaking a law or break the ethics of an Optometrist.  They will then put a bad review on the internet.  It makes me sad, but I feel ok because I know my integrity did not break down.  This game was different and I did not feel ok because I felt like it was an attack and a deception and my integrity was harmed and a lot of people saw it.  In reality it was a really good game and after thinking it over I realized I had learned a lot about myself.  I was apathetic to the situation and found out the reason why apathy is bad.

Anyway, tune in to more stuff later as I have a lot more to add.  I am actually not sure if I can be specific to what we actually did so I tried to make this more general and not specific.  

Tent building exercise

Some of my patrol, the Bobwhites

Class Time

We had great food and it was surprisingly more healthy than most scout camps

Staff did a great job.  Notice Ryan to the far left over there.