Boy Scouts Offer Life Changing Experiences
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“This is lame,” Nathan grumbled as he stumbled from the comfort of his cabin at the Boy Scout Northern Tier high adventure base camp in Ely, MN.
Down at the lake, ten strangers wordlessly outfitted their canoes until Nathan gingerly stepped into his to confirm it wouldn’t tip. As suavely as a 16-year-old can muster at 5:00 a.m., Nathan shifted his weight to the one foot in the canoe.
An unexpected expletive escaped when his foot slipped. His long legs seemed to bicycle the air as his head hit the sand three feet below Moose Lake’s cold surface. Thoughts ranged from ”I’ll never forgive my parents for ruining my summer like this” to “My summer is ruined!” He had fun with the troop at Philmont last month. Wasn’t that enough?
Nathan’s blazing eyes shot out of the water to warn, “Don’t say a word!” One of the Scouts subtly turned his head to hide a smile. Total silence followed until the guide said, “Don’t swear on this trip; or you’d better have a good reason.” His stern eyes surveyed all the boys then glimmered, “And that one qualifies.”
Uproarious laughter began weaving the tie of brotherhood that firmly bound these Order of the Arrow (OA) members by the time they returned to base camp two weeks later.
The Boy Scouts’ service club invited Nathan and 69 other boys to work and canoe the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), taking up a third of northern Superior National Forest in northeast Minnesota.
1.3 million acres along the boundary between Canada and the USA for approximately 150 miles make up the BWCAW. The area contains over 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 15 hiking trails and about 200 designated campsites. It was set aside in 1926 to preserve its primitive character and made a part of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1964. Like the French explorers of 200 years ago, visitors paddle their canoes and carry them between the lakes.
“That first day, we paddled a long time until we got to where we all hoped was the end,” remembered Nathan. “The guides showed us how to portage over 850 pounds of canoes and gear for the next mile and a half, and we couldn’t believe it when we had to set everything into another lake and paddle for another 30 minutes. When we stopped at an ugly campsite, I thought even less of my parents making me go. I was wrong; the trees blocked the sun, making it possible to sleep a little later. I’m not a morning person.”
These 16- through 18-year-old Scouts spent their first week repairing a 1.5 mile expanse of trail. After paddling, portaging, paddling, and then setting up camp, the young men hiked to the top of the trail they were to repair and pulled out buckets, sledgehammers, and other tools. The guide pointed to a pile of large rocks and said, “You’re going to break up all those rocks over there and cover this trail first with softball-sized pieces, then over that with golf-ball-sized pieces, and finally with pea-sized pieces. It will end up six inches deep.”
The boys were shocked!
Not-so-fond thoughts of his parents provided extra momentum as Nathan forcefully swung a sledgehammer into the middle of one of the largest rocks. He couldn’t believe how much his hands hurt, so he dropped the sledgehammer and shook his hands.
OA crews from around the country each year make a lasting difference in the BWCAW by repairing sections of trail damaged by rain and snow during the winter. They earn the trek of a lifetime by checking dams, water bars, turnpikes, or making gravel like Nathan’s crew did. While laying down the gravel they make, Scouts learn about preventing erosion. They earn a sense of accomplishment knowing they helped make the outings of thousands of other people more enjoyable.
“We didn’t think we could, but we did what we went there to do and in the right amount of time,” Nathan boasted. “They rewarded us with a bunch of jalapeno cheese. Then we started our voyage the next day.” All thoughts of his parents vanished.
During the fun part of the trip, the boys visited 57 lakes covering 100 miles. The boys caughted delicious largemouth bass in the Otter Track near Canada. They drank root beer to their hearts’ content. They jumped from the cliffs of the Fortress on Knife Lake and spent an hour silently contemplating life while looking at the unbelievable scenery.
“My crew and I started out as strangers,” said Nathan. “The trek made us feel like brothers.” We went lots of places, did lots of stuff, did some work to help out the Forest Service and shared some great campfire stories.”
And he returned home a more confident, mature young man than when he left.
Nathan enjoys sharing travel adventures with friends and family at http://www.discounttravelhangout.com and would love to hear about your adventures too.
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