Portrayal of America, Part V

Maine, The Allagash Wilderness Waterway – July 2003

For the Panther patrol, this is their last camping trip together with Troop 891. Alan, Will, Mitch, Ross, John, and Randy are all Eagle Scouts. This particular trip has them canoeing through a series of lakes for an average of eighty miles over the course of six days. They carry all of their necessary gear with them in the canoes, and they camp on shore at night. They awake early in the morning and lead the younger Scouts who are far less experienced. In no time, they are on the water, paddling anywhere from nine to fourteen miles before midday.

Civilization is nowhere to be found; they are literally on their own with nature, and it is a magnificent sight to behold. Endless green forests surround crystal clear pools. They find occasional eagles perched on tree branches and even come across an assortment of four-legged wildlife, including white-tailed deer and moose. The third day of canoeing brings them to a set of rapids, which they maneuver through masterfully. Working as a team, Alan searches for rocks and provides the main thrust of the paddling, while Will keeps them headed in the right direction. With every dunk and drag of the paddle, they push their vessels through the still water of vast lakes. The weather is fierce at times, but they invite the obstacle and conquer it. At night, they make elaborate meals with their camp stoves and the ingredients they’ve procured and brought along in their canoes.

The paddling is monotonous and tiring, so they take short breaks and rest at night. But they always return to the task at hand. They have a mission to accomplish, and if they’ve learned anything through their time as Boy Scouts, it is of the worth and fulfillment of hard work and determination.

On the sixth and last day of their canoe trek through Maine, they reach the little town of Allagash, where they camp for the night and await the outfitters who intend to ferry them and their canoes back to their starting point. This is really the end, Alan suddenly realizes. This is his last Boy Scout adventure. The lessons he has learned and the friendships he has made will last forever. Nothing can replace the countless nights of bonding by campfires and watching the sunrise from atop mountain summits after enduring the difficult hike. He will always remember the times when the end of the trail was nowhere in sight, and the journey no longer seemed worth the effort, and how it took the hand of a friend to help him make it the distance.