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.

Portrayal of America, Part IV

Camp T. Brady Saunders

A month later, Trevor finds himself at Camp T. Brady Saunders, waking up at the crack of dawn every morning. Before breakfast at the mess hall, his troop hikes to the demonstration field with thirty other troops from all around the state of Virginia to raise the flag and start the day properly. Waking up so early is difficult at first, but Trevor’s tent partner offers encouragement and motivates him to get out of bed. The afternoons consist of merit badge classes. Trevor has signed up for swimming, canoeing, rifle shooting, and cooking, and so have most of the other boys his age; therefore, they walk to the classes together, and Trevor finds himself actually enjoying the activities. Through the courses, he even grows closer to his patrol members. Swimming and canoeing are hard work, though. He has never been much of a swimmer, but the scout leaders in charge of the merit badge help him a great deal and ensure him he can accomplish whatever goals he sets for himself.

On the final day of summer camp, Troop 220 takes a four-mile group hike. The older boys lead the way, and the scoutmasters walk casually in the rear. Trevor has never walked so long in his life, and he doesn’t have the appropriate footwear to comfort his feet on the rugged terrain. He is struggling to keep up.



Looking back from the head of the group, Jonathan, a Star Scout, stops momentarily to see how everyone behind him is managing. He instantly notices the young newcomer, stumbling behind, sweat pouring down his face from exhaustion. A Scout is helpful, Jonathan remembers. He walks over to Trevor and doesn’t even bother to ask before leaning down and picking him up. Seated atop Jonathan’s shoulders, Trevor feels the heat surging through his muscles begin to subside. He gasps in relief and is gracious for this older scout’s willingness to help. Suddenly, he begins to see a whole other side to Scouting. If this is what being a Scout looks like, he realizes, it is something he wants. This is something he’s never experienced before. Why would an older guy like Jonathan want to help a little twerp like him? There is something special here.

Not long later, Trevor asks Jonathan to put him down. He wants to walk the last mile on his own, determination settling in. Jonathan complies with his request and sets him down, offering to help him again if he needs it. Trevor thanks him and continues the hike, joining the boys in his patrol. They finish the hike together.


Accomplishment

When someone earns the Eagle rank, Boy Scouts far and wide celebrate with him by conducting an Eagle Scout Court of Honor, a formal and exciting event, in which the scout is presented with the award and has the opportunity to thank all the people who helped him along the way. An Eagle Scout is a boy transformed, no longer the meager kid without a clue that he may have been upon entering his troop; he is now self-assured, responsible, knowledgeable, well-grounded, and ready for life’s challenges. Eagle Scouts also experience an assortment of advantages in later life, such as nation-wide recognition, an overall good reputation, and improved chances of being accepted into college, because the Eagle rank suggests the boy has initiative and determination to succeed. The Eagle rank is not easily earned, and most Scouts do not complete the requirements until their sixteenth or seventeenth year, if at all. A Scout has until their eighteenth birthday to be eligible for the rank. There are currently approximately 997,398 registered Boy Scouts in America, and only three out of every one hundred of those scouts will earn the Eagle rank. In ninety-four years of Boy Scouting in America, only 40,029 Eagle awards have been earned.

Portrayal of America, Part III

The Journey

The process of mastering the outdoors takes from two to three years. It begins with the ordinary rank of Scout. One becomes a Scout after attaining the proper uniform – beige by today’s standards, olive drab in the decades past – memorizing the Scout Oath and Law, vowing to live by it every day, and attending a camp outing.

The rank of Tenderfoot follows. By this time, the Scout is becoming more experienced in the outdoors, learning to build fire, use knives and other sharp tools with which to cut wood. He is learning to set up a tent and prepare a meal with a camp stove. He is learning to survive in the biting cold by a mummy bag and layers of clothing. In the summer, he learns to keep himself hydrated in the boiling heat while biking up and down mountain trails. This process continues through Second and First Class. It typically takes two and half to three years to reach the First Class rank and only after a Scout has experienced a wide variety of camping experiences. A Scout ranked at First Class is considered beyond proficient in the outdoors, resourceful for their age, and independent in many areas.


Camp T. Brady Saunders, Virginia – July 2004

Trevor has only been a Boy Scout for three months, and he despises every aspect of it. The meetings are boring. He doesn’t know anyone in the troop. And camping is, quite frankly, miserable. Trevor has no father, only a mother who desperately wants him to make friends and mature into a responsible, knowledgeable young man.

“I just don’t like it, mom!” the eleven year-old complains every Monday night after the troop meeting. “Camping sucks.”

Trevor is shy and doesn’t make friends very easily. Skinny as a beanpole, he’s frail and awkward during outdoor activities. He lacks the self-confidence necessary to help him endure hardship on camping trips, but his mother knows that this is one of the ideals the Boy Scouts focus on. If he doesn’t give up, he’ll grow confident. It is not a prerequisite for joining the organization.

“Okay,” she says finally. “Promise me you’ll go to summer camp next month. Promise me you’ll just give it a try. If you still don’t like it, even after that, then I won’t make you keep doing it. If you want to after that, I’ll let you quit.” Trevor accepts the offer only after a large degree of pleading.


The Journey

The rank of Star on a Boy Scout’s uniform denotes that he is self-assured, resilient, and familiar with being in a leadership position, such as Troop Guide or Senior Patrol Leader, whose duty is to oversee the Troop as a whole. Yet, a Star Scout is only beginning to understand the fundamentals of leadership. He is only beginning to grow comfortable in this new position, a position he still sees more suited for older men…adults. But he is becoming an adult, a man, whether he realizes it or not.

The rank of Life comes next and is one step away from Eagle. A Life Scout is in his prime, typically the leader of the troop and the go-to guy for serious problems amongst the younger Scout community. He assists in planning the camping outings, since the basic philosophy in the Boy Scouts of America is that the boys lead. He helps to train the younger boys, and he participates in the financial aspects of troop management. He sets a daily example by the way he lives his life, always doing his best to follow the Oath and Law. He is always prepared, as the Scout Motto stresses. He leads other Scouts in Patrol Leader Councils, their purpose in keeping the troop functioning as a whole. A life Scout is nearly at the end of his journey. Next is the final and most coveted rank in the Boy Scouts of America: Eagle Scout.

Portrayal of America, Part II

Origin

The Boy Scouts is an old organization – established in America by the late William D. Boyce in 1910 after losing his way in the foggy streets of London one night. He stumbled upon a boy, who led him to his destination out of pure kindness. This boy was a member of the Scouting program, which was completely foreign and fascinating to Boyce. It had been established in 1907 by the war hero Robert Baden-Powell of Britain upon discovering that young boys were reading his military manual on the art of surviving in the outdoors. After altering the manual’s focus from military personnel to young men, he decided to bring a group of twenty-two boys together on a camping trek off the coast of England. The success of this adventure sparked the beginning of the Boy Scouts in England, and a simple good turn by a lone Boy Scout influenced the beginning of the program in America.

It was founded on the Boy Scout Oath – “On my honor, I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to obey the Scout Law, to help other people at all times, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight” – the twelve points of the Scout Law – “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent” – and the belief in developing young men characterized by self-reliance, initiative, courage, and resourcefulness.

The Appalachian Trail

“Mr. Haywood is having a heart attack!” shouts Josh, one of the younger scouts, as he reaches the end of the trail. Yanked away from his moment of victory, Paul rushes to the boy.

“Mr. Reynolds is with him,” explains Josh, panting because he has been trying to catch up to the older Scouts for some time. “He couldn’t breathe, and he hardly started hiking before he had to stop. Mr. Reynolds put him in a sleeping bag, because he said he was going into shock. He already called 911 from his cell phone.”

Ten minutes later, an ambulance has arrived. Paul and Drew lead the paramedics down the mountain trail, leaving the next-ranked boys in charge. Paul cannot believe he’s traversing this six-mile stretch of trail again, and this time, at a break-neck pace. They are literally running down the mountain, both he and Drew, with the three EMTs struggling to keep up behind them.

Three miles down, Paul hears a gasp, a shuffling of feet. Someone is tripping and falling over. Turning around, he sees one of the paramedics tumble forward, bang his arm on a sharp rock, roll down the trail and fall off the edge, landing in a shallow stream. He cries out for help, and one of the two remaining paramedics goes to his aid. After assessing his comrade’s injury, he decides to take him back up the trail, due to a fractured elbow.

Now it is just Paul, Drew, and the remaining paramedic. They have three more miles to go, and their feet already burn so viciously the soles of their shoes could melt. But three miles later, they reach Mr. Reynolds, who sits by Mr. Haywood, pale in the face and wrapped in a sleeping bag. The paramedic takes over from here, and in little time, Mr. Reynolds and he are helping the man to his feet.

“I need you guys to go back up the trail ahead of us and let everyone know what’s going on, okay?” says the paramedic. Paul and Drew, feet throbbing, out of water and out of breath, nod and run up the mountain for the second time. By the end of the day, they have traversed this single six-mile portion of the Appalachian Trail three times, and Mr. Haywood is recovering from a heart attack in a nearby hospital. He survives the ordeal.

Portrayal of America, Part I

November, 2004

Out of sheer boredom, I found myself perusing my old word documents this evening and stumbled upon a college essay I wrote my sophomore year. The assignment was titled, "Portrayal of America," and I chose to write about the Boy Scouts of America, being fresh out of the program and a proud Eagle Scout. Anyhow, my writing skills are not that developed yet, but I think this is a pretty cool treatise on the Boy Scouts as an organization...how it came to be, what it stands for, and what it has to offer the youth of our nation. While all of the events depicted in the article are real, I took the creative liberty of changing names and details. Here follows Part I...


The Longest Hike

The Appalachian Trail – April 1999

At 7:30 in the morning, the sun sprinkles droplets of light through a canopy of overhanging tree branches. Beneath it, the boys of Troop 891 awake and crawl from the comfort of their tents and squint in awe.

“It’s a beautiful morning, boys!” cries a strong-looking man wearing a bright red fleece jacket, olive green shorts, socks hiked up to his knees, and a pair of well-worn, sturdy hiking boots. A dozen boys, ranging from the ages of eleven to seventeen, come out of their temporary homes, their hair in shambles and eyes sagging to their chins.

“The early bird gets the worm,” says the man adorned in traditional Scout fatigue, their Scoutmaster, Mr. Reynolds. The boys groan but know he’s right. They have six more miles to hike that morning – all up hill – and they hiked eleven the day before. If they intend to make it the distance, they had better consume a decent breakfast.

They split into their patrols – each with its own unique name – and the designated cooks gets to work on the meal. However, some boys are less prepared than others. Those who have not brought along the proper equipment mope around, kicking small rocks and stirring clouds of dirt. No one has been cheated here. It is their own fault if they’re unhappy. Some of these boys are learning self-reliance the hard way. No one is required to help them, but someone always does out of kindness.

It requires some time to take down their tents, shake the rain flies dry of the dripping dew, clean up their cooking utensils, and secure their backpacks with all their gear. Some boys have more to carry, because they have brought some items they did not need. With experience, they will learn to weigh the necessities. The boys sleep two to a tent; therefore, they split the weight when hiking. The younger boys are far less experienced when it comes to camping, and it is the senior Scouts’ duty to aid and encourage them in this new experience. Paul and Drew – both seventeen – are the oldest on this trip, nearly Eagle Scouts. After packing up their gear, they tend to the younger boys’ needs, and they do it willingly, because they remember when they, too, were young and needy.

In little over an hour, the boys are ready to go. Paul and Drew lead the Troop on this six-mile portion of the Appalachian Trail in Northern Virginia, with the scouts ages thirteen to fifteen trailing right behind. Mr. Reynolds takes up the rear with another volunteer scoutmaster, Mr. Haywood, in order to make sure no one is left behind. The youngest Scouts hike just ahead of them, awkwardly lugging their twenty to twenty-five pound external frame backpacks. Determined to prove themselves capable, they complain little and help each other along the way.

The six-mile ascent proves long and tiring, even for Paul and Drew. But they eventually reach the parking lot where their trailer and vehicles have been awaiting their arrival. Paul unfastens his waist belt and lets his pack slide off his back. Leaning against the trailer, he breathes in deeply before taking a huge swig of water from his indestructible Nalgene bottle. Realizing he has just completed another grueling hike on a tough mountain trail, he grins in satisfaction. It has been a weekend well spent, and he’s proven to himself yet again that he is up to the challenge.

The Ongoing Debate

External Frame Packs vs. Internal Frames

Through my work in Outdoor Retail, I am sometimes surprised by how many people still prefer the external frame over the internal frame pack. However, there's a noticeable trend, in that most of these individuals are over the age of 30. This makes a lot of sense, when you consider the external frame is the original "backpacking pack," the tried and true design. It has certainly been around the longest, and it is a solid design, even to this day. It surely appeals to a specific audience in the outdoor community; young adventurers, like the Boy Scouts, for example, are often outfitted in external frames.

Boy Scouts are at a real disadvantage when it comes to backpacks. They are constantly growing, and, since a backpack needs to fit perfectly in order to be effective, they need a pack that can grow with them. For many years, this left children and teenagers with only one option. The external frame has the advantage of being adjustable. It can literally grow in length as the individual grows. As one might imagine, this saves a lot of money! With prices ranging from $140 to $300, who can afford to buy a new pack every other year? For a long time, there was really no question. Children should only wear external frames. But with the recent popularity of internal frames and constant advances in structure and design, young people may finally have a new option. Adjustable internal frame packs are becoming increasingly popular. Some examples I have encountered are the Kestrel line by Osprey Packs, not to mention a series of internal frames specifically for children, as well as many packs made by Deuter. Kelty, forever the king of external frames, has also jumped on the internal band wagon, and their Red Cloud series is adjustable.

But the question remains: why choose an internal frame over an external? Especially if one's been using an external since their days as a wee Scout.

Simply put, they are better backpacks. They are far more comfortable. They offer advanced suspension, which distributes the weight of the pack more evenly across the body, easing tension, eliminating hot spots, and improving comfort and endurance. Since they are custom-fitted to the length of one's torso (measured from the top of the hip bones to the base of the neck at the C7 vertebrae) they seldom rub, slump, or teeter. Their streamlined design improves balance and hiking efficiency. As long as technology advances and the hiking community shares their concerns and wants with pack makers, the internal frame will continue to reign superior.

Well, where are the pockets? What about the ventilation factor? How can I tie all my stuff on one of those internals?

These are the main questions and concerns I hear most often. And for a long time, these were the biggest cons to crossing over. Sure, the external frame pack comes equipped with many outside pockets for stowing gear. In addition, external frames have a reputation for being well ventilated with their mesh backing and airy design. And it certainly is convenient being able to tie things to the outside of the pack. Sometimes things just don't want to fit.

These are all great advantages. But these days, they are no longer exclusive to external frames. Many of the internal frames are now equipped with side pockets. Most will have advanced ventilation through a slight curvature of the frame. And pretty much every internal frame I've laid eyes on has several straps for tying on gear.

But for individuals unable to invest in that super, compressible sleeping bag, the external frame may still be the best choice. In order to cross over, one must be willing to make a few extra investments. The internal frame is just that. Internal. Ninety percent of the gear must go inside the pack. The massive, jelly-roll, 0 degree bag is not going to fit, nor will the 8 pound Coleman tent. These are choices one will face if they decide to go with an internal.

But are these investments worth it? After all, a decent synthetic or down sleeping bag could range anywhere from $100 to $250. And light and compact tents are not cheap either. Take it from someone who has been there. I made the crossover just a year ago, and it has been so worth it. I am able to hike faster, cover more ground, experience more on every trip, and I'm comfortable from the moment I put the pack on to the moment I take it off at the end of the day. And in my experience, the individuals who seem to most appreciate the comfort and support of internal frames are those who have only ever known the dependability (yet, discomfort) of externals, but finally went out on a limb and decided to give it a try.