A Scout is...

A week ago today was the first day of camp at Camp Winton. Shortly after we arrived and got checked in, we were given an orientation course in which we learned multiple methods of moseying, how to protect our feet from toe-biting rocks, and what to do about "black mambas." In addition, we learned about the 13th, 14th, and 15th points of the Scout Law: A Scout is Thirsty, A Scout is Hungry, and a Scout is Tired. (I successfully guessed two out of three of those before being told. What threw me off from getting a perfect score was that they listed Thirsty before Hungry.) As I was thinking about additional points to the Scout Law that day and in the days following, I had experiences that caused me to think about a few points we could seriously add to the Scout Law and I wrote them down in my journal.

A Scout is Patient

The first day at Winton was great, but there were a few hiccups. Since this was the first week of camp at Camp Winton, not everything was perfectly ready. Namely, two of the latrines (Big John and Big Red II) were being renovated and were temporarily unusable. These two latrines were not only the biggest in camp, each having three rooms while each other latrine only had one, but they were also the two latrines closest to our campsite. With those latrines out of commission, all scouts and leaders were required to share access to the smaller latrines that were scattered throughout the camp. This meant longer walks to the closest usable latrines and longer waits in line when you got there.

The situation was less than optimal, but many of our boys showed patience by not complaining. The latrines were eventually completely fixed, and things were soon running much more smoothly. Sure, we had gone through what could have been considered a rough patch, but we got through it and everyone had a good time anyway.

A Scout is Honest

The Trading Post at Camp Winton sold playing card decks and one of our boys either bought a deck or brought one from home (I'm not sure which). One of the games we played is traditionally called BS, but we called it Liar. In this game, the first player plays a number of Aces (1-4) face down. The second player played Twos in a similar manner, and so on. If a player didn't have the cards they were supposed to play, they were supposed to play 1-4 cards of any number or combination of numbers they wanted, but to say that they were all cards of the number that they were supposed to play. In essence, in that game, you had to lie. We also played Mafia, a game in which the Mafia (one or two randomly and secretly selected players) were encouraged to lie so as not to be eliminated, so they could eliminate all the other players and win the game. I was surprised at how many games we played that rewarded dishonesty, but thankfully, our boys were honest when it mattered.

One of the boys had been given an amount of money that he was allowed to spend at camp, but the remainder of which he was expected to return when he got home. Someone, I'm not sure whom, suggested that the boy might keep the money and tell the lender that he had spent it, but I'm proud to say that that boy rejected that idea pretty much immediately. On Tuesday night, around a campfire, we told stories about obtaining injuries and things getting lit of fire and/or exploding, and some of the stories were pretty crazy, yet I knew that they were all or at least almost all true because our boys were at least mostly honest.

A Scout is Intelligent

I have a watch that I got before my mission, easily at least four years ago, and I've never had to change its battery. It has spent the last two years sitting on my dresser, not being used, because I have a cell phone that I use to tell time now. At Scout Camp, I wanted to save my cell phone's battery in case of emergency, so I brought my watch with me to tell time. Despite its years of use and lack of use, it still worked. The watch also had a Light feature, so I could even tell time at night. And that's where I went wrong.

Sometimes, the light feature wouldn't work so well. At the time, I thought it was just because the watch was kind of old, so maybe the light feature just wasn't working so well anymore. Rather than using a flashlight to look at my watch, I foolishly continued to attempt to use the light feature until my watch stopped working altogether. My guess now is that the battery was and is terribly low, and that the light feature just takes up too much energy.

Left without a working watch on early Wednesday morning, I tried to figure out how to tell time without a timepiece. I knew a Boy Scout trick for how to find North without a compass by using a watch and the position of the Sun, and I had a compass with me, so I tried to figure out a way to reverse the process and use a compass and the position of the sun to find out what hour of the day it was, but I couldn't wrap my head around the concept, and I eventually ended up buying a new watch at the Trading Post.

Once I got home, I took apart my original watch to get the details of the battery so I could replace it. Inside the mechanism of the watch, I saw a Reset button, so a pressed it and the watch started working again. Had I thought of doing that sooner, I could have saved myself some money at the Trading Post by reseting my watch there at camp. Or, had I been intelligent enough to use a flashlight with fresh batteries rather than the light feature of the watch whose battery I knew must be dying, it never would have died in the first place. My lack of intelligence had cost me about thirteen dollars that I otherwise might have saved. So much for A Scout is Thrifty.

A Scout is Grateful

On Thursday, I was just plain grateful. I was grateful that the Trading Post sold watches and that they weren't too terribly expensive. I was grateful that I had enough money on me that I could buy a watch without having to borrow money from somebody. I was grateful to once again know what time it was. I was grateful that I had the opportunity to go to Scout Camp in the first place and have all these great experiences. On Friday, I packed up my tent (so I wouldn't have to pack it up on Saturday morning) and slept under the stars, and that was a really nice experience as well. It wasn't too cold, and I enjoyed being able to observe my surroundings as I went to bed and woke up. Nature is beautiful, and while technology and plumbing are absolutely wonderful, I was glad to have the chance to spend a week at camp.

A Scout is Strong

This one didn't get into my journal, but it's worth sharing anyway. Going to Camp Winton involves a hike in and out of camp, and each scout is typically required to carry all their gear. I've heard some people say that there's more uphill or downhill in one direction or another, but there are ups and downs both ways. And I'm not sure exactly how long the trail is, but it's long enough that your pack starts to feel really heavy. Thankfully, I don't think any of our patient scouts complained about how long or hard the hike was, but perhaps that's because they were all strong enough to do it.

Going on a hike like that could easily be a metaphor for life. We have to face challenges. There are ups and downs. It's a long and difficult hike, which can be made even more difficult by carrying burdens we don't need, or by bearing our burdens incorrectly. Incidentally, shoelaces do not make good handles, though actual ropes can. And, just like in life, a certain amount of strength is required to complete the journey. For one, we need physical strength and for the other, we need moral strength, but either way, a Boy Scout is expected to be strong. Not all of our boys were physically strong, but together, we were strong enough. I don't know much about their moral strength, but as members of the church and as Boy Scouts, they're all definitely in the right place to get it.