Scouting, Volume 71, Number 2, March-April 1983 Page: 47
58, E1-E24, [32] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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of the injuries required much first aid.
Moleskin protected tender areas and pre-
vented some worse blister cases.
Besides offering rests from the rigors of
the trail, many of their night's camp-
ground stays let the Iowans perform ser-
vice projects prearranged with the park
service. "At the Siskiwit Bay campsite we
cut weeds and hacked out some new tent
pads." Bob Pierce said. "We also trashed
some campsites. This is a term rangers use
for covering an overused campsite with
straw, twigs, that sort of thing, to discour-
age campers from pitching their tents
there any more. This lets the spot grow
over so erosion doesn't take hold. It also
keeps campers from beating down the
vegetation.
"We were also always spotting the con-
dition of various bridges on the trail. We'd
report any damage to the ranger at the
next station so a repair team could follow-
up. On a continuing basis we'd straighten
up and strengthen trail direction signs
we'd find down or leaning. This helped all
of us earn the 50-Miler Award."
At trail's end. the western end of the
island at Windigo campground, the Scouts
rested. It felt good to wash off the grit from
those six days on the Greenstone Ridge
and Feldtmann Ridge trails. Rob Pierce.
Bob's son. wondered if he could convince
some girl hikers to walk up and down his
back to massage out some of the soreness.
Assistant Scoutmaster Bob Wilbanks kid-
ded. "Should they wear lugged boots?"
Seated in front of their tents, the Scouts'
and Scouters' conversation drifted to what
went right and wrong on the trip. "There
were a few problems." said Rob Pierce.
"Some of the guvs weren't ready for the
cold weather. Some nights it got down to
the 40s. and lightweight sleeping bags
didn't do the job. On Isle Royale you've
got to be prepared for almost everything.
especially big changes in the weather."
Bob Pierce reminded the Scouts of
something John Holmes had told them
when they first set foot on the trail: "Be
flexible. Expect the worst and be ready
for it."
Park Superintendent Brown had echoed
that advice while sitting on the Rock
Harbor dock just before he saw the group
off: "Anyone camping on Isle Royale
should prepare well for his stay. Find out
all he can about the park. Either our office
or the Order of the Arrow will send infor-
mation to help. We'll do everything we can
to make the trip enjoyable."
When you're at the mercy of the ele-
ments. with no way to simply retreat to
your van or motor home or speed off to a
motel for the night, you must provide for
yourself. If the weather deteriorates with
high winds, storms, or fog, the planes and
the boats could stop running for days at a
time. You've got to be ready with contin-
gency plans. That could mean extra food,
fuel, and a healthy mental attitude.
Bob Pierce maintains, "If there's any-
thing this troop has. it's a great mental
outlook. There was never any complain-
ing. Let me give you an example: On one
long day's hike. Group A arrived first at
our overnight stop at Lake Desor. Group
B was still an hour behind. We found the
campground only had enough space for
one of our groups. And the next camp was
some five miles away. We knew that
Group B would arrive late, perhaps too
late to make the next camp before dark-
ness. We huddled and decided that we'd
push on to the next camp and let Group B
have the Lake Desor site.
"I think they acted very grown up in
making that decision. It was one payoff of
a high adventure trip that we really hadn't
counted on. It made me feel very proud of
them." ■
, i
Kl
"We'd be in Miami now if it wasn V
for your crazy fear of flying. "
Prepared for Today (from page 9)
tricity if something goes wrong? What is
mom's or dad's telephone number at
work? Want to learn to prepare a meal for
your family or just for you? Can you teach
a younger brother or sister to tie shoes and
zip up a jacket? The book presents lots of
ideas: kids and counselors choose a certain
number of them to work on.
Though intended
primarily for
children of
single-parent
families, the
Prepared for
Today booklet
serves as a
guide for
all youngsters.
When they're finished the counselor
fills out the last page and mails it to the
BSA council office. If the child is interest-
ed in Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, that
information is passed along. In many
councils the diploma awarded is an iron-
on decal for a T-shirt; Columbus opted for
a "Prepared for Today/BSA" key ring and
a pocket certificate. Counselors are en-
couraged to make a little ceremony of the
presentation of these awards.
Two third graders who dived into the
book and were soon well on the way to
graduation were Stewart Brinegar and
Shea Houston. Stewart and his mother.
Leal, worked through Prepared for Today,
finding escape routes from the house in
case of fire and discussing what to do if
someone is seen breaking into a neighbor's
house. With either his mother or teen-aged
brother or sister usually home, Stewart is
not often by himself. Still, the information
was useful.
"I think there were things brought up
that he hadn't thought about before," said
Mrs. Brinegar. Some items reinforced
what Stewart had already learned at home
and school. He already knew his way
around the kitchen and could fix snacks
like hot cocoa from the microwave or
celery sticks to munch, but the workbook
presents lessons in basic food groups and
nutritious meals.
At Cub Scout Shea Houston's house
there are occasions when either he or his
Scouting March-April 1983
47
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 71, Number 2, March-April 1983, periodical, March 1983; Irving, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353635/m1/91/: accessed May 5, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.