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mara williams
on May 21 2013 - 06:00 AM
Summer break has this mom on a house upkeep war path.
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Three of my Favorite Things: Gabe, Simon and a Cool Coffee Mug.
Those Boy Scouts are trying to make men out of my boys again. The problem is I am not doing anything to stop them. In fact, I keep encouraging it. I suppose that means I better stop whining and accept the fact that they are going to grow up.
A little over a week ago, we woke up extremely early and I dropped them off and they hopped on charter bus equipped for a long drive. Amen to DVD players, video games and comfy napping pillows. Several boys, some small like my Simon, others a bit more average, along with some camp-savvy men, also loaded that bus and headed north. The destination was Ely, Minnesota, for a canoe trip on the Boundary Waters.
Was it a mission impossible? No, it was more like the trip of a lifetime for these adventurous boys. They spent five days portaging a canoe 2,800 rods (a rod=16.5 feet) and paddling fifty miles. For amateurs, to portage a canoe means carrying it over your head. My youngest isn’t heavy enough to carry a canoe, but he ended up being in charge of gear. Paddling, well that is pretty self-explanatory, and both boys did their share. Some of this was spent in the rain, others in a bright, blue sky.
Gabe and Simon camped amongst the wildlife, on the lookout for bears and moose. Simon spotted a moose and a loon; Gabe reported eagle and hawk sightings. The water was so clear you could see the fish swimming, but those fish were deft and swift, missing the hook Simon tossed hopefully into the water.
Campfire meals, leaving no room for the picky, nourished the kids. Their favorites were ham steaks and hamburgers, plus the little snacks they packed for in-between times. Gabe must have a fondness for GORP, because he brought the leftovers home. Now we are swimming in peanuts and raisins.
No trip is complete without a mishap or two. They ended up coming home short one jacket, but somehow a spider slipped in for a ride back to Kansas City. Eek! I could have lived without seeing that. Reports of itchy hands and arms, on both of them, led to an irritating discovery: Poison Ivy. Oatmeal baths, Calamine and Benadryl, to the rescue!
What is a vacation without a little souvenir shopping? Of course, the Outfitter they used had a gift shop for those little hands to hand over their green. I was sure my Gabe would come back with a hat, since he is quite the collector, but instead, a couple of pocketknives became his new prized possessions. Simon, unlike his big brother, remembered his dear old mom and bought me a rose red coffee and for himself, a brand new pocketknife. Boys will be boys.
They rolled into town Tuesday morning and when I came home from work, I was ready to be snuggled and regaled with grand stories from their trip. Funny, and maybe it is my imagination, but my Gabe’s voice sounds a little deeper and he seems a tad bit older. And Simon, he didn’t snuggle as long as he might have before, and I have had to practically pull the details out of him. He did report he missed me, but firmly stated, “I was not homesick enough to cry.”
Those darned Boy Scouts, trying to make men out of my boys, teaching them to be strong and independent, building admirable characters and giving them some fun along the way. Well, if they are going to grow up anyways, this is a great way to do it.
What a great experience for them. The Boundary Waters are a tremendous area and I say that having been there more than once. Scouting is a tremendous experience for young men. My son is a cancer survivor that was diagnosed when he was 9 years old. He went on to get his Eagle Scout because his 2 uncles and 2 cousins had theirs and 2 of my cousins had theirs. He became SPL of his troop and when he applied for jobs and admission to college that was one of the first things they asked about. It takes a lot of discipline and time but he's never missed an honor roll and has just completed his sophmore year of college and has worked since he was 16. he's become quite an outdoorsman and steward of the land and uses his skills learned in Scouts more than one might think. I wish your sons the best and hope they keep up with it. It will serve them well later in life. As hor you Mom, spiders, snakes, frogs and the like go with the territory. They'll be fine and so will you.
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