Rolling Right Along

LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve was closing for the night when I arrived. The Park Ranger had just clicked the paddle lock barring the entrance road for the evening. Not exactly sure that I was at the right place, not anticipating it being closed, I pulled up , rolled down the window and asked if there was a campground nearby. His response: "oops, I forgot a group was coming tonight, I was just readying to leave". Yes thanks for the tender mercies of timing that found me there at just the right moment.

The Naperville Stake does what I think is a grand idea by sponsoring at least twice a year  a Stake Teacher's Quorum camp out. We normally have around 30 boys however with the conflict of fall football and home coming games our numbers were slightly smaller but it didn't lessen the experience. People set up camp, ate their meals and then we gathered around the camp fire for a sharing moment by President Bruce Duffield. He is one of my favorite speakers and he didn't disappoint as he spoke of people of courage and the need to be that way today.

Tent sleeping is tent sleeping - what can I say. The temperature was cool which is my favorite . Fall camping is the best with an added benefit of no bugs. Morning came quickly,  we ate breakfast, broke camp, and started a bike ride. The trail, The Great Western Trail runs 17 miles from St Charles to Sycamore is one so similar to the Luce Line or Sparta Elroy  or Root River - reclaimed railroad track, flat terrain, in and out of the woods, grass lands and corn fields - as to think you were in MN or WI. Thirty miles is more than I have biked for some time and probably farther than I should have but I set a 30 mile goal  and did it. As I biked I thought of the many miles I have biked and flashed backed to pre-mission 1000 miles in a month the highlights being hit by a truck and then running into a friend on the road thousands of miles away, to the Biking Merit badge with each of the boys, most memorable of which would clearly be the 700+ miles I have done on a tandem bike with Evan (a story for another time). 

I stopped more than most, and am aching now for sure, but totally enjoyed the activity. My timing was good once again as I finished in the rain but for less than a quarter mile. The trail's end greeted us with pizza and gator-ade. A nice note to end on.


(editor's note - the body has quickly recovered - thank you very much)

Scout Camp

My years at scout camp number in the decades worth. I've been blessed to attend scout camp every year my boys attended and then some - before they were scouts and after they moved on. I've developed great friendships with the adults I've shared campfires with and great bonds and memories with my boys and other boys as we've shared. Camp is a great equalizer - common clothing, common tents, common food - common as in shared, belonging equally to, or shared alike by and uplifted by. Camp  is a great place to feel the spirit and be humbled by the peacefulness of the evenings, the  peace of the stars, the peace of fire and water and the rambunctiousness of boys.

I've spent from days to weeks at the following

Camp Freeland Leslie

L. E. Phillips Scout Reservation

Fred Andersen Camp

Tomahawk Scout Reservation

Medicine Mountain Scout Ranch

Gamehaven Scout Reservation

Kiwanis Scout Camp

Norseland Scout Camp

Phillippo Scout Reservation

Rum River Scout Camp

Stearns Scout Camp

Many Point Scout Camp

 

Some are better than others - the programs differ, the staff differ, the settings differ, the facilities differ but all offer that which scouting offers. As defined back in 1910 it was 

"to teach [boys] patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and kindred values - and has stayed near to that ever since. Scouting helps molds young boys into young men anchored in values. And so I readily signed up to fill in for a bit of time when our troop was short leaders at camp this week.

We had rain. I think that is an understatement - we really had rain, probably the most ever in all my camping years.

 I had a great star lit hike, time down at the water front, observing classes and just chill-laxing the scout way - with knifes

Camp is good.