Opportunity Knocks #38 Going Bald-y

What a wonderful surprise last Saturday morning. I'm barely awake. I'm starting to cook breakfast and the phone rings. Who would be calling that early on a Saturday morning? I juggled the frying pan with eggs frying and oil bubbling and reached for the phone. And was blown away. A call that literally took my breath away.

It was our Philmont crew calling me from the top of Baldy. Can you believe that? The top of Baldy. I was trying to concentrate on the call but the memories started rushing back. Memories of young men striving to reach the top. Memories of crews traveling from camp to camp, hiking down the trails, and all the while so very conscious of that enormous mountain calling out to them. We could see Baldy from almost every camp in the North country It seemed to be waiting for us. Generations of Troop 26 and Post 26 scouts. Learning to cook on regular campouts. Struggling with merit badges that were not exciting. Attending summer camp when you were secretly, and some not so secretly, homesick. Month to month. Year to year. Heading for Eagle Scout. Then, Phimont is waiting.

You attend the Post meetings and you hear the stories from Philmont veterans. And they speak of the first time they climbed Baldy. They speak in almost reverent terms. They talk about the shakedowns in Base Camp, the night in Tent City, looking up at the Tooth of Time, and seeing the crews from around the country come off the trail and then the ride to Six Mile Gate. They talk about Vista Grande and Indian Writings. They talk about going through Ponil and its famous root beer and heading towards that mountain on the horizon. Closer, closer, day by day. You look at that big, yellow Philmont map as you hear them talk about the place you are going and listen to the stories and you learn about the trek you have chosen. You find the starting point on the map. And wherever your finger falls on the map, you are aware of Baldy.

You pick a crew chief and you listen to the veterans talk about the stress that Philmont puts on relationships. How Philmont brings out the best and the worst in the Scouts who hike its trails. You go on the shakedowns and you wonder if your planning and your preparation will get you ready for the challenge of the back country. The day approaches for you to get in the cars or vans and head for Scouting's ultimate campout. You're excited. You have everything you need, you think. You think you have chosen the right hiking boots. Boy, have those changed over the years. Some of you reading this OK#38 will remember the heavy Frankenstein boots, Vasque, I think they were called, Hiker IIs, and later the jungle mesh boots. You think about what seemed like a college level course on picking the right socks. The boots and the socks changed over the years but the blisters are the same. At Philmont, your feet are all important.

You think about the gear you have chosen. You worry about maybe having too much. You've heard the stories about the rangers going through your gear and taking out the things you won't need. You've even heard the stories about the psychotic rangers. The ones who are so focused on eliminating weight from your pack that they insist that you cut off the handles of your spoon and your toothbrush, cutting bars of soap in half or eliminating soap altogether, going for the little plastic bottle of all purpose liquid soap.

You hear about the bear bags and it all seems funny till you actually get to God's country and you know the bears are really there.

The time for hearing other people talk is over. Story time is over. That day arrives when your crew leaves Tulsa and heads West.



And then you are there. You are traveling down that road and you see the Villa Philmonte for the first time. You see scouts all over the place. Some clean, some not so clean. You see Tent City for the first time. You meet your Ranger. You go through check in, learn about a pack line, weighing your pack on the giant hooks. It's about then that you realize people are looking at you. Wondering about this great looking group of kids all in perfect uniforms and wearing these bright red hats with an Eagle symbol on it. Sometimes you hear them say "Oh, that's the crews of all Eagle Scouts. I heard they were checking in today." You stick out your chest. You stand a little taller. You head for the place where you are going to have your crew and your contingent photos taken with the Tooth of Time in the background. As you are walking through Tent City you hear your Ranger call out in greeting to his Ranger friends as they come off the trail. "I'm heading out tomorrow. We have a trek in the North Country. This is my crew. They are all Eagle Scouts."

You're ready. You wake up the next morning and check out of Tent City, grab your pack and hat, and head for your transportation to six Mile Gate or whatever your starting point will be. You watch Philmont fly past as you leave the civilization of Base Camp. You get to your starting point and you watch your transportation leave. And suddenly you are there. Alone with your crew and your ranger. Its time. Now it's about you and your crew. Your ranger talks about map and compass skills. You orient your compass to the Philmont map that the crew chief carries on his back, stuffed between the pack and the pack frame. I guess it goes somewhere else now that we are in the age of internal frames. You leave your starting point and head down the trail. Or up, as the case may be. And then, somewhere along the way that first day, you come over a rise or round a bend or come out of a stand of trees...and there she is. Baldy. Ii looks about as far away as something can be. And a little voice inside you says.."you fool. You are going to walk there." It seems unreachable. It seems like an unbelievable challenge. Somewhere on that second or third day, your ranger says goodbye. He thinks you are ready to go on alone. I've often wondered what the crew chief is thinking when he sees the ranger walking down the trail, and knowing that now the success or failure of his crew is right there in his hands.

And then, day by day, Baldy gets closer. And closer. And finally when you pull in to Baldy Town and you turn and look at where you came from, back, way back on the horizon, your confidence in yourself skyrockets. You got there on your own with the help of some amazing friends. Your fellow crew members. You prepare for sleep somewhere near the base of Baldy. Euell's Park, Miranda, Copper Park on the top side of Baldy (I think it was Copper Park.one of you alumni let me know if its not. My favorite was Miranda!!!) You look up at Baldy before you head for the sack. Tomorrow you are going to the top. A dream come true. An experience shared with some of Troop 26's best Eagle Scouts. Baldy. Maybe you are going up in the dark tomorrow morning to see the sunrise.

You awake and prepare for your side hike to Baldy. Check your socks and your boots. Check your water. Up. Up. Higher and higher. The tree line falls away. The wind picks up. Cooler. Cooler. Then the rocks. Harder to walk. Higher and higher. And then the crest. And then the top. The top. The amazing top. And it's then you know that all the stories were true. About how great you'd feel after meeting the challenge. You see that little wall. The horizon that goes on forever. You suddenly understand why they call it God's Country. He's up there with you. He's there in the wind and the sunlight as the sun peeks over the horizon and you see the darkness below receding and the shadows slipping away. Its pretty cold on top of Baldy and the sun is a welcome friend. There you are. Standing on top. It seems like you are on top of the world. You are thinking about the little kids in the troop right now and wondering if they will ever be where you are standing. You think back about all the names you've heard like Mark Herhold and Whit Fields and Brent Barron and Joel Stinnett and Thad Bibb and all the Austins, and Bobby Pendergrass all the Cunninghams and Tommy Steele and Randy McGuire and Bill McGhee and Alan Hart and Don Hull Jr. and Don Zvacek and Alex Points and Reid Spears and Daniel Rusco and Andy Points....and many, many, many more. You realize that they stood here too. Each in their own time. That you, like these great scouts of Troop 26 past, are taking your place in a wonderful tradition.

It's time to go. You start hiking down. And maybe you start thinking about Northern Tier. Maybe you think about the campfires back home and the stories you'll tell about the food, the bears, the rain at four o'clock, the blisters and Baldy. Maybe you'll think about the time the bear wandered into your campsite. Maybe you'll remember the sole falling off your boot and having to be reattached with duct tape. Maybe you'll remember slipping on a rock in a mountain stream dipping your kerchief in the water and waving it around your head, letting it get cold before pressing it to your face. Maybe you'll think about the Philmont Arrowhead Patch you'll get when you get back in Base Camp. Maybe you'll remember when you joined the troop and you saw your first Philmont Arrowhead Patch hanging proudly from an Eagle Scouts uniform. Maybe you'll remember asking him "How did you get that?" And now you know. And you'll never forget the experience. It will stay with you for as long as you live.

These are some of my memories of the ten Philmont treks I was blessed to attend and the crews that I'm thinking about right now. Wondering where they are. Wondering if they are sitting at desks somewhere and thinking back on that day when they stood on top of Baldy.

When I got that phone call from Jeff Weaver and heard the voices of his crew in the background, it all came rushing back. Jeff had been there before, as a scout. Now he is there as a leader and he has the privilege of watching his son walk the trails where his dad was tested many years ago. I was there then. And part of me is there now. I'm so proud of the tradition that our Post has built. I'm so proud of the scouts who climbed Baldy last Saturday morning and the ones who have done it previously.
A phone call. A phone call from God's Country. I forgot about breakfast. I forgot about the eggs. And for a minute after I hung up the phone, I was back there. The rock wall, the cold wind, the American flag, the kids pointing at far away places and distant mountain ranges, the laughter, the challenge. The incredible challenge. Baldy.



See you next week for Opportunity Knocks #39.

Bill - A Philmont Veteran

Opportunity Knocks #37 - Storme Warren

OK. I'm amazed. I'm so proud. Proud, humbled and amazed. I hesitate to put this in an Opportunity Knocks but I'm going to do so simply because I am so proud of what we have accomplished as a troop, an organization (BSA), and a group of local leaders. And everyone that has played a part in this process, leader, parent and scout, committee members, several ministers at good shepherd Lutheran Church, and all the Scoutmasters from the beginning to date, can be proud of their efforts. We have collectively built something that is rock solid in the memories of the kids who come our way.

I got a phone call last week from one of my Assistant Scoutmasters, Dennis Zvacek, who was spending the Fourth of July with his family in Alabama. He called to ask me if I had been watching television on the evening of the Fourth. Specifically he wanted to know if I had watched the GAC 2006 Fourth of July Special in Nashville Tennessee. I hadn't. We don't get that station here in Tulsa. But I knew about the special, having watched it the two previous years when Tulsa did get it. Fourth of July in Nashville is incredible. The patriotism, the Country and Western Americana flavor, the fireworks, its all just incredible and very inspiring.

The host? Storme Warren. Former Troop 26 member and Eagle Scout. Storme earned his Eagle Scout award in 1983. Storme hosts a Country and Western program on the GOC network along with Vince Gill. And for the last three years he has been the host of the Fourth of July special in Nashville. I'm really proud of Storme. That he now rubs shoulders with many of the people I admire in entertainment, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, Charlie Daniels, and a host of others, is amazing to me since I still remember him as a little kid from McArthur Elementary, joining along with Dick Austin's little crew. It's been a long time and he's gone far in fulfilling his dreams.

But here comes the good part. At least I think it's the good part. Dennis Zvacek excitedly told me that Storme had dedicated part of the show, a show that was being broadcasted live into millions of homes throughout America, to his old scoutmaster and his old scout troop. I immediately called my good friend Ray Yarroll. Ray has a satellite dish that picks up lots of stuff. I know he has it for the Philadelphia Eagles games but I won't hold that against him. Somebody has to watch the Eagles and it might as well be Ray. (And Ross, and RC, and...well..that's about it.) They were going to broadcast the Nashville Fourth again on the following Saturday and I asked Ray to tape it for me.

He did. I was so very excited as I listened to Storme say that he appreciated Scouting and that he had learned more about history through his old scout troop than he had from any of his teachers. (Nice, but I'm thinking Storme should have paid a little more attention in history class) He mentioned his scoutmaster by name and his troop and dedicated a wonderfully patriotic part of the program to us. Our scout troop, the organization we are all so proud to have been involved with, the words "Troop 26", went into 43 million homes that night. I may never get over it. I absolutely may never get over it.

I found myself thinking about Philmont. I've been doing that a lot lately. We have a crew there right now. I hope they are all doing great. But I was thinking of a crew years ago. Randy McGuire, Thad Bibb, Scott Stephan, Bobby Pendergrass, Jeff Moore, Brett Dieterlen. And several others. I'll spend the rest of the day trying to remember each one. Corey Eckhart. I think he was there too. Anyway, I think we were at Crater Lake and the crew was doing "log rolling". We hadn't thought to bring swim suits. After all, it was Philmont. Hiking, right? Swimming? Who would have thought there would have been swimming opportunities? So the crew participated in log rolling, in their underwear. We told them that we didn't want them to pass up any opportunities..and they didn't. Log rolling in your underwear. What a memory.

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As the crew left the banks of the lake and went to dry off and get back in their uniforms, I stood by the lake for a while and it was amazing how quickly the water returned to a smooth, mirror like peacefulness. I bent over and picked up a small stone and tossed it in the water, watching the circular ripples expanding across the water.

I'm not sure why my thoughts went back to that day at Crater Lake when I heard what Storme said on national TV. But I think it's because here in Troop 26, we have cast a stone in the water for many, many scouts. And those ripples, those scouts, each one a ripple, are now working their way across the country and the effects of what we did at Camp Garland, Camp Hale, Mystery Dog Creek, Camp Tomahawk, Kunze's Farm, the Flying "G" Ranch, Billie's Crack, Camp Pirtle, Ben DeLatour, Quivira, Will Rogers, Camp Rand, Honey Springs, Gorsuch, Sommers Canoe Base and Northern Tier, the Florida Sea Base, and Philmont..will be felt for many generations to come, and those ripples are still working their incredible magic.

Thanks Storme.

Opportunity Knocks #36 The 4th and Philmont

July 5. The day after an American birthday celebration. Normally I write my "Opportunity Knocks" on Thursday but this week I'm doing it on Wednesday. I'm pumped today. I might not be tomorrow. And I have a special group of young men and leaders leaving the comforts of hearth and home and heading for Philmont Scout Ranch Saturday morning. I want to dedicate this OK#35 to them as they take this important step in their Scouting lives.

July the Fourth. What a day. All across America in cities, towns, and rural communities, people celebrate America's birthday. Parades, fireworks, red-white-and blue banners, dogs with Uncle Sam costumes, picnics, bands and orchestras, and references to our storied past. And We are getting pretty old as nations go. We've done a pretty good job of staying around when compared to the demise of the ancient civilizations and most of the modern ones too. Why is that? Could it have something to do with the values upon which our great country was founded? The values which, coincidentally, are the same values taught in Scouting. America is alive and well on this, her birthday, and the Boy Scouts of America isn't doing too badly either. Both have seen their fair share of difficulties. Both refuse to budge in their support of longstanding principles. Both continue to be tested from without and within.

Here we are in 2006. July 4th. America's birthday. I spent a quiet Fourth. I prepared myself for the Fourth in the usual manner. I watched "Dave", a movie starring Kevin Klein and Sigourney Weaver, and "An American President", another movie with Michael Douglas and Annette Bennig. I've ordered "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", with Jimmy Stewart, from eBay and will add that to the ritual next year. And before the week is over, I'll watch Mel Gibson's "The Patriot". I decorated the house with red, white and blue. I displayed four of my favorite Scouting photos. One was a 2005 jamboree photo of three scouts at the arena show with small American flags and red, white, and blue neckerchiefs. Very patriotic. The second photo was four scouts on top of Baldy at Philmont holding an American flag in the wind (and when I say wind on top of Baldy.I'm talking wind!) and wearing American flag scarves on their heads. The snow covered mountains in the background. Definitely one of my favorite photos. Another photo featured the entire troop sitting in front of the Capitol in Washington DC. The dome of the Capitol building rotunda in the background and the troop seated on the marble steps. The fourth photo is one of me shaking hands with President Ronald Reagan. I love that photo. It's actually me and it's actually him. I still can't believe it!

I watched the Fourth of July celebration in Boston, loving every moment of the music and the fireworks, watched the celebration in Washington DC and thought of former Senior Patrol Leader and Eagle Scout Paul Dubie. Jason Alexander from the "Seinfeld" show was the host. Sorry Paul, Jason Alexander can't dance! But he was a surprisingly good singer. Great show. And I bounced back and forth so I could see President Bush at Ford's Theater on another channel. I finished the evening by watching the local news with a story about how the fireworks affected people's pets. They suggested that your dogs and cats might need therapy. Great way to close the holiday.

Now it's back to business as usual. There is a campout coming up this Friday at Camp Garland. We are camping in Mountain View and Eagle's Nest, all of our alumni will remember those names, and on Saturday morning some of my very best Eagle Scouts will be meeting at the church and heading for Philmont Scout Ranch. They have a great Crew Chief and some wonderful adult leaders going. The crew, for the most part, is going for the first time. I think it's great that they are leaving so close to the Fourth of July. They will have a lot to think about.

This Opportunity Knocks is for them. So, Phillip Sartin, Zach Vetal, Gary Fennema, James Keilbarth, David Lucas, Mark Osborn, Marshall Morris, Steven Yob, Drew Weaver, this is for you and your leaders, Jeff Weaver, Steve Fennema, and Ned Morris.

Get ready for the adventure of a lifetime. Philmont Scout Ranch. Millions of scouts just dream about it but never get to actually go. You guys are heading for Scouting's ultimate adventure. And it's an adventure for an American as well.

America. "Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain". When you are seated on top of Baldy, it will seem like you can reach out and touch the spacious skies. So blue. The clouds so white. And as you look off in the distance, you will swear you can see all the way to Kansas with its amber waves of grain.

"For purple mountains majesty." Those mountains are right there, serving as a wonderful background for all the amazing photos you will take. And when the song writer said "majesty", he meant exactly that. The mountains are so beautiful, reaching up to touch the white clouds and unbelievably blue sky. Blue doesn't seem to be a good enough word for what you are seeing up there on Baldy. Azure. That's better. God has certainly shed his light on this great land. "From sea to shining sea". Your experience at Philmont will verify that fact beyond a shadow of a doubt. God's hand is everywhere. His breath is in the aspens and moving along the beautiful grass in the mountain passes. His face can be seen in the little flowers along the trail and his voice can be heard in the rushing waters of the brooks and creeks. His handiwork is evident in the prints of the various animals around the lakes and streams where they have come down out of the mountains to drink. His grace is everywhere if you will only stop and look. Philmont is not a place for clocks. It's a place to get in touch with yourself and what you really stand for. It's a place to solidify your relationships with your friends. It's a time to share memories and build friendships with your leaders. And it's a time to reflect on your place in the history of this great scout troop and this amazing country.

Millions of feet have walked those mountain trails. You are about to become part of an amazing history. Millions of boys have sat on those mountain boulders up in the north country and in the grassy meadows and forests of the south. They have gazed in amazement at the Tooth of Time, knowing that explorers and settlers and hunters from America's past looked at that same rock. And you, like them, will make plans for your future. You will make promises to yourself. You'll identify goals and objectives. Philmont has a funny way of inspiring those who walk there to increase the quality and size of their dreams. It will affect you that way too.

And it will be easy to identify what is important in your life, and what isn't. Friends are important. Parents are important. Your country is important. And reverence for your God is important. Everything else is just icing on the cake. But at Philmont, you are experiencing "the cake". The basics. The fundamentals of life. And when you are standing in Base Camp at the end of the trail, clean from that shower you have looked forward to for ten days, and somebody places in your hand the coveted Arrowhead Philmont patch, one per customer, and you get ready to get in your vehicle for that ride back home..when you turn and look over the top of Tent City and see the Tooth of Time and Tooth Ridge, you will know in your heart that you have been tested and that you will never forget those amazing ten days. You will know that you have seen yourself and that you have seen the face of God.

I want to close this Opportunity knocks with something that I heard last night. President Bush heard it too. Along with millions of people who tuned in to watch America's celebration at Ford's Theater. It was a song performed by the Country and Western group called Lonestar. I immediately loved that song. It was called "Mountains". Late last night on the computer, instant messaging is great, Eagle Scout and new Assistant Scoutmaster Don Hull Jr. helped me find the lyrics online because I wanted to share them with all the people that read the Opportunity Knocks series and especially with the scouts leaving for Philmont and their parents. The refrain went like this.

"Mountains" performed by Lonestar.

"There are times in your life when you gotta crawl,
Lose your grip, trip and fall.
When you can't lean on no-one else,
That's when you find yourself.
I've been around and I've noticed that
Walkins easier when the road is flat.
Them danged old heels'll get you every time,
Yeah, the Lord gave us mountains
so we could learn how to climb."

Gentlemen, enjoy your visit to Philmont Scout Ranch. Climb. Learn. Listen to your Crew Chief. Listen to your leaders. And listen to your hearts. Take lots of pictures. Make lots of memories. Do every activity you can get to. Don't miss a single thing. You'll come back tested. And you'll be amazed at how much you've grown in mind and body. I'll be praying for your safe return. When our troop of new little guys are sitting around the campfire at Garland, we'll be thinking of you. And the little guys will be asking themselves..."When can I go?" And when next you see them, you can share the experience so they can begin to dream too.

To all. Happy Fourth of July. And God bless America..the land of unlimited opportunity.
Bill