OPPORTUNITY Knocks #86 "Prepare Yourself For High Adventure"
OK. I'm back. It's been a hectic summer. Lots of stuff going on. I'm trying to catch up but its been tough. Troop 26 tried a new summer camp this summer. Camp Pioneer in Mena Arkansas. Everybody had a great time. For a photo of the troop at Pioneer, go to the troop's website, www.troop26.org. It was an exciting week.
Recent Court of Honor. Two new Troop 26 Eagle Scouts. Eagle Scouts John Carmichael and Brandon Yerton. What a thrill for two outstanding families.New direction at the Scout Service Center.
After years and years of directing the Indian Nations Council, Kent Caraway retired and was replaced with the Chief Scout Executive from a council in Alaska, Bill Haines. I know you all join me in wishing Kent the very best as he heads into retirement and also join me in welcoming Mr. Haines to the best council in America. Or at lest we think it is.
I apologize for putting my weekly Opportunity Knocks on the back burner. There just didn't seem to be enough time during the day. I will really try to do better and get one out each Thursday.
Here goes.
Today is a special day.
Why?
Because a group of special Troop 26 Scouts are heading out of town for another appointment with adventure. It is the Troop 26 Explorer Post, now known as a Venture Crew, an they are headed for the tenth visit to the Northern Tier, formally called the Sommers Canoe Base.We wish them the very best of luck as they had for this new and amazing opportunity. Many, if not all, of the participants will be visiting the northern Tier for the first time and they are in for a life changing experience. I only went there one time and I can still remember the breathtaking and pristine scenery. The lapping water in the day and the lonely cry of the loon. Wonderful memories that will last a lifetime of working in a cubicle. I'm so glad I went even though I was concerned about carrying a boat on my head, and I'm glad some of my scouts are setting off to experience some of the things that I remember.
The fact is, these scouts leaving Tulsa today, represent a long line of Troop 26 scouts who have packed their packs and strapped up their boots for a wonderful and exciting trip to "high adventure" since that first Philmont Expedition back in 1974.
If my records are correct, there have been 446 Scouts experience a variety of high adventure opportunities since the first Post 26 put on their dark green shirts and their red hats with the brand new Post 26 emblem on them and left for Philmont. And the opportunities that have been made available are wonderful. There have been nineteen Philmont Expeditions, nine Northern Tier Expeditions, two trips to the Florida Sea Base, two trips to Glacier National Park, two trips to Gunnison National Park, two expeditions to Kanik at Philmont and two trips to Autumn Adventure at Philmont. Add to that eight National Jamborees (one in Idaho and seven in Virginia), and summer camping in Colorado (Ben DeLatour), Kansas (Quivira), Oklahoma (Garland, Hale and Will Rogers), Arkansas (Pioneer), New Mexico (Rand), Texas (Pirtle), and Alaska (Gorsuch). All in all, a wonderful camping program for all ages. A program filled with opportunities to experience and learn and build memories that will last a lifetime.
So, this Opportunity Knocks is an interactive one. All of you can participate. Please respond with your favorite memory from one of the summer camps you attended, one of the National Jamborees you attended, or one of the High Adventure Expeditions you went on. And you don't have to just send one. Share as much as you want. We will put all th entries in a book for our troop museum.
Recent Court of Honor. Two new Troop 26 Eagle Scouts. Eagle Scouts John Carmichael and Brandon Yerton. What a thrill for two outstanding families.New direction at the Scout Service Center.
After years and years of directing the Indian Nations Council, Kent Caraway retired and was replaced with the Chief Scout Executive from a council in Alaska, Bill Haines. I know you all join me in wishing Kent the very best as he heads into retirement and also join me in welcoming Mr. Haines to the best council in America. Or at lest we think it is.
I apologize for putting my weekly Opportunity Knocks on the back burner. There just didn't seem to be enough time during the day. I will really try to do better and get one out each Thursday.
Here goes.
Today is a special day.
Why?
Because a group of special Troop 26 Scouts are heading out of town for another appointment with adventure. It is the Troop 26 Explorer Post, now known as a Venture Crew, an they are headed for the tenth visit to the Northern Tier, formally called the Sommers Canoe Base.We wish them the very best of luck as they had for this new and amazing opportunity. Many, if not all, of the participants will be visiting the northern Tier for the first time and they are in for a life changing experience. I only went there one time and I can still remember the breathtaking and pristine scenery. The lapping water in the day and the lonely cry of the loon. Wonderful memories that will last a lifetime of working in a cubicle. I'm so glad I went even though I was concerned about carrying a boat on my head, and I'm glad some of my scouts are setting off to experience some of the things that I remember.
The fact is, these scouts leaving Tulsa today, represent a long line of Troop 26 scouts who have packed their packs and strapped up their boots for a wonderful and exciting trip to "high adventure" since that first Philmont Expedition back in 1974.
If my records are correct, there have been 446 Scouts experience a variety of high adventure opportunities since the first Post 26 put on their dark green shirts and their red hats with the brand new Post 26 emblem on them and left for Philmont. And the opportunities that have been made available are wonderful. There have been nineteen Philmont Expeditions, nine Northern Tier Expeditions, two trips to the Florida Sea Base, two trips to Glacier National Park, two trips to Gunnison National Park, two expeditions to Kanik at Philmont and two trips to Autumn Adventure at Philmont. Add to that eight National Jamborees (one in Idaho and seven in Virginia), and summer camping in Colorado (Ben DeLatour), Kansas (Quivira), Oklahoma (Garland, Hale and Will Rogers), Arkansas (Pioneer), New Mexico (Rand), Texas (Pirtle), and Alaska (Gorsuch). All in all, a wonderful camping program for all ages. A program filled with opportunities to experience and learn and build memories that will last a lifetime.
So, this Opportunity Knocks is an interactive one. All of you can participate. Please respond with your favorite memory from one of the summer camps you attended, one of the National Jamborees you attended, or one of the High Adventure Expeditions you went on. And you don't have to just send one. Share as much as you want. We will put all th entries in a book for our troop museum.
Labels: high adventure
posted by Bill Shaffer at 6:41 PM
1 Comments:
One of my favorite memories from Philmont is Steve "The Weatherman" Curry sliding down the back side of Baldy with the wind whipping his poncho around his head and someone yelling out "Look it's Lawrence of Arabia"
Another good memory is making a pudding cream pie in the rain, assigning Jeff Batchelor to protect it from the falling rain, and then, after totally blowing our meal and everyone was ready for the pie, we find out that the rain had been hitting the ground and splashing little mud dots all over the pie. If i remember right we ate it anyway!Thanks! Marty.
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