Scout Master's Corner - October 23, 2007

23 October 2007

You have heard it before and you will hear it again. Lord Baden Powell said to "Be Prepared"! When he was asked what you should be prepared for, he replied "for any old thing." Troop 315 had something very specific to be prepared. This past weekend we had our easiest Mischa Mokwa hike ever! The weather was perfect; not cold, not hot, not wet, no bugs or bears, a little wind to keep us comfortable, a sky so blue and a night filled with stars. But were we prepared? It has happened to us before; a Mischa Mokwa that turned on us. Nice weather turned to rain then to sleet, then to snow. Bitter wind from the northwest blowing mercilessly over the ridge cut to our bones. A trail filled with water where every step sank deep and water mixed with horse dung sloshed over the tops of our boots. Wetness wicking from our socks down into our boots made blisters of pain. Today I set comfortably in my home just two days after our last hike and the rain is pouring. It started on Monday less than 24 hours after our perfect weekend and it has hardly let up more than a few minutes since it started. It is a driving rain that surely would soak into the most prepared scout. Ask yourself, "Are you prepared?" What did you carry on the hike that would protect you from this rain? Would you have stayed dry or would you have lost all your belongings to wetness? Would you have been prepared enough to still have fun on the hike or would you have just suffered? Mr. Mack and I have had a good laugh at our luck and wondered were we prepared? Ask yourself what you would you have done if the PERFECT weather we had turned into this current monsoon?

See you on the trail,

David Dierken, Scoutmaster
BSA Troop 315
Scoutmaster@Troop315.org