Exhausted, But Exhilarating...

I think I've finally thawed out from the Cub Scout overnight weekend. It was 29º in the tent when we woke up yesterday morning - as far as I can recall, that's the coldest temperature I've ever endured in a domicile made of fabric. And I had my son with me.

And he loved every second.

I'm trying to think about how much time we put into getting things ready for the Overnight. We met three or four times, at least 2-3 hours per meeting, in advance of the campout. The other leaders and I took last Friday off to prepare the camp and gather supplies. At least a week and a half to two weeks were spent sending and responding to e-mails either requesting help or answering questions.

And Saturday morning it all came together. We had hammered out a rudimentary plan. We had four event locations, one for each group of Scouts (We had the oldest Scouts - the WeBeLos IIs - pair up with the youngest - the Tiger Scouts as mentors to the newest Cubs). There was a Scoutcraft Event, where the boys learned Scouting basics like woodcarving, knot-tying, and fire-building. There was an obstacle course, where they were timed to see who got bragging rights as fastest Scout. There was a Showman arena, where they were told to practice a skit to be performed at the campfire that evening. And there was a BB Gun and Archery range. Even for Scouts from MA.

We set aside an hour and a half for folks to arrive and set up camp. We had about a couple dozen families pitching tents on site and another 3-4 families (wisely) electing to stay in the (heated) cabin. This meant we had about 30 or so Scouts staying the night (and about an equal number of parents and siblings), and another 15 or so came up for the day only (the ones who couldn't stand the cold or were otherwise committed the next day). Trying to keep nearly four dozen boys between the ages of 6 and 11 focused on their respective tasks at hand brings new insight to the phrase "like herding cats".

But we managed to do it pretty darn well.

I was in charge of the obstacle course - needless to say, I was not particularly thrilled about missing the chance to run the BB Gun and Archery range, and I will be certain to have a talk with our Committee Chair (who set up the stations) well in advance next year. I did get to give a discussion of the four rules to the Scouts ahead of time (at my insistence; I saw the list of "rules" that were being touted and was horrified that "keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot" wasn't on the list...). I did, however, get to meet each and every boy who attended the overnight - which was positively invaluable as I'm assuming the Cubmaster role in March when the current Cubmaster moves on to Boy Scouts. I also got to meet a goodly number of parents, which is also invaluable as we'll need another Assistant Cubmaster, too...

After the Scouts had gone through all four stations, we took them on a long hike around the Reservation, then back to the campsite for dinner. I elected to stay at the campsite and helped cook (mmmmm, marinated steak tips...), as it was a chance for a much-needed rest for a few moments. Once the Scouts ate their fill, we herded them down to the ampitheater for the evening bonfire, where they performed skits, sang songs, and got to be just as silly as their young imaginations would permit them.

And we encouraged - and abetted - them at every possible turn.

After the bonfire it was back to the campsite for - of course - s'mores around the campfire and hot chocolate (hey, we thrive on tradition!). Lights out at 9:30 (to avoid a repeat of last year's, err, unsanctioned activities), and we had run the boys so ragged that most of them were asking to go to bed before lights out!!! I put my son to bed with three layers of clothing and five layers of blankets, hoping it would keep him from turning into a Cubsicle by morning (it did). Even the sub-freezing temperatures achieved overnight weren't enough to drive us into the cabin, despite how warm and inviting it looked... (okay, The Boy wouldn't hear my frantic pleas to abandon the tent...)

Yesterday morning we woke up, got breakfast ready (bacon, of course, cooked over the same 55-gallon drum grill we used for dinner), and had the boys walk through the reservation on litter patrol. This basically gets them out of our hair while we break down all the gear and get ready to leave. What was nice this year is that The Boy is old enough - and mature enough - to be trusted to follow whoever is leading the group without me having to go with him. It was a little disconcerting at first, to see him heading off on the hike without Daddy by his side, but I had a revelation this weekend.

He's growing up.

He impressed me this weekend. He helped out without being asked, he asked permission before leaving the campsite (i.e. latrine run), he remembered his manners; in short, his behavior was beyond reproach. Some of the lessons we're teaching him are starting to sink in. That's nothing short of a miracle. Now, I certainly can't and won't attribute to Scouting, at least not solely; but I know he enjoys the one-on-one father-son time (and TBH I dig it pretty well, too...) and is doing his level best to make sure there's plenty more where that came from...

There will be more, buddy. Plenty more.

Please excuse my self-indulgence with this admittedly long-winded description of the weekend's events. I'm trying to save this for posterity as well as provide a record that we can use for help plan next year's events. Plus I'm proud as hell of my boy, and since this is my blog, well... :)

That is all.