Scout Camp now and in years past

July seemed to be the month of camping.  I took the older boys on their annual high adventure trip last last for the last time.  With my calling changes by the end of September I will have no active positions in Scouting any more.  I will be an active parent and now that I am on the high council with church I will be focusing on the Young Single Adults and Helamans Camp.  I have to say that these high adventure trips have really become the highlight of my summer.  We have had some amazing experiences and done things I never would have other wise.  In the past 6 years i have been able to do the following with our Port Townsend Washington Unit:

• Canoe the Columbia Reach 3 times
• Bike the San Juan Islands
• White Water raft the Deschute River
• Go to the National Lava beds Monument in Norther California
• Visit the Sol Duc Hot Springs
• Camp Parsons Scout Camp as an advisor twice
• Sand Board on the Oregon Coast
• Attend 2 Rodeos
• Hike Multinoma Falls
• Attend a hand cart trek
• Canoe Lake Ozette
• Visit 3 differant Potatoe processing plants (the boys complained this year we did not get to go to a factory.)
• Drive tractors
• Kayak in the San Juan Islands
• Attend the National Scout Jamboree
• Hiked more miles in Olympic National Park than I care to admit
• Visit Goldendale Observatory
• Go Skeet shooting several times
• Have the police show up at 4 different times
• Try to catch fish...I did fianlly catch 2 a couple of years ago
• Jet Boat the Rogue River
• And a bunch of other stuff that I am forgetting

I campare this to the 3 times I went to week long summer camp as a kid each time not only a different ward but different State (Idaho, Oregon and Washington).  We went to Camp Bradley in McCall Idaho once.  That was an interesting experience.  Lots of hot springs, smelly sulfur beds, leaches in the lake and rain, rain, rain.  Probley the reason I only went once.  We then moved to Oregon and we rafted the Dechutes River.  This trip was the insparation for the trip we took last year.

We sailed the San Juan Islands for a week.  I am not sure if it was an official high adventure or it just turned out to be the Priest Quorum and the Bishop.  Bishop Kennedy in Bremerton took Brian Kennedy, Scott Anderson and I up to the Island for a week.  I remember really cold water, tasty crab and learning to play BS.

Each trip had its high points and they were a great reference point in my life. Mayson attended scout camp that is only about 30 minutes from our house.  In fact last night I took him back so he could get two partial merit badges signed off.  Harmon came with us and it was a real treat walking through that camp with 2 of my sons.  Mayson showing us everywhere he did stuff and explaining how the camp operated.  Harmon seemed jazzed to attend.  It is really a great program that I look forward to being a part of again in the future.