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Years ago, right here at this camp, a Scout Troop, much like ours came out for the weekend. As with most every troop, there's always one Scout who's much better than everyone else in his camping skills. This Troop had an exceptional Scout who everyone looked up to, to help them out if they were having any problems. This Scout could hike farther than anyone else, catch bigger fish, make a better snow-fort to sleep in, start a fire with one match every time, could snowshoe faster than all the adults, and many more skills. Everyone would ask him for help, because he was so good. The leaders relied on him to help teach all the Scout skills and he did it with a smile on his face. Everyone liked him because he was so friendly.
One night, he and his patrol decided to sleep outside in snow huts. The Scout helped everyone to get settled before turning in himself. The Scoutmaster came out to check on them to make sure no one was too cold. In the middle of the night, the Scout was awoken by the call of nature. He woke up a couple of his buddies to go with him, as he knew that no one should go anywhere without a buddy. His friends told him that since he was the best Scout in the troop, and knew so much, that there was no chance for something to go wrong. You all know, that flattery is great for one's ego, and this Scout was no different. He got dressed and ventured outside to the latrine to complete his task.
After he had done, he got dressed again, and started back to his snow hut. But when he opened the door to the latrine, he saw that a storm had moved in. He started to return to his hut but the tracks he had left had been blown over by the storm. He tried to find his way back but the wind was driving the snow in his eyes and he couldn't see anything. He walked as fast as he could to where he thought the hut was, but he couldn't find it. He walked and stumbled in the storm for what seemed a long time, when he realized he was in trouble. He remembered the first rule when lost in the winter: stop and build a fire. He found a spot to dig out a cave in a snow bank, and crawled in. He had an emergency kit with him, and quickly had a fire going.
The next morning, everyone awoke to find a clean, crisp layer of white snow had covered the camp. It didn't take long for the Scout's friends to realize that he was missing, and they ran to tell the rest of the camp. Everyone got dressed in their warmest clothes and quickly started a search party. They scoured the entire camp for hours, but couldn't find the Lost Scout. For the rest of the day, everyone searched for him. They called in search and rescue teams to help, but still couldn't find him. For days, search parties combed the area looking for the Scout, but he was never found.
It was a sad year for that Troop. They had lost a great friend. In the Spring, they gathered again at the camp to search for the Scout's remains. Again, everyone searched everywhere, but couldn't find him.
I often walk through these woods at night, and often think about the Lost Scout. It's been said that if you are walking alone through these woods at night, you may feel a cold draft shiver down your back. It maybe the Lost Scout reminding you to:
'Take a BUDDY!'
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Nail in the Attic Story |
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When I was a young boy, there was a strange old man in our neighborhood named Frank Samuels. We all called him Frownin' Frank because he was awful ornery and none of us every saw him smile. He had a mangy old dog he called King that always used other people's yards for a bathroom.
Every morning and every evening, Frownin' Frank would take King for a walk and let him do his business in someone's yeard. I figure King was Frank's only friend.
One evening, while we were playing in the street, Frank came walking down the road, hollering, 'King! King! here boy!'
He hollered at us, 'You boys seen my dog?'
We hadn't and we told him so.
Frank just kept on frownin' and yelling for his dog. About an hour later, he came back looking pretty depressed and headed for his home. He hadn't found King.
Frank looked all around his yard, in the shed out back, under the house and in the bushes in the back yard - no sign of King anywhere.
Finally, he went inside, took off his coat and shoes, and sat down in his chair. He knew he had to call the dog pound. Just as he picked up the phone, he heard a noise like scratching and whining upstairs. He put down the phone and quietly walked up the stairs in his socks so he could still hear the noise.
When he got to the top, the sound came from still higher up - in the attic! He climbed the stairs up to the attic door, making no sound in just his socks.
He stood outside listening, but he didn't hear a thing. Then he opened the door, stepped in, and -
(Now SCREAM LOUDLY!)
At this point, don't say anything more. Just sit there as if you have finished the story. Somebody will ask, 'Why did he scream?'
You reply, 'You'd scream too if you stepped on a nail in your bare feet!'
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Preparation:
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To make 'Old Growler', punch a hole in the middle of the bottom of a large tin can, attach a soft rope about three feet long to the hole, with the length of the rope hanging out of the bottom, 'Tin Can Telephone' style. You can use a couple of washers on either side of the hole to protect the rope from being cut.
To use 'Old Growler', you MUST get the rope wet, hold the can in one hand and run your other hand down the length or the rope using some resistance. 'Get the bears tail wet and stroke it.'
Also you might introduce 'Old Growler' to the troop immediately after the campfire story, by having someone who has been hanging around out side of the campfire circle sneak off, return with 'Old Growler', and let him ROAR!
After the initial chaos has calmed down a bit, let the Scouts try it out. Be sure to have some water handy to wet his tail.
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The Secret of the Bear
Did you know that there is a bear that followed our troop to camp? His name is “Old Growler” and he is very hungry. He has a known habit of coming around early in the morning looking for food. Old Growler is hungry but he is not looking for ordinary food, he only eats meat, no other kind of food. Because this bear is old and Old Growler can no longer hunt and kill, like a healthy young bear does, this bear only wants “dead or injured meat.”
Old Growler has though, developed a taste for a certain kind of “camp food” BOY SCOUTS and their LEADERS, but like I said Old Growler only eats, “dead or injured meat”.
If hungry Old Growler comes to your tent in the early morning, looking for his favorite kind of food, namely you, just let him know that you are NOT dead by telling him to “Go away Old Growler, I am not dead, you don’t eat live, healthy meat.” But of course, EVERYONE in your tent MUST tell him this, Old Growler wont leave while he suspects there may be some dead meat in your tent. Old Growler will then go away to look for food elsewhere.
BUT Old Growler is hungry and will come back, if he suspects there may be some injured meat to be found in your tent. You see, to Old Growler any meat that can’t sit up or stand and move around is injured. So if you want Old Growler to go away and leave you alone you must let him know that your not just injured meat, by making a lot of movement in your tent. Getting dressed and coming out of your tent will always chase off Old Growler.
Don’t forget, Old Growler can always come back, he is hungry, he is looking for food, he only eats dead or injured meat, and he is coming and looking for YOU!
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