A Letter To Mom from the Boy Scout Field Trip
Dear Mom,Our scout master told us all write to our parents in case you saw the flood on TV and worried. We are OK. Only 1 of our tents and 2 sleeping bags got washed away. Luckily, none of us got drowned because we were all up on the mountain looking for Chad when it happened. Oh yes, please call Chad's mother and tell her he is OK. He can't write because of the cast. I got to ride in one of the search & rescue jeeps. It was neat. We never would have found him in the dark if it hadn't been for the lightning. Scoutmaster Webb got mad at Chad for going on a hike alone without telling anyone. Chad said he did tell him, but it was during the fire so he probably didn't hear him. Did you know that if you put gas on a fire, the gas can will blow up? The wet wood still didn't burn, but one of our tents did. Also some of our clothes. John is going to look weird until his hair grows back. We will be home on Saturday if Scoutmaster Webb gets the car fixed. It wasn't his fault about the wreck. The brakes worked OK when we left. Scoutmaster Webb said that a car that old you have to expect something to break down; that's probably why he can't get insurance on it. We think it's a neat car. He doesn't care if we get it dirty, and if it's hot, sometimes he lets us ride on the tailgate. It gets pretty hot with 10 people in a car. He let us take turns riding in the trailer until the highway patrolman stopped and talked to us. Scoutmaster Webb is a neat guy. Don't worry, he is a good driver. In fact, he is teaching Terry how to drive. But he only lets him drive on the mountain roads where there isn't any traffic. All we ever see up there are logging trucks. This morning all of the guys were diving off the rocks and swimming out in the lake. Scoutmaster Webb wouldn't let me because I can't swim and Chad was afraid he would sink because of his cast, so he let us take the canoe across the lake. It was great. You can still see some of the trees under the water from the flood. Scoutmaster Webb isn't crabby like some scoutmasters. He didn't even get mad about the life jackets. He has to spend a lot of time working on the car so we are trying not to cause him any trouble. Guess what? We have all passed our first aid merit badges. When Dave dove in the lake and cut his arm, we got to see how a tourniquet works. Also Wade and I threw up. Scoutmaster Webb said it probably was just food poisoning from the leftover chicken, he said they got sick that way with the food they ate in prison. I'm so glad he got out and become our scoutmaster. He said he sure figured out how to get things done better while he was doing his time. I have to go now. We are going into town to mail our letters and buy bullets. Don't worry about anything. We are fine.
Love, ColeThis letter reminds me of several camp-outs that Jim and Eric were involved with. There were 3 camp-outs in particular where they needed rescue. I also remember these camp-outs.
1- West Clear Creek - This hike was longer than they had anticipated and didn't reach Bro. Kennedy in time for dinner. He waited until sunrise and then call search and rescue. Jim and Brandon Randall were separated from the others. Brandon packed a lot of fun so they had plenty to eat. In the morning they hiked out of the canyon and came home. Thanks to the rescuers who spent time to come and look for them.
2. Scout Camp - Jim, Eric, and the scouts went on a hike and Eric slipped and was knocked unconscious. The rescuers needed to come and get Eric. He came home for several days and then returned back to scout camp.
3. Superstition Mountain - The boys hiked in the rain and when they reached a certain point, Tyler was in a lot of stomach pain. The boys stopped and waited to see if they could call and get some help. Jim and a couple of boys, including Tyler, stayed on the mountain while the others headed down to get help. In the morning, Jim and the boys were flown out while the other rescuers helped the boys pass the washes and get off the mountain.
Here is a group picture of those at Angela's birthday party. She invited Cambrn, Kenzie, Kennedy, and Savannah. The smile on Angela's face tells me that the party was a big success.
We saw lots of animals this trip, including the Koala who was on loan from San Diego. This was the second time we saw them and they were still sleeping. Are they ever awake? We always love to watch the spider monkeys. They jump onto the ropes and branches and provide so much entertainment for us.
