[Philmont]: Scouting Memories

Here is something I posted on SCOUTS-L yesterday. Since it involves
Philmont, I thought some of you might enjoy reading it. If you received
this on SCOUTS-L too, use the delete button.

YiS,

--
Calvin H. Gray
Scoutmaster, Troop 405
Associate Advisor, Venturing Crew 405
Georgetown, Texas
I used to be an Owl (WM-62-2-98 @ Philmont)
http://www.troop405.org/
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Scouting Memories (long)
From: "Calvin H. Gray" <405geezer@igg-tx.net>
Date: Thu, August 21, 2003 5:09 pm
To: <SCOUTS-L@LISTSERV.TCU.EDU>
Shortly after I joined SCOUTS-L in 1997, the webmaster for the Sante Fe
Trail Council in Kansas invited list members to post humorous Scouting
stories to a special section of the council's web page.  Among several
stories I posted was this one:
*****
During our Philmont trek in 1995, one of our crew members (age 14)
decided he would go the whole trek without taking a shower. After the
first two or three days we had established an "order of hiking" and this
Scout was third in our 12-person crew. I was directly behind him.
Around the 5th day, I couldn't stand the odor any longer and told him to
get behind me. About 30 minutes later, I looked around and he was next
to last in the order of hiking as everyone else had noticed his odor and
made him move one place to the rear. The adult bringing up the end of
the line was about 15 feet behind "Stinky" and making sure he kept his
distance.
By the 8th night, one of our adults had returned to base camp due to
heat exhaustion. To keep from putting up an extra tent, the Scout whose
parent had gone back to base camp decided he would tent with "Stinky"
who had been tenting by himself until then. Well, the boy almost had an
asthma attack due to the odor of his tent-mate. He began sneezing, stuck
his head out of the tent and made several extremely funny comments about
his smelly friend. As it turned out, "Sneezy" survived the night and we
made "Stinky" take a shower the next morning.
When we begin preparing for our return to Philmont in 1997, I told
"Stinky" and "Sneezy" that I would shave my head if they would spend
their 10-nights on the trail together in the same tent. Given "Sneezy's"
reaction in 1995, I never thought they would take me up on my challenge.
Well, they did! They also got to help shave my head during a recent
troop meeting, and our troop will have a mostly bald-headed Scoutmaster
for a few more weeks.
*****
After the 1995 Philmont trek, "Stinky" and "Sneezy" went on to become
Eagle Scouts and took part in several more summer camp and high
adventure trips. "Stinky" wound up with three Eagle Palms and "Sneezy"
completed his career as a Scout with six Palms.  They graduated from the
local high school and went off to college with "Stinky" attending
Southwest Texas State University and "Sneezy" attending Texas Tech
University.  I continued to keep in touch with them by e-mail and they
would drop by to visit a summer troop meeting from time to time.
Currently, they are age 22 and preparing to spend a final year or so
necessary to obtain their college degrees.
Last night, my wife and I were home preparing to enjoy an evening
watching t.v. or reading.  The door bell rang and Linda opened the door.
There in the flesh were "Stinky" and "Sneezy"!  They came in and the
four of us spent about three hours reliving the time from 1992-99 when
they were with our troop.  Of course, we talked about the Philmont trek
and that funny night at Cito when the legend of "Stinky" and
"Sneezy" began.  We talked about the troop meeting where they got to
help shave my head.  BTW, we know there is a video of that event but
none of us have ever seen it.
After an hour or so, we cranked up my computer and pulled up their
records from TroopMaster's archive.  I think they had forgotten the
number of merit badges they had earned and the impressive number of
days/nights of camping they recorded.  I pulled up an Excel file used to
track Scouts "by year joined" and we discussed each of the boys who
joined our troop with "Stinky" and "Sneezy" back in 1992.  We talked
about the boys who were still in college, those who have married and
those who dropped out or moved away.
In one case, we talked about a fellow member of their Shark Patrol who
is getting married soon, and the toast his future father in law plans to
make at the wedding rehearsal dinner to the "Buzzard Butt Bohemian", a
nickname earned at Philmont's Black Mountain Camp in 1995 by a future
Marine Corps officer.  You see, the future father in law is my doctor
and I've provided him with some "good stuff" to use in dealing with his
future son in law.
We also talked about all the "little snots" who "Stinky" and "Sneezy"
remembered as relatively new Scouts when they were winding down their
time with our troop, and how those "little snots" are now leading our
troop.
All in all, last night was the most enjoyable three hours I've recently
spent.  Linda and I certainly retired for the night with a refreshed
attitude.  As Barry always says, I love this Scouting stuff!
-- 
Calvin H. Gray
Scoutmaster, Troop 405
Associate Advisor, Venturing Crew 405
Georgetown, Texas
I used to be an Owl (WM-62-2-98 @ Philmont)
http://www.troop405.org/
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As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
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