RE: [Philmont]: Philmont 'Chicken Soup'

I am impressed that he was able to continue on the trek after that fall! It's nice to hear a story like that and have it turn out well for the scout and the crew. There are too many stories like yours without a happy ending.

Peter Johnson
Assistant Scoutmaster
Troop 52

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> My somewhat lengthy Chicken Soup also relates to a kid who found the
> internal fortitude to stick it out when things got rough. In 2002, we were
> on the 7th day of our trek. We were hiking into Cypher's Mine from Clear
> Creek---a long day including the hike up Mt Phillips. We started very eary
> (before dawn) and it was now about noon. We were hustling down the trail
> because we wanted to do lunch at Cypher's. About 1/2 mile before we got to
> Cypher's, Winston stumbled on a rock and fell, clutching his knee. When he
> pulled up his pant leg, I saw that the 2 inch cut on his knee was very deep
> and in fact, we could see the ligament attached to his knee cap underneath.
> We then saw that his knee came right down on a knife-like rock embedded in
> the trail and sliced it right open.
>
> A few of us jogged down the trail to Cypher's and got the camp medic to
> come check him out. The cut was too deep for simple bandaging, so we
> carried Winston and his pack down to the porch at Cyphers where they called
> base camp. The report was that it would take 2-3 hours for the medic to
> make it up. Not wanting the rest of the crew to suffer, although you could
> cut the quiet in the air with a knife, we urged the crew to do program at
> Cypher's while Winston rested on the porch. Dinner came and went (we
> brought Winston his dinner) and still no medic.
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> Around 6 PM, the medic made it. He reviewed the wound and said it
> "appeared" there was no damage to the knee or ligament, although the cut
> would take some suturing. He then looked at Winston and asked what he
> wanted to do. You could see the quandry on the kid's face regarding his
> decision to stay or go. He asked the medic if he could stitch him up
> there? The medic said he could. Winston said, "well, go ahead and stitch
> me up and let's see how the knee feels". So while I held the latern above
> him, the medic put 9 or 10 stitches in Winston's knee. By this time, it
> was dark and the medic announced that he wasn't going to return to base
> camp until morning. But, he would take Winston back with him if he wanted
> to. Winston looked around like a deer caught in the headlights and I
> suggested to him that he could see how he felt in the morning and then
> decide. So we pumped some Vitamin I in him and we hobbled up for the Stomp
> and then back to our Adirondack.
>
> The next morning, you could tell the knee was very stiff and sore. Not
> just from the stitches, but from being slammed into the rock with his full
> weight and the weight of his pack. But he was diligent about moving around
> the camp and packing his stuff up. We gave him some more Vitamin I and it
> soon kicked in. Our itinerary for the day was to hike down to Cito, do
> program, and then hike to Webster Park for the night. Certainly not an
> easy day. Well, the moment of truth came. The crew chief and myself sat
> with Winston and asked him what he wanted to do? The crew chief said
> "well, you know the crew wants you to stick with us and will do anything to
> make that happen, so if you want to continue, we will divide up ALL your
> gear so you have very little weight". It only took a second before a big
> smile came across his face and he said "alright, then let's get going".
>
> Winston set the pace that day, and by the next day, he was pretty much back
> to normal, carrying all his gear and with no apparent discomfort that a bit
> of Vitamin I couldn't mask. I think it was a defining moment in his young
> life where he can honestly say "when the going got tough, the tough got
> going".
>
> YIS.
>
> Mike Conkey ('76, '02, '04)
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> loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
> cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
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-------------------------------------------------------
As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
-------------------------------------------------------

 
Received on Thu Jan 6 13:46:09 2005