Re: [Philmont]: Scout Behavior

How! How!

From: "Ron & Janelle Dunaway" <dunaway4@swbell.net>
Reply-To: philmont@troop47.com
Date: Mon, 9 Jun 2003 09:01:19 -0500
To: Multiple recipients of list philmont <philmont@troop47.com>
Subject: [Philmont]: Scout Behavior

Just a word about something I have yet to see discussed on the list. We have
dissected and heard hundreds of opinions on things such as water filtration
and the sandals vs. close toed shoes. While safety is always important, if
we read the materials provided us and not try to change everything to suit
us ,we will be just fine.

Some things  I witnessed on our trip to our trek in 2000 on Amtrak from
Kansas City to Raton on the Southwest Chief and the return trip was what I
would call reprehensible at worst and very sad at best.

We boarded the train as I said in KC at 11PM . I believe the train starts in
Chicago and ends in LA. The Amtrak people (after we loaded our packs on a
baggage car escorted us to the last passenger car on the train), I should
have realized what was going on but it did not click as of yet. After we
were underway the steward made an announcement and mentioned that there was
a sightseeing car a few cars up. Probably 70-80 scouts (none of which was
from our group. We had 4 Adults and 6 Youth. ) took off like a rocket for
the sightseeing car. Keep in mind we were on the last passenger car on the
train. The sightseeing car was 2-4 cars up. It is 11-midnight pm, people are
trying to sleep, and lots of families with small children were resting and
sleeping in the cars between us and the SS car. I think you get the picture.
These scouts were like a herd of bulls without any regard to their fellow
passengers. The steward then realized what he had done and went to the SS
car and told them to come back to their seats and they could visit the car
at daybreak in the morn.

We rode on through the night and other than a few scouts not cleaning up
behind themselves in the snack bar area and some not listening to the
authorities on the train it was a pretty uneventful trip on to Raton
arriving at around 10am .

We rode the bus on to Philmont, did our trek and life was great.

What really got my goat was on the return trip. We arrived at the Raton
Amtrak station on a Saturday eve to find that the train was 3 hours behind
schedule minimum and maybe as many as 5 hours.  Not much to do in Raton @
5pm on Saturday eve. All businesses were closed except for a couple of
restaurants ( thank God ). There were scouts and scouters numbering 100 +
around the station waiting for the train. Thank the Lord also for the
scouting museum just around the corner from the depot another great place to
hang out since the train did not arrive till 11:30 pm.

There was a letter posted in the train station behind glass from the
management at Philmont stating to be on our honor and on our best behavior
while waiting for the train. Clean up after ourselves and please leave the
train station better than you found it. The letter went as far as saying
that there had been lots of complaints from Amtrak towards Philmont
concerning scouts behavior and the complaints were serious enough that
drastic measures were imminent if it did not stop.  We did everything we
could think of to kill the time and it was just a boring wait. What I am
relating could have been a lot different if Amtrak would have showed up
reasonably on schedule.

We ended up waiting the last couple of hours in the depot. Several crews
must have run out of cash when they came off the trail or did not realize
there were laundry facilities on the Philmont property, as they smelled like
a dead armadillo.  Please leaders before going back out into the public
after your trek,make sure these kids have bathed and have laundered their
clothes. I cannot fathom why leaders overlook this but believe me 2-4 crews
on this train did. The stench was awful.

People (mostly leaders ) read newspapers that were in the depot and
magazines and such. The train was purported to be close and people got up
and left the building for the train platform. Leaders and scouts dropped
what they were reading where they were reading it ( please understand this
is a small place) people were on makeshift pillows on the floor an in all
corners relaxing. It was a brutal wait. When all were gone outside to wait
for the train it looked like a Midwestern tornado had hit the depot. It was
embarrassing. We looked at how it was left and was just shocked as to how
leaders had no regard for this public place and did not lift a finger to
straighten anything up. There were pizza boxes,,pop cans ,,,newspapers and
magazines ,you name it everywhere. I asked our crew and we agreed it needed
to be cleaned up. The 10 of us chipped in and had the area cleaned up in
about 15 minutes. The final slap in the face came when I was standing in the
depot alone and a leader came in to look for something he possibly left
behind. I had just earlier put some newspapers over a newspaper rack for the
next patron to look at if desired. The leader lifted up said papers and
looked under them, they fell off the rack scattering all over the floor
beside the rack and he just walked off like nothing ever happened, leaving
the papers I just picked up all over the place. I said nothing ,let him
leave the area and picked them up again. The train then showed up and after
negotiating with the train crew we were put in our own little area in the
general population of the train and saw very little ( purposely ) of the
other crews on the train. By then I was absolutely beside myself.

What I am trying to say here is this. We need to keep the safety of the crew
in mind. We need to do what Philmont and our ranger tell us to do and
everything should be fine. I have since had civilians tell me ³ yes,we have
rode that train,while on vacation with those scouts,the trip out was ok ,but
the smell from them on the return trip would gag a maggot²,cant something be
done about that ?

Our crew brought home clean clothes and clean equipment. I went straight to
my dresser and unloaded my clothes out of my pack  and was ready to go
again. It took an hour in Philmonts laundromat  for some of our crew ,but ½
the crew started and the other ½ finished. Well worth the 30 minutes
invested. Remember leaders the actions of your scouts speak volumes to the
general public. If you walked on a plane and was seated near someone who had
not bathed for a couple of weeks,,would you not be appalled ? If you were
trying to rest on your family vacation on whatever means of public
transportation and 14-18 year old boys were running and jumping with no
regard to you and your family would you not be offended ?  Have fun ,,let
the boys have fun ,but remember what your group represents.

We leave for a trek this coming Friday ( yes,the 13th) and we are all
jazzed. No,we are not riding the train,,I would love to again,but was
outvoted and we will drive out ( about 600-650 miles). Also I am not an old
,,stickinthemud scouter. I am 46 yrs old, I have been around scouting since
1992 when my son brought a flyer home from school one day. We went to
Philmont together in 2000 and right after we got back he reported to the US
Navy. He is jealous he cannot take leave and go with us. Climbing Baldy and
hugging him there was one of the highlights of my life and hopefully his. I
have trained leaders in Boy Scout basic and served twice on a Woodbadge
course. I am not as stiff as this letter sounds,I just cannot stand for
total disregard of public property and tolerate leaders standing by and
doing nothing or worse yet participating in the disregard .

Ron

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Received on Mon Jun 9 10:24:15 2003