Son is at Scout camp right now.....let me tell you about the first time he went 7 years ago.
Son had just turn 11 years old 4 weeks before going to camp. There were twelve brand new scouts just moved up to boy scouts from cub scouts the month before going to camp in his troop. They left on Sunday morning and by late Sunday night the cell phones were busy with "Come get me's".....except my son, he didn't have a cell phone. Mom's were calling mom's and planning the "Great Rescue". They called my wife to see if she wanted in on the rescue effort. Monday morning brought news from the scout master that he had taken all the cell phones and for no one to come get son. He informed the mothers that they could visit on Wednesday evening as was the long time custom at the camp. Wednesday came and a string of cars were in a line headed to the mountains loaded with overly concerned to distraught mothers.......and I was the designated driver for 3 of them and a pickup truck loaded with picnic baskets of assorted junk food and soft drinks in coolers.
We were met at the camp by some sad looking scouts, some in tears and some just sad but all glad to see mom, junk food and wanting to come home with their moms.....except mine. Mine hugged his mom, gobbled down some junk food, guzzled down a couple of gallons of tea and he was ready to explore some more mountain side with some other boys from other troops whose parents hadn't come up to see them....mom was heart broken but survived.
Saturday, right after lunch, the scouts returned from camp. Concerned and distraught mothers were biting their nails and wondering if their sons had survived a week away from their loving, mothering care. Little scouts with beaming smiles on their faces jumped out of the vans shouting and screaming with joy to be home rushing into the loving arms of their mothers.....all except mine. He was sitting in van looking all dejected and forlorn not wanting to get off. I asked the scout master what his problem was and what happened to him since we last saw him Wednesday evening. Scout master responded that he had been great all week and thoroughly enjoyed camp until they started loading up that morning. He had started crying because he didn't want to come home.
Out of that large group of cub scouts that came up to the boy scouts that year, 2 quit within a year, 6 quit within a couple more years and one moved away but not before he made Eagle Scout. The remaining 3, including my son, have made Eagle Scout in the last year. That's 4 out of the 12 making Eagle which is pretty good when you consider that by data from the Boy Scouts that show that only one or two out of one hundred boys entering the scouts stay in and make Eagle. Also, that 4 that stayed in went on a 22 day long Scout high adventure trip to Philmont Scout Ranch. They drove out there by a northern route and came back a southern route stopping all along the way to see points of interest and historical sites.
