(no subject)
Robert \ (Rcwscouts@AOL.COM)
Sat, 18 Dec 1999 02:01:18 EST
blackeagle@SCOUTER.NET wrote a <Welcome to Scouts-L!!>
from <the other guy from TAC that went in 85! *smiling*>
Now this couldn't be that wet-behind-the-ears, shave-tail, black, 2nd=20
lieutenant; pied piper of Scouts, Mike Walton, already then with more square=
=20
knots than I had ever seen in one place and with whom I almost floated in=20
tandem off a hillside with at Fort A. P. Hill because of the "tail end" of=20
Hurricane Bob?
Boy, I have had a hard time living that storm down. There are still Scouter=
s=20
who seem to hold me single handedly responsible for that gully washer. Why=20
couldn't they have used only formal names-then they would never have gotten=20
that far down the alphabet-anybody ever heard of Hurricane Robert? Geetz. =20
There must have been dozens of other Bobs in Camp that day--why do they hold=
=20
me responsible? I couldn't have brought it with me--they don't have=20
hurricanes in Germany.
Lesson time for new Scouters: Be Prepared. Shortly after setting up camp=20
with the joint Baltimore Council-TransAtlantic Council Jamboree Contingent=20
near the top of a hillside, we received a warning that the tail end of=20
Hurricane Bob would hit in about 20 minutes or so and to expect high winds.=20=
=20
Having had a bit of experience with high winds camping in the Alps with our=20
Alpine District of TAC and being aware the BSA tentage's weakest point are=20
the aluminum poles, I had our troop pile everything on their mattress in the=
=20
tent, pull the poles and stake the tents flat to the ground. The staff and=20
supply wall tents were secured with 2-foot, #4 rebar stakes every 2-feet wit=
h=20
=BD-inch line crises-crossed to the stakes. As we were taking down the=20
gateway, the storm winds hit. Our senior patrol leader, a good-sized, 17-=
=BD=20
year old Greek lad received a sprained wrist as the top piece whipped loose.=
=20
Then came the rain. In twenty minutes, our campsites were under about=20
6-inches of water-whoever heard of being flooded on the upper side of a hill=
.=20
But imagine what the folks camped in the depressions had to deal with! =20
Anyway, every sleepy bag in the Jamboree, just about, was soaked. Before th=
e=20
storm hit the temperature was about 97=BAF and we had had a couple cases of=20
heat exhaustion and dehydration in our Troop. The temperature plummeted and=
=20
by dusk, we were starting to get cases of hypothermia. My job was first to=20
gather up soaked sleeping bags and load them on buses to take to a dry=20
cleaner that someone talked into staying open all night. As the buses pulle=
d=20
away, water would be gushing down the steps and out the door. My next job=20
was to check for Scouts who were shivering uncontrollably and take them to=20
the hospital tent were we wrapped them in two wool army blankets and tried t=
o=20
get them to drink hot chocolate, hot tea or warm milk. The last sleeping=20
bags got back after 2 AM. In my rounds, I met one Scout standing at his=20
Scout wall tent, everything looked fine-then he opened the flap to a 3-foot=20
deep gorge that went from wall to wall. I asked him about his gear--it was=20
all gone--down stream somewhere. All he had were the T-shirt, shorts and=20
thongs he was wearing. But amazingly, this Scout wasn't a bit upset--he had=
=20
just experienced the biggest adventure of his life--he was kind of in awe of=
=20
it all.
NOW to Jamboree and summer camp survival gear, I ensure each Scout has two=20
heavy-duty garbage bags to storm- and flood-proof their sleeping bag. And=20
we've used them!
___>V"V<____>V"V<____>V"V<____
Bob Warner
Piedmont District MB Counselor Chairman
Unit Commissioner
Trained Trainer
District Viking (Training) Patrol
Doctor of Commissioner Science candidate, Triad Cluster
And Freedom Owl, NE-VI-8-32 (1985)
