stupid scouter "war-stories"

[BPwannabe@137 10]

OK-just wanted to share how careless one can be.

 

I was volunteering as a den leader for my districts cub scout day camp last week. I am showing the Bears the basics of knife safety. (you know whats coming-right). Well that went well. We were having lunch and I desided, for whatever reason, to eat healthy and have an apple. I take out my trusty BSA edition swiss army knife and cut into the apple, all the way around the core and through my pinky. The cubs just looked, shouted "cool" and I knew that more then my first aid was required. Six stitches later, a huge bandage and splint on my pinky, I learned a lesson. So did my cubs. They all saw that knifes are dangerous and will help and that even the leader can make mistakes.

 

Never-the-less, being at a district camp- I am now the brunt of alot of jokes.

 

Does anyone else feel brave to share any stories???

[EagleInKY 14]

Similar story - Working at Scout Camp in the 80's as Handicraft Director. Decided to do some woodcarving samples prior to camp. About a week before Staff Week I'm carving at home, and my non-locking blade folded up on me, and went right through my thumb. Split it wide open, down the middle of the nail. I still have the scar today. While embarrassing, it made a great object lesson on knife safety. I still use it today.

[Fuzzy Bear 12]

I'm sorry but what is really funny is cutting yourself once and thinking it is funny or that you have learned your lesson. Over the years, I have cut myself so many times that the humor and the education has been wasted and washed away with all of the bloodletting.

 

I still hold out hope.

 

I would encourage not teaching knife safety as much as First Aid.

 

FB

 

[Big_Dog 10]

Ok, it's not a war story, rather a 'cooking gone bad..'

 

Last night of a campout. A COLD campout. So cold when you put a bucket of water on the fire for dishwater, the water on the side away from the fire would freeze while the side toward the coals boiled! We had planned some good menus, but just didn't feel like cooking. The last night of the campout, though was much nicer so we decided to combine the food that hadn't been cooked. Meat for shish-cabobs, cans of vegetable soup, and biscuits were the fare. We thought maybe the biscuits would make dumplings - NOT. The scouts named my concoction 'Beef Dump'.

 

Never did live that down in that troop!

 

bd

[eagle90 125]

The last time I was in the Boundary Waters, our scouts caught some nice bass and walleye. They cleaned and fileted them, and I was frying them up for dinner. I swear one was still alive and jumped right off the spatula, splashing hot grease all over my wrist. I ran down to the lake and immersed the hand, the scouts learned some new words, and I ended up with 2-3 degree burns on the wrist. This was day 4 of a 7 day trip. Made it back ok though, but still have a nice scar on the wrist.

 

We are heading to the Boundary Waters again Tuesday. Wish me luck!!

 

[acco40 95]

Another knife story ...

 

During Woodbadge (for the21st Century mind you) each patrol was asked to do a skit and one patrol had one on knife safety for Cubs. One of the adults (posing as a kid) was supposed to do something wrong with a knife and you guessed it. During the skit he cut his finger badly. First came laughter, then concern and then the first aid kits came out.

 

I blame those stupid "home video" shows for associating laughter with injury. Why seen a male get hit in the groin is humorous or seeing others fall or get hurt emotes laughter from others puzzle me.

[AK-Eagle 19]

Well this isnt a knife story but it might qualify as a stupid scouter story...

After a great campout at the Dan Moller Cabin near Juneau, Alaska we prepared to make the 3.5 mile hike back down to town. I warned the scouts about horseplay on the boardwalk sections of trail because the recent rains had made them slippery. All had gone well until into the last mile when I slipped and fell on a section of boardwalk landing sitting on my left foot. Knowing I was hurt but figuring (hoping) it was only a sprain I had the scouts wrap it with duct tape it tightly over the boot and pant leg. Borrowing a scouts hiking stick I hobbled slowly down to the trail head.

Convinced by one of the moms we went to the emergency room where the nurse in charge who saw me hobble in and said "Its only a sprain you sure you want to wait for the doctor? Well by this time I could feel extra movement in the leg that shouldn't be there so I asked to see the doc.

The doctor came in, took a look at the field brace the scouts made and said "I'm impressed they did a good job". He too thought it was only a sprain because of the "ease" I could walk but humored me with an x-ray. When the x-rays came back he said "Now I am impressed! You walked around on that." A few inches above the ankle joint I had a closed, compound spiral fracture of the tibia and similar stress but no break to the fibula. Two days later surgery put my leg back together and I spent three months in a wheel chair. Two days after the cast finally came off I was on another hike (different trail)

I still carry a plate and 5 screws in the leg and yes I do feel them on cold mornings.

 

What I learned from this... While I should of stayed off the leg after the fall I dont see the scouts carrying me out of the woods on a improvised stretcher. A better plan would be to send a couple of runners to the trailhead to get help and/or carry a cell phone or vhf radio to call for help sending the runners to meet the rescue team and guide them in.