We met up early since the boys were on fall break from school and were able to get away by 1:00 pm. We had 3 of the boys come and this was the first campout for my Assistant Scoutmaster Tyler. Before we made it too far from the city, we stopped at Sportsman's Warehouse so the boys could stock up on paracord, which would become a very important part of our adventure. Haha. With several hundred feet of the stuff, we were back on the road.
It was a pretty good drive to get there, totaling over 3 hours, but it was beautiful with all the fall leaves and the forest bursting with color! We were well-stocked with candy and snacks for the way up, which made the trip go by quickly. The highlight of the drive, however, was the request from the boys to read several chapters from The Book of Mormon as we went. It was so inspiring and awesome to see these young men with such a great desire to study the scriptures and show their testimonies of The Book of Mormon. These guys are the best!
We soon found ourselves climbing up a dirt road through aspens and pine trees, getting closer and closer to the summit of the mountain peaks that was to be our destination. When we finally reached the parking lot, we were met with a chilly surprise...
Yep, SNOW! It was pretty chilly as well with a cold wind blowing down from the peaks above us! As you can see, the troop wasn't exactly prepared for the cold... (at least in this picture!)
After putting on some warmer clothes, we trekked our way up towards the peaks and found ourselves looking at first one, then two beautiful mountain ponds.
Tyler, having been here before, informed us that these two were just the beginning, so we continued on. We came around the bend and...
This lake is GORGEOUS! The water is so clear and inviting, even though it was pretty cold outside. I really wish we could have had a boat or canoe with us because that would have been prime for sure. We had another more important matter to deal with however, the rope swing! We walked around to the east side of the lake where a giant pine stood at the water's edge. Wrapped around the trunk was exactly what we were looking for... The rope swing was ready and we couldn't wait for the next day so we could try it out!
This would be the time that something awkward happens, just like it always seems to whenever I'm out camping with the Scouts. And sure enough, something awkward did happen... So we are checking out the rope swing when a guy comes out of the trees on the hillside above us and just stands there staring at the boys. Tyler asked him: "How's it going?" to which he just got really jittery as he responded: "Fine." We made some small talk for a few minutes, but he was really finicky and acting strange, so we left and decided to go set up camp. (To be continued...)
We headed back towards the truck and found a great spot to make camp on top of the hill above the parking lot in a small circle of trees that made for a great windbreak. We packed up all of our stuff at the vehicle and hauled our belonging up the hill and made camp. As we were setting up our tents, our "friend" walked by on the trail towards the parking lot, completely out of breath and sweating profusely.
"Are you staying up here tonight?" he asked. "Yeah, we are." I replied. "Oh, okay. Well..." and then he just got all nervous and turned and walked away down the trial. We continued to finish setting up our tents and get our sleeping bags set up when he returned, back up the hill and still out of breath.
"Are you seriously thinking about doing that rope swing?" "Yeah, we are. As long as the weather is nice," we answered. "I'm not trying to ruin your trip, but I don't think you should go back there. 20 years ago, a woman jumped in that lake and her lungs collapsed and they couldn't get her out and she DIED. So I strongly advise you not to go back there. Don't do it." We all just kind of sat there dumbfounded. Seeing our response to his "advice," he finished with: "I just really felt like I should tell you that. Hope that doesn't spoil your fun." And with that, he was gone.
We all just shook our heads, but it was still so weird. Too weird. Tyler was the one who brought up the idea that the guy may have been hiding a dead body up there, but we dismissed that as a little too much. But we decided to check the rope VERY carefully in the morning before our swing, just in case he had messed with it...
The rest of the night was a lot of fun. We ate dinner, made plenty of jokes, and tried our hand at paracord bracelets, which turned out AWESOME! One of the boys even made a belt! It was rad. We roasted some marshmallows, played some Phase 10, and curled up for the night. We had some pretty gusty winds for an hour or so, but after they died down, it was a very peaceful night. Well, besides the boys laughing and giggling like girls. The funny thing is, I'm actually starting to be able to sleep right through it!
We woke up the next morning to three pairs of eyes peaking into our tent! Haha. The boys did a great job starting a fire and soon we had a delicious breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, and pancakes cooking over the flame! The day had dawned beautiful and a warm sun was shining.
After cleaning up our breakfast supplies, we all knew the time had finally arrived! We hiked over to the lake, which now was welcoming over a dozen other people who had come up to fish, and soon had a fire going. Everyone around the lake stopped fishing and fixed their gaze upon us as we took off our shirts and untied the swing from the tree. After checking the rope, and the surrounding area for freshly-buried bodies, it was go time, and Tyler went first...
Yep, we all did it! And yes, that is snow in the background and YES it was COLD! But it was such a rush! In fact, it was so exhilarating, three of us did it again a second time!
I couldn't be more proud of the boys. They manned up and did it! It was such an awesome experience! This truly is what life is all about. This is LIVING. We all gathered around the fire to warm up and enjoy the sun on our backs as we roasted hotdogs and revelled in the glory of our manhood.
We hiked back to camp, packed up our gear, and soon were on the dirt road heading home. By the time we reached Bear Lake, the three boys were fast asleep in the back seat. We stopped for (famous) raspberry shakes and then were back on the road, making it home without event.
This was such a great trip! These boys are the best. They continue to inspire, impress, and amaze me. It's really hard to say who has more fun on these trips, me or the boys. I'm learning so much from them! It was also great to have Tyler there. He did such a great job of preparing and taking care of the boys. I couldn't ask for a better Assistant Scoutmaster. I can't wait for the next campout...
I think it is a little twilight-zone-ish that you keep having creepers show up on your scout camp-outs...I can't say I'm disappointed that your "luck" didn't follow us to girls camp! hahaha
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