Eagle Scout

Kaleb has been very devoted to his journey in scouts/

Can you tell that Scouts is important to him?

He has gotten out everything that he has put into it and some.

His Court of Honor was very memorable with great words said about him, sweet treats and great friends and mentors. He surprised Jared and Josh W. with mentor pins. I think they both felt very honored to be presented a pin.

 We are very proud of our Eagle Scout. 

I never would have thought long ago when we started Cub Scouts 

that we would be standing here with Kaleb being presented his Eagle Award.

 These are an awesome group of men whom I have prayed for.

Thank you Lord for these wonderful men that you have intertwined into my men's lives.

We couldn't have asked for anyone better!

 They have made great friends along the way as well.....

I love that these two have such an awesome relationship.

They are very tolerant and supportive to each other.

I am sure that there will be many more times that they will shake hands.

 My Eagle Scout.

King's Peak

Kirk and I helped the Fallentine's lead a group of 9 older Scouts of Troop into the Uinta's to King's Peak, Utah. We had to drive through Wyoming only to get into Utah again. The plan was to backpack in about 8 miles and camp at Dollar Lake which is at an 11,000 ft elevation. Then we were to day pack 13 miles round trip up King's Peak which topped out at the highest peak in Utah at 13,572 ft. Then backpack out the next day another 8 miles coming back down in elevation around 7,000 ft. 

That was the plan.

 Hiking in was really strenuous with the elevation change. If you felt like you weren't out of shape, you would now feel that you don't exercise a day in your life. Kirk had been in Seattle all week doing 12-14 hour days and then flew in at midnight the night before we set out. He had packed his backpack with the boys checking to see that he had everything. But with only 4 hours sleep and being exhausted to begin with, among other things, he felt like the oldest one there.....even though he was. It was a little scary.

 Everyone hiked at their own pace. Kaleb and Jared were in the front of course with the Fallentine's who have a very fast pace. I could never keep that pace. I am some where in the middle. Kirk took of the rear of the group with a couple others who actually wanted to hike that pace. We all hiked where we were comfortable. No pressure. We had some pretty interesting conversations in the back as we hiked. The boys talked about what their plans were for college, what games they like to play, what type of vehicle they want to drive and ammunition.....It's a boy thing.

 This place is absolutely beautiful. It was hard to take it all in because our goal was to get to Dollar Lake and set up camp, rest and hike up to King's Peak, early, early in the morning. With the elevation change I was very wobbly on this bridge. It was so hard taking secure steps with the water rushing under. Visually it was extremely disturbing. (I met a robust guy who had troubles coming across on our way back down who had the same trouble. So I didn't feel so bad.)

 We must have passed about 100 hikers coming out as we were coming in. Each of the scouts had a topo map of the area so they could see where we were. I didn't want to be a typical "girl" on a Boy Scout High Adventure so I carried my own weight...no pun intended. I am fully capable. No worries there until I picked up my 28 lb pack one of the times we rested. I was okay until I went to sling it onto my shoulder. Oops. I pulled a muscle right over my hip. I didn't make a peep about it. It didn't start giving me problems until about an hour later when it began to creep around the front of my leg. I started having trouble bring my leg forward. Oh great! Not quite what you want to happen out on the trail with two days of hiking ahead.

 We finally got to Dollar Lake and set up camp. It had been raining/sprinkling off and on, on the way in. I think almost everyone went to bed before 7 pm, except Jared of course. He was one of the last ones in his sleeping bag. (It is amazing how he is always the last one since he was a newborn!) I guess the best way to wear out a group of Scouts is to hike the daylight out of them. This was definitely a strenuous hike.....but I loved every bit of it.

 Unfortunately, I was the only one who didn't make it the next day up to King's Peak. I stayed behind to rest my pulled muscle, take ibuprofen and watch the peak from the foothills. I was really disappointed and could easily become teary eyed thinking about being left behind until I realized that God had had other plans for me. I needed the break. Really? Out here where there was not another living soul...unless you count the moose. All the other hikers in the area had left for home or were on the peak with Troop 1. I spent 10 hours all by myself. And I wasn't scared being alone in the wilderness. The chipmunks kept me company. They are quite bold. I spent the day lying on flat boulders taking naps. My back was painful but I felt like it was on the mend by the afternoon. I was relaxed until I saw an afternoon storm rolling in with a vengeance. I was hoping that they had made it to the top before it came in. They should considering that they had left at 6am to make it to the peak by 11:30.

 This is proof that they made it up there by the time it started thundering and lightening. I was so nervous. I sat in the rain for an hour watching for signs of life coming off the mountain. My Mom instinct was on high alert. Kaleb said that there was finger lightening all around them as they were coming off the peak. It was really scary for the boys. One of the boys had altitude sickness and was rushed down the trail as fast as they could get him. Remember, the peak was over 13,000 ft. He recovered quickly just being down off the mountain and at 11,000 ft. Whew! Kirk said it was difficult with sore legs to scale the boulder size shale. I am glad that I rested my back.

 I am really proud of this group of Scouts, my Hubby Buddy whom I called "Bubby" everytime we did a buddy check. The Fallentine family is amazing with all their planning. There was never a moment that I didn't trust Mark. He had this trip so well planned out, there was never a moment that I felt like any of the boys were in danger. Maybe except for the lightening. There were a few hikers who didn't make it to the peak. I talked with quite a few as they were coming down while I was waiting for our group in the pouring rain. The other hikers had to turn around just 300 ft from the top because of the lightening. It was just too risky and dangerous. Our group had started out early enough to make it to the top. All because of Mark's planning.

 I was really relieved to hear about their adventure that day when they made it back down. I felt like I could relax a little with everyone back at camp. It was a little stressful with the thunderstorm, knowing that they could easily be zapped by lightening. In spite of it all, I felt like I got the mental rest that was intended for me. There is just something about lying in a tent in pouring rain listening to the sounds of nature or lying on a huge flat boulder, using a jacket as a pillow, watching beetles, inspecting lichen up close, listening to the birds......
I had a great time.

 The next morning was beautiful of course. Bright sunny day. We set out early once again for the hike out.

 This is proof that I was there. I did hike in and out the 16 miles. And I am a new person. I feel rested even though my body feels exhausted. Mentally and emotionally.....God knew exactly what I needed by providing me with 10 hours of solitude. The next morning, I started hiking the trail to the lake to sterilize more water. I looked up just in time to almost run into a mother moose and her baby. Oops. I backed up immediately and waited for them to move on.

 The same moose family was blocking our way out. We had to go around the moose.....way around the moose to get past them. They are amazingly HUGE animals.

We hiked out in quite a bit of mud. It was much easier coming down in elevation than it was going up. That was a no brainer. We made really good time. This time someone helped me with my pack going on and off, which is what I should have done to begin with but then I wouldn't have been able to "restart" myself. I really needed the break from everything and everyone. It was the only way to recover from severe burnout.

Thank you Lord!

One of the incentives that the scouts had is if they hike out before 12 noon then we would stop for pizza in Mountain View, Wyoming. We did it with Kirk and David hitting the trail head at 12 noon on the dot. Noon also brought another thunderstorm. By the time we reached the vehicles it was dropping buckets of water. We were so soaked. We all looked like drenched rats, not to mention the wet dog smell in the van....Ugh!

 We stopped for pizza and this little 4 year old girl was having a birthday party with a zebra cake. The mom didn't have a match to light her four little candles so Jared ran out to the van to find a lighter. He lit the little girl's candles for her while her family sang Happy Birthday. It was cute. Next thing we know, Jared walks out of the restaurant with a zebra cake. They didn't want the rest of it so they gave it to the boys to eat.

David sneaking bites of  leftover pizza from behind the seat.

Time to wash the van!

Clonedike Derby 2014

 The boys scout troop participated in the Clonedike Derby last weekend. They camped in 8 degree weather, while the girls and I were home in our warm house.

One of the dads and his brother and son built the sled. It was pretty impressive and ran beautifully with all the boys pushing. I heard they ran over some kid that threw himself in front of their sled on purpose. Somehow he wasn't hurt.

Kirk has  been a wonderful addition to this troop. In the past the boys have had very light meals or we had to send them with a sack lunch for dinner the first night. Now, with Kirk as Scoutmaster, he gets the boys cooking so they have a hot meal to eat and get them going. I feel better knowing that no one will be going without food. Especially with freezing temperatures. I also love hearing about all the stories that they come back with about the events that took place. Oh, and they even washed the van, plus vacumed it out before returning home. I think they are afraid for me to see how dirty the van gets inside and out when they go on these scouting trips.

Canyoneering Trip

Well, the boys are packed for their trip. Jared has tried his hardest to lighten his backpack to under 25 pounds. He can easily be a minimalist so it shouldn't be hard for him to do. He weighed his pack and it weighed 25 pounds. You should have seen the look on his face. He thought for sure that it would have been at the most 23 pounds.

Next up, Kaleb. Jared came up the stairs claiming that Kaleb was packing the kitchen sink in his backpack. He sat on the stool with a smile on his face while Kaleb weighed his pack...24 pounds!

Now you really should have seen the look on Jared's face!

WHAT?!?

He concluded that since Kaleb is SOOOO skinny, he has smaller clothing. Even though they wear the same size shirt.

 My tough chickie decided to check out Kaleb's pack. It was kind of funny watching her try to walk around with 24 pounds on her back. Her legs were like lead weights with each step.

 Some mom's pack their sons packs and make their sack dinner for them.  I don't. Nope. If you have a son, you aren't doing them any favors by doing things for them. Plus...I think they made a pretty awesome looking sandwich. They did say that it tasted pretty good too. And...it was huge. I had bought a loaf of french bread which they proceeded to cut the rounded edges off and made two huge sandwiches out of it. Pretty impressive. Not just a wimpy sandwich. This was a Man Sandwich with lots of turkey, peppers and hot mustard. Along with all the veges that a mother encourages. I think I saw cucumber and tomatoe.

Yep, they're ready. I wish I were going.

Rock Climbing

Mid June, both the boys were preparing for a big trip to Leeds, Utah for a Canyoneering trip. They practiced in Logan Canyon for this. I got to watch....and take pictures. I was nervous at first for them but was excited for them at the same time. Two of the parents, a husband and wife team, led the boys. They go canyoneering all the time through out the year so they are quite experienced and bless the troop with their expertise.

 Jared was actually the first one down and followed the instructions to a "T". I get so proud of my boys when I see them do really cool things like this. They are growing into wonderful young men with a range of experiences.

 A look of satisfaction. Is it just me or is he handsome.....

 Kaleb really impressed me.  He has always been really cautious. You should see him with a knife. The funny thing about Kaleb is he is always so careful to not make a mistake and very cautious. Always the first one to pipe up with an instruction on how not to hurt yourself. He was very excited about this and was willing to take the risk rapelling down this cliff! I think because he is so cautious, he feels secure in knowing what he knows. It doesn't keep him from actually doing it in this case. I am really proud of him for sucking it up and doing it. They had extra safety lines that are required by the BSA anyway. So he was pretty secure up there.

 I got a lot of pictures of behinds. It is a little hard to get a picture otherwise. I would have had to be up there with them to get a better one......but I was not about to do that.

 Thumbs up and a big smile!

Out of all 6 boys going on this trip, 4 of them homeschool and attend Star Academy co-op with us. They should have a great time on this upcoming trip. They have done a good job preparing for it.

Boy Scouts

My boys take scouts seriously. They enjoy the program and the activities. They enjoy being away and doing things with their friends. They enjoy the experience.



Snow Camping with Scouts

Feb. 24, the boys and Kirk and all the other Scouts/Leaders ventured

into Logan Canyon to camp overnight

in the snow structures that they built the weekend before.

I don't know how they did it but they got there after dark on Fri,

repaired their structures if needed,

set up their bags and gear,

ate dinner

and survived the cold, wet climate in pitch black.

They used sleds once again to pull most of their gear up this hill that had a

layer of ice with snow on top.

They said it was tricky making it up with snowshoes.

First they had to "find" their structure.

It had snowed during the week and all of the entrances were buried.

Here Jared is discovering where the entrance was.

Just a little piece of blue tarp sticking out of the snow

was his indication that he was close.

 Kirk was able to catch Jared all snug as a bug wedged in his structure!

I think that is a little too close for comfort for me.

Incredible!

Kirk caught a glimpse of someones flash light glowing through

the wall of their snow cave.

What an awesome experience!

The next morning Kirk found Kaleb to be dusted with powder.

He was so cozy in there that one of the leaders rode

a snow mobile up the hill to bomb him and his buddy out of bed.

They were not budging!

You can barely make out his face.

Kirk said that he had a little sliver of skin exposed.

 There were two kids who crawled through this opening and slept in a

clearing inside.  It reminded me of a bunny hole.

Kirk said that they had to crawl down and then turn a corner before

they entered the clearing.

Just crazy to me!

The next morning they had to take down their shelters and

pull up their tarps. 

Jared said it was easier said than done.

They had to carry their all of their gear down the mountain

 to the vehicles parked at the base.

These kids didn't want to waste any time getting down. 

My cautious, Jared said they went really, really, fast.

They went so fast, they drug the other kid behind.



 Going,

 Going,

Gone.

About this time, everyone was exhausted with the amount

of energy it was taking to pack up and disassemble their

structures. 

A blizzard moved in (which I watched from our kitchen window.

We can see the entrance of the canyon from the house) and

gave them almost no visibility.

The wind was blowing, it was heavily snowing.

As a group they were hiking , or sledding, down the hill.

Kaleb's hands just gave out and he dropped the black trash

bag that had his new 0 degree sleeping bag

 in it that he had just gotton for his birthday.

So the bag is just slidding down the mountain like

nothin'.  Kaleb takes off after the bag.

Jared looks over and sees Kaleb booking down the hill with snowshoes on

about to become a cartoon character rolling up in a

giant snowball, and he can hear Kirk yelling at Kaleb that he is going the

wrong way.  Jared called the visibility a complete

"white out" making it really hard for Kaleb to actually see where

he was going.

And no one was anywhere near to help catch the bag because it took off

down the other side of the mountain.

Needless to say, he found the bag!

Whew!

And he survived.  Very tired and sore, but alive.......with the bag.

 They were in the process of taking down their structures. 

 This was a partial lean to.

 This literally looks like a bunny hole.

It is hard to believe that there were boys crawling in there.

 This looks like they dropped something.

One of the kids did drop Kirks heavy scissors in the snow and just dissappeared

into no where.  I am sure they will turn up in the Spring.

And probably a little rusted by then.

I love this picture of Kirk. He looks like Grizzly Adams (he said he would

trim his beard AFTER this campout.......

he promised me).

I love it here.

SO.....my men came home exhausted and barely able to move,

their muscles hurt so bad.

They stayed warm, had a great experience,

and I haven't heard that they never want to do this again

ever in their life, ever again!