Timpanogos Peak Attempt

So we had planned to hike Timpanogos Peak (elev. 11,750 ft) last weekend.  We planned to backpack up 3-4 miles and set up camp for the night.  Then the next morning we would leave the tents and backpacks and just take day packs to hike to the summit and back, then pack up and hike back down to the trail head.

You'll notice I said "planned".  We didn't get as far as we had hoped due to weather (it was raining cats and dogs), and lack of preparation - but it was a good learning experience for us.

We had boys with sleeping bags rolled up and strapped to packs without any waterproof bag covering them (which got soaked in about 90 seconds).  We had boys with packs that were open on the top that allowed rain to go right in, soaking everything inside the packs.  We had boys that didn't have any rain gear even though they were told that the forecast was for rain and to be prepared.

We quickly took black garbage bags and covered everything we could, but it was too late really, too much was soaked.  We backpacked up the 1.3 miles to Scout Falls on the Timpooneke Trail, then had a little learning discussion.  We talked about how unprepared we were to spend the night - knowing that it was going to get down to the low 30's and we had all wet stuff.  We still had approximately 2 miles to hike and only 45 minutes before dark.  We talked about what we would do if we were on a 50 miler, and 25 miles from our vehicles and had to spend the night.  Then we hiked back down to the vehicles and drove home.

It was a bummer that we didn't "succeed" in our attempt to climb the peak.  But I found out the next day that there was 3 inches of snow at Emerald Lake, and temperatures at the peak were 30 degrees, with a 20 degree wind chill factor.  It was good we weren't up there for all of that.  And it was a great learning experience for the boys, and us leaders as to what we need to do to prepare better next time.

Blanding High Adventure - Experiences Carrying a Scout

So, our main difference this year was that we have a scout with Spina Bifida in our troop now, that walks with a cane.  We really wanted to make sure he was included, especially in our High Adventure activities, so one of our scouts decided to make a stretcher type carrier, with a seat in the middle, for his Eagle Project.  He then donated it to the Spina Bifida Foundation of Utah for families of kids with Spina Bifida to check out and use.  We checked it out first to make sure it worked on our trip.

Hiking around Hovenweep National Monument

It worked great!  I was a little worried about some of the boys complaining about having to carry their troop member, but I had no need to worry.  The boys were practically fighting over who got to carry him, and going out of their way to carry the packs of the porters.  I had to force myself into the line to get a chance to try out the carrier, and carry our scout for awhile!

When it was too rough or narrow for the carrier, we carried him on our backs

There were times when the trail too rough, or too narrow, where we couldn't use the carrier.  In these circumstances we carried him on our backs, and kept on going.  He is the neatest scout you'll ever find, he was grateful for the help - maybe a little bit embarrassed, but grateful to have so much help from his peers.  And to have them fighting over who got to help him!  It was awesome!

I got the chance to carry him a couple of times (only because I cut in line and said it was my turn), and it was a really neat experience.  I carried him on a flat trail that was overgrown with weeds to the point that we had to keep lifting him high to get the weeds unstuck from the legs of the seat.  I also carried him going up a hill (San Juan Hill for those that know their Utah Pioneer History).  On that hill we had planned on switching off part way up, but the other leader and I just kept going.  As we got past 1/2 way up, the other boys gathered around us and each grabbed onto the carrier and lifted.  They helped us make it the rest of the way to the top!  It was awesome!  Nobody asked them to help, they just saw the need so they jumped into position to help!  I wish we had gotten photos of that part, but unfortunately we didn't.  Even so, it will be a memory that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

Hiking up San Juan Hill

We had such a good experience that we have planned a trip soon to backpack up to the top of Timpanogos Peak with him.  We will be backpacking about 5 miles and then camping the night, bagging the peak the next morning, and then backpacking back down. It's 7 miles each way, with an elevation gain of 4,500 feet!  I wouldn't even try this if we didn't have a bunch of older scouts that are pretty tough, and up to the challenge of either carrying their pack with someone else's stuff, or carrying their fellow scout while someone else carry's their stuff.  It's going to be a challenge, but it will sure have rewards when we all get to the top of the peak!

It was such a great experience that I encourage any troop with similar challenges to definitely try what we did.  It has helped create so much unity in our troop!

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Blanding High Adventure - Why go on High Adventure?

Why do we do High Adventure?  Why do I take a week out of my limited vacation time from work to go camping with the scouts?  Why do we encourage scouts to go on a challenging high adventure?  Because it IS challenging!  Because it stretches them and allows them to get out of their comfort zone and see what they are capable of (not what their character in their video game is capable of).  Once they see that they can do hard things, they will be more willing to take on even harder things.  Our scouts love to be challenged!  They have named one of the high adventures they went on before I was involved, "medium adventure" because they didn't do anything to challenge or stretch them.  They just went camping near a lake.  None of them wants to do another "medium adventure", they want a High Adventure that will challenge them and be hard to complete.

Yes, that requires some training, some classes, and some specialized equipment.  And unfortunately BSA is making it harder and harder to do your own High Adventure by forcing you to take tons of extra trainings and certifications to be able to do High Adventure activities. (Click HERE to see more about the trainings and stuff required for canyoneering and rappelling).  Unfortunately, that's the hurdle you have to get over right now with BSA.  I think they are trying to get you to just go to Council operated High Adventure Bases - so they make more money.  But there's something about going out and doing it on your own that is so much more adventurous for the boys (and leaders), and you can do it for 1/2 of the cost of a council camp.  We can't afford to go to council camps for high adventure, even if we wanted to!

To see more of my thoughts on challenging boys, click on the link below:
Challenging Boys helps them become Men

Also, check this one out about getting outdoors with the scouts:
Put the Outing in Scouting

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