Newsletters and Noteworthy News

What's Across the Scouting Bridge?

When we visited the Grand Canyon a couple of years ago, we drove in from the East.  As you travel the roads through the park, you get little glimpses of the canyon.  The journey up to that point had been amazing.  My son was seeing our country up close for the first time and my wife and I loved experiencing it anew through his eyes.  The journey was long and there were moments when it was less than thrilling.  But our spirit of adventure, the many wonderful areas we had already visited, and knowing many more lie ahead kept us going.  I’ve been to the Grand Canyon several times and remember distinctly the first time I stepped out on the observation deck on the South Rim.  I was riding my motorcycle from CA to FL alone and had a lot on my mind about my journey.  All other thoughts vanished when I looked out into that impossibly huge canyon.  It takes some time for your mind to adjust to new scales of majesty.  There’s no reference to compare it to.  It’s a level of natural spectacle that has no equal. So I knew something of what my son was about to experience.  We arrived at one of the South Rim observation areas, parked our rigs (my parents had met us in CO with their camper) and we as a family walked to the edge.  No one spoke. My son took his time to soak it all in, not dashing around like he usually does.  Finally it came out of him, he spoke in kind of hushed tone…whoa Dad…this is awesome.  Now I’m not making this up…he turned to me, gave me a hug and said “thank you Dad for bringing me here, I love you”. Many of you have taken the opportunity to experience a little of what lies ahead for your son in Boy Scouts.  The Camporee, visiting Troop meetings, or camping with T806 and/or T860 has given you some idea.  Your journey through Cub Scouts is much like a journey to the Grand Canyon.  You get several glimpses of what lies ahead but until you cross that bridge, you aren’t quite sure of what’s over there.  The life lessons and experiences that lie ahead for your son in Boy Scouts can not be overstated.  You’ve nurtured his Scouting spirit and now it’s time to let Boy Scouting start to take hold.  When you talk to older Scouts and they attempt to tell you what Scouting has meant to them, they always seem to struggle with finding the words.  How do you describe the Grand Canyon to someone who has never seen it?  See you on the other side, P831D8WIIL Mark Wheeler

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