QuarterMaster Store

It has been long overdue.  I will try to punish myself.  It has almost been two weeks since I have posted last.  Life hasn't even gotten busy.

  Yes, another post about NYLT, there are so many stories that can and should be told.  This one is going to be about a song the my patrol came up with and is a cover of a scout song that somewhat made fun of the other patrols.  But then, they came up with a verse for us. 

Disclaimer: I do not know these scouts.  This is the only version of this song that was close to the one we sung at camp, and this version isn't nearly as annoying as the others.  And another thing, you don't have to listen to all of this, I just want you to have a feel for the song.

Here are the names of all the patrols at NYLT:

1. Sheep

2.  Foxes

3.  Deer

4.  Rabbits (or commonly known as the bloody bunnies)

5. Skunks

6. Otters

7. And lastly but not least, Woodchucks.

So now that you have a feel for the song I will start off with the Sheep:

There are Sheep sheep sheep hiding in the keep

In the Store (echo)

In the Store (echo)

(All together) In the Quarter Master Store

(Chorus)

My eyes are dim I cannot see, I have not brought my specks with me, I have HEY not HO brought my specs with me!!

There are Foxes Foxes Foxes falling in the boxes

In the Store (echo)

In the Store (echo)

Repeat Chorus

There are Deer Deer Deer trembling in fear

Repeat Last part of verse.

Repeat Chorus.

There are Hares hares hares falling down the stairs

There are Skunks skunks skunks stinking up with bunks

And...  There are Otters otters otters living with the Squatters

And then the rest of the camps response: 

There are Wood Chuck Chucks wishing that they had luck

The End.

I know, amazing isn't it?  Just brings tears to my eyes. 

Hope y'all enjoy!

Exactly Like Valley Forge, Right?

Well it all started when I was born in Russia...  No, that is not what this blog post is about.  So, don't get nervous.   No.  Stop worrying.  Really, it is bad for you.  Stop.


 Now, I will get to the subject.  It actually began on a hill.  A very cold hill.  On this hill, the trees are fading, dying, trying to outlive their appointed time to die.  On this hill there is a hut.  Not a tepee, more like a rather old, long building that looked like it could have outlived all the veterans of World War II.  This building houses Troop 303.  Yes, a Boy Scout Troop.  And also here, a group of boys and a couple of men are hauling bags into the forest.  Yes, Troop 303 is about to set out on a campout on the verge of Winter.
        
                                                      ************************

Enough with this poetic writing, I should just tell the story the way I know how to tell a story, right?  Wow.  Amazing where rabbit trails can take you..  Anyway, we headed up to the Boyscout hut Friday afternoon, excited for a campout that could possibly have snow!  I mean, who doesn't like camping in the snow?  And also camping with some of my best friends.  So, with these prospects in mind, I was ready to have a one nighter full of fun.  But unfortunately, when I arrived, we found that we did not have aluminum foil, which was needed to make the meal successful.  So, one of my friends and I ran/walked to the grocery store, which is about one mile each way. 




  Yep, fun way to start the camp out wasn't it?  Actually, it was enjoyable. Surprising I know?  So, we walked back into camp, having accomplished a very important mission. *looks important*  After that, we cooked and ate our dinner.  Then relaxed and watched the fire. 


Finally, as the evening drew to a close, we decided to do the Never Ending story.  I won't put it in here, because it was very long...  Almost like Never Ending.


After that, we finally hit the hay around ten and the majority of us went to sleep.  But my friend and I, and he knows who I am talking about, didn't get to bed right away.


You are probably wondering, what does this have to do with Valley Forge?  Well, not really.  I was just comparing it to this particular campout.  Come on, you must have seen the connection...  Okay.  That's fine, maybe next time.  I will draw some important parallels.  Valley Forge was cold.  So was this campout.  It was snowing in the Forge.  It also snowed on this campout.  At the Valley they were getting ready for another fight with the Lobster backs, and we- that is where the comparisons stop.


So, I apologize for my incessant rambling, and hope that this wasn't a complete waste of time for you.  Hope you enjoyed!  Thank you and goodnight!

Woodchucks. They're the Best

                                                         NYLT: Part One

It is hard to deny.  How can Woodchucks not be the best?  They don't really exist.  And, you never know, it may be spelled Wood Chucks, or Woodchucks, or even WoodChucks.  It doesn't really matter, they don't really exist.  So, what if I misspell it?

                                          * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Yep.  You guessed it.  I was in the Woodchuck patrol at NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training).  I had to say, that we were probably one of the few patrols there that enjoyed our time together.  I enjoyed hanging out with the guys from that patrol. 

Once we (the guys from my Troop)  arrived at Camp Freedom, we signed in, and went out back to kill time, until we were divided up into different teams/patrols.  Although a few of the guys in my Troop tried to get into the same patrol, the Course Director (who was our old Scoutmaster) was the wiser.  She saw right through our petty scheming, so we were, regrettably, split into different teams.  We were heart broken.  On the verge of tears!  Okay...  Maybe not that dramatic.  But, still slightly disappointed, we departed with our TG (Team Guide)  to our campsites.

But as I came to realize that I was going to enjoy this week with a bunch of fun guys, I so forgot my disappointment.  But, once we got to our campsite.  We encountered our first problem..  There were to many tents!  These were the big eight-man tents, but there was only six of us.  We actually could of each had an enormous tent to ourselves, but the minimum of two to a tent.  So we decided to pair off, and take the tents closer to the main area.  The main area, meaning where we would and eat and cook our food. 



Here is the Woodchuck Patrol!  Nathan and I are hiding back there, somewhere!



This is Brownsea!  Where we would gather at the Opening ceremonies in the morning, and Retiring the Flag at the end of the day.



Braxton and Joseph!  More of the Woodchuck Patrol!

So, yes, the Woodchuck had an awesome start-off!  The next week would be spent either making up verses to the songs "Call Me Maybe" and "The QuaterMaster Store".  We would either make friends with other teams, or become rivals.  For the next five days, we would be in the classroom, or competing in tying tripods.  Sometimes we would spend an hour and a half in the Classrooms and then we would dash over to the Trading Post during break to grab a quick soda or snack.  It felt like we were in school again...  Which...is that a good thing?

I promise there will be more posts about NYLT from this Woodchuck!

"How much wood could a Woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?"

Luke Scout-Walker

The Ultimate Boy Scout Tool
So, you find yourself in the wilderness, without a knife. And you are starving, parched, and do not have a shelter to escape from the blistering hot sun. What do you do? Do you look for water? Do you hunt for an unsuspecting little bunny? Or do you try to find shelter? A cave or a tree? These are probably the questions that are whirring through your brain, while you are trying to figure out an answer to your problem. But, if you don't figure it out soon you will probably die.

But the solution is so easy! It is so simple. What is it? You might ask. Well. We like to call it the: Ultimate Boyscout Tool!!! How does it work?

Well, it is in the form of a flashlight... What is a flashlight going to help you with? There is already plenty of light thanks to the sun. Are you going to hit the bunny over the head with the flashlight?!

Ha! I laugh at your unbelief! I began with “It is in the form of a flashlight...” I didn't say that lighting things up was it's only feature. As a matter of fact. There is a button on the bottom of the flashlight that turns the flashlight into a lethal Light Saber. Yes! A real light saber! And then, on the side near the top of the flashlight is a food button. All you do is hold that button while thinking of the specific food you want, and then point it at the place you want it. Then. ZAP! You have whatever food you want.

Well, that takes care of two of your problems, what are you going to do if you are thirsty? And what about a shelter?

Wow. You are such a doubter! There is a button on the side of the flashlight that is lower to the ground and on the food button side. And once you press this button, it will immediately tell you where the nearest water hole is. And then, on the other side of the light flasher, is yet another button. And this button, once pushed, releases a seven man tent!
So. What do you have to say now! This is revolutionary. It will turn the whole world upside down. Hanging upside down outside a window being held up by Wesley.... Well, maybe not that dramatic. Yet, it will change the world's perspective about camping. This is the ultimate backpacking trip! Yes, it can be yours for just under $10000000000000000000000000000000000000.01!

Luke Scout-Walker
Hi. My name is Luke Scout-Walker, but you can call me Stud Muffin. Or, just Stud. Never Muffin. That is just demeaning.
Oh! You want to know what I am doing hiding in these Trash-cans? Well... This is a secret mission, but I suppose I can tell you. But first, I should give you a little history about myself., before I let you know why I am in these trash-cans outside the Girl Scout hut.

***********************************

First things first. I am involved in Boyscouts. I guess you can say that I do all the dirty work for them. Not as in evil work. Merely.... Ridding the land of our rivals. Boyscouts was the original program for Scouting for kids like me.
Though I am not a kid anymore. I turned 18 yesterday, and just made Eagle in time. And, I also entered a secret society called the Order of the Arrow. And, to make the Brotherhood, I need to complete two Missions. I am on my first mission.

Anyway, back to the History lesson. A few years after Boyscouts were formed, the Girlscouts were formed. Well, you can just imagine the indignation on Lord Baden Powell's face when he heard this. I mean, they basically copied the Boyscouts, from our law to our campsites. Well, he wasn't to happy about that, so he declared war forever more on the wimpy Girlscouts. He declared in his call for Boyscouts everywhere to commence hostilities, “We will not buy their cookies, and will hinder the selling of them...” And so, our rivalry was born.

Then many decades later, another form of Scouting took place. It is called Venturing. They stole many a good Boyscout because it was Co-ed... Once we realized that they were banding together with the Girl-Scouts. We immediately knew and acknowledged that we would be overpowered. So, finally we made the Scouting organization, the Cubscouts. It was for younger boys, until we had trained them up in the Laws of the pack so that they would be prepared for Boyscouts.

Then as years went on. Boyscouts, Girlscouts and Venturing started to forget the enmity of old, and the Boys stared to forget the war that had been carried on for over a century. Many Senior scouts saw the danger of complacency, so the banded together and started the Brotherhood. They also invented the Ultimate Boyscout Tool. As you can only carry so much when you are hunting a Venturer or a Girly Scouter. This Brotherhood was called the Order of the Arrow. These were boys that were picked to represent their Troops in their Brotherhood. Upon entering the Order, you take an oath swearing that you would wage war, as long as you had breath on your lips, to defend the principles of Boyscouts and attack the infidel that tried to destroy BSA Troops.

******************************************************

So, that is why you find me in the Trash-cans outside the Girl Scout hut. This is my mission, to take out one of the girls who have been penetrating into the BSA library, trying to steal information on The Ultimate Tool. My job, is not to kill but to Capture and bring your back to the Order of the Arrow's headquarters. (OAH) So, now I must leave. I need to go and defend the bright honor of the Boy Scout!