Home from Camp Geiger

One Post Script to camp this year and a story that should have been told earlier. I've had a lot of people ask, "why do you go all the way to Missouri for camp." I try to explain that the camp is top notch and that it's well run and well organized, but the big difference is Mic-O-Say and what it means to people. First of all the whole Mic-O-Say experience is a magical thing for all who get into the tribe. But one person in particular really summed up what it is all about for all of us. In advance, I'll confess not having done due diligence in getting all the necessary details. The story as I know it is as follows.

One scout, from a troop around the area in Missouri, had never walked before. He had been in scouting for a time, but for obvious reasons, could only do so much. A short while back, he had a surgery that finally had given him the ability to use his legs. He was quite literally, learning how to walk from scratch. He is on crutches. This young man was determined to be tapped into the tribe. Thursday night he was. Being tapped means you'll be doing some running, and some other activities at camp. You might think this story would be leading to how this young man did all of these activities without a hitch. But no, the story is better than that. The boys who were tapped were guided here and there by the runners of the tribe. When this young man, who managed to get many places on his crutches through sheer will ran into an issue that may have been too difficult, those runners literally carried him on their backs to complete the tasks. As you may know, there are many hills we have to go up every day, and it was up these hills on narrow paths that the runners helped carry this young man up. It was not only that this young man was determined to become a member of the tribe, but the staff at Camp Geiger was determined to see him succeed as well. This is why we go. We're not just going to camp, we're going to a place where a group of people are committed to having young men succeed in reaching their goals, no matter what obstacles they face.

The young man who could not walk a short time ago, did in fact reach his goal and through determination, and the helping hand of someone to carry him through, he is now a brave in the tribe of Mic-O-Say.