Camp Geiger Thursday, July 1, 2021

 Thursday at Geiger....it’s like Christmas, your birthday, and the last day of school all wrapped up into one.  For those who have been here before, you get it.  If this is your first time, you have no idea of what to expect and that’s part of the magic.  My first year I was a wide-eyed first year Boy Scout dad that had no idea what was coming.  I just kept hearing, just wait until Thursday, just wait.   Ok...wait for what?   It’s not really something that’s easily describable, it’s actually hard to put it into words.  You have to see it with your own eyes and only then can someone truly appreciate it.  

Breakfast this morning was served immediately after the flag ceremony where Max Brooks. Landon Pratt, Kaleb Rutherford and Winston Smith represented Troop 451 by raising the Texas flag.  Scrambled eggs and sausage patties with orange juice were the staples of today’s offerings.  Yogurt and cereal were also offered as an alternative or along side.  

Mark Lampe, the troop committee was called up to help the staff with this mornings song.  Grand old duke of York was the selection.  After breakfast we headed back to camp to get ready for classes and make sure the grounds were ready for the day.  Yesterday we were blessed to receive a truckload of mulch to spread around the campsite.  Last weeks rains made some spots extremely muddy, often in front of the tents.  Inspections are later this morning and just a general cleanup, or rather just a bit of maintenance was needed.

If you have read my previous blog entries (shame on you if you haven’t) you read about the scoutmaster merit badge offered to the adult leaders.  I had a busy seat scheduled with assuring a merit badge class, belong with cleanup afterwards, and buying a staff member a candy bar.  Also I was scheduled to assist the trading post staff with any assorted duties.  The perfect job right?  Handing out slushies like the the guy handing out Wonka Bars  in Willy Wonka.  Maybe folding t-shirts, organizing candy or even stacking water bottles.   “Hey, you’re just in time for toilet cleaning duty.”  Roger Miller, who is from Texas and has been with Troop 451 for years.  He has an infectious smile and attitude that actually makes you want to clean toilets for him.  And toilets we cleaned.  Afterwards I treated myself to a slushy and headed up to Herzog for a little air conditioning and quiet.  Time to get a little blogging done before lunch, and before the eyelids get too heavy.  

Today’s lunch consisted of cheeseburgers, fries, and chocolate chocolate cookies.  Water and an orange drink were also available.  A cart with fresh fruit rolled by with bananas, oranges and apples.  The cleanest campsite winner was announced and Troop 451 finished 1 point behind Troop 6.  Another hard fought battle of clean camp heavyweights...slugging it out each day.  It’s always fun to win but it’s really about pride in your home.  And this week camp Geiger has allowed us to be guests in their home.  

2nd half of classes for the day start soon and scouts make runs back to camp get best backpacks, homework, etc and then off to class.  The Mic-o- say adults placing last minute finishing touches on their regalia.  Many naps were taken as this is traditionally a long evening going well past midnight for some.  Class A uniforms for dinner for the last time as Friday’s are deemed camp shirt day, were we can wear class B t-shirts on the last night.  

Dinner consisted of fettuccine chicken alfredo, green beans and peach cobbler.  The scouts have been very enthusiastic and vocal all week and this night was no different.  Kevin Koonce, Matthew Richards, Ben Bryant and Mark Lampe assisted the staff with the song for the evening, “I’m a little teapot”   Sung with a twist, With a beat added that is more appropriate for young men like our scouts, young and old.  

After dinner the scouts gathered in the handicraft pavilion area while those already in the Tribe of Mic-o-say prepared for the evening.  All of the troops gathered in the area lining up to make the trek to a sacred spot where the story fire is told.  All scouts gather around a campfire sitting in a small clearing and learn the story of the Mic-past tribe and how it came to be.  After the story fire has been completed, the scouts make the walk down to the tapping fire where all members of the tribe have gathered on each side of the path that the scouts walk through.  All silent and very stoic, the scouts walk through hundreds of tribesman on their way to the huge roaring bonfire.  They circle around until the bonfire and wait for the chief to speak.  The tribesman from the line move in to stand behind their scouts within their troop.  The tapper runs down from cardiac hill and makes his way around the circles many times, never stopping his run.  The candidates that have been selected are “tapped” are then to run up and get in lines near the chief.  After some words are spoken between the chief, medicine men, and sachems the “foxmen” are led away by the tapper to begin their journey into the tribe.  The adult foxmen are called up by the chief to also begin their process where they are led off up cardiac hill.

At the conclusion of the ceremony the scouts who were not selected gather around the chief where he urges the scouts not to be upset at not being selected, rather to strive for excellence and continue the determination to one day become a tribesman.  To keep theirs heads up and when the time is right, the opportunity will present itself.  

The scouts are then led back to camp where taps will be played soon thereafter.  A wonderful ending to a fantastic day.  Troop 451 had 8 youth tapped in and 5 adults.

foxmen:

Max Brooks

Luke Hawkins

Marshall Hayden

Zach Penny

Landon Pratt

Kaleb Rutherford

Winston Smith

Christian Woehler 

Adult foxmen: 

Fahim Chowdhury

Ben Grantonic

Seth Hawkins

Swapan Sarkar

David Woehler

Congratulations to all that were selected and to those who are determined to be selected in the future.  The end of camp is closing in on us and for that I am sad but the journey is not over yet.  The best is yet to come.