What would ever possess someone to say, "Hey! It's warm and cozy in this house with my robe, slippers and a FURNACE. That's too good to be true! To make myself really appreciate this I will create a Boy Scout program that only the strong will survive with a full set of fingers!"
Yea, really. Welcome to my nightmare- Camp Alaska. Say what you will about Boy Scouts (I've had the discussion with many of you, so suspend your political concerns), but they are a creative lot. Creative- meaning INSANE. Not that my boys don't need some toughening up- believe me they do. They're lazy and they're yella and they could use a dose of tough living without an XBox and cable TV. They usually get this when we abandon them at summer camp, but now we get to do this in the dead of winter- with no tents and a box of Pop Tarts between them. I've laid awake at night thinking about amputations and snow blindness, starvation and the finer points of frost nip vs. frost bite. I'll be the one in a cozy bed and I might be the one who doesn't survive. At least if I succumb to my worry, I'll be warm.
So the game plan is this:
- 24 hours
- outside
- no tents
- cook your own food
- haul your own water
- build your own shelter out of tarps and some sticks
- no matches
This frosty excursion is next weekend and I've spent the last few days stocking up on wool socks, magnesium fire starters, polar fleece, tarps and Ramen noodles.
The ever-patient scout leaders have assured me that they have never misplaced a scout or had one freeze to the earth overnight. This could be true, but the troop is kind of small. Maybe they left one behind somewhere?
They head out into the wilderness on Friday night- 6 days and counting...
7 comments:
You poor worried mom! It still happens to me and my "kids" are nearly seventeen and twenty-ish (he's much younger than his biological age!)"Yella"...I forgot about that expression...On the whole, I think the outdoor route is a healthy adventure. They will be cold, but when they warm up (at home) they will be more malleable...like sweet taffy...and they will soooo appreciate their warm home and dear mom.
BTW my daughter sent me a link for the freerice and I was hooked on it for hours...until I got a call that I was late for a meeting! Seeing it on your site reminded me to help out...so I added a link...to free rice, too. Thank you for the gentle push.
I love Free Rice. I'm addicted to the fine art quiz and I'm terrible at it!
Hi. I was just over here reading all your posts on this page. Love your new rice cooker!
I camped out in the cold (with a tent) in 1976 with my boyfriend (my now husband). I thought it would be something interesting. Haven't done it since, but wanted to wish you luck. Yes, they should certainly appreciate their nice warm homes after this!!!
I have warm socks! Can I go too?? Huh??!! [lol] Nah, I'm sane. I'll wait for summer ... thank you. [giggle]
Well have fun! If you have any fingers left after the visit be sure to blog about it. :o)
Sparky ♥ ∞
Thanks for your comments! I'll have fingers because I'll be here at home while they're freezing their tails off. My only role is that of an enabler!
My kids could definitely use that. Of course, they're only 3 and 5 so that seems a little cruel. But after breaking up their third fight this morning... not so much.
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