Dec. 19, 2011

Utah National Parks Council Jamborals (Fillmore 1994 and 2000 more specifically).

We have had several Jamborals in this council for scouting and I have been lucky enough to go to 4 of them. The first one we went to as a family was over here in the mouth of Spanish Fork canyon. Marie and I decided to take the children to it just to see what it was like. I think Marie was probably the Cubmaster in the ward at that time also I really do not remember for sure. It was fun and we were able to see a lot of Scouting exhibits and a long zip line which we didn’t get to ride, too young).

I also got to go to one, The gorge Us Getaway, at Flaming Gorge and was involved in the district enough that we were able to go three days earlier than the rest of the troops in the council so that we could set it up and prepare everything. That was really more fun than the actual event as far as I was concerned because we could sleep outside of our tents and hear the coyotes as they came near the camp to howl each night. Doug Binks was over the camp setup so that was even a lot of fun first getting to work with him on the staff and that later translated into many times that we would spend together at camps of various kinds. Jeff was with me on that camp and we hiked the area below the dam while other were rafting so that I could photograph them on the water. I had been down the Green River many times as a youth but never knew a trail existed along the side of the river until that camp. I also enjoyed working with Mark Poulson, my cousins son, with whom I ended being with on other camps as well. The beat part of that event that I remember was when I went with Doug and several others to erect the giant gateway that would cross the road prior to entering the camp. We made it with huge logs that were set into the ground with the aid of backhoes and then held up in place as we lashed the poles together. They were some very large trees that we used for the side posts and the ones that spanned to width of the road. It was an impressive site. Yet the thing that I best recall and was most impressed by was the fact that when we tore it down they just used large cats to push it over. When they did I expected the ropes to start popping in little bits but was shocked when not one rope even broke while all ot the huge logs broke in pieces where the ropes were holding them together. We used about four miles of rope for that camp and a lot of it just on that gateway.

It was fun too because a former Bishop (Bishop Jensen) of my youth had been asked to run the mess hall and one of the medics from the army who was there to provide medical assistance had been one of my boys in my Blazer class when I taught scouts at age 17 (Bruce Taylor).

Then came the 1994 and 2000 Jamborals in Fillmore. I was in the Bishopric at that time and went with the Cub scouts to that Jamboral. It seems like it was only for the day but I remember the dust and everything that we had to endure because it was held in a field that was so dry the little grass that was there soon gave way to the dirt below and the dust was horrible. It was a fun experience however and I wanted to be more involved the next time so when it was announced that they were holding another one in the year 2000 I quickly calculated what Loren’s age would be at that time and knew I would be able to take him as a staff member if I went as well. So  since I was also involved in the District I soon was asked if I would Chair the committee from the Hobble Creek District. That  was quite an experience as I started to put together a staff of adults that could work with me for the next four years and develop the plans for our districts involvement in the event. I had some really great help and many of them are now lifelong friends from what we experienced during those years. We went down to the camp tow days early to setup and that was a lot of fun as well. We learned the wind blows a lot harder than I had initially learned for the first time there 6 years earlier and we had to put the tent up about three times before enough camps were setup at the beginning of the week to provide some wind barriers for our tents. Loren worked hard and we had a lot of fun during that week. Lee Greenwood also came and performed for us as well as the Second Generation Osmond Brothers. President Hinckley also came and spoke to us as well and it was a very neat experience. And even though there were major crowds and lots of people milling around it wasn’t too bad since I had helped to set it up for them. I would love to experience that type of an event again. It was fun to pull onto that field before anyone else and to pull off after everyone else. We did have a water truck that ran constantly to keep the roads wet and the dust settled. It worked OK but the wind funnels that would come through in the afternoons were another experience as well. I still recall one scout running after a dust devil trying to hop into the middle of it. I am sure some of the items that it and the other funnels picked up were taken to Fillmore and even into Holden and beyond.