Jan. 25, 2011

Reminder:
Write the story of Yellowstone camping trip
Write the story of Maple Mountain hike with B&J and deer

Where were you when they were growing up?
I was thinking about some things at work the other day because of a young man who is my boss. I have been watching him and wondering which is more important: His Work or His Family. As I thought about it and about where I am in life now I had some pretty deep discussions with myself. This was also ignited a bit by a video that I had watched the day before where the founder and CEO of Provo Craft when being interviewed for a very special award in the business world gave an answer to a question that the lady asked doing the interview and it made me think then and again while I was on this topic. The question was "If you could go back, what things would you do differently?" The interviewer I am sure was looking for something in the business growth that he might have changed but his answer was much more serious in the eternal scheme of things. He said "There are always things that you would do differently but as I think about this question I think the one thing I would change the most would be to spend more time with my family." I know his family for the most part. There are a couple of the older children that I didn't know but I do know the rest of them quite well. He is struggling with some issues now that might have been avoided had he spent more time with them. Of course I can't know that for sure but it would seem quite apparent. I would tell you some of those things but it is best not to in this discussion. But as I talked with myself I had to evaluate some of the things that I did. I didn't spend a lot of time taking my family on vacations because I was with them at scout camp and girls camp. Considering I spent twelve years at girl's camp with my daughters and 24 years at scout camps with my sons (16 at timberline) I didn't have a lot of time left of vacation to take family trips. This was possibly a big mistake but as I look at the experiences that I had with my children at those camps I think it was good for the most part. I will never forget some of the trips I took and yes I did did some that were not totally scout related. For instance I took Ben and Jeff up the back side of Maple Mountain. We went half was and camped in the first meadows. I will not forget waking up and showing the boys a small doe that was feeding just outside of our tent and the fun they had seeing her. It was also fun to watch their reactions as we crossed over the hill and could see Mapleton down below. It was a special time for the three of us that went well enough that we repeated it a couple of years later so Hayden could also go with us. I will never forget the scout camp when we hauled equipment up to the lake on Maple as a troop and then I hiked back to the bottom so I could be with Marie and Tia as they hiked up at midnight. I almost killed myself hiking it twice but it was worth it. I don't remember which of the other children were with us but I do remember Marie's comment as she went down the next day, "It sure is good that I came up in the dark because I wouldn't have walked past this in the light." She was speaking of a spot in the trail where it dropped quite a few feet down the mountain to the small stream. There was also the camp when I took Jeff along at 10 years old on a hike that even gave me a lot of difficulty while hiking. We were going on the troop summer camp the first year that I was Scoutmaster and he technically should not have gone but he would be a scout in October so I took him. We hiked up a trail that was very steep and rocky. I would never go in that way again but would possibly go out that way. Anyway we were only half way in when Jeff decided that he had been through enough and wanted to go back. Well I couldn't take him back nor could I help him with his pack since I had my own that was too heavy. He got mad at me and left and I didn't see him again for several hours. I made sure he wasn't behind me but didn't know for sure but some of the others said that they had seen him hiking ahead. Well we got to the first lake where we were to spend the night and to my surprise he was already there and had been for sometime. He had found the strength inside to hike faster than I could and was pretty excited to tell me when I got there. Later in the week I took him for a long hike up to the top of Bluebell pass with the Assistant Scoutmaster. we had a lot of fun and when we got back to camp I decided to have the troop hike to the base of that pass so we would be closer the next morning. We did and by the time we got there we had a huge storm approaching us with lots of lightning strikes along the ridge so I had the boys all camp along the valley separated by several yards so that if the lightning hit down by us there would be less chance for several of them to be hurt. we then woke up early the next morning and before breakfast hike to the summit of the pass. I asked Jeff to go in front since he had already been there and knew the way. The older boys then became mad since I made them go the same speed as Jeff and didn't let them pass.Jeff got mad at me again since it was hard but he took off running or rather walking faster and when we got to the top he disappeared. I didn't worry too much about him until I couldn't find him for several minutes. I finally decided to go back down the trail and see if he had gone back down for some reason. when I did I didn't even start down the trail before he appeared carrying the backpack for another scout who was struggling whom he had gone back to help. I have always remembered that moment as the fears of him missing turned to gratitude for the good turn he was doing for another scout. I am glad that I spent time with the children and do regret not being able to be with Loren as I had the older boys until he was able to go to Timberline with me for the council and the region training of other scout youth leaders in other councils. I will always cherish the hikes and camps that I spent with my children and Marie. I will not have the regret of having worked through all of that period and am thankful for that.