My greatest outdoor thrill is climbing to the summit of Mt.St.Helens, twice. It was truly a great experience. For those of you that have the opportunity or the will, climb a mountain. There is nothing quite like the feeling that you have reached the top, the pinnacle, the absolute top of the surrounding world. And then to look over the countryside and realize how small we really are. This picture features my father and I at the summit of St. Helens on our most recent trip.
One of my biggest trips involved ten days in the Canadian wilderness in Bowron Provincial Park. I went on
the trip with my Boy Scout troop last summer. Our trip involved canoeing along the 74 mile lake circuit,
for nine days of rain, cold and fun. Through the lake loop there was only about ten miles of portages,
very good for a natural lake chain. We spent the time singing, telling jokes, reading, swimming (though very cold),
fishing, and of course enjoying the unspoiled Canadian wilderness.
My most exciting trip was taken about three years ago, once again with the Boy Scouts. We visited the Bahamas for a one week sailing excursion with the Florida Sea Base program. Our troop sent 10 scouts and 6 adults. We were split between to boats, The Dreamer, and the Tribute. Upon arrival to our boats, we were told which boat was going to be our home for the next week. To our disappointment, the Tribute had not yet arrived due to engine problems. An half an hour later, the Tribute came into port under sail. We greeted her Captain and First Mate. The Captain's name was Davis, he was 19, his First Mate was his 16 year old brother, Timmy. After our initial shock of the appearance of the boat, we quickly made plans to switch half way through the week to the more modern Dreamer. After the first few days of sailing, we decided that we could handle staying with the Tribute. Her captain and mate knew more about sailing than anyone in a one hundred mile radius. They could sail the boat through congested waters into port, and stop inches from the dock. The boat had a total of seven sails, compared to the Dreamers two. Instead of the new rolling sails we had to hoist them up with our own hands. All in all, it was a great trip that taught us the values of working, and having a common goal.
