Polar Bear Patch... CHECK!
Monday, January 21, 2008
We did it! Last weekend I drove Alec and Wesley to Pedernales Falls State Park for a two-day sub-freezing camping adventure...
We packed the Mustang and headed-out Friday at about 5:00 P.M. This would be a quick hour-and-a-half drive to the park just outside Dripping Springs, or so I thought. I haven't traveled through the city of Austin in a while and totally forgot about rush-hour traffic. Three-and-a-half hours later, after a quick stop in the Oak Hill Subway for a few foot-longs, we arrived at cap site 14 in the icy dark. We pulled-in behind our camp mate's Ford F-250 full of firewood and made a plan.
"Tent first, boys; then we can unload our gear and setup the sleeping bags", I commanded my troops and they responded with a quick "Gotcha" in unison.
We headed back into the camp site about 50 feet from the road, searching for a good spot for our tent. I gave Alec final approval over our tent site as he has specific requirements for tent placement; in the woods but not too far and within sight of the road. We found a good spot among several large oaks. The ground was soft and free of rocks but had a slight incline to the left. We pitched our ten so that the door was facing our car and opened between two medium-sized oaks. That would make for a good entrance. We didn't bring a tarp to keep the entrance to our tent free from mud, we would just have to be careful and leave our shoes at the door.
Loading in our gear took a few minutes and we lined our mats and bags up across the tent's interior. The gear bags, cooler, food and our personal bags lined the perimeter of the tent. I immediately began igniting the lantern for light and warmth and once we were all settled-in, Wesley broke out the chess board. I ended up with my King and three Pawns to Wesley's King, Queen, Bishop, Knight and a medium-sized contingent of Pawns and forfeited with the onset of sleep. Wesley: 1, Dad: 0. I can honestly say, our chess games are slightly less than half a teaching exercise and the rest about me being surprised with the quickness with which he can size up the board, seeing potential moves and gotchas and easily squirming out of "Check" time after time.
The next morning, we awoke to frost and bitter cold. We were warm enough in our sleeping cocoons but once we hit the frosty air, a mad scramble for clothing layers and the bathroom began. Thankfully, the bathroom was slightly warm and provided a short respite from the cold.
Our breakfast consisted of donuts and orange juice and after a short defrosting in the car; we joined Pack 196 in the adjacent camp site for some scouting fellowship, Flag Football instruction, preparations for our trip to Enchanted Rock and some lunch.
The trip to Enchanted Rock took about 45 minutes. We arrived, parked, joined the Pack and began our hike to the summit. Enchanted Rock is basically an enormous mound of granite. At times, the face can be a bit steep but nothing the scouts couldn't handle. The hike up took about 15 minutes and we stopped several times to get a few geology lessons from scout master Kyle. We learned what Granite was composed of, how the mound formed and how it changes over time.
A quick call home to mom on the face of the "mountain" rounded out our Enchanted Rock experience. It was then time for the 45-minute trip back to camp and some free time with the other scouts.
That evening the scouts learned about a Dutch Oven and the style of cooking practiced by the early settlers. They helped make Pineapple Upside-Down Cake which we tasted around the camp fire later that evening while we listened to the history of the origins of the song: the Star-Spangled Banner.
Another sub-freezing night in the tent and we were ready to come home to hot showers, comfortable beds and our family.
The boys did great and are much better for the experience. They each earned a few belt loops and their coveted Polar Bear Patch.
I can honestly say that in the future, Alec and Wesley can use their experiences in the bitter cold as a reference and will know how to handle themselves if they find themselves in the elements. Obviously, a few more Cub Scout and Boy Scout trips where survival techniques are taught will be in order for total self-reliance. But, all-in-all, this experience was a great introduction to the awesome force of nature simple climactic changes can be and how important proper preparation is for survival.
Posted byEric at 12:58 PM
