Treasure at Great Salt Plains

Part I of our Boy Scout Adventure

Sprouting like mushrooms, the tents popped up all over the glen. Two cub scouts, six boy scouts and six adults occupied the campsite and those seven tents.

Among the men and boys:

There was the boy who knew his way around a frying pan and the one who was not afraid to get his hands dirty. There was the self-acclaimed firestarter and the universally acknowledged leader of (young) men. The chaplain and the cook. There was the bargain hunter and the ultimate salesman. The theologian and the philosopher. There were those who took a shower every day and those who did not. There was the cub scout I only saw at meal times and bedtime and the other cub scout who could hold his own (and then some) with the older boys.The treasure hunter and his assistant. And there was the snorer whose identity was never determined.

And...there were us girls...yeah...but we were determined not to let that get in our way. There was no "pink" at this camp out---no make-up, no mirrors, no fluff. (although I did find some "Sweet Pea" hand lotion in my coat pocket which I was kind enough to share with one of the guys who was secure enough in his manhood to use) We pitched tents and hammered stakes. We picked up trash and did our share of K-P (but no more than our fair share.) We dug holes in the Great Salt Plains and discovered crystals. We used latrines without complaint. (although in the interest of complete disclosure, I did catch a ride with some guys to the "nice" bathroom a couple of times) We slept in our clothes, cooked our hotdogs on tree branches and ate food off the ground (okay, these last three are total exaggerations but the point is, we were troopers!)

We went to the Great Salt Plains to discover treasure but we came home with more treasure than the muddy crystals in our buckets. Memories of emerald grass under a sapphire sky, the twin gems of fellowship and friendship, and the numerous nuggets of laughter that were scattered throughout the weekend. But the greatest treasures of all were the glimpses we caught of the fine men our boys are on their way to becoming.