Why Go to Camp - Final Cut

Here is the cut and polished version I actually gave. Thanks for all the advice and support.

Why go to the Trapper Trails Council BSA Summer Camps

1. One day a mother marched into Scout Executive Rulon Skinner’s office, slapped her hand down on his desk and demanded, “What can my son possibly get out of a week of scout camp that is worth $25?” Kind of dates my story doesn’t it. Rulon replied, “Why madam, Scouting develops character.” “My son’s already a character,” she said, “he doesn’t need developing.”

2. I have been asked to speak for 9 minutes. I could not give you all the reasons to go to a Council Camp in 9 hours, it will take six days. If you truly want to know, come to camp and see.

3. How many of you have been to Camp Loll? Here are my witnesses, ask them.

4. One Saturday morning I sat at my desk in the lonely quiet time before the breakfast bell. A big, strong man walked into the camp office. “Who was responsible for retiring that flag last night?” he demanded. I figured someone was in trouble. I said, “I guess that would be me.” “I just wanted to thank you,” he said. He went on to tell me he was a Captain in the Marines. I told him that it would mean a lot to the staff to hear what he had to say. At breakfast he stood to speak to us. He explained that that past year he had lead his men up the Valley of the Euphrates during the liberation of Bagdad. His sergeant had been killed, and several of his men wounded, a terrible cost. They did this to keep America free, to ensure that we could enjoy the wonders of Yellowstone. He then told another story. In 1986, he swam a mile in Lake of the Woods. He told us how difficult it was to be a Marine in training, to be a Marine. “And yet,” he said, “through all those trials I kept reminding myself, that as hard as this is, it isn’t as hard as swimming a mile in Lake of the Woods.”

Trapper Trails Council Camps can be that important in the lives of the scouts they serve, the scouts you love.

5. Scout Masters, Coaches, Advisors, go to camp for you. Camps and Camp Staffs are there to serve you, to make you a better leader, to help you practice the methods of Scouting, to improve your troop, team, or crew.

There is training in Safe Swim Defense, Safety Afloat, Climb on Safely, No Trace Camping, Trek on Safely, and certification in BSA Lifeguard. Most importantly Camp offers the magic of Scouting, a spirit that will fill your soul and motivate your service.

6. Go to Camp because of the Camp Staff:

a. I went to Camp Bartlett as a scout in 1967. There I met Sam Young. He was my Forestry Merit Badge teacher, more importantly he was a hero to my whole troop. When Sam walked into our camp our delight was remarkable. Every one wanted to grow up to be Sam.

b. It has been many years since any scout wanted to be me – 11, 12, & 13 year old boys want to be 14 or 15; 14 & 15 year olds want to be 16 or 17; 16 & 17 year olds want to be 18, and your 18 year olds want to be returned missionaries. Trapper Trails Council Camps have all these heroes to serve you!!!

c. The staff models Scouting, they proudly wear the uniform so that every boy will know that the most fun he every had came while participating in a program that swears to do duty to God and country, to serve others, and to keep oneself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. Your staff will live the scout law; they will model its slogan, and be its motto. They will be with you from the moment you arrive in camp and stay with you for the rest of your lives. Up before first light; they will serve you through the night, keep your boys safe, teach their classes, guide their hikes, and be the role models you want them to be.

Our camp staffs are bound by tradition and practice to the founders of Scouting, to Seton, Powell, and Beard. Camp traditions reach back to the great men of our community who made camps possible, from Dilworth Young and Vern Dunn, Jed Stringham and Bob Wade, to Bill Wangsgard, Dave Rich, and Dave Wadman. In our camps, scouts sing the songs, hear the stories, hike the trails, see the wonders, and live the legends of their fathers.

7. There are many practical advantages in attending an organized Council Camp.

a. Safety rules, learned, modeled, and enforced.

b. Trained Staff – hike guides, life guards, archery and rifle range instructors and insurers of safety, climbing and rappelling experts, merit badge instructors and councilors (all with equipment and materials ready to use), flag ceremonies, camp fire programs, skits, and fun.

c. Equipment – bear boxes, water systems and KYBO’s, garbage disposal, and dining halls, guns and bows, climbing ropes – harnesses - and hardware, (thousands of dollars of the finest equipment), sailboats, rowboats, canoes, complete with life jackets, and safe swimming area and defense program, a camp site, food storage and “delivery”, menus with preparation instruction included, health and safety officers, first aid lodges, emergency communications, and rapid response systems in place.

Yes it does cost money – but, as the Lord said, “Cast your bread upon the water and it will return one hundred fold!!”

8. You get each other; the worldwide brotherhood of Scouting. Scouts sponsored by varying groups and denominations, from all over the country and the world, all striving toward the same values. We will sing together, work and play together; we will share inspiration and face difficult challenges together. We will rejoice in our diversity and in our unity. We will share answers to questions and the solutions to problems. We will draw strength from our ever growing friendship. We will play the games everyone wins: learn sportsmanship and teamwork, sharpen skills and build health that will last a life time.

9. The most important things to be gained at a Council Scout Camp are the values of Scouting. Our Council Camps will fill the lives of scouts and leaders with God and Country, service to others, and duty to self. Council Camps provide real experiences that teach the scouts as they live the adventure. No watching fantasy lives in movies or on TV, no computer generated escapade. Camp is the real thing. There are no false highs from drugs or fake friends in hate driven gangs. We know the battle you are fighting for their futures; we want to give you a week long weapon to defend them for the rest of their lives.

They will meet God as they live in the wilderness that is His art, and learn to love and protect it, to be the stewards of the earth He has told them to be. They will share with their friends the truth of beauty, where a flower or the star-filled sky equally proclaim God’s glory, where service and love are revealed in the person of a Scoutmaster, a staff friend, a SPL, or a scout; where brotherhood speaks of the God in man.

They will feel the joy of freedom that is America as they live, work, and play in wild lands that belong to them. They are richer than kings, because they are American Citizens. All day, every day, they will lead and follow and share. They will thrill with joy as they pledge allegiance to the flag that stands for freedom in ceremonies where their heroes model respect for their country. They will shed tears of gratitude as a ragged old flag is committed to the sacred fire, symbolic of the respect of a grateful nation.

They will be there for each other; serve each other as they gather firewood, cook meals, wash dishes, dispose of garbage, clean KYBOs and scrub the showers. They will participate in meaningful service projects that will beautify their National Forests and their Camps, service that will teach them to care. They will learn to lead as Patrol or Senior Patrol Leaders, and they will learn to follow their peers as well as their adult leaders and camp staff councilors. They will come to know that they can trust leaders who are their friends and learn to be worthy of the trust of those they love.

They will face and overcome physical challenges they would never dare were not you and the camp staff there. They will swim in mountain lakes, climb to mountain tops, and earn the pleasure that comes from pain.

A Council Camp or High Adventure activity will be the crowning event of a boy’s or young man’s scouting experience. He will only have a chance or two to last him forever. I promise you that this great Trapper Trails Council and the 450 plus summer camp staffers, who are now working hard, who have worked for years, to prepare the summer of a lifetime for your boys and develop character will deliver.

"Why Go to Camp" in Nine Minutes

I have been asked to give a speech next Thursday night. I was asked to explain why one should take their scouts to organized Scout Camp or to a Council sponsored High Adventure activity, and do it in nine minutes. Here is my effort to date. I would welcome critique before Thursday.

Why go to the Trapper Trails Council BSA Summer Camps

1. When Rulon Skinner was Scout Executive in Utah National Parks Council he dreamed of a Scout Camp high in the Uintah Mountains. He worked hard to make it real, building facilities and staff, and advertising to the scouts of his council. One day a mother marched into his office, slapped her hand down on his desk and demanded, “What can my son possibly get out of a week of scout camp that is worth $25?” Kind of dates my story doesn’t it. Rulon replied, “Why madam, Scouting develops character.” “My son’s already a character,” she said, “he doesn’t need developing.” Let me assure you that no matter how good your scout is – attending Council Summer Camp will make him better.

2. I have been asked to speak for 8 to 9 minutes. I could not tell you all the reasons to go to camp in 9 hours, it will take six days. If you truly want to know, come to camp and see.

3. How many of you have been to Camp Loll – can I ask you to stand. Here are my witnesses, ask them.

4. To contemplate your greatness reminds me of an early Saturday morning some summers ago. I was sitting at my desk in the lonely quiet time before the breakfast bell when a great big, strong man walked into my office. “Who was responsible for the retiring of that flag last night?” he demanded. I figured someone was in trouble, so I said, I guess that would be me. “I just wanted to thank you”, he said. He went on to tell me he was a Captain in the Marines. I told him that it would mean a lot to my crew to hear what he had to say about their efforts. He was at breakfast, and stood to speak to us. He explained that that past year he had lead his men up the Valley of the Euphrates during the liberation of Bagdad. His sergeant had been killed, and several of his men wounded, a terrible cost. They did this to keep America free, to ensure that we could enjoy the wonders of Yellowstone. He then told another story. He explained that in 1986, he swam a mile in Lake of the Woods. He told us how difficult it was to be a Marine in training, to be a Marine. “And yet,” he said, “through all those trials he kept reminding himself, that as hard as it was, it wasn’t as hard as swimming a mile in Lake of the Woods.”

Trapper Trails Council Camps can be that important in the lives of the scouts we serve, the scouts you love.

5. Before I go any father, let me say to every Scout Master, V S Coach, or Venture Advisor, go to camp for yourself. Camps and Camp Staffs are there to serve you, to make you a better leader, to teach you the methods of Scouting, to improve your troop, team, or crew.

We offer training in Safe Swim Defense, and Safety Afloat, Climb on Safely, No Trace Camping, Trek On Safely, and certification in BSA Lifeguard. But most importantly we offer the magic of Scouting, it is a mystic spirit that will fill your soul and motivate your service.

6. Go to Camp because of the Camp Staff:

a. I went to Camp Bartlett as a scout in 1967. There I met Sam Young. He was my Forestry Merit Badge teacher, more importantly he was my whole troop’s hero. When Sam walked into our camp our delight was awesome. Every one of us wanted to grow up to be Sam. It would be two years before I learned he was no older than I was.

b. It has been many years since any scout wanted to be me – 11, 12, & 13 year olds want to be 14 and 15; 14 and 15 year olds want to be 16 or 17; 16 & 17 year olds want to be 18, and your 18 year olds want to be returned missionaries. Trapper Trails Council Camps will have them all for you!!!

c. The staff models scouting, they proudly wear the uniform so that every boy will know that the most fun he every had in his life came while participating in a program that swears to do its duty to God and country, to serve each other, and to keep himself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. Your staff will live the scout law; they will model its slogan and be its motto. They will be with you from the moment you arrive in camp and stay with you for the rest of your lives. Up before first light they will serve you through the night, keeping your boys safe, teach their classes, guide their hikes, and be the role models you want them to be.

Our camp staffs are bound by tradition and practice to the founders of scouting, to Seton, Powell and Beard. Our camp traditions reach back to the great men of our community who made them possible, from Vern Dunn, Jed Stringham and Bob Wade, to Bill Wangsgard and Dave Wadman. In our camps, scouts will sing the songs, hear the stories, hike the trails, see the wonders, and live the legends of their fathers.

7. There are many practical advantages in attending an organized Council Camp. I will list a few.

a. Safety rules, learned, enforced, and modeled.

b. Trained Staff – hike guides, life guards, archery and rifle range instructors and

insurers of safety, climbing and rappelling experts, merit badge instructors and councilors (all with equipment and materials ready to use), flag ceremonies, camp fire programs, skits and fun.

c. Equipment – bear boxes, water systems, boats, guns, climbing ropes – harnesses - and hardware, (thousands of dollars of the finest equipment), sailboats, rowboats, canoes, complete with life jackets, and safe swimming area and defense program, a camp site, food storage and “delivery”, menus and preparation instruction included, health and safety officer, first aid lodge, emergency communications and rapid response systems in place.

Yes it does cost money – but, like the Lord said, “Cast your bread upon the water and it will return 100 fold!!”

8. You get each other. The worldwide brotherhood of scouting, scouts sponsored by varying groups and denominations, from all over the country and the world, all striving toward the same values and goals. We will sing together, work and play together; we will share in inspiration and face difficult challenges together. We will rejoice in our diversity and in our unity. We will share answers to questions and the solutions to problems. We will draw strength from our ever growing friendship. We will play the games everyone wins as they learn sportsmanship and teamwork as they sharpen skills and build health that will last them a life time.

9. The most important things to be gained at a Council Scout Camp are the values of Scouting.

Our Council Camps will fill the lives of scouts and leaders with God and Country, Service to others and duty to self. Council Camps provide real experiences that will teach the scouts as they live the adventure. There is no watching other’s fantasy lives at the movies or on TV, no computer generated adventures. Camp will give boys the real thing. There are no false highs from drugs or false friends in hate driven gangs. We know the battle you are fighting for their futures; we want to give you a week long weapon to defend them for the rest of their lives.

They will meet God as they live in the pristine wilderness that is His art, and learn to love and protect it, to be the stewards of the earth He has told them to be. They will share with their friends the truth of the beauty, where a flower or the star-filled sky of a summer night equally proclaim God’s glory, where service and love are revealed in the persons of a Scoutmaster, a staff friend, a SPL and a scout, where brotherhood speaks of the God in man.

They will feel the joy of freedom that is America as they live, work, and play in the wonders of nature that belong to them. They are richer than the kings of old, because they are American Citizens. All day, every day, they will lead and follow and share. They will thrill with joy as they pledge allegiance to the flag that stands for freedom in ceremonies where their heroes model respect for their country. They will shed tears of gratitude as a ragged old flag is committed to the sacred fire symbolic of the respect of a grateful nation.

They will serve each other as they gather firewood, cook meals, wash dishes, dispose of garbage, clean KYBOs and scrub the showers. They will participate in meaningful service projects that will beautify the National Forest and the Camp, service that will teach them to care for the land. They will learn to lead as Patrol or Senior Patrol Leaders, and they will learn to follow their peers as well as their adult leaders and camp staff councilors. They will come to know that they can trust leaders who are their friends and learn to be worthy of the trust of those they love.

They will face and overcome physical challenges they would never have dared were not you and their camp staff friend there to buoy them up. They will swim in the mountain lakes, climb to the mountain tops, and discover the secrets of nature.

A Council Camp or High Adventure activity will be the crowning experience of a boy’s or young man’s scouting experience. He may well only have a chance or two to last him forever. I promise you that this great Trapper Trails Council and the 450 plus summer camp staffers, who are already working hard, who have already worked for years, to prepare the summer of a lifetime for your boys, will deliver.

Scrutinizing China

When I was young, the world’s most successful economy was that of the Soviet Union, NOT! But that is what we were told. Then the light of truth shown through the cracks in the wall, and the USSR revealed a GDP less than that of South Korea and the whole rotten mess crumbled into pitiable bits.

“But actually, he thought as he readjusted the Ministry of Plenty’s figures, it was not even forgery. It was merely the substitution of one piece of nonsense for another. Most of the material that you were dealing with had no connection with anything in the real world, not even the kind of connection that is contained in a direct lie. Statistics were just as much a fantasy in their original version as in their rectified version. A great deal of the time you were expected to make them up out of your head. For example, the Ministry of Plenty’s forecast had estimated the output of boots for the quarter at a hundred and forty-five million pairs. The actual output was given as sixty-two millions. Winston, however, in rewriting the forecast, marked the figure down to fifty-seven millions, so as to allow for the usual claim that the quota had been over fulfilled. In any case, sixty-two millions was no nearer the truth than fifty-seven millions, or than a hundred and forty-five millions. Very likely no boot had been produced at all. Likelier still, nobody knew how many had been produced, much less cared. All one knew was that every quarter astronomical numbers of boots were produced on paper, while perhaps half the population of Oceania went barefoot.” (George Orwell, 1984, Pgs. 125, 126)

Realize:

1. China’s wealth is a lie. There is no point is referencing statistics on Chinese wealth, their economy, or productivity, all the numbers are as phony as those pumped out by the Orwellian Ministry of Truth.

2. The “competitive low prices” of slave labor produced products from China are only made possible by cheating through currency manipulation.

3. The supposedly “rich” Chinese live, as did the people of the USSR and those of “Oceania” in squalor and poverty.

4. To keep from starving to death, they must murder millions of their own children, especially girls, through forced abortion and infanticide.

5. Chinese produced products are junk, barely good enough for Wal-Mart.

6. And most tellingly – China has no food, as with the USSR and now Russia, China can not produce enough food for its own people. In spite of the systematic genocide of Tibet, the Chinese can neither acquire the land or the motivation to produce enough food to feed themselves. Contrast this with India, a nation of nearly the same population, no forced abortion, and a growing, young and vibrant population. India has even less land than China, but, without murdering its neighbors or its own people, it is a net exporter of food. Also consider that the United States, the world’s third most populous country, not only feeds itself, but the world, including China, Russia, and Africa. By the way, we feed Africa for free. The U. S. produces this gigantic surplus of food despite the fact that our taxpayers actually pay our farmers not to raise all the food they can. Also realize that in this country we are now forced to face two rather unique health problems, obesity and longevity; fat people who live too long. Go figure!

So much for the inscrutable Chinese.

Barack and the Bean Stalk

Thursday night I listened to President Obama's "Jobs" speech. As I watched, I found myself thinking, "I've heard this story before." Then it came to me; Jack and the Beanstalk. You know, Jack and his mom are down to their last cow, it's sell the critter, eat the profits, and then die. But, instead of trading the cow for the price of a few day's food, Jack trades Bessy for some magic beans and ends up King of the World!!!

Friday, I asked my students how many had watched the speech. I had attempted to bribe them with extra points - but out of three classes and over 100 kids there weren't more than 5. I had met one of my colleges on the stairs and asked them what they thought. An energetic Democrat she replied she thought it was a great speech. Since my students could provide no argument to my position - I went to visit this teacher during lunch, hoping for a foil to sharpen my arguments against - come to find out she hadn't actually watched the speech. I went down the hall to another Social Studies teacher - same thing. By the end of the day I had spoken with most of my department - none had listened to Obama. Apart from my few bribed students and my wife, I haven't found an adult who watch the performance before the joint session of Congress yet. Perhaps it was the 5:00 PM Mountain Standard Time slot that jinxed the speech - or perhaps it's that they have all heard the story before.

I will give a couple of observations: First, on Obama's plan to pay for his $447 billion Jobs Bill by cuts in the budget over the next ten years. What if a friend came to you, one you care for and have helped out before -perhaps you let them live in your basement and fed them for a couple of years, they have not however proven to be particularly reliable. They ask to borrow $10,000.00 "RIGHT NOW". They promise they will pay you back at $1,000.00 a year over the next ten years. You ask where they will get the money and they reply that they will reduce the amount they take from you each year by $1,000.00 so you can save that much each year. So, by the end of 10 years you will have saved the $10,000.00 and you'll be even. Would you, who have a family to feed and bills of your own to pay, agree to the deal? If so, I'll be over real soon!

Second, on the Free Trade Agreements, which, by the way, Republicans have been trying to get through over the protests of Harry Reid and Obama himself, Obama promises that if Congress passes the Bill, or is it throw the beans out the window, Koreans will be buying Fords, Chevys, and Chryslers. Bogus! They can buy better cars for less money made in their own country. And why can't the "big three" make better and less expensive cars? Because of Unions which won't let American car makers pay a fair wage that encourages productivity and rewards excellence. But wait a minute!!! the best cars in the world are already made in America, and sell very well all over Asia! What car is that? Toyota - made in America in non-Union shops that allow workers to be rewarded more for working harder and better. The solution is right under Obama's nose, but he would rather put his hope in magic beans.

Third, though paying tertiary lip service to domestic production of energy, Obama and his minions do everything possible to prevent the US from taking advantage of its vast reserves of domestic fuel. Instead, wealth flows out of America into foreign coffers and we are forced to buy the fuel that "pollutes our air" from people who want us dead. It seems we can't even sell our cow - we must trade our hopes for fairy tails.

The fairy tail went on and on - I listened, and I read, although I've heard it all before; a nice story but I have never believed it to be true.

Labor Day of Love

The Camp Loll Committee Chairman, Lynn Hinrichs, put out the call for a crew to come to camp for service projects over Labor Day weekend. I must admit, as the weekend approached, I was surprised at the number of people who reported their intention to attend. Janice, Francisco, Dan Mauchley, and I headed for camp at 5:00 AM Friday, Sept. 2. The Ormes and Jon Hollingshead and Bryce Jones had arrived at Loll late the night before. We stopped in Rexburg to load up on food supplies and were in Camp by 11:00. A steady stream of helping hands poured in through out the afternoon.

This is the crew we ended up with. What a wonderful group of highly talented and dedicated people.

Lynn and Scott Hinrich arrived shortly after Janice and I did, and we sat down for a planning session. I must admit, as Lynn went over the list of "To Do's" they seemed awfully ambitious: shore up the roof, fix the floor in the Rifle Range, paint the trim on the new roof of the "Old Office", store the bear boxes, and level the KYBO in Gros Venture.

By mid afternoon our wonderful and wonder working crew had assembled. In the posts that follow this, you will be able to follow the accomplishments of the Love inspired team, as they completed all this and more.

Here are a few pictures of some of our miracle workers:

Bryce and Kara Jones take a well deserved break between their acts of service. Bryce was up Thursday night and working from Friday morning. Kara didn't get into camp until about 1:00 AM on Saturday, now that's dedication.

Here are a few of our Camp Staffers warming up in the early morning. This crew arrived late Friday night, but went on to work the rest of the weekend. Nelsen Riches, Stephanie Dansie, Jake Dansie, and Taylor Pulver.

Dave Kirkham also showed up close to midnight on Friday, but he and his boys hit the ground running at day break on Saturday. This is Christopher and Nicholas.


On the trail between jobs. Kevin Hansen, Mike Bronson, and Jody Orme, across the back - Caleb Bronson down front.

NOTE: Check out the posts which will appear below to see each of the individual work projects.

Roof

On Midsummer's Eve, June 20, 2011 we hiked six miles over snow to check out Camp Loll. This is a shot of the Parade Ground that day. One can see the piece of the roof broken off and lying on the snow, also the way the edge of the roof of the "over lap" between the two halves of the building has broken.

I knew this wasn't good, and we worried all summer about how to fix the damage. As Camp came to a close for the summer, and nothing had been done, I began to worry that another winter would come and bring a real disaster.

In this picture, taken last July, one can see how the roof has buckled. Underneath the I shaped truss has broken and the plywood also cracked. The permanent fix will require the sheeting to be removed, a new and stronger truss installed and new plywood sheeting, tar paper, and steel installed.

It would not be possible with our time and resources to affect the total repair, but Lynn was determined to make it ready for winter. I must admit I was skeptical, but I had no idea what the Hinrichs boys could do with a jack. Over the next day I would begin to understand.

Lynn's view of the damage. I like the sun burst.

First, Lynn lifted the broken section back into place with a bottle jack.

A cool cat on a hot tin roof.

Down below Francisco Martinez cut the boards for the "knee braces" that Lynn would install. Scott would trim them to exact specifications and hand them up to his brother.

Up above, Lynn would measure and fit and nail into place.

The two brothers at work.

Braces in place. This job, which, quite frankly, I thought would not be do-able was finished before most of our crew even got into camp.

Bridge

Last fall the "After Camp Work Crew" put in a beautiful bridge between Crow and Piute Campsites. When we visited the camp on Midsummer's Eve, we discovered the west side had settled, twisting the bridge and loosening the planking. I felt like the old man in The Old Man and the Sea when the shark bit the chunk out of his fish. I couldn't bring myself to look at the bridge the rest of the summer. I can't even find another picture of it.


This shot shows the the three to four inch drop of the west end of the bridge. The scouts used it akimbo all summer. We removed some shims and leveled it a little, but I had pretty much abandoned hope of ever seeing it set right.


Minutes after finishing on the roof - Scott and Lynn were at the bridge. I did find them a bigger jack. They worked so fast they had it almost set right before I could get any pictures or anyone else showed up to help. They left it for the night looking promising. They would be back on Saturday to bring it up to their standards.


The big problem was figuring out a way to lift the bridge without burying the jack in the mud. The swamp was still full, especially to the west of the bridge. The pallet is sitting in four inches or more of water and mud. Lynn used the stone pile itself as sure foundation for the heavy lifting.

By Saturday, Dave Kirkham had shown up with tools, know how, and determination to boot. They soon had things ship shape.

I did help them find some rocks. There were a lot of others helping out as well, but the work went so quickly I didn't get many pictures.

It was some hours more of lifting, stuffing, and adjusting, but soon the whole thing was better than new.

Scott, Lynn, and David pose for my picture. As the historian, I felt I had an important role to play as well.

We await the winter's verdict - but the bridge is level and looking fine, and we are ready for whatever bites might come!

Showers

One of the most persistent problems at Loll is that the lodge showers leak. The "handicap" shower on the main floor drips almost every time it is used, not only soaking anything stored in the basement but discoloring and damaging the floor and the supporting timbers. We had pretty much decided that there was no protective "pan" or membrane beneath the shower.

Jon Hollingshead and Bryce Jones set out to find the problem and start the process of repair. We had decided that if there was no pan we would rip up the shower tiles and reveal the extent of the problem. Then next spring we would have to fix it. Jon and Bryce began a complicated process of checking for the cause of the leak. Much to our relief we found that there was a pan - the problem was that the pipes in the wall were leaking.

Bryce and Jon determined this only after much effort. Running buckets of water and running up and down the stairs to check the leaks.

By removing the housing around the valve Jon revealed the leak running down. The lumber behind the wall is black with water stains. In this close up you can see the blackened two by four behind the nob.


There was some concern that the tile would have to be removed to discover the problem, but there was no rush to judgement.

After a lot of checking it was found that the shower head was loose and cross threaded. Once removed, properly wrapped and re-installed, the leak disappeared. Thus with know how and perseverance, Jon and Bryce ended a problem which has plagued us for years.

They next turned their attention to the showers upstairs. The one in the center room seems fine, but both showers on the west end rooms leak. This is obvious to anyone who looks at the tiles above the kitchen door or the door to the restroom hall. After much investigation it was discovered that it is these upper showers that have pan problems. The theory is that the shifting of the logs has broken the seal around the pans and thus, when a certain amount of water builds up in the shower floor, they leak. This is why the showers do not leak every time, but do leak when someone takes a longer shower. Jon and Bryce are developing plans to remedy these problems.


They are also developing plans to finally put ceilings into the spaces above the showers. This photo shows the gaping hole that is the ceiling of the handy cap shower.

This is the situation above the north room shower.

This above the south. By next spring we hope to have the materials lined up to make necessary repairs and finally finish the showers.

KYBO

Once we (I was involved) had gotten the bridge about as far as we could on Friday, Lynn and Scott turned their attention to the Gros Venture KYBO. The support beam running under the bottom log was cut by Jed Stringham back in the seventies (I was involved then too). It has finally rotted out and the building was on a precarious angle.

Here, Scott and Lynn make their plans. A word about the jack in the wheelbarrow. Jody bought it several years ago because we are constantly having to help scout leaders change their tires. It payed for itself this weekend - believe me.

This is a view of the collapsing wall. The under lying support runner - cut by a chain saw hand-mill Jed bought, is literally crushed by the weight of the KYBO and the winter snow.

You can see here how it is rotting out.

The building has smashed the rotting bottom log and pushed the wall down into it.

Jack goes to work. We lifted the building to the level.

While Jack held the KYBO we stuffed in boards.

This is only a temporary fix - hopefully enough to get the building through the winter, while we make plans and gather materials for a permanent fix next spring.

Wooden shims held things temporarily while we dug up something more substantial.

This cinder block rests on the concrete slab that holds the vent pipe. It will be seen if it can hold the tons of winter snow that will soon be on its way to Loll. I couldn't help but quote my dad, well more or less. He would have assessed the project with this witticism, "Like an ox with its butt sewed up with a logging chain. Not much for looks, but hell for stout."

Jed would be proud!

Range

When we hiked into camp on June 20th we found the rifle range still under snow.

It became obvious that there had been a lot of snow on this roof. Note the huge chunks of snow lying off the north slope of the building.

These blocks of ice are only the remnant of the mountain of snow which stood on the roof throughout the winter. The fact that the building runs east - west puts enormous stress on the structure when the south facing face is clear while the north is still buried.

These blocks of snow must weigh tons. The firing line must face north - it is the only hill that will work as a back for the targets - still it presents a great problem.

Looking down from the drift to the deck of the range.

Throughout the summer the damage so much snow did to our Rifle Range became obvious. The floor joist at the west end of the building broke under the pounding weight of the ice and snow.

Lynn used our friend Jack to lift the break. Once the floor was level - he built a platform to hold the damage in place. A permanent fix which replaces the end beam with something more substantial must wait for next summer.

Lynn placed a chunk of four by four on a platform of trex.

Lynn also assessed that the storage room at the end of the range deck was a problem. Loaded with heavy materials during the summer it puts enormous stress on the flooring.

Mike Bronson, my Dentist, found an unused glue/lam beam in the wood pile and hauled it down to the Range. The boy in the background is the son of Kevin and Amber.

Here Mike and his helpers dig out the drain area to find a place for the beam.

Meanwhile Kevin and company open up the floor above. Russell Stevens carried the cement, two bags at a time, to lay the foundation for the Range. "I was here when this place came into the world," he joked, "I'll be with it to the end." Russell and several others are already under the floor putting the beam into place.

Here is a shot of the beam as it will support the storage room, and the entire floor.

Jack was at work again - lifting the floor to put the beam in place.

Here Jon Hollingshead adds his support to the project.


Other damage caused by the snow is evident. This picture shows the steel roofing bent and broken by the ice.


One can see the twisting of the steel frame that holds up the roof. The steel is bent and off plum; the fear was that another heavy winter would bring the akimbo structure down.

Dave Kirkham and Lynn engineered a fix. They borrowed the come-along from the Lodge to straighten the building. Pulling it straight was like putting up a pyramid - at least according to Dave. I missed the picture of the effort, which involved most of our crew, but did get this picture of a few of our workers and the cables straightening the structure.

To secure the building for the winter required a bolt which in turn required a hole drilled into the steel post. We needed a power drill, but how to run the drill clear out at the Rifle Range. The solution was to pull out the generator Karlo Mustonen gave to the camp years ago. I know it hasn't been started in at least two years; the gas must be three years old, but Scott got it started right up. It was like having Karlo with us once again.