Summer of Summits: Scoutmaster Reflection
Originally written September 22, 2019 by Dave Keen, Scoutmaster
As summer officially draws to an end today, I felt this was a fitting time to reflect back on the summer events of Troop 574. As expressed in the title, this was truly the summer of summits. What is a summit? Webster defines a summit as “the highest point/peak or the topmost level attainable”. Both fitting definitions as I recap the rich events for which we were able to partake in.
Let’s start with the obvious, we climbed a lot peaks this summer! During our 7 hikes, we attained an overall elevation of 52,246 feet and had an actual elevation gain of over 29,500 feet! Now that is higher than the height of Mt. Everest.
We began our quest for summits on June 1st with Mt. Si at 4000 feet. We use this hike as a qualifier to ensure scouts and adults are capable of the strength & mental fortitude needed for longer, more rigorous events such as a 50-miler or Philmont. To complete the qualification, you need to carry 25% of your body weight (max 50 lbs) up Mt. Si in 2.5 hours or less. We had a beautiful warm day and those of us that took the additional time to scale “Haystack” got an incredible view of Mt. Rainier basking alluringly in the distance.
The Lake Serene hike on Father’s Day weekend might not have been a summit hike but it was a wonderful part of our summer hiking adventures. At 8.2 miles round trip and 2000 feet of elevation gain, it was one of our more demanding annual Father’s Day hikes. The weather was beautiful and for those daring scouts, the snow fed water in Lake Serene was clear, cold and refreshing. Although we still had over 25 people show up for this hike, I promise we’ll pick an easier hike next year.
The next climb was a qualifier specifically for the Mt. Rainier team. Our target was Oregon’s highest point, Mt. Hood. We started off at Timberline and hiked up to about 9,000 ft to spend the night. We woke up early the next morning to find that it took each of us a lot longer to get our climbing gear on than was anticipated. Fortunately, our highly experienced leader, Karl Kohagen was gracious about this learning experience. As we began our final ascent, the smell of sulfur quite uncomfortable penetrated our nostrils as Mt. Hood is still an active volcano. After navigating a steep and narrow shoot, we celebrated our summit around 8:45am. The weather was calm and clear, we couldn’t have asked for better conditions. We also welcomed Mr. Kohagen as an honorary member of our troop by presenting him with an official 574 t-shirt. A lesson we ALL took away from this experience was to apply and re-apply sunscreen. The reflective properties of glaciers will redirect the sun’s rays and affect every part of your exposed skin, including the underside of your nose.
Next in line was our troop’s overnight backpacking trip to Navaho Pass/Peak in the Teanaway region on June 29 & 30. Only 11 brave souls attended this trip but everyone said this is a hike we should do regularly. It was an ideal training hike because there aren’t too many places in the northwest that you can reach 7,223 in June without being impeded by snow. One of the highlights of this adventure was waking up at 4am and hiking up the 1200 ft from Navaho Pass to Navaho Peak in order to catch the 5:03am sunrise. Gazing upon Mt. Stuart and the distant Enchantments while the sun illuminated the vastness of God’s creation is a mountain top breakfast I will not soon forget.
How can I eloquently describe the summer’s summit of summits, Mt. Rainier? Oh yes, IT WAS HARD!!! The Mt. Rainier team had been organizing and planning this event since last November but without Karl Kohagen, a Boy Scout high adventure outfitter, the path to fruition would not have been as smooth, cost efficient, rewarding and successful. In preparation with Mr. Kohagen, we spent an evening practicing prussic training & repelling in a warehouse and a day of mountaineer training on the snow at Stevens Pass. He truly coached us all along every step of the way.
Eight months after inception, we found ourselves posing for pictures on the trailhead steps at Paradise with the inscription of John Muir’s words at our feet and Mt. Rainier looming with a lenticular cloud at our backs. With fresh legs, 50 pound packs and a group prayer, we began our 5.5 hour climb to Camp Muir, where we would spend our first night at 10,188 ft. Upon arrival, the cold and unrelenting wind penetrated our tired bodies so we decided to take refuge in the public shelter. Here we met people from all across the country. This was my first realization that Mt. Rainier was a sought after summit for more than just us Seattleites. We also found out during this time in the shelter that no one had summited that day and no one would attempt it the next morning either because the winds were too powerful for it to be safe. I later was told that of the 10,000 people who attempt to summit Mt. Rainier each year, only about 50% succeed. Fortunately for us, our plans the next day were to camp at Ingram Flats in order to become better acclimated. This 2 hour climb and 1000 ft of elevation gain gave us time to set up our tents, melt snow and get some rest before waking up at midnight to begin our journey to the summit. The weather was in our favor now and we stepped out of camp at 1:30am in 3 person teams, roped up and headlamps on. We climbed the bare rocks of Disappointment Cleaver, stepped over various crevasses and climbed a metal ladder to extend ourselves towards the summit. Even the 6am sunrise was just brief mental pause so we could continue concentrating on the foot-wide path beneath our cramponed boots. At last, we met the south side crater summit at about 8:00am on July 25th. Exhausted and elated, we realized that the peak was still across the crater and up. After taking time out to sign the summit notebook, we all met at the Columbia Crest peak, Mt. Rainier’s highest point at 14,411 feet. As each of us delighted in the unblemished views, we knew it was a team effort and God had blessed this journey. The rest of the day was dedicated to a 9,000 foot descent, a midnight meal at Shari’s and a 3 hour drive home.
Less than 30 hours later, we were boarding a plane for our next two-week journey at the Boy Scouts premier high adventure camp in northern New Mexico called Philmont. Established in 1938, roughly 24,000 scouts visit the 140,000 acres of stunning mountain wilderness each year. Planning starts over 2 years in advance and the scouts must be 14 years or older.
I could never do justice to this experience in one paragraph but let me describe a few of the highlights from our expedition. We got to listen to and sing along with the talented camp bands after certain days on the trial. We loaded our own shotgun shells and shot them at clay targets. We did cowboy action shooting with shotguns, pistols and lever action rifles. We went bouldering, saw petroglyphs, threw tomahawks, went gold panning and explored an old mine. We hiked though incredibly scenic terrain, stayed at inspiring campsites and drank root beer. In continuing with the summit theme, we even did an arduous hike to top of Mt. Baldy. Reaching 12,441 feet, this is the highest elevation at Philmont. We spent an hour up there because it was so spectacular. In the eyes of the Scoutmaster, this isn’t even the best part of the trip. The best part was that the scouts led the entire 12-day trek. The growth and leadership that took place was inspirational. I would truly like every scout in our troop to have this opportunity.
Although I was not on the Boulder River hike, I am so glad that a number of scouts and families took advantage of this outdoor opportunity. Camping and backpacking are skills that are learned through trial and error. It is good to reflect on what worked well and what would I do next time to make it better. A one night outing is a perfect time to discover these things. I’ve been backpacking for years and I’m still fine tuning my gear. If you haven’t done a lot of these type of activities, I know it can be a little intimidating to read about all the high adventure events. I encourage everyone to at least give backpacking a try once. We have plenty of troop and personal gear to loan out.
I will now descend in elevation but ascend in relevance. Somewhere in between high adventure and our various hikes, we had summer camp at Camp Easton. This was a new camp to our 5-year rotation. Although we had beautiful views from our campsite and the waterfront was the most expansive that I’ve ever seen, there was a far greater highlight for me. It was the fact that we had 27 scouts and 12 adults attend camp. I was especially pleased that all seven of our new scouts were there. This is such an important time for our scouts to learn new skills, try new things, foster leadership and connect as a troop. It was wonderful to see all these things taking place and I look forward to next year at Camp Meriwether.
As I conclude my summer reflections, I feel so blessed for the opportunities we share as a troop. The scouting skills that were gained, the leadership that was cultivated and most importantly, the servanthood that was given and received during these times. So grows our bonds as we experience the summits and valleys of life together.