A New Way of Living
Hello, everyone! It has been my first week of working at the Summit and I already have a lot of things to write about. Every morning, when I get up, I look out my tent and see mist surround the entire camp. I then take a morning jog down to the dining hall for breakfast. The food here isn't all that great, but at least it's something everyone can eat. After breakfast, I head off to Camp HQ, where I am given my assignment for the day. This summer, Ryan(my boss), Grayson (co-worker), Logan (co-worker), and I have been assigned to deal with C2, which is a part of Charlie Base Camp. In total there are a total of six Base Camps. There's Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, and Foxtrot. Alpha and Bravo are the only two base camps used for High Adventure camping. Echo is used for National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT). Charlie Base Camp is the only camp on the Summit being used for the Scout Camp this summer. Next week though, this will be a bit different. Venturingfest is coming up and we will have to use Charlie and a part of Delta Base Camp. For those who don't know what Venturingfest is, it is a Jamboree of the Venture Scouts, which are a branch of the Boy Scouts of America meant for young adults ages 15-21. We are expecting approximately 1,000 Venture Scouts. This means I will be working my butt off later this week to get everything set up.
When it comes to working during the week, most days are pretty quiet. I usually have to set up dining flies in certain sites, retrieve tents and cots for new incoming troops, and get materials for other programs for the Scout Camp. In order for me to get around camp, I have taken an UTV training course. I now get to drive an UTV around the property and its pretty fun. Last week, I got to drive all the way up to the highest point of the property called Garden Ground. To get there, I had to drive up many close to vertical trails while using a low gear and pulling a trailer. It was a trial by fire for me because I have never pulled a trailer before. When I got back with the materials Outdoor Skills asked me for, I felt really good about my self driving off road.
When it comes to break time, I am usually writing on this blog, reading Outside Magazine, or swaying in my hammock. My days off are usually on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Last week on Tuesday, I took my swimming test, which allows me to do aquatic activities. I of course, passed with flying colors. I then took on paddle boarding. I have never paddle boarded in my life and I have to say, it was easy. When doing any aquatic sport, one must always be partnered with a buddy. I was asked to buddy with this nice old couple from North Carolina and they were very interested in what I did here on camp and what I did as a scout in my Boy Scout years. I told them what I did on the property, including what I was doing at Mizzou. After I told them what my plans were for this year, they then told me about what they did on the property. They were volunteers and they helped with some of the new troops which come in.
Yesterday, Saturday, after a long morning of working, half the scout camp staff and I went into the local town, Fayetteville to grab lunch. Fayetteville is officially one of the coolest towns in America. Rock climbers and rafting guides live in town and have their own shops. There is an independent climbing shop as well as a biking shop. In my opinion, Fayetteville is hipster central.
There are three good places to eat in Fayetteville; Pies and Pints( a pizza joint), Cathedral Cafe (its a cafe in what used to be an old church), and the Secret Sandwich Society (supposedly, this place has the best sandwiches around but I we can never get in because the lines are ALWAYS an hour and a half.). Ultimately, we went to Pies and Pints. The pizzas there are very interesting. Its not like Chicago thin crust or New York style, but it is somewhere in between. I would highly recommend you go there in you ever find yourself driving to Baltimore. Anyway, everyone paid for lunch by splitting the bill (It took way longer than it needed to.) and we all went to go see The Incredibles.
Aside from doing laundry, this pretty much sums up my first week at Summit. It was long and tedious, but it was definitely worth it. I look forward to the next six weeks.