By Robert Lucke
The temperature hovered just above 30 degrees on a frosty Saturday morning on Beaver Creek. That did nothing to deter the excitement of over 125 Boy Scouts and their leaders starting out the first morning of their annual Hi-line Boy Scout spring camp out.
Breakfast was served by a crew from Great Falls, some of whom have been cooking for over 30 years for these camp outs. The pancakes were flying off the griddle and eggs were being eaten as fast as senior cook, Mark Sullivan, could cook them.
Outside, several boys might be cold in the early spring air, but their hands were hot as they dipped dishes out of wash and rinse water as soon as Scouts finished their breakfasts.
With Sullivan's crew cooking, Scouts were going to eat well all day long. They were planning hamburgers and baked beans for lunch and ham and potatoes for supper.
As the flags were raised, Scouts from Canada, Cut Bank, Glasgow, Havre, Malta and Chinook stood by to get their marching orders for the day which included various stations where scouts learned and demonstrated the fine arts of canoeing, knot tying, archery, plant seed and animal identification, hazardous material, a blindfolding obstacle course, and compass courses.
Later in the day, a wind of mind-boggling proportions came up and the next day, they did their activities in a snowstorm for part of the day.
Nothing, though, deterred the boys and their leaders from making this 2001 camp out one of the very best of all.
And, oh, hold on to your hats! Look closely at the pictures that accompany this story.
Yes, those are girls you see in the photos! These days, girls are in the Scouts.
All Canadian troops routinely let girls participate in Scouting activities, and in the United States, the Venture groups of scouting are co-educational.
