Grandpa-scoutmaster
- Description
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Paula Kesselring
Retro Bundle
Journaling reads:
I was appointed scout master in October 1958. I was the scout master for nearly fifteen years. Each summer our troop would go into the high Lakes in the Wallowa Mountains for a week’s camp. We had many good experiences on these trips.
I remember one trip we went up the Lostine River and then packed up to Chimney Lake for our camp. Everything went fine. We got to the lake and set up camp. The next morning after breakfast we hiked to another lake to fish. On the way back to camp a couple of the boy wanted to fish in the stream we were following. As the trail followed the stream to our camp, I let them stay and fish some more. The rest of us went back to camp and prepared our dinner. I knew that the two boys would be hungry soon and come to camp. The rest of us ate our dinner and then I decided that I had better go back and tell the two scouts to come for dinner. A couple of the other boys went with me down the trail but we didn’t find the two boys. We went back to our camp hoping the two boys would be there. They were not at camp. I called all the boys in and told them that it would soon be dark. I would have to go down to the Lostine River and get some help to search for the two boys. Before I left, one of the boys suggested that we have a group prayer asking that we would find the boys. I had already asked for the Lord’s help in finding them and I knew that some of the boys had also prayed that we would find them. It was quite an experience to kneel with a group of scouts and have our Senior Patrol Leader offer a prayer that we would find the two boys and be able to stay and enjoy our camping.
I got my flashlight and started back down the trail. I knew it would be dark before I could make it back to our camp. As I went down the trail, I could see the headlines that would be appearing in the papers: “La Grande City Manager’s son lost on a scouting trip,” or “Local scoutmaster loses two boys on Scout Trip.” After I had walked quite a distance and was about to start down the steep side hill to the river, I thought I heard a noise. Maybe it was a coyote howling. I stopped and yelled. In a little while I heard an answer. It was the two boys. After we had left them they had decided to hike to another lake to fish and had left the trail. Then they decided to take a short cut back to our camp. Their short cut turned out to be several miles longer and through rougher country. We were able to stay and enjoy our trip.
Excerpt taken from my Grandpa: Elden La Grande Waite’s life story July 2023
