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Tower
Two years ago, when the troop was newly formed, this same patch of overgrown Christmas trees was the site of our first outing. The adults who lead the troop that day taught a dozen 11-year old boys how to chop and saw, how to erect tarps, how to build a fire and how to play a game called Capture the Flag. The troop has since grown to 32 Scouts, and is starting to truly function as a Boy Scout troop should. More and more, the older Scouts are teaching the younger ones the skills of Scouting, and I just wander about looking for safety problems and talking to the boys as they work. Today, three of the older Scouts were in charge of training 10 new guys, including the ever expert Pee Wee, who just naturally thinks he knows all there is to know on any subject. After a three-mile hike, this group spent the morning turning small branches into marshmallow and hotdog sticks, in building fires and in milling about watching in awe as the tower grew. This was the younger boys' first adventure with our troop, and I suspect that they will be back for more. The older boys who lead them were transformed amazingly by the experience. No longer were they just part of a group of Scouts their own age. Now they were the old-timers --- the experts. Now they had to control the unruly and deal with Pee Wee! I saw right away how they took charge and rose to the challenge, but it was noon before I noticed that the new Scouts weren't asking me when lunch would be served or where all their lost gear had gotten to. This sort of futile questioning was now reserved for their teachers among the older Scouts! Meanwhile, all morning long, the tower slowly took shape. Built entirely by the hands of 13 and 14-year old Scouts, working to plans from Scouter Magazine; this massive undertaking consisted of 30 poles and sticks held together by over 50 lashings. First 6 spars were tied together to form a pyramidal base, and then another, inverted, pyramid was constructed on top of this. An observation platform was then added, and, finally, a flag, and a bell for finishing touches. A rope ladder made of sticks and binder twine provided access to the top. Now, mind you, the whole hourglass-shaped tower was constructed lying on its side, and so none of us knew if the huge thing would stand and be climbable until the very end. At the start, everything was so wobbly that success seemed unlikely, but as stick after stick was lashed into place, slowly the whole structure firmed up fairly well.
Next up was Chunk, and the spar to which the rope ladder was fastened first bent and then cracked under his weight. Undaunted, Lash scrambled to the top and reinforced the weak stick with a second, stronger one. Once again, Chunk started up the ladder. This time the sticks held his weight, but, with a snap, one of the pieces of binder twine in the rope ladder parted and he again retreated to the ground. Here was a problem indeed --- a perfectly fine tower and no way, seemly, to get to the top. Then Chunk said, "I don't need a ladder" and grabbing hold of the massive framework of the tower, he scrambled upward. In seconds, he was on the platform, glorying in the view and ringing the bell. So, that’s the way they all did it. One foot goes here, the next here, give a heave and you're up. The Scouts spent the next half-hour taking turns climbing to the top, with me spotting them with increasing confidence below. Finally, they had all had their turn and the tower had served its purpose --- well, almost.
I heaved myself up onto the first spar and started climbing. Behind
me someone gasped, "Get the video camera!" At the platform, I
rutched myself up and over, and then I slowly stood and looked out
over the boys and parents below. And, I smiled as I thought that
there really is no better way to spend a sunny Saturday than to be
out with the Boy Scouts! |
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With
a grunt, Lobo sent the ax blade flashing into the base of the
thirty-foot larch. Spread out about him, his buddies used axes,
hatchets and saws to fell other trees on the long abandoned tree
farm. Soon, three tall skinny poles lay on the ground and were being
chopped into 10-foot lengths. I stood by and gloried in the
beautiful day, and constantly fought the urge to join in the work of
creating the tower. 
About
two in the afternoon, all the boys put hands to the intricate
construction and to lines connected to it, and pulled it, quivering,
into its final upright position. With a sledge, Lobo drove three
thick stakes into the ground, and the boys quickly attached
guy-lines to stabilize the tower. Then it was time for a Scout to
climb it. Lash, our best and lightest pioneer, grabbed hold of the
rope ladder and made his swaying way to the top. First with some
caution, and then with increasing confidence, he slowly stood up on
the high platform and raised his arms wide in triumph. The thing
worked!