Camp: 3 Days of Motion

The main event, so to speak, of the scout camp was the 3-day bike hike through the surrounding area. Based on a map, a route had been traced out which would allow us to see most of the park and didn't look to challenging. Unfortunately, Fedz hadn't really reconnoitred any of the trails and this would prove a challenge in the coming days. Also, the age and ability range of the scouts was considerable so we often had to wait for the slower ones to catch up. Add to that, we were asked to carry our fire gear (towels and clothes) which greatly restricted our packing space for things like food and water. The heavier gear, like tents and other camping items were taken in trailers to our campsites.

The first day was sunny but began with a reasonably steep uphill climb from Sokil to the next main road. I was at the rear with Magalas making sure that none of the scouts fell too far behind.As this was the first few minutes on the bikes, some of the scouts struggled and had to walk their bikes up the hill. After that hill, though, the riding became mush easier as we rode on a flat road. We made good time until 2 of the scouts lost control and fell in separate crashes but at roughly the same time and stretch of road, requiring some bandaging.

After lunch we hit the real bush tracks and here we met some great challenges. Much of the track was sand making riding difficult and we lost time as many scouts had to walk their bike along portions of the track. The fact that much of it was uphill also didn't help. Nevertheless, we made it through some nice bush and after deciding to cut a portion of the planned route, we made it to our first campsite exhausted. I am a reasonably fit and experienced biker and even I found this first day difficult. I can only imagine what it was like for some of the younger scouts. One of them, Alex, was inexperienced, not fit, and had crashed earlier but forced himself to tackle the track and made it to the end of the day. Another scout, Teresa, had only learned to bike 2 weeks beforehand and had been thrown into the fire, but handled herself like a pro and kept pace with the middle of the group.

The second day's trekking started out much like the first's. We ended up on sandy track. Alex, for all his effort and determination, was simply out of his depth and had to be driven back to camp. It wasn't for lack of will, just he wasn't physically able to take on a track of this difficulty, but good on him for trying his hardest. He punched far above his class and pushed himself right to his breaking point; he did admirably. As we made our way between hills and dales, trying to reach a flat hill (Fedz's word for a plateau), I was struck with misfortune --- my bike broke. Somehow the chain got caught in the spokes and bent part of the derailleur making the bike unridable. Fedz and Magalas went about repairing it, turning it into a 1-speed, so that I could at least ride it. This gave the scouts a good long lunch break.

Realizing that the original route would take us far too long, the night before at the "kadra" (KAHD-rah), or council, we had decided to cut a large portion of the route out. Nevertheless, this new route took us along a major road with continuous traffic. As there was no shoulder, we had to walk our bikes all the way to our campsite, again uphill. It was rather unfortunate because this was a proper paved road and biking would have been relatively easy.

We arrived at the camp site and staked out an area right away, where I received a new bicycle. There was a music festival happening in a few days so the grounds already had campers but luckily we found a spot big enough for us all. Here, one of the scouts, Emil Dickson, was chatting to Dam'yan Pavlyshyn and was so sure of his position that he swore "on the lives of most of the Apostles". This phrase was repeated with laughter for the rest of camp.

That night passed quietly and then came the final hike day. The morning began foggy but I could sense a palpable sense of relief among the scouts that they were returning to camp. Again we set out through difficult and hilly terrain. Alex joined us, eager to finish the hike, but, alas, again found himself outclassed. He tried so hard and it wasn't easy for him to go back to camp but better that than him getting hurt. Speaking of which, at one point, on the scouts sat on a bull ant nest (as the name suggests they are very aggressive) and one bit him 4 times, including once in a particularly sensitive area.

As we kept going we approached the highest point in the surrounding countryside; it would be all downhill to Sokil from there. All that stood on the way were some tracks through a pine plantation. As we started down the first part, Teresa lost control and crashed her bike. She required some very basic first aid but I volunteered to take another route around the plantation with her. We made our way, sometimes riding, sometimes walking but eventually made it to the fire tower on the highest point. And there we waited, and waited, and waited. We had assumed that the group would be no more than 10-15 minutes behind us but after about 45 minutes and still no sign, we became worried.

At the fire tower Symon Kohut, a volunteer parent and 2 girl scouts were waiting with lunch and a van. After waiting what seemed like an eternity we decided to drive down and look for the rest of the group. We eventually found them, coming up as individuals more or less, up something called Retreat Valley Road; Teresa and I had passed it on our route. They all made for the shad and dropped there bike one-by-one as they came up. Everyone rested in an area of tall grass, which we flattened and unanimously refused to move when Fedz suggested that it might be safer to move because tall grass has snakes; I don't blame them. After letting them rest for a minute, we learned the full horror of what had happened. It turns out that the tracks were steeper and rockier than anticipated, not to mention that there was virtually no shade anywhere. What they thought was a track ended up being a dead end so they had to backtrack for a while. It had just turned into a colossal nightmare but luckily it was over. Kohut drove back to Sokil and brought back some Icy Pops (freezies) which was a huge moral booster. Luckily, the rest of the trip was pretty much downhill.

As we left this little spot of Hell, Magalas had his own bike disaster, the crank arm bolt dethreaded (think no pedals) so a new bike had to be brought for these last few kilometers. I continued on and left Magalas at the rear on his own but he quickly caught up once he had his new wheels. As the group waited we joked that the only thing we would see would be a streak of fire on the road as the only evidence he had gone by. After a few more turns, but no more hills, we arrived back at Sokil. The scouts were given permission to go for a swim; some of them didn't even bother to change into swimming gear and just went in with their clothes.

The bike hike was fun but exhausting, even for strong riders like myself. The tracks chosen were challenging and the large age range made it difficult for some. Personally, I think this was a ride really only suitable for older scouts. Nevertheless, it did help build some muscle tone and was rewarding for the sense of accomplishment. I think everyone slept soundly that night.