Author: Josh Silverman
Date: 09-30-02 05:56
With all of the doom and gloom and fear going on in the world lately, its comforting to think back on Camp Horseshoe and all of the life lessons I learned. I sat down with my half-brother Parker a few days ago. He is fast approaching pioneer age and is very much into baseball, soccer, football, and he just recently discovered camping. His eyes sparkled and lit up when I told him how I used to go to camp as a young boy, and I proceeded to tell him all about the skills I learned and remember to this day:
- how to love your country by saluting the flag (Camp Horseshoe attention, to the colors, at ease fellas).
- how to take pride in your home by doing household chores (cabin cleanup).
- how to always leave a campsite cleaner than you found it.
- how to be a part of a team.
- how to have the power of reflection and feel connection with other people (Council Horseshoe).
- how to control a canoe and avoid rocks with a j-stroke and a sweep.
- how to rig a sail boat.
- how to tie a fly, make a fisherman's knot, select the right lure, and clean a fish.
- how never to touch the roof of a tent when its raining.
- how to make a campfire.
- how to take guidance from others, and know when its right to give guidance to others (get lost).
- how you should never wear jeans if you're gonna bushwhack thru a swamp.
- how to depend on yourself when necessary (survival).
- how to pack a backpack for a hike in the woods.
- what to do if you're confronted with a bear.
- how to shoot a rifle and a bow and hopefully get bullseyes.
- how to tell a story and make it believable (chief nam).
- how sometimes the simple pleasures in life ("a s--t, shower, and shave" as H used to say) are all you really need.
I can go on and on. I truely miss Camp Horseshoe and I mourn the fact that Parker, and many other future generations of boys, will never be able to learn these simple, lingering lessons of Camp Horseshoe because of its closure and destruction. I think that its a great betrayal and injustice that all Parker will ever know of these lessons is what I teach him. He will never learn them first hand up in the Northwoods of Minong. However, I am happy and thankful that my memories of simpler times and the lessons I learned can be conveyed by these conversations I have with him..
regards....Josh
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