The Bridge

Looking back it's kind of fitting that it all started and ended with a bridge...

Ryley bridging in to Cub Scouts as a Tiger.

On June 1, 2012 Ryley officially became a Cub Scout and crossed a rope bridge to signify his joining Cub Scout Pack 270. Faithfully every summer we went away to resident camp. It was during those days at summer camp and our den meetings in between that Ryley crossed many other bridges, both literally and figuratively. He learned how to shoot a bow, a BB gun and a sling shot. He learned how to safely handle a knife. He learned how to camp, fish and love the outdoors. No matter what, even if it were pouring down rain, he always did it with a smile on his face. And so on January 7, 2017, with a smile on his face, Ryley completed his last requirement as a Cub Scout and earned the highest award in all of Cub Scouting; the Arrow of Light Award.

My wife Dawn, Ryley and I with his Arrow of Light Awards and shadow boxes.

But this is not the end of his adventure, only a new chapter. On February 26, 2017 his final act as a Cub Scout was to cross a wooden bridge from his Cub Scout Pack into his Boy Scout Troop. This new chapter in his scouting adventure will surely lead him to other bridges and obstacles he must cross helping to build him into the man he will become while guiding him on the path God has laid out for him.

Ryley bridging in to Boy Scouts and reciting the Scout Oath and Scout Law.

I cannot wait to see the man he will be and be part of his adventures as a Boy Scout.

Let the next chapter begin...

Chasing a Ghost

Panoramic of Ryley in the treestand.

The shrill sound of a woman being attacked pierced the darkness. We were in the middle of the woods, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and we most certainly were NOT alone. But I could tell that although the sound had caught Ryley off guard, he wasn’t the least bit scared. This wasn’t some zombie apocalypse or an escapee from prison wreaking havoc in the woods. It was the bugle of a sika deer, a Japanese relative of the European red deer and American elk.

Due to Ryley’s successful youth hunt we had two deer in the freezer. This took the pressure off of me for opening day of our firearms season so I opted to take Ryley on a bit of a journey to see if we could connect with a sika deer or another nice whitetail. As luck would have it, my brother-in-law, Ronny, was part of a hunting club on the Eastern Shore about a 30 minute drive from the public land we were going to hunt. Ronny is my surrogate Father in a way. My Dad really wasn’t much into hunting and fishing, but Ronny came from a family passionate about the outdoors. So growing up he was my mentor and it was time that the three of us spend some quality time together at deer camp.

So if these were Japanese relatives to our American elk, what exactly were they doing here in the marshes and pine woods of Maryland’s Eastern Shore? As far as the Maryland Department of Natural Resources can tell the sika deer were brought to Maryland in the early 1900s by Clement Henry when he released about 5 or 6 deer on James Island. They currently can be found in four counties as well as on Assateague Island. They prefer the marshy habitat which has earned them the name of “Marsh Ghost”. Luckily for hunters in Maryland they seem to be able to coexist side by side with our native whitetail and are not in direct competition. This means we have two thriving deer populations in the state which can be hunted during the same seasons. To find out more about the Maryland Sika Deer you can read up on them on the Maryland DNR website.

The original plan was for us to travel down on Black Friday and spend the night in his camper. We would hunt Le Compte WMA on opening day and then hunt the private property at his hunting club on Sunday. Going into the hunt I was optimistic but was definitely prepared for failure. The area we would be hunting would see high pressure on opening morning. Coupled with the fact that we both had to hunt out of a climbing treestand and you can understand what I wasn’t overly optimistic.

Safety first.

Sure enough when Saturday morning came I realized that the treestands were going to be an issue. Ryley simply didn’t have the strength or height to properly work the treestand I had for him. My treestand turned out to be a little easier for him to operate but not by much. So we switched stands and I helped him get himself in the tree. The problem was he could only get himself about 7 feet up the tree, with my help. So I fashioned my stand at the base of the tree and we tried to make do with what we had.

I think we would have been successful that morning had it not been for the extreme high winds that were keeping the deer bedded as well as making it almost impossible to hear anything. The only thing we really could hear all morning were the endangered Delmarva Fox Squirrels running around like kids playing in the backyard.

Le Compte WMA.

After a few hours we headed back to the truck to go have breakfast/lunch at deer camp with Ronny. When we arrived he already had the fried potatoes going along with a couple pounds of sausage already fried up. He whipped up some scrambled eggs and we sat around eating and talking about our morning’s hunts. Turns out we weren’t the only ones not seeing deer, sika or whitetail. The weather seemed to be keeping the deer bedded and we only saw two does hauled in on four-wheelers that morning.

Buoyed by the fact that others weren’t having any success either, Ryley and I set back off for the woods to get nestled in. I opted to not take the treestands as they took too much time to set up and break down and didn’t make it any easier for us to see. Again as we got comfortable in our spot the squirrels came out to drive us nuts!

Me and Mini-Me.

We drove back in the darkness in silence. We had closed out the opening day of deer season completely skunked. We hadn’t even seen a glimpse of any deer and the only signs of deer around us were the bugles that broke the silence of the darkness and gun shots indicating the few deer that seemed to have made it out of bed that day. When we arrived back at camp we received even worse news, Ronny had read the regulations regarding guest hunters. It would cost me $50 per person for Ryley and I just to be allowed to go out in the field to hunt and another $200 if we shot something. For those prices Ryley and I could go on a really nice pheasant hunt out of state. The saving grace of the night was Ronny’s hand cut, triple fried, French fries and venison burgers.

On the bright side, we got to sleep in on Sunday morning and we took our time driving home. Driving back Ryley and I discussed our successful and not-so-successful hunts this year. The wind had ruined two (one bear and one deer) of our hunts but we had still succeeded in spending quality time together as Father and Son. I had the ability to take him to deer camp so that he could experience it with the man who introduced me to the outdoors and for that I will be forever grateful, whether we got a deer or not.

So as the sun sets on our deer hunting season this year I am looking to the future and trying to figure out what we will get ourselves into in the coming year. I definitely want to get out with Ryley and do some squirrel hunting before the winter has passed. In the Spring we are going to try our hand at turkey hunting and I have already committed to bringing Ryley back down to the Eastern Shore in the early Fall to chase that marsh ghost again. Until then keep taking your kids outdoors…

A weekend to remember

Ryley taking a moment to reflect on the beauty of his buck.

It’s getting colder and the days are getting shorter. Winter is officially knocking at our door. But that hasn’t stopped us one bit. Two weekends ago Ryley and I set out to accomplish two tasks, go on our first camping trip with his new Boy Scout Troop and get him a deer during our short youth season.

The week leading up to our action packed weekend was filled with the unloading of our fishing gear from our previous adventure and the reloading of the suburban for a weekend camping/hunting trip. Luckily for us we wouldn’t be traveling too far to accomplish either.

Saturday morning came and we found ourselves in a familiar spot. We were sitting in Ryley’s double tree stand at his Aunt and Uncle’s farm. Smack dab in the middle of a cow pasture hunting the wood edge and hedge rows. It was quite cold and within an hour Ryley was confirming with me just how long we intended to stay out hunting. I gently reminded him that we had a camping trip to go on in a few short hours. All of those questions faded away as we caught the glimpse of four does making their way out into the field. We watched them for a good half an hour as they ambled their way closer to us.  As they got close Ryley and I noticed several 4 point bucks about 400 yards off in the distance. As soon as Ryley saw the glint of white that was the small rack he was entranced. But the buck hung back as those first four does got closer and closer to us, finally coming into range about 150 yards out. It was decision time and Ryley kept his eyes on the buck and decided he would take a chance that the does would slip into the woods before the buck decided to move. And that is just what they did. Within a few minutes the buck went the other way as well and there we sat.

But it wasn’t long before we saw even more does come into the field followed by what looked like a nice mature buck. As we watched those deer I saw movement across from us on the hedge row and one of the 4 point bucks had reemerged with a doe by his side. As we sat and waited for things to play out I saw the 4 point stop dead in his tracks as a chocolate racked 7 point stepped up to his doe and lead her away. The 4 point quickly bounded off defeated. But Ryley had his attention on the larger buck that was still a ways off. When I managed to glass the buck it looked like a nice solid 8 point. Ryley was beside himself. Then, as quickly as it started it was all over. The neighbor had driven her car down her driveway and scared the deer off. Now Ryley was asking me if we could stay just a little bit longer. With promises of coming back on Sunday afternoon we packed up and headed home to get ready for our camping trip.

My wife Dawn, joining us for our campfire dinner.

By 2:00 pm that day we had arrived at our campsite in the woods and were welcomed by Troop 270. This wasn’t technically our first campout with the Troop as this is the same troop all my boys have belonged to and even before Ryley became a Tiger Scout we were regularly camping with them. The day was filled with activities to keep Ryley engaged in learning new scout skills and getting to know some of the older scouts who he had not already befriended. 
That evening we had a splendid meal of fried chicken and sides all cooked in cast iron over a roaring fire. The night ended with a flag retirement ceremony and Ryley participating by throwing in the stars on the field of blue.

Ryley participating in our flag retirement ceremony.

The next morning I was up at 6:00 am packing my tent furiously so that we could leave at whatever time Ryley wanted. About an hour later Ryley woke up and decided that instead of hunting the afternoon he wanted to pack up as quickly as he could and head over to the farm that very morning. We said our goodbyes and headed back to the farm. The boy had buck fever, bad!

By the time we go to the farm it was already 8:00 and although we saw a few does running through the cow pasture we didn’t see much signs of life other than the cows. We walked the back hay fields and managed to jump up two does on our way back to the truck. But they ran off before either of us could react. We headed home for some lunch with the intent of coming right back to the farm.

With our stomachs full we again decided to check the back hay fields. To our dismay on the way back we saw a heard of does up by our Suburban as they ambled towards the farm house. By this point Ryley was becoming discouraged thinking he had missed his real good chance at a deer the previous morning. I told him not to worry, we still had a few good hours of hunting light left. I suggested we end our day in the same tree stand we started in the previous morning. Begrudgingly Ryley made his way to the stand and up we went.

Within a half an hour of getting in the stand I saw movement directly across the field from us, near where we saw the 7 pointer the previous day. At first I just saw a couple of does but then quickly realized that the big 8 pointer from the previous day was about 400 yards from us. We sat there for a while trying to will the deer to come out into the field a little closer to us. They just wouldn’t budge. So I asked Ryley if he was willing to take a chance and go after that big buck from the ground. He didn’t even hesitate. We silently crept down the ladder and into the open field. We were lucky in that the ground was sloped so that the deer couldn’t initially see us as we approached out in the middle of the open field. We slowly made our way a hundred yards and stopped. Through my Vortex binoculars I verified the does were still there but I had lost sight of the buck. Ryley said he would be happy with just shooting a doe so we crept a little bit closer, this time hunkering down in the field as we watched the deer in the distance. Then just as we were talking about which doe he wanted to shoot I saw him again, running around the wood line chasing a doe. The buck was still there! But as quickly as he had emerged he was gone again, slipping into the woods. At this point my heart was racing and I know Ryley’s was too. We exchanged looks for a brief minute and silently decided that we would wait the buck out.

We half crawled our way to within 150 yards of the does and slowly stood up. Why hadn’t they seen us by now? It didn’t matter. We were on our feet for only a minute or two, though time seemed to have slowed down at this point, when a doe came running out of the woods. I told Ryley to get ready because the buck would be following her. And out he did come, trotting after her. I honestly don’t remember the next set of events too clearly. Tunnel vision set in and the only thing I was concentrating on was the buck. I don’t think the deer even stopped. BANG. I saw the buck lurch as if it were hit a little far back and then watched him regain his legs and run off into the woods. My heart sank. But then I looked up and the does were just standing there. I asked Ryley if he wanted to shoot a doe, he nodded and she crumpled within 50 yards, from what I would later find out to be a shot to the top of the heart. She had run right to the opening of where the buck had disappeared.

We quickly check on her and she was already dead so we looked for some sign of blood on the ground. We walked all the way down the fence line to where I thought the buck was when he was shot. No blood. Not even a speck. Ryley was already commenting that he thought he missed the buck. I wasn't so sure about that so we kept searching for any sign of blood, even the smallest of specks.

As we made our way back to where the doe had fallen I looked up and there on the side of a small sapling was a streak of red. Not just a splatter but a large swatch of blood. Over the fence we went in search of the buck. I usually like to give them time to die but the sun was setting and light would be gone within an hour. Ryley and I tracked the buck through briers and sticker bushes, into bedding areas all the while twisting and turning as we went. We had to stop a few times and backtrack to pick up a drop of blood here or a smear on a leaf there.

The glint off the antler's told us where the buck had fallen.

I was beginning to think we might have lost him and was about to tell Ryley we might have to head back when I saw a glint of white in the fading light. There he was about 50 yards off to the side of us crumpled up in a heap. I pointed the buck out to Ryley and he was speechless. We quickly went over to the deer to make sure he was dead and that’s when Ryley did it. He reached down to stroke the hair on the deer, as if to say "thank you for giving himself up to me". We said a small prayer thanking God for blessing us this day. I snapped a few pictures and then we proceeded to tag the deer and drag him out, only I had forgotten my knife back at the tree stand. On the hoof this deer was well over 200lbs and after much huffing and puffing I had managed to get the buck into the field just as the last rays of light were shining. I quickly staged the buck and doe together and snapped a few more pictures of Ryley before the cavalry arrived in the form of his Uncle Milt with his four-wheeler and wagon.

A quick shot of Ryley and his deer before I had to drag him out.

As I sit back reliving those moments in my head I cannot stop thinking about how much my little boy is growing into the man he will be. He never ceases to amaze me. In the matter of a weekend he learned that patience is a virtue that can pay off when he passed on his chance at a doe early on. Because of that he was rewarded with a beautiful buck. But even after being blessed with such a magnificent animal he was humbled in it's presence and gave thanks to it and to God for allowing him to have a successful hunt. We couldn't have asked for a better ending to our action packed, fun filled weekend. So the next time a few does comes your way, give them a pass. You might just get the buck of your dreams. Ryley did. Until next time keep taking your kids outdoors...

Ryley with his 8 pt buck.

Going Ga-Ga!

The roaring opening campfire that greeted us to Camp Oest.

Our last Cub Scout Resident Summer Camp. As I type these words the realization is just starting to settle in. My son has completed his last summer camp as a Cub Scout. He is now preparing to enter 5^th grade. This time next year he will have completed his first Boy Scout summer camp experience and will be preparing for Middle School. Just yesterday he was a cute little Tiger and now he is a handsome young scout working on his Arrow of Light Award. It all goes by so quickly.

Ryley earning beginner swimmer at the pool.

Luckily for us though, our week didn’t go by that quickly. We had just enough activities to keep us busy with enough free time sprinkled in to keep Ryley happy. This year we decided to attend a week long camp, just for Webelos Scouts, at Broad Creek Memorial Scout Reservation which is located outside of our National Capital Area Council. This would not only be our first year at Camp Oest, but also our first year attending any camp at Broad Creek. But this wasn’t the first time I had heard about Broad Creek. No, Broad Creek is actually the Scout Camp for the Baltimore Area Council, which I attended in my youth. Even though I stopped going to scouts before I could attend summer camp it was kind of a home coming of sorts.

Ryley and Kane catching catfish

But before we checked into camp Ryley and I decided to head up to my sister’s house to make good on a promise we made earlier this summer. My sister lives about 20 minutes from Broad Creek versus a 2 hour drive from our house. So we headed up on Saturday and spent some time with our favorite 7 yr old, Kane. As I previously wrote about, we had a less than stellar experience fishing in the Outer Banks this year while on vacation. So Ryley and I promised to take Kane fishing before summer camp. We grabbed our rods and headed to Bynum Run Park, located near Bel Air, MD to do a little pond fishing. The skies were growing dark and we didn’t have time to stop for bait, so I decided to use the only thing we had on hand; slim jims. I was expecting to hook a few sunfish on the Slim Jims but to my surprise the only fish the kids caught all afternoon were catfish. Now these were not your average sized catfish, they were all on the small side, less than a pound. But what they lacked in size was made up by the sheer number of fish nibbling at the end of the line. We spent about 30 minutes there and managed to pull in 5 fish and loosing so many others as we were reeling them in. Then the storm rolled in so we headed back to my sister’s house for some pizza. The funny thing about summer thunderstorms is as quickly as they roll in, they roll out. So after pizza the kids still wanted to go fishing. We hopped in the truck and headed back to the pond where we fished until it got dark and they caught way too many catfish for me to count.

Our home away from home for the week.

Once we completed the tour and our swim check we headed back to camp to set up our tent and unpack. This was going to be my big chance to test out a bunch of gear we had purchased specifically for summer camp as well as some other things we would be able to use year round. I quickly pulled out our Outdoor Research Bug Bivies and Ryley and I set them up on our cots. Next we got out our sleeping pads and sleeping bags and made our bivies as comfortable as we could. This year I thought I was going to be ahead of the game by having these bivies on hand to keep the bugs out once and for all. Things didn’t go as planned but you can read the full write up on the bug bivy here. After unpacking we set off for Ryley get meet some of his fellow campers for what would prove to be the activity of the week; Ga-Ga ball.

Ryley playing Ga-Ga ball.

Now if you don’t know what Ga-Ga ball is, you aren’t alone. I had no clue what it was until we got to camp and I saw all the kids playing it, as often as they could, in between activities, in place of activities, in the heat, in the rain; it didn’t matter when, they just wanted to play Ga-Ga ball. For an in depth explanation of what Ga-Ga ball is you can visit Wikipedia here. But essentially it is a variant of dodgeball which some believe is kinder and gentler. They must not have watched 9 and 10 year old scouts play Ga-Ga ball because there is nothing kind and gentle about it. It is quite vicious. But it is a load of fun and keeps the kids exercising without even knowing it. You basically try and hit the ball with your hands into other peoples legs (below the knee) to get them out. It is a pretty fast paces game and it done within 5 minutes or so, then the kids jump back in and play again. Ryley loved it so much he never even made it to the BB or Archery range all week. He cannot wait to get back to school so that he can suggest that they construct a Ga-Ga ball pit on his playground!

Ryley completed several activities towards his advancement during the week but I think he learned the most on his overnight camp out under the stars.... without Dad. This was his big chance to start acting like a Boy Scout. We packed up the minimal equipment he would be taking with him which was basically a sleeping bag, pillow and water bottle (More on how his water bottle performed all week here). Ryley spent that evening bonding with newly made friends around a campfire roasting apples, marshmallows and making memories. 

Ryley and Matt returning from the M.O.O.S.E. Overnighter
(Moving Onward and Outward Scouting Experience)

When I saw him the next morning I swear he had grown an inch overnight. Suddenly my little boy wasn't so little anymore.; he now walked taller and seemed more mature. He also sported somewhat of a "scar" from his overnight experience. He had been branded. Yes the hot-iron-in-the-fire kind of branding. Luckily for me, as my wife would have killed me, it was his hat that was purposefully branded with the Camp Oest brand, OTM (Oest the Most). 

The OTM Brand.

Hopefully he will follow in his older brother's footsteps and find himself receiving another brands in the not-so-distant future; the coveted PS (Philmont Scout Ranch). Although I do not know all of the details of that night, those are memories for him to cherish. I only hope that his first night alone in the woods was a formative experience in his life. One which he will hopefully repeat in the years to come on his trail to Eagle. 

Songfest!

As the week began to wrap up the weather started to take a slight turn for the better. While the week started off sunny and humid it was ending with some cloud cover and rain which made the humidity drop. So too did the scouts start to wrap up their activities, whether it be Ga-Ga ball or earning a STEM award. But the camp staff at Oest had one last trick up their sleeve. Instead of doing the traditional "closing campfire" program on the last night at camp, they opted to hold a "Songfest" celebration the night before we were about to leave. Staff dressed up in costumes and pretended to play fake instruments in front of the kids, all while signing and dancing to music that spanned classic rock (YMCA) to modern pop (Shut up and Dance with Me) and a few songs in between. They staff ended the night by singing the always emotional Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day. I could definitely tell Ryley grew over that week at Scout Camp when he commented to me that hearing that song made him feel happy and sad all at the same time. Happy because he was going to be going home to see his Mom and brother and sad because he was going to miss the new friends he had just made and probably would never see them again. He said that's how it must feel when you graduate from High School. What a wise young man he has become indeed. On that note what better way to end my blog by sharing that song one more time. Until then keep taking your kids outdoors...

Some other pictures and videos of us from camp...

Pool party was where it was at!

Ryley with the special necklace he earned at Project M.O.O.S.E.

Ryley with our Den Chief Nealan.

A little sing-along fun.

A STEM project; Egg drop.

Mail Call!

Slip & Slide Fun!

Closing Skit

Pucker Up!

Dad's turn!

 

Two for One Special

Ryley with his Columbia Hydroflask waterbottle.

Summer camp sure presented an opportunity to test out some new gear. Unfortunately I didn't get to fully test out the bug bivy, but as luck would have it we did get a chance to test out several Columbia Sportswear items. Thanks to a quick trip to the Columbia outlet Ryley and I scored ourselves some Omnifreezel bandannas and Watertight rain jackets. While at the store Ryley also grabbed a Columbia branded 21 ounce Hydroflask water bottle .

Ryley with the Omnifreeze banadanna.

Ryley used his bandanna the first two days in camp but as the week rolled along the heat and humidity were less of a factor. Towards the end of the week we got to test out the rain jackets a few times. They kept us dry. In both cases there isn't much to say about how the items performed. They did their job of either keeping us cool or keeping us dry.

Ryley and his Hydroflask made it through the night unharmed.

What I would like to concentrate on though is the 21 ounce Columbia Branded Hydroflask water bottle. Because of sports Ryley has gone through several types and brands of water bottles. Some have fared better than others. We have used insulated and uninsulated water bottles and prefer the type that are insulated to keep his water cold.

A dented Columbia Hydroflask didn't stop Ryley.

The Skinny: Ryley is pretty hard on his water bottles. One of the insulated ones we have at home it missing a few pieces. The other has been beaten to death because of baseball practice where teammates literally beat it with baseballs. Ryley's week of testing was no different. I wouldn't expect anything less from a 9 yr old scout. He was constantly filling his bottle up with fresh cold water. When he wasn't filling the water bottle up, he was dropping in the dirt on the concrete and down the hill or leaving it sit out in the sun for hours on end.



Hits: As an insulated water bottle I already have expectations of what this product was going to be capable of. I must say it did not disappoint me in the least. It did a great job in keeping cold icy water cold and icy for long periods of time. It was left out in 100 degree weather, in full sun, and still managed to have ice sloshing around inside. But most days, honestly, were spent going from water cooler to water cooler filling it up with cold water. During the intervening moments the bottle was dropped on concrete, rolled through the dirt and mud, kicked across the field and generally abused every chance we got. It's dented, for sure, but I wasn't expecting it to be bomb proof. Despite being dented though it did hold up. The inner vacuum chamber was not compromised in any way. The paint chipped off a bit but not too much. I think we spent less that $25 all together (got it at a Columbia Outlet store) and it was the best $25 I have spent on a water bottle for my son. It is going to hold up for a while longer and we will definitely get out money's worth out of it.

Misses: There was only one major issue we had with the water bottle. We purchased the sport cap to make it easier for Ryley to drink his water, What I did find was that if the spout was open and you dropped the bottle in the dirt (happened more than I care to admit) it was difficult to remove the dirt from inside the nozzle. And when I say difficult it is keeping in mind we were camping with limited access to a place to wash his bottle out thoroughly. A very minor issue, but honestly that was the only negative thing I could come up with.

I honestly can say I have overlooked Columbia Sportswear all these years for more "high end" name brand equipment. I will not be making that mistake again. Not only do they provide quality gear it is at an affordable price, especially for a growing young scout. I plan on having Ryley test out some Columbia PFG gear in the near future. I'll definitely report back on how that went. Until then keep taking your kids outdoors...

Gearing up for Adventure

One of my favorite shots of Ryley from summer camp last year.

The summer is in full swing and it's starting to get REALLY hot outside. Luckily for me I still find myself combing through all the old videos and posting them on the Ryley Outdoors YouTube channel. Which means I have been staying inside out of the heat. That is quickly coming to a close.

The OR Bug Bivy will be put tot he scout test at summer camp.

This coming Saturday Ryley and I will be heading to Webelos (Arrow of Light is the new correct term) resident camp in sunny, hot, humid Whiteford, Maryland. We will be checking into Camp Oest, part of the Broad Creek Scout Reservation, for a fun filled 6 days of adventure. While at camp I will continue to document all the fun things Ryley will get to do and we will also be testing out some gear while we are there.

Shooting Sports is always one of our favorite areas to visit.

Speaking of adventure I came across some old videos from my GoPro and thought this was a fitting tribute for our upcoming trip to scout camp. Most of these boys are now in Boy Scouts, having just successfully returned from their first Boy Scout resident summer camp. I know Ryley is eager to bridge over to the Troop so he can be back with his friends. But that's a few months away and summer camp is literally knocking at my door. With that in mind, enjoy this "non-scouting adventure". Until then keep taking your kids outdoors...

Stepping up

Me sporting my Engel gear and Salt Armour face shield.

This past Saturday I put my new found Boy Scout training to the test. A few weeks back I was blessed enough to attend a BSA Certified Angling Instructor course. As part of the course BSA encourages their instructors to teach fishing, fly-fishing and fish and wildlife management merit badges as a way for Scouts to earn their Complete Angler Award.

On Saturday I headed up to a local farm pond to teach my first leg of the award, fishing merit badge. I was accompanied by our former Scoutmaster, Colonel Billy Noland, who was teaching fly-fishing merit badge. While Colonel Noland taught those fine young men how to roll-cast and deliver a fly I set about occupying my time by fishing my way around the pond.

Me with the only catfish of the day.

It was mid-day and even using nightcrawlers I was finding it hard to get a bite. I was first able to land a rather large size bluegill which promptly got returned to the pond. I managed to hook into what I thought was a nice largemouth, only to have it break off my leader after wrapping itself around a downed tree. I kept at it and managed to hook a decent size flathead catfish, which upon further inspection was the fish I assumed was the largemouth that broke me off.  Needless to say the catfish went into the cooler as the farmer wants them removed from the pond.

We broke for lunch and shortly thereafter I set about instructing the young men on the finer points of the fishing merit badge. We talked tackle, rod and reels, knots and even demonstrated proper hook removal (from an orange). After a while of tutelage we embarked on fishing the pond again. This time we decided to use some artificial bait. The boys used some salamanders crayfish plastics while I used a suspending jerkbait. It turns out the suspending jerkbait was the lure of the day, quickly pulling in three nice bass that were between two and three pounds and about half a dozen more dinks. The boys had some luck on their plastics as well. We finished up the session by discussion Leave No Trace and conservation.

It was a great experience, being out there and teaching these young men how to fish. Especially given most of them had no exposure to fishing at all. But that is what Scouts is supposed to be about; exposing young men to vocations and hobbies which they would ordinarily not be exposed to, in a safe learning environment. I look forward to teaching my next merit badge, whether it be fishing, fly-fishing or fish and wildlife management. Until then keep taking your kids outdoors…

Outdoor Research Bug Bivy: Test Drive

My Outdoor Research Buy Bivy sure came in handy!

So this past weekend saw me fishing on the banks of the Potomac River with the Boy Scouts. As I mentioned I had the pleasure of staying at Lions Camp Merrick. The camp was not the traditional “summer camp” experience I was used to. The camp actually has cabins with bathrooms, electricity, bunk beds and air-conditioning. I wouldn’t need any of my camping gear at all!

One of the many cabins at Camp Merrick.

About five minutes after I unpacked the minimal equipment I would be using, sleeping bag and pillow, I came to the realization that I was WRONG. Although the camp had cabins with all the amenities I could wish for (like an electrical outlet to charge my phone) I forgot I was camping with a bunch of kids. Before I had even arrived someone must have left the door and windows wide open in my cabin because the interior was infested with mosquitoes!

Honestly mosquitoes hadn’t really crossed my mind as something I would need to worry about while at Lions Camp Merrick. I hadn’t even realized, because of all the rain and cold temperatures we had been having, that mosquitoes were even out. Luckily for me I had planning our upcoming trip for summer camp and ordered Ryley and me some pretty awesome bug nets. I ended up putting mine to the test a little earlier than expected!

A picture of the bivy laid out on the ground.

Now to be fair my review of this product is limited to just one night’s use, in a cabin. I plan on doing a more in depth review once I get back from summer camp. A good 7 days being abused by scouts should give me enough time to form an educated opinion.

A close up on the pole as well as the bathtub floor.

Specifications: Features No-see-um mesh and Hydroseal bathtub floor. It weighs in at 16 ounces and comes with Outdoor Research's "Infinite Guarantee."

Hits: To say the bivy is light weight is an understatement. Since the top part is made up of mesh it’s understandable as to why this is so light. The mesh also makes it airy and lets all the light in. Another positive is the bathtub floor. Not only does it keep the water and wetness out, as a sealed system, it also keeps the bugs out! That was always my one complaint about regular bug nets at summer camp. The insects would inevitably find their way up under the net and into my sleeping area. With this bivy that issue is completely eliminated.

Misses: Unless you are able to use guy-lines it has a tendency to not stay off of your skin. This poses a problem because the insects can then bite through the netting. However with two pieces of rope, tied to the existing loops on the bivy, this issue is eliminated. The only other thing that was an issue for me was getting in and out of the bivy. The zipper it located at the top, or head, of the bivy. You literally have to slide your way into it. To be fair I was not using it how it was designed. I was using it on top of a mattress in a bunk bed. So getting into the bivy was very difficult. I can see this also being an issue once we get to summer camp because we sleep on Army cots.

Ideal for: Minimalist hikers/campers as well as scouts. Works well in dry hot conditions but I can see how this would also work very well while using a tarp.

Rain, rain go away!

My view for the weekend.

Rain. That’s what it has been doing every day for the past two weeks. Rain. It makes for horrible camping. It makes for horrible fishing. It makes a horrible mess. But, we don’t let that stop us. As Scouts and Scouters we learn to be prepared. We learn to endure. As our boys so proudly proclaim “If it’s rainin’ we’re trainin’, if it’s snowin’ we’re goin’!” With that in mind I headed down to Nanjemoy, MD this past weekend for one part training, one part fishing and one part brotherhood.

Lions Camp Merrick.

Lions Camp Merrick was the site for my BSA Certified Angling Instructor course and is located on the banks of the Potomac River. During the summer the Lions Club runs the camp for children with special needs. We were allowed to use the camp this weekend because the local Boy Scout District, Zekiah, was hosting their annual Ordeal weekend for the Order of the Arrow (OA). The OA is the National Honor Society for Boy Scouts.

Jacob with a nice blue catfish.

The camp features a fishing pier as well as “beach” access to the Potomac. Upon arrival the river was the color of chocolate milk from all the recent rains. After getting unpacked and settled in I headed down to the pier to see if any of the scouts were having success. For most of the evening the caught white perch but just after 9:00 one scout, Jacob, was able to hook into a pretty decent size blue catfish. I stayed up nearly half the night, after everyone else went to bed, continuing to catch and release the white perch.

My San Juan Worm. Now I just needed a bottle of tequila.

The next morning we were up early to start our instruction. Throughout the day we attended classroom trainings, received hands on instruction on how to fly-fish and even how to tie flies.  I even managed to fit in a walk/jog, in my new Altra Instinct 3.5, along the river where I scored some sea glass! I didn’t do too badly on tying my San Juan Worm either but I struggled with my casting. Before the night was over though the rain struck again. But just as quickly as the rain and wind had come, they left taking the warm temperatures with them.

Just a small fraction of the sea glass I collected.

That meant only one thing, time to go fishing. Unlike the previous evening the white perch hadn’t decided to show up just yet. So we all cast out our lines with either cut bait or earth worms. As luck would have it I nailed a nice blue catfish on the cut bait and about an hour later pulled in a tiny bluecat on an earth worm. That’s when everything went downhill. I attempted to de-hook the small catfish with my bare hands. That turned out to be a painful lesson for me to learn as the small pectoral fins from the catfish sunk themselves into the side of my hand.

Me and my bluecat.

So the next time the sun comes out take your fishing pole and some bait and head out to the river in search of some catfish. You won't regret it. Just make sure you don't get yourself stuck like I did. Until then keep taking your kids outdoors...