The Troop Read online

  “But I’m the odd man out,” Matt argued. “If I stayed with scouts, there’d be three of us in a tent.”

  “I know. But scouts need to stay with scouts. Even if it’s three to a tent.”

  Matt was upset about this but not so upset that he went to wake up his dad to complain. The tents we brought were old canvas wall tents. My dad said they were probably 50 years old. They were really heavy and kind of hard to set up but the thick canvas provided a lot of shade and there's more than enough room inside for two guys, their cots, and all their stuff.

  The inside of Carl and Jack’s tent looked like something out of some old safari movie. They had a straw mat floor, two small stools, an LED lantern, a clothesline, and their backpacks were stowed neatly and outta the way. Liam and my tent wasn't nearly as cool. We had a plastic tarp held down by a bunch of rocks for a floor and, although we had just put our stuff in there, it already looked kind’a messy. Still, it didn't look nearly as bad as the inside of Andrew and Luke's tent. Theirs looked like a bomb had gone off inside.

  It was just a mess.

  Matt spent this time helping other people and walking around but not moving into an actual tent. He was probably waiting on his dad to wake up and say he could stay with him or something. I like Matt and he's real good at teaching stuff one on one but other times, well most of the time, he’s such a daddy's boy. He always wants to stay in the same tent with his dad, eat with his dad, I mean, I love my dad a lot but scouts is supposed to help you develop into a man. You can't really do that if you do everything with and totally depend on your dad for everything.

  4

  We were pretty much through with setting up the camp by 4:30. Carl told my dad we wanted to swim before dinner and he agreed it sounded like a great idea. We all grabbed our daypacks and filled our Camelback's with water and we're ready to go when I saw dad talking to Bob. I guess Bob wanted to stay behind because my dad was saying we should all stick together. Bob looked mad but got up and got his daypack.

  The waterhole is probably my favorite place on all of Mr. Wilson’s property. It's about a mile hike from camp along a narrow trail that's shaded by scrub oak trees almost all the way. It's a pretty steep hike in some places but overall, it's not that bad of a jaunt. The waterhole measures about 30 by 90 feet and is fed by a small waterfall via a higher spring. The water is deep and cold and the rock that surrounds the pool on three sides all make for great places to jump from. There are usually a few small perch and catfish in the pool and every now and again you can spot a snake or a turtle. The beach is fine gravel and isn’t too hard to walk barefoot on but, man, can it get hot! It took us maybe a half an hour to hike up to the water hole and by the time we got to it we were all ready to swim. We all ditched our packs and were ready to run jump in when dad stopped us cold.

  “Guys! It's been a year. Things change,” he commanded in his stern voice. “Y’all need to check the water out together before jumping in.”

  “Y’all gotta check yourselves before you wreck yourselves,” Johnny laughed. “And we don’t want nobody wrecking themselves.”

  Everyone snickered at Johnny’s goofy nature.

  Everyone except Jack because he was probably embarrassed by his dad acting like such a dork and Bob who I don’t think heard Johnny.

  Carl had us all spread out along the bank and we walked slowly into the water together. It was freezing and I think we all screamed from it being so cold at about the same time. I turned back to see dad, Johnny, and even Bob laughing at our shock. We continued into the water and swam to the other side then down along the rock banks to make sure there were no sunken trees or rocks to jump onto. Once satisfied the pool was safe, we all jumped in from the rocks above trying to top each other for best jump or biggest splash. I asked dad when he and the other adults were going to get in and dad said tomorrow.

  Bob remarked that he didn't think his old heart could handle all the fun we were having.

  5

  We got back to camp around seven and were all starving. Liam and I were assigned cooking duties that night and I'm glad because it was easy. Dad and Johnny set up the troop’s gas grill and Liam and I grilled a ton of beef fajitas. The meat had been marinating for two days and was so thin and tenderized that it basically took no time at all to cook. We had beef fajitas with pinto beans, cheese, salsa, pico de gallo, and stacks of flour tortillas. It was the best meal I'd had in a long time. Andrew and Luke were assigned KP duty and Andrew got frustrated at Luke’s lack of effort.

  “Dude!” he yelled. “How can you not know how to wash a plate?!”

  Johnny went over and showed Luke how he was supposed to do his job but Luke kind’a spaced out and you could tell that Johnny and Andrew were getting frustrated. After everything was cleaned up, we all sat out under the fading sky waiting for the stars to come out. Bats flew high above us in the dusk and although bats are kind’a freaky it was pretty neat to watch them. Carl was angry he couldn't get cell service and said that his girlfriend was gonna be upset that he wasn't texting her.

  It’s crazy how in love with that girl he is!

  While Carl was complaining I overheard Bob telling my dad that Matt was going to sleep in the tent with him. Dad said that it would be better if Matt slept with the other boys, but Bob said he knew what was right for his son. Dad left it at that then addressed all of us.

  “Guys, I'm really glad you could all be here,” he started. “I wish the rest of the troop could have come out here but at least most of them will join us next month at Lost Pines for summer camp.”

  Jack said, “Our private summer camp out here is always way better!”

  Most of us agreed and Dad continued, “We're gonna have a lot of fun this week but it's going to be a lot of work too. So, I expect everybody to put in their fair share of work without being asked and without any complaints.”

  “Amen to that bruth’a!” Johnny almost shouted. “Amen!”

  Jack rolled his eyes at his dad and I chuckled seeing how embarrassed he was.

  “Amen is right Johnny,” Dad laughed. “And now that you’ve got the floor, how about you tell us about the special project you'll be doing this week.”

  Johnny said, “I'll finish setting up my HAM radio tonight while y'all are sleeping...”

  “Then when are you gonna sleep?” Liam interrupted.

  “I don't sleep,” Johnny promised.

  Which is true, at least according to his son Jack. Jack told me a few months ago that his dad almost never sleeps. It has something to do with all the fighting he did and what he had to see while he was over in Afghanistan. Jack said he was worried about his dad when he was gone over there but was even more worried about his dad once he got back home. Johnny told Jack not to worry, that he would always take care of himself, and that talking to his friends on HAM radio all night really helped.

  “So,” Johnny continued. “I've really upgraded my radio, have it ready for almost anything, and will be showing you how it works starting tomorrow or the next day. And if you work hard and pay attention you can have earned your Radio merit badge by the end of the week.”

  “We're also going to work on Archery, Rifle Shooting, Nature, and Mammal Study this week,” my dad added.

  The adults finished talking and we all sat there in silence for a few minutes. The stars were out, the moon was rising, and it was really bright. You forget just how bright the night sky can be living in a city or even a town as small as Fredericksburg. City lights really distort the night sky. We all sat up talking about the stars and all the fun we were going to have and told jokes and stories. It was a really fun evening, but I have to admit that I was kind of glad when Dad told us it was time for everybody to go to bed.

  I was exhausted.

  6

  Andrew blew Reveille on his bugle at six in the morning. There were so few of us at camp that I think blowing a bugle to wake us up was a bit of overkill, but traditions are traditions and it was kind of fun. It was Carl’s and Jack's t
urn to cook that morning and they made breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs and chorizo. Dad loaded his tacos with tons of sliced jalapeños and Johnny drowned his in some kind of ghost pepper sauce. That sauce was so hot that we could all smell it 10 feet away. Not only could you smell it, but it was so strong it burned your eyes just doing so. Johnny tried to get my Dad to try some, but Dad said jalapeños are as hot as he can go.

  After Johnny ate his liquid death tacos, he told us how he had talked to friends in Austin, Houston, Washington D.C., and even Alaska over his HAM radio the night before. As interesting as that was, all we all really cared about was breaking out the rifles and in getting in some shooting time. We waited for Matt and Andrew to clean up from breakfast then unloaded the rifles from the trailer. We brought eight bolt-action .22 rifles, targets, and over 1,000 rounds of ammunition. Dad brought some new AR-15 rifle that the manufacturer of wanted him to write about for the outdoor magazine he’s the editor of. He said he’d let us all take turns shooting it if we wanted but only after we all proved ourselves competent and proficient with the .22s. That wouldn't be a problem as all of the scouts except Luke and Andrew had already earned their Rifle Shooting merit badge. Not only that but Carl, Matt, and I had all been hunting for a long time. In fact, the last time I went hunting was on very property where we were camping. I hunted the area with my dad over the Christmas holidays and shot my first ever javelina. I used a .270 for that hunt.

  We all went over to the range we had set up two years ago and put up our targets. Carl went over some safety issues then Johnny went over even more gun safety. We were all getting ready to shoot when Luke almost started crying. He started telling my dad how his mom doesn't want him to touch guns and how they're bad, are used to kill people, and shoot up schools and how he's not even allowed to watch movies or shows that have guns in them. Dad told Luke that he told his mom everything we were going to do that week and she never told him that Luke couldn't fire a rifle.

  “She won't let me!” Luke cried. “I'll get in trouble if I even touch one.”

  Dad told him it was OK and that they’d figure something out later. He offered, “You can at least watch...”

  “But...”

  “I know you said your mom won’t allow you to watch guns on TV, but this is a different situation. I'll talk to your mom. It'll be OK. I promise you.”

  “She won't let him touch guns!” Bob scoffed. “She must be some kind a liberal.”

  Johnny turned redder than the ghost pepper sauce he ate that morning. He was about to explode when Dad said, “Bob, comments like that aren’t necessary or in the true spirit of what we're doing out here.”

  Bob started to say something then thought better of it.

  We all started shooting and had a super fun time. Everyone did great, even Andrew which is awesome considering it was his first time to ever shoot a rifle. He’ll be out there hunting before he knows it!

  7

  After lunch we all hiked back up to the waterhole for a swim. Before we got in, we split into two groups and searched the area for signs of wildlife. Combined, we found javelina, deer, and cow tracks, sign of snake and four different kinds of bird tracks. We saw a turtle and found three turkey feathers. We looked for all this because Liam and Andrew were both working on their Nature and Mammal Study merit badges and I was working on Reptile Study. Liam, Andrew, and I all wrote down everything we found then we all went swimming.

  Everyone except Bob.

  He found a tree to climb under and take a nap.

  When Johnny got in the water Andrew asked him how anybody as pale as him could fight in the desert.

  “Sunscreen, man!” Johnny laughed. “You gotta always wear sunscreen!”

  Dad asked, “Did you run into a lot of people in Afghanistan that had never seen a redhead?”

  Johnny grabbed his hair and said, “Wait! I have red hair?!” He dunked underwater and came up scrubbing his scalp. “Is it gone?” He joked. “Is it still red?”

  Everybody but Jack laughed. Jack just acted embarrassed and said, “Dad! You’re like the biggest dork ever!”

  Johnny stood up in the water and said, “Oh. I better be serious. Yes, to answer your question, I ran into lots of people that had never seen red hair. We went through one village where the kids freaked out over my hair. They asked through our interpreter if my head was bleeding because it was so red.”

  “Unreal,” my dad said before climbing out of the water and onto the rocks. He scaled up to the top then acted like he was going to dive but instead did the biggest, stupidest looking belly flop I've ever seen. Everybody cracked up and it was my turn to be embarrassed by my dork dad.

  Dad came up out of the water and pointed to his red just-smacked-in the water hard stomach and asked, “Everyone, is my gut as red as Johnny's hair?”

  What a total nerd!

  8

  Before dinner, we went back to the rifle range with bows and arrows and new targets. Johnny, who only hunts with a bow, taught us all the fundamentals of archery and how to shoot. It was hard at first but within the hour we’d all gotten to where we could easily hit the target and some of us - myself included - were pretty close to the bull's-eye.

  Liam and Andrew were in charge of cooking dinner that night and I gotta say they did a pretty good job. We had grilled chicken and asparagus wrapped in bacon followed by peach cobbler that Johnny and Dad made in a Dutch oven with charcoal. After Matt and I cleaned up everything we all went out again and sat under the stars.

  The sky was super clear, and I can't tell you just how many stars there were. It was pretty awesome. I asked Dad if it was the biggest, clearest sky he'd ever seen, and he answered that the sky he saw while on safari in South Africa was even more impressive.

  “I love South Africa,” Dad said. “I've been on safari over there four times…but it's just so devastating to see how some of the people live over there. Some folks live in shacks made out of cardboard and scrap metal or tarps. They have no electricity and no clean water. No bathrooms. I have to tell you guys, y'all have a pretty good life living the way you do.”

  Johnny offered, “I agree. I've seen boys y'all's age in Afghanistan living in structures you wouldn't even let your dog stay in here in the States. I’ve even run into kids your age living in caves over there! You guys are extremely lucky to live like you do and where you do.”

  Bob mumbled something about those people living the way they do because of how they worshipped, or something then stopped midsentence. I looked up at the stars and said I knew that I was lucky to live in a nice home back in Fredericksburg, but I liked the way we were living there at camp right then and there.

  I'd have no problem living there forever.

  9

  After an early breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon – and watching Johnny drown his meal in ghost pepper sauce - we all headed back out to the rifle range for more practice. This time we moved the targets out to 50 and 75 yards. It was kind of hard hitting a target three-quarters of a football field away with open sights but after a bit of practice we all were able to do so. Luke still wouldn't shoot or get near the rifles, saying again how his mom wouldn't like him doing so but he wasn't near as upset about it as he was the day before. We cleaned the rifles then walked back to camp. Once all the gear was stored, Carl asked my dad if he could hike up to the top of the mountain to see if he could get a cell signal so he could text his girlfriend. My dad smiled and said, “No.”

  “Please,” Carl begged.

  “Carl,” Dad said before pointing upwards. “That’s a 2,000-foot rise on either side. No way.”

  Carl begged some more, “But I need to hear from her and if I get to the tallest point then I might be able to…wait. What the…” Carl fidgeted with his phone. “Why is my battery dead?

  “You probably drained the battery searching for a signal,” my dad offered.

  “Maybe,” Carl looked disappointed. “Guess I'll recharge it…then we can revisit our discussion about my climbin
g up there.”

  “Again,” my dad laughed. “No.”

  Carl went back to his tent and my dad took the opportunity to look me up and down and said, “You're getting pretty red there Mr. Hammond. Go grease yourself up with some more sunscreen.”

  “I'm fine.”

  My dad gave me a look, I got its meaning and agreed, “Ok.”

  Carl caught me halfway on my way to my tent.

  “Taylor, let me check out your phone.”

  “Mine won't get a signal if yours won’t,” I offered.

  “I know that. But I plugged mine into my battery and neither one clicked on, so I want to use yours to see if it's my battery or what.”

  I said OK and walked to my tent. I took my phone from my backpack and hit the home button.

  Nothing.

  Black screen.

  That's weird. It had a full charge when we hit camp and had been on airplane mode ever since. Still, I took it over to Carl and told him it was dead. We plugged it into Carl’s battery and nothing happened. No charge light came on. The phone didn’t blink. Nothing.

  “What the hell?” Carl wondered aloud.

  We walked over to Johnny who was sitting under his tarp reading a book. Carl explained the situation and Johnny took the phones and battery and looked them over.

  “Well, they’re both dead as old grandma. That’s for sure,” he said. Johnny reached inside his trailer and came out with his phone and an adapter. “Let’s see if the battery works on mine.” Johnny hit the home button on his phone and his face turned up in disbelief. He pressed the buttons on the side then in combination with the home button. He looked at his watch then pressed some of the buttons on it then without saying anything grabbed his car keys and walked to the cab of his truck. He got in and tried to start the vehicle, but it didn’t turn over. It didn’t make any sound at all. My dad saw this and came over to ask if Johnny was planning to move his truck or something. Johnny and Dad talked for a few minutes and when Carl and I started over their way Johnny waved us away.