Mid-Atlantic (Northeast) Brownsea, May 2015

As you can imagine, it's been a whirlwind of a summer.... and it started in May with a trip down to Maryland, of all places, for the BPSA Northeast Region's spring Brownsea Training Camp.  It had beena very long winter, so when the invitation for this event came into my inbox, I was really ready to check out of my regular routine, get into uniform, and get Rovering with some like-minded people.  I actually almost didn't go, and I'm not sure why... but when the Regional Commissioner asks if you're going, the hosting Group Scoutmaster asks if you're going, it became easier for me to see myself going.  I think I was feeling a little overwhelmed with day-to-day tasks of running too many things, which was a sure sign I needed to get away and recharge.

The location of the camp was just inside of Maryland, at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area, in Elkton, MD.  It turns out, we were a stone's throw away from the Mason-Dixon Line.  The area was just beautiful, with vast open fields, surrounded by woods and hills.  It was really reminiscent of old-style field camping... all we needed were the tents in a circle around the Scoutmaster's tent and it would have been right out of the early 1900's.

As with the last two Brownsea Training Camps, I did my presentation on the history of BPSA-US, which for the most part is the same presentation I used to do ten years ago, down to the uniform, with a little added on at the end to bring things to present.  I always enjoy doing this part of the program, because it gives everyone a sense of being a part of something bigger than themselves.  The course participants at this point are connecting with other leaders from other groups, and the fun is just beginning.

The weekend wrapped up on a very positive note.  I got to invest another Rover Scout... this time, it was Cindy Kwan from Philadelphia.  We spent the night talking intently about all things Rovers, and it was an honor to preside over her knighting ceremony.  For me, it's the most energetic part of the weekend, especially when the new Rover Squires get to see something they've never seen before, and something perhaps to look forward to.
 

Even though I've been through many Brownsea Training Camps by now, I always go home recharged.  I come away feeling like a better person.  There is no real way to put it into words.  In other areas of my life, i.e. with my gay brothers and sisters, we often refer to our "chosen family," mostly because we came out into a world based on societal rejection.  For me, I've come to realize that the Scouters I'm meeting are becoming like a family to me too.  It's refreshing because it rests on a positive basis of  mutual respect and friendship, and choice. I am really lucky to be able to have Scouting in my life again, especially when I thought at one point, it would never come to be.  When you do without for so long, you learn to appreciate what you have, when you get to have it again.

To view more photos, view my online album.

Northeast Brownsea, Fall 2014

Since this blog seems to be turning into a record of the current phase of my Scouting career, I should give a mention to the second Brownsea Training Camp (BTC) I got to go to last fall.  Our Northeast regional commissioner was heading out to Massachusetts to the second NE BTC for the year, so I thought since it was so close to home, I may as well go, get some camping time in, and get to know the updated version of the course syllabus.  The event was held September 26-28 in Hingham, MA at Wompatuck State Park.  The park, situated south of Boston, contains old WWII bunkers which are now buried.  We camped in Scout Area 4, which contained one unnatural hill, which indicated a bunker was underneath the surface.  

There were fewer attendees than the last Brownsea I attended in Kingston, NY, but it was still a fun time.  I was a bit less anxious than the last one, mostly because I was getting back into the groove of things, and I didn't have an entourage of Knight candidates to tend to.  Advising a Rover is something I enjoy doing but it's serious work, so not having this on my shoulders meant I could relax a little more. There were Squires who came from Maryland, Pennsylvania, Maine, and Massachusetts, plus staff from New York and Connecticut.  I'm always impressed with the diversity of our Squires and distances they will go to attend a BTC.

One of the fun aspects to the weekend were organized patrol activities.  Most notable was the campfire building competition.  Each patrol had to build a fire and burn through a line of twine.  Whoever completely severed their line first won.  What did they win?  The satisfaction of knowing their patrol did a good job!

Firebuilding patrol competition

Now a funny story to come out of the weekend was the story of the rusty pot.  Some things are better left in camp, but let's just say, if it's trash, it's not best if left in camp, so when a rusty old pot was found discarded amongst the raked leaf litter, and left for someone else to pick up, some Rover who we won't name, found it and recycled it into an award for the best (or possibly worst) skit from the campfire program.  Amid cries of, "what's this??" and "we're starting a new tradition!!", the pot was happily awarded and thereby rescued from a certain fate of loniness on the forest floor.  Yes, I do cause trouble even when in uniform!

Before there was TV, there were campfires!

 In attending this training camp, I quietly reaffirmed my commitment to Scouting, and Scouting for all.  This was the first time wearing my new Inclusive Scouting patch on my uniform shirt, and it certainly won't be the last.  I came home from the weekend feeling recharged and excited to be back involved with BPSA.  More to come...

For more photos from the weekend, please visit my online web album.

Inclusive Scouting Award

Northeast Brownsea - June 2014

As I reacquainted myself with the BPSA in early 2014,  it became clear to me that there was somewhat of a shortage of fully Invested Rovers in this part of the country.  I could see from the posts on the Base Camp website, that a Brownsea Training Camp (BTC) was coming up, but there was nobody around who could invest anybody, except for me!  I began reaching out to the different candidates and let them know I would be willing to advise them, and in the end, I made the trip out to my first BTC in about six years.  It was a bit of a rush to be back in uniform, surrounded by dozens of Rovers who were now part of BPSA and wanting to learn as much as they could about it.  I was both humbled and pretty much floored at the same time.  It was all getting very real for me, that this seed we had planted, had finally taken off.   I had to pinch myself several times to make sure I was really awake, and awake I was.... I wanted to make sure I was able to be PRESENT in these precious moments.

The old backpack, all ready to go!

For me personally, the weekend held a lot of "re-firsts".  This was the first time bringing out the old backpack in years, and by that, I mean my original Coleman backpack from when I was a teen in BSA.  It was as I mentioned my first time back in Rover Scout camp since I had taken a time-out, which for me was just a joy to be around so many like-minded people, who at one time seemed so hard to find.  This was my first time flying my 3rd Wolves Patrol flag since 2008, which had been with me at every BTC that I had been on, except for my very first one.  Most of all, this was probably the first time in a long while, where I actually felt myself becoming grounded again.  This is particularly important to me because this is one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to get back to Rovering in the first place; to be in touch with nature.

3rd Wolves Patrol Flag, back in service!

I was asked to present a segment in the training course about the history of the BPSA and talk a little about where our organization came from.  I don't ever recall having so many eyes on me at once, at least, not in uniform.  It was a bit odd talking about things that to them were in the distant past, but to me were as if they happened yesterday.  I wore my old 3rd Charter Oak uniform, and spoke about our short history and lineage.   I told them the story behind the Wolves patrols, the people, the things we did, and where we left off.  It was a real treat to be able to contribute to the event.  We even did a campfire ashes ceremony on Saturday night, and I brought along ashes from all our original Brownsea Training Camps.  As I poured them into the fire, it really brought our past into our present.  That was a really powerful moment.

I think the biggest part of the weekend for me was the Rover Scout investitures.  I smile a little every time I hear them refer to the ceremony as a "knighting".  We never really called it that.  In fact, we didn't really run around calling ourselves "knights"; we were Invested Rover Scouts.  I won't say too much about the ceremony, because its really meant to be a private thing.... but let's just say I was happy to use the same sword that I used years ago, and I even more happy that I didn't injure anyone with it!  It was a real honor to work with these people and help bring them along to the next leg of their journey as a Rover.

My new Rovers!

 As is the case with most events that brings people together, I'd have to say it was the people who made this weekend a very memorable one.  Rovers came from as far away as Brooklyn, Buffalo, Boston, New Hampshire, and the Adirondacks, to be at this encampment.  They showed an exceptional commitment to the movement and to themselves.  I found a new set of brothers and sisters that weekend.  "Rewarding" would be an understatement.  I'm writing about this nine whole months later... and still smiling about it.

Proof I was there!!

Welcome to my Rambler Blog

"By Rovering I don’t mean aimless wandering, I mean finding your way by pleasant paths with a definite object in view, and having an idea of the difficulties and dangers you are likely to meet with by the way." - Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell

Eight years ago, on Sunday April 2, 2006, I became a Rover Scout.  I traveled to southwest Florida as the only representative from my then new crew, the 3rd Charter Oak Rover Crew, and camped with the 2nd Southwest Florida Rover Crew, to take part in the first Brownsea Training Camp (1BTC-1).  My investiture happened at the end of the weekend. My own personal notes are written up on my archived copy of my old crew's website.  A lot has happened between then and now... too much to write in this blog, which frankly would be well beyond the scope of what I'm trying to do here.  But the short version is, life took me in a different direction, with my crew eventually disbanding, with my service being needed elsewhere in my home community.  My life in uniformed service unofficially went on ice in May of 2009.

As luck would have it, the Baden-Powell Service Association continued after I took several steps back.  On March 6th of this year, they reached out to me.  My original lifetime membership would still be honored.  The organization is still going strong with now over 400 members.  For the time being, I can get used to the idea of being a Lone Rover until the time is right to relaunch a new Connecticut crew.

In recent months, my life has changed dramatically. I recently started a new job which now allows me the time to do some of the things that I love to do.  I have scaled back my level of commitment in other areas of my life so that I can find some much needed time for my health & sanity and for my family.  Due to life's choices or whatever, I had unfortunately become a bit sedentary.  With a brutal winter finally behind us, I threw on my hikers and my red Lone Rover neckerchief to hit the trail for the first time in a very long time.  The hike itself, I will describe in another post.  It will be the first that will count towards my Rambler badge.  It's my favorite walk, up to Castle Craig which overlooks Hubbard Park in Meriden.  It's one that I had done many times before as a boy scout and as a young adult.  It is just uncanny how I needed to be on that trail, climbing that ridge, with that red sandy dirt under my feet.  Is it any coincidence that the date of this hike was April 2, 2014, eight years to the day of my Rover Scout investiture?

It's been said that the "Y" in a Rover's thubstick is there to remind you about the different paths you can take in life.  Sometimes it's summed up simplistically as taking the right path or the wrong path.  True, there are some paths which are clearly not the best ones to take.  In many cases, however, I have found that life is not always that simple, but in other ways it is.  What I mean is this.... in life, we do our best to stay "on course"... whatever we feel that is.  We may find ourselves lost along the way, but if we keep our heads about us, we find ourselves back on our path.  I find that it really wasn't a wrong turn, it was merely a little meandering to the left or to the right.  We were never really off our path to begin with; at least, we were still moving in the right direction even though it didn't look like it from our perspective.  I have found this little bit of wisdom to be incredibly helpful in coping with the unexpected things in life. 

To answer my own question as to whether it was a coincidence to get back on the trail on the anniversary of my knighting, I will say no.  I had no idea the dates lined up when I made the decision to hike this week.  I did decide it was time to get active again, and to commit to my own well being.  I do not believe in coincidences because I believe everything in life happens for a reason.  Seeing an alignment with the dates, however, makes me smile, and helps me realize that the path I chose was a good one.