Every year for the last 5 years Lamon has gone on a week long Scouting Trip. This year was his first week long backpacking trip, and he took the boys up to the High Uintas. He was looking forward to the trip for a long time, and a week or two before the camp he went backpacking in the designated spot with some friends from work to sort of check things out. He came home assuring me that the hike was certainly not as hard as he had previously thought. The night before they were to set off Lamon packed his pack and brought it down and weighed it. They suggest that when backpacking your pack should be less than a third of your body weight. Lamon's pack? . . . . more than 70 pounds!! Lamon doesn't even weigh a buck 50! So he would be carrying more like half of his body weight. He let me try it on, and I just about tipped over backwards. I was thinking that maybe I might be able to make it around the block. I was a little worried about Lamon's back at the end of a week carrying that thing!
I heard from various sources throughout the week that leaders who hiked in and out admitted that the hike was REALLY HARD, and that some leaders and some of the boys were struggling. So the entire week I was worried that all the boys were having a miserable time, and I even had a nightmare that one of the boys was miserable and left and got lost. Everyone was looking for him, and somehow I was suddenly there and looking for him too.
They did all make it home alive however. There were so many mosquitos up there. One boy got more than 100 mosquito bites on his hands within minutes. Luckily they were smart enough to buy mosquito nets for all of the boys to protect their faces. And they also had plenty of food, which I was a little worried about as well. They were able to catch plenty of fish, and their bags of food lasted them throughout the week.
I sure love Lamon. He is a great example to me. He loves his calling. He loves working with the scouts, and I am just amazed at how dedicated he is. What a man!
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