Table of Contents

Chapter One – The Beginning

• Serendipity 10

Chapter Two – A most uncommon common man

• Mister Q 13
• A Description 14
• What’s in a Name? 17
• Prohibitions 17
• Instructions 19
• Merit Badges 21
• Snakes 24
• Snakebite Surgery 26
• Mr. & Mrs. Q 27
• The Story of the Great Flood 27
• Wampus Way 28
• The Pop-up Trailer 29
• Aeronautical Navigation 30

Chapter Three – The Troop Meetings

• Leg Wrestling 30
• Indian Wrestling 31
• Hand Wrestling 32
• Tait Road Football 32
• Wooden Benches 33
• Troop Meetings – (the formal part) 34
• A Special Cheer 37
• The Paddle 37
• The Staff Patrol 38
• Red Jackets 38
• Patrol Meetings 39
• The Vertical Classroom 40
• Let the Games Begin 41
• Kilroy Was Here 44
• Boards of Review 45
• Marsh’s 46
• Telstar 47
• The Flying Saucer 48
• Summer Meetings 52
• The Closings 53
• Senior Patrol Leaders 54

Chapter Four – Beech Memorial Park

• Mobilizations 55
• Capture the Flag 57
• Hounds & Hares 58
• Campfires at Beech Memorial Park 60
• Fractured Taps 63

Chapter Five – Indian Valley

• A Hike with Ray 65
• The Monkey Bridge 67
• A Clean Break 68
• Jacob’s ladder 69
• A Land of Wonder 71

Chapter Six – Scoutland

• Past is Prologue 72
• Conquering the Pole 74
• The Red Ball Brand Boots 75
• Arrival at Camp Polar 76
• Fireside Chats 81
• Posted Property 84
• Initiations 85
• Our Staff Patrol 87
• The Canvas Condominium 88
• Let There Be Light! 88
• Optional Equipment 89
• Aquarius 90
• The Best of Everything 92
• A Hero’s Shelter 97
• A “Taut” Situation 98
• Cold Steel 99
• The Greenwood Gourmets 102
• Flatbed Syrup 106
• Sliders 107
• Yukon Pete 108
• Bean Hole Beans 108
• Boys and Beans 110
• Potatoes 110
• Pressurized Gas Stoves 111
• Hot Chocolate 111
• Thunderbird Coffee 112
• A Sticky Situation 113
• Suburban Cowboys 113
• Football in the Cedars 114
• The Bobsled Run 116
• In Defense of the Realm 119
• Camporee Campfires 120
• “Mother Please, I’d Rather Do It Myself”! 122
• Night Terrors 127
• The Green Ghoulie 130
• The Wolf Head 133
• The Curse of the Creature 137
• The Graveyard Rats 140
• Slumber Lumber 144
• The Great Sails 145
• The Flying Baker 145
• When Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 147
• Human Chimneys 149
• Two Matches Only! 150
• Flint and Steel 151
• The Smoking Section 156
• A Burning Incident 158
• “Go West Young Man”! 159
• The Wicked Witch of the East 164
• Taut Line Camping 168
• Are You Ready For A War? 170
• A Scout is Reverent 186
• The Cathedral of the Pines 186
• The Ford Falcon 191
• The Rat Patrol 199
• Falcon 911 201
• The Miami Falcon 204
• La Casa Grande 205
• Midnight Bandits 217
• Fall Camporees 222
• First in Spirit 225

Chapter Seven – Camp Pomperaug

• Mr. Skip Toth 239
• The Duffle Bag 243
• Tremone Campsite 245
• My First Swim Test 248
• The Buddy Check 250
• Campsite Inspections 252
• The Fire Brigade 254
• “A Clean Latrine Is A Happy Latrine” 257
• Gear Drag Out 259
• Mail Call 260
• The Care Package 261
• The Nature Walk 264
• Canoe Jousting 268
• Polo Power 269
• The Class “A” Uniform 270
• The Retreat Ceremony 272
• Smoke on the Water 276
• Cannon Fodder 280 A Matter of Manners 281
• “Oh Waiter” 282
• Camp Cuisine 286
• “God Bless You And May the Devil Take Your Soul” 292
• Mr. Joseph Clark 293
• The Swap Meets 296
• Scoutcraft 301
• Mumble-Ty-Peg 309
• The Pine Forest 315
• Pomperaug A.T.M. 319
• Arts & Crafts 323
• The Signal Tower 329
• Policing the Area 331
• Tobacco Mulch 335
• All God’s Creatures 342
• 148! 149! 150! 344
• A Warm Feeling 353
• The Outer Rim of the Galaxy 354
• Bunking in the Woods 357
• A Scout is Clean 358
• A Black & White Situation 360
• The Bank of Switzerland 363
• Sir Robin of Locksley 367
• The Camp Olympics 371
• Infiltration 375
• “Oh No, It’s the O.A!” 377
• Union Cannonballs 382
• The Bleach Bottle 500 388
• The Mile Swim as a Contact Sport 391
• Canoeing Merit Badge 394
• The Canoe Trip to Lake Mashapaug 396
• The Hunt for Green October 409
• “Feather your Oars!” 416
• Life is Sacred 429
• Cooking Merit Badge 430
• Signaling Merit Badge 437
• The Public Health Merit Badge 443
• Ninety-nine Miles to Paradise 448
• Hawkeye and the Remington Arms Company 455
• Busting Clays 468
• Camp Elections 468
• “What is These Reds Anyway?” 483
• The Reluctant Meteor 491
• Valderi-Valdera 495
• The Courts of Honor at Camp 498
• The Rack Body Ride to the House of God 501
• A Local Oasis 504
• Camp Pomperaug – A Final Reflection 505

Chapter Eight – The Balance of the Treasure

• God and Country 506
• Precipitation Patriots 509
• The Mall Ramp Car Wash Company 517
• Is There A Doctor In The House? 519
• It Was A Dark and Stormy Night 524
• Tossing the Caber 526
• A Tight Fit 539
• The Blue Boy 544
• Our Troop’s Courts of Honor 547
• The Christmas Parties 551
• Of Copper-mines & Ironwood 556
• On Top of Old Smoky 562
• The Trip That Never Happened 566
• Pass It On 568
• Troop Service 570
• A Singular Regret 573
• The Salt of the Earth 575

Chapter Nine – The Final Reflection