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Where in the wild is Troop 102?
Day eight

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[June 28, 2016]  LINCOLN - Today is Wednesday, June 22nd and it’s hump day! Today the Scouts of Troop 102 have been away from home eight days and on their adventure hike six. Today they will hike 6.5 miles to an elevation of 9,400 feet.

By now, some of the boys and adults may be thinking about the end ahead. They still have some very exciting days ahead of them, but being on the countdown to heading back to Illinois, some may be feeling a little homesick. Before they left, the scouts were asked how they felt about being away from home for a total of 16 days, 12 on the hike.

The boys were asked; “Is this the longest you've been away from your family and if so, how do you feel about that?”

Here are some of their answers:

Blake Hermes: “No it is not. I think that I will miss my family, but as long as I am with my friends, that I will be fine.”

Jack Graue: “It will be the longest I’ve been away from there, I will miss my family and my girlfriend terribly, but I don’t feel like that that will take away from the experience.”

William Trent: “This isn't the longest I have been from my family, but I love that they trust me.”

Zachary Craig: “Yes, this is the longest I will be away from my family. This experience will be so exciting that I hope not to miss them too much. It will be fun not to have a little sister bothering me – just kidding – love you Juju.”



Zachary and Juju Craig with mom Jennifer

On departure day, Juju was asked how she felt, was she going to miss her big brother? She shrugged her shoulders and said she didn’t know….maybe. The big ole’ bear hug she gave him later seemed to indicate it might be a little more than maybe.

Coming from a relatively small community, one would assume that the Scouts are all good friends who have known each other for most of their lives. But they are a diverse group within themselves, and while they may be attending the same high school, they may have attended different grades schools. Their interaction with each other might only be the time they spend together as Scouts.

The Philmont Council and Unit Guide book recognizes and predicts that as they make their hike, the group, on the whole, will go through four stages of getting comfortable with one another.

Group Dynamics

Every crew undergoes a transformation during their trek as they move through the four stages of group dynamics: forming, storming, norming, and performing. Some crews move through these stages quicker than others: just because a crew is at a certain stage does not mean the crew cannot revert back to a previous stage. The key to anything relating to group dynamics is communication. Doing Thorns and Roses every night before bed is a great way to hear everyone out and discover crew issues to address before they blow up out of control.

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Forming – The first stage, recognizable by excitement and the hidden fears of crew members not knowing what comes next. Crew members may still be getting to know one another and people will be hesitant to come out of their shell. The members within a crew should ask their colleagues basic “get to know you” questions in order to find similarities and common ground. This is especially true for crews consisting of youth from multiple home units.

Storming – The second stage, occurring when people begin to come out of their shell and do not sugar coat any communication as they did in the forming stage. Different personalities begin to clash and conflict usually arises. For some crews this stage takes about a half hour to get through, for others it can take days. The best way to learn from this stage and move on to the norming stage is through good and honest communication. The basic “get to know you” questions from the forming stage can be vital to the transformation in this storming stage because the crew can find similarities amongst themselves and can build off of that rather than be torn apart by their differences.

Norming – Once the crew gets all the kinks out of the system, they move on to the norming stage and begin to set the groundwork for the rest of the trek. Personal goals that may have been chosen earlier in the trek need to be revisited now that everyone has a clearer picture of what their trek is like. Once everyone’s personal goals are set, the crew needs to determine crew goals that meet the expectations of every crew member and how they will work towards them. It is best to come to a consensus when determining crew goals since people generally support ideas they helped create.

Performing – All the crew members are comfortable around each other and know their specific role within the crew. Everyone knows the crew goals and how to achieve them. Trust is exhibited throughout the crew and efficiency is at its peak. Constant communication and a servant leadership demeanor are demonstrated by all members within the crew.

Today, the Scouts will spend time hiking to the Crooked Creek area. They will pick up their food supply for the next three days at Apache Springs.

They will also enjoy learning about homesteading.

From Philwiki

The camp is one of two on Philmont (Black Mountain being the other) that does not have a road going into it. Therefore, Crooked Creek is one of the two most rustic and authentic staff camps. Staff members pack their food in on burros and carry water up from a spring that is at least a few hundred yards down a hill.

The homesteading program generally consists of historic cabin tours, candle making, wood splitting with an axe, cross-cut saws, woodworking, horse-shoe throwing, relaxing in the meadow or on the porch, and homesteader bowling.


[Nila Smith]

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