Klondike again

Just when I think I am ready for something, things change.

It was hard enough last year to let my young son head off to Klondike. You may remember that I was worried about having my child returned to me with all of his fingers and toes.  I prepared him the best I could.  I bought gear that kept him warm and happy. I made sure that he packed it all and sent him off.  He returned happy and full of adventure. And he had all of his digits.  I was secure that as the years wore on, this would just be old hat for me. I could just buy the bigger sizes of what I had previously purchased and all would be good.


Enter this year. The strangest winter I can remember in the Cleveland area. Snow? We don't need no stinkin' snow. Cold... not as much. What is going on??
It is RAINING in January and the temps are hovering right around 40 during the day and not even dipping to freezing at night.  So when it does snow, it is that wet, horrible, slushy, heavy stuff.
You know, the stuff that is just perfect to camp in. UGH!  I don't even know if he is prepared this weekend for all the wet, damp, cold and mud.

It takes every ounce of self control not to turn into a raving lunatic of a mother, insisting that he stay home and sit by the fire with some hot cocoa and watch NCIS or House with us all night.  I know that in my heart of hearts, this is good for him. I don't need to hover. He will learn from all of this. He will have fun. He is making great memories of his childhood. So, I drive him and hang out in the parking lot while he largely ignores me. He is doing important stuff, like loading the trailer and talking to his friends. One quick hug before they leave and I get in my car and head home.

It's quiet here. And I am worried about fingers and toes again. SIGH!

Creatures of habit

Strangely enough, my son is home sick with a sore throat and Klondike is coming up this weekend.
It is amazing to me that we were in this same place last year too.

THE SOUP!??

I was just reading through last year's post about Klondike and was reminded that JD's favorite part was the soup. I never did revisit this and may have left my readers wondering what kind of soup it was.

At Klondike, there is an entrance fee along with a can of soup that shouldn't be cream based. Here I thought that it was part of a collection to give to a homeless shelter or some other facility.

At the meeting after Klondike, I told one of the adult men that went on the trip about JD's great affinity for the soup and asked him what kind it was.
He laughed and told me that I could never recreate it and that it might not even be as good next year!

I was puzzled until he explained that all the cans of soup that the boys bring with them are dumped into a huge pot and stirred up and heated. Each boy is given his empty can back and throughout the weekend, as they travel from activity to activity, they can have some soup ladled into their can to keep warm and happy!

Boys and their simplicity make me happy!

Winter Camping time again

I am really not good at keeping up with this blog.

Here we are again, one year later from the last time I posted. My son is headed to his Klondike again in a week and I can say that this year is much easier. This time though, it seems like it might be a mud bath! Oh, clean up will be joyous!

JD has made 2nd class with his troop and has earned a handful of merit badges. Over all he is having a good time. Most recently, he has started patch trading. He found someone in Australia to trade patches with and this is pretty exciting. It is a hobby that comes with a whole new set of rules, but can be very rewarding. He is also considering the possibility of a World Jamboree next year in West Virginia. This is something else that I would have to worry about and help him prepare to do. I feel like just when I become comfortable, he throws something else in there that I need to learn about.

Any tips out there on preparing for a World Jamboree?