Scouts row back to school

UINTAS — East Fork of the Bear Boy Scout Camp in the Uinta Mountains became a home away from home for Boy Scouts Cameron Smith and Daniel Lewis.

Smith and Lewis earned money while having a great time this summer working at the Boy Scout camp from June 11 through Aug. 11. Smith taught wilderness survival skills and Lewis taught canoeing and rowing and was a life guard.

Smith and Lewis are juniors at Woods Cross High School this year. They are both members of Boy Scout Troop 220 and are members of St. Olaf Parish, Bountiful. They have been friends for many years and met while attending St. Olaf School.

"At first we were a little homesick," said Lewis. "But after being at camp for a few weeks, we started calling the camp our home. We received a new scout troop every Monday morning and they would stay through Saturday morning."

Smith and Lewis would go home on Saturday and return Sunday evening. They became used to the cooler temperatures in the mountains, and found the hot weather in the valley a little hard to tolerate.

They also became used to how peaceful and quiet it was at camp, and noticed the various noises in the city more than they ever had before.

This is Smith’s second year working at the Boy Scout camp and he encouraged Lewis to apply because he thought they would have a good time working together.

"I think we were hired because we are energetic, happy, and like to have fun," said Smith. "So we studied and memorized all the requirements necessary to teach the skills to earn these merit badges."

Lewis said in order to be hired to train scouts for the canoeing and rowing merit badge he had to know cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), be able to swim 400 yards without stopping, know life saving techniques with floating devices, know first aid, and he had to be trained in using the canoe and row boat. He certified to be a life guard at Camp Tracy Wigwam in Millcreek Canyon.

Lewis had to know how to perform a rescue in the event of an accident, and how to swamp a canoe, or keep it balanced and row it back to shore full of water.

Smith was qualified to train scouts in wilderness survival because he earned his merit badge five years ago. He said the most important thing about wilderness survival is knowing what to do if you get lost in a dense forest.

"We have the buddy system, and every so often we run a drill to make sure buddies are together," said Smith.

Smith taught the scouts how to survive by building shelters, how to keep a positive mental attitude in order to avoid problems, how to communicate, and how to be prepared in any situation.

"In the wilderness, water and conserving energy are the most important elements for survival," said Smith. "Statistically people can survive three weeks if they have water. Without water, the body starts to shut down after three days."

One night each week, Smith took the scouts, sometimes as many as 55, one mile away on an overnight survival hike. They were only allowed to bring a sleeping bag, a tarp, water, medication, a jacket, and any other items they could not live without. The scouts learned how to build a shelter with the tarp, how to build a fire using a magnifying glass, and how to completely put the fire out.

However, the scouts were not actually allowed to build a fire. Smith said five years ago a fire was started outside the camp when some scouts left their camp fire smoldering. The fire got out of control and the camp had to be evacuated. Building a fire is no longer allowed.

Smith taught the scouts how to tie their tarp between two trees to form a low-standing tent, and to build a lean-to, which provides shelter from the wind. He said building also helps you occupy your mind if you are lost, and keeps you moving to avoid hypothermia.

Both Smith and Lewis carried a hand radio in the event of an accident, which allowed them to call one of two emergency medical technicians (EMT), who were also part of the staff at East Fork of the Bear Boy Scout Camp.

Smith said once in a while a scout would panic out in the wilderness or start to feel sick, and he would have to radio for another staff member to come and take the scout back to camp. Once the scout got back to camp and felt more mentally prepared, he was allowed to return to the survival camp.

Smith and Lewis had to survive themselves. Temperatures would drop into the low 40s at night, and the Uinta Mountains receive a lot of thunder storms which drench everything. They were camping in tents, sleeping on cots, and tolerating mildew. When it rained they had to figure out how to stay warm and dry.

They both said it was a great summer and a good way to spend their time away from school. They enjoyed playing practical jokes on each other and on other camp staff members.