#9: I was assigned to the OWL Patrol. For those of you not familiar with Wood Badge, all those who take the course are assigned to a patrol and each of those have the name of one of the Gillwell "critters". Gary is a Bob-white and I thought it might be fun to be in the same one as him....but I definitely did not want to be a Beaver or a Fox....there were just too many ways that Gary could tease me about that. OWL was perfect...wise, clean, all-seeing,......
#8: The staff that we had to teach and lead us were outstanding. Women and men who had given up of their time to organize an amazing course. Much of the actual course is pre-set, but they were great presenters and were good examples of scouting. We learned a lot about having fun. Wood Badge is one of the only trainings that is taught in most of the countries that do Scouting. People who complete the Wood Badge course and ticket are registered at Gilwell Field in England. Look for me in a year or two as part of the "W2-589-04-10" course. We did a conservation project for the Scout camp which involved building a rock retaining wall, mvoing gravel, and planting trees. We were assigned the rock patrol which for me meant that I looked and brought small rocks to fill in gaps in the wall and racked the ground.
Staff singing the "Back to Gilwell Song" at the flag ceremony. Tiffanie in the white sweatshirt was the course director and Scoutmaster.
#7: The early morning flag ceremonies...it was great to pause and remember the great country to which we pledge allegiance and to have a chance to make that pledge in such a wonderful place.....this picture is our Gilwell field at Bartlett....
#6: Sharing Moments with Gary and Jena. Gary got the chance to do a few fun things while the girls went to classes. Jena and her friend Meggan who came with us enjoyed being outside, archery, making things, and helping with the younger classes. I didn't see much of them since Wood Badge was mostly from 8 am to 9 pm each night, but it was nice to eat most meals with them and to sit around the fire at night and catch up on their adventures. The cave picture is from a outing Gary made with other spouses to a nearby cave area.
#5: The opportunity to do a "ticket". Part of Wood Badge is the "ticket". These are five goals which you are going to complete in the next 18 months related to things that you have learned within the course. I knew about them from Gary's experiences and had thought about some things that I might do. However, during the course, I decided on five different things and I am excited for the opportunities that I will have as I work to complete those tasks. Keep watching this blog and you will probably hear about some of them! I hope to be done by August of 2011.
#4: Scouting and Lord Robert Stephenson Smyth Baton Powell: I think for the first time that I really feel a part of the whole of Scouting. As a members of the Church who has sons, it was not surprising for me to be called as a den mother years ago when Scott first turned 8, but I never expected to have so many opportunities to serve and to be served by Scouting over the years, both as a leader and as a parent. However, being a woman, I always had felt a bit on the outside of Scouting looking in. I taught boys and young men but they went camping without me. I didn't feel like the oath and law applied to me, because I was not a "young man". Now I do feel fully a part. A person that loves Scouting and can stand and say the oath and law not just as an example to the young men, but my own promise and oath. It is a small thing and probably weird to you, but I am now a scout, part of troop 1 and also of our home unit--
Trapper Trails 838.
I also liked learning about Baton Powell and his vision as he started Scouting in England in the early 1900's. He had a great desire to teach character to young men and a great ability to pass that vision on. And because of a kind act by a young scout in England, the movement was brought to America. Boy Scouts of America is 100 years old this year. It made me think again about the vision I have for my life and my ability to impact those around me.
#3: The Owl Patrol. Part of the experience of Wood Badge is being assigned to a patrol with six other people going through the course with you and a tour guide. Their goal was to insure that no one knew each other within their patrol so that we all had to learn and to work out things together. We had a great experience within our patrol as we learned each other's unique gifts and talents and tried to use them for the good of our patrol. Our project, skits and other activities turned out great. Our rocket stayed up the longest and also won the "most attractive" award. The picture below is part of our run-on about the instincts of the owls. I was the mother owl. 
The Owls were a wonderful group and I was proud to be part of them.#2: I loved being away from home and in a beautiful place. The trees, the water, the flowers....and also no phones, no daily tasks (like laundry, although of course, that all came home with us in pile of dirty shirts and pants...and just be glad that you can't smell MY scout shirt after a week of camp.)
#1 Reason I loved Wood Badge: There are times in life when life stops for a moment or a day or in this case a week.....and something happens that makes a difference in your life. I (and others, of course) call these "mountain top experiences". They can be big things or little things, but for some reason, they touch you and allow you to make changes in your life. You can remember those moments like they happened yesterday---the time, the place, those who were involved, and the feelings and thoughts that you experienced. These are unplanned things--not like a wedding or an arrival of a child for which you have dreamed about (even though those are awesome experiences in their own right)--events that you didn't know were coming or you didn't know would have the effect that occurred. Wood Badge is one of those experiences. Though the course itself taught useful skills, it was the inside "a-ah" moments that will be with me and allow me to be different in ways as I move forward both in Scouting but more importantly in life.
And that was a piece of Wood Badge...if you have a chance, you should also go to a Wood Badge course.
Go, Owls!!!
....is there a beaver in the house???????
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