Ten Mile River Scout Camps
Tusten, NY - September 25, 2010 We went to Ten Mile River Boy Scout Camp in Tusten, NY. The 12,000 acre “pristine woodland territory” (source: www.tenmileriver.org) campground is in a sparsely-populated part of the Catskill Region in New York State, just a few miles off scenic Route 97 in the upper Delaware River valley. The campground is owned by the Boy Scouts of America, a private association funded from “private donations, membership dues, corporate sponsors, and special events”. (source:wikipedia.org)

In my youth I embraced scouting. I went to camping trips, proudly wore my scarf and cap, memorized the Scout’s Oath, measured my socks to be precisely three fingers below the knee and my shorts three fingers above, and learned to read maps, the compass, and markers on hiking trails among other outdoor skills.

But for all the enthusiasm I held, I did not progress far into the corps of elite scouts. In fact, I did not earn any merit badge at all. Instead I looked with envy at scouts from other schools with their merit badge-bedecked uniforms. I sulked and blamed my school for that, for not being driven enough to have its own scouts succeed.

In any case, the campground Vi and I reached, Turnpike Pond -- beautiful as it was -- was not what we intended. We were looking for a historic stone arch bridge built in 1875 and the surrounding structural remains of a previous town’s existence when we came upon the pond. We immediately liked what we saw -- the peacefulness and tranquility redolent with the scent of pine trees -- and so stopped and started taking pictures. But we never found the bridge.

Later I learned that from the maps and directions I found online I incorrectly placed the bridge there when instead it should have been on the other side of town.

After having spent much of the day driving around in circles lost in the small hamlet of Tusten -- and guided by a GPS at that -- at least I can now stop blaming my school and honestly say that maybe, I do not deserve to earn any merit badge after all.

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