MIC Day 4 - Wednesday

MIC Day 4 – July 25, 2012


Today started noticeably cooler, and breezy. Felt good after the hot days we’ve been having. Breakfast then down to Geo HQ. Had to reset our canopies since they were turned around from last night. Amazed at just how much trash was left laying around, especially a lot of Canadian paper flags lying in the dust. Two nice water bottles as well.

Started in with our first group, giving the intro talk. We started with Chippewa, which had scouts from Mason and Pinckney in Michigan; Benton, Louisiana; Korea; and Switzerland. Even though I’d stayed back for the last group yesterday, all the groups were taken and I was left behind again. Not a problem but since all the work was done I played a good game of Scrabble on my iPod and showed some leaders that had stayed behind just a bit about geocaching. Good thing some leaders had stayed behind because the wind started picking up, blowing some weather in, and the canopy that was not tied down caught a gust and started rolling. This was one of the big long ones with eight poles – I would not have been able to catch it on my own. Groups came back about 15 minutes later. Rain came about 15 minutes after that, just in time for lunch.

It continued sporadically as we started getting our second group organized. This was a smaller campsite, Ottawa, with scouts from Williamston and East Lansing, MI as well as Orange County, California and the Isle of Man. We ended up under one canopy and I gave my instruction as best as I could with rain noisily coming down on the canopy. Rain slowed a bit and we headed out, in our rain gear. Thankfully the GPSrs are water resistant. I had a group of six this time, very nice scouts that were enthusiastic about caching and gave each other turns in using the GPSrs and finding caches. One in particular that was enthusiastic was Michael, from the Isle of Man, about 12-13 years old. Had cached before at home though it sounds like as much letterboxing as geocaching. Have a great picture of him with the ammo can with the Isle of Man stickers in it, holding the stickers he’d just retrieved. Rain stopped completely about half way through our trip around the course.

Our last group was late in coming. We learned they’d been delayed at Shooting Sports because of the rain. More scouts from East Lansing as well as Okemos; Delafield, Wisconsin; Mexico, and Taiwan. The Taiwanese spoke very little English which made explanations a bit more challenging. I took a larger group out, 10 in all, a mixed group from all the different troops. The SPL was with us, James, who at 15 has just turned in his Eagle paperwork. Flaming red hair halfway down his back, but a great scout nonetheless. Can’t judge a book by its cover. A bit larger group which can be a challenge, but everyone took part in at least one find.

Back to the dining hall for dinner after squaring away Geo HQ – Walking Tacos, sitting down in the dining hall as the water had been tested and approved so the scouts could cook in their campsites. Staff eats in the dining hall regardless, but we’d been outside since everyone had to eat at the dining hall….

Realized that I did have some blisters forming so decided to go soak my feet in the lake for a while. That worked well until I noticed the little fishies swimming in the water below. Still soaked a bit longer, but then decided I’d go see the health officer to square them away. She wasn’t too worried about them until I mentioned I was diabetic, well then I had antibiotic on them, then moleskin, then tape around that. She would rather I stay off my feet for a few days but understands that there are still two days of program left. Hopefully they won’t get too bad. Also noticing just now that I may have finally picked up a bit of poison ivy. Hope not. (and it must not have been, it went away.)

Went over to the patch trading session tonight. Have never participated in an organized patch trading at a major event before – WOW. Instead of a bunch of event patches from my area, and patches I’d found in geocaches, I now have a very nice assortment of patches from many of the countries represented at the jamboree. Also a few neckerchief slides including my favorite, one from the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee (from one of the British scouts, of course.) Sometimes the patch that was offered was one I already had, or didn’t particularly like, but I generally traded anyway and managed to trade them for something better every time. It was lots of fun!

Cut short early because there is developing weather – they sent everyone back to their sites. Right now, thunder and lightning and rain. I called home and talked to Steve and Clare was under tornado warnings. Hope it doesn’t come northeast because that’s where we are in relation to Clare. (the city in Michigan.) There are a lot of kids out there in tents and I’m just not sure where they plan to put them that would be safer.

Looking forward to the international dinner tomorrow night…provided the camp doesn’t blow away tonight!