Winter Camping

I have recently been called to serve as the assistant scoutmaster for the troop in my LDS ward in Utah. These young men are 12 or 13 years old. On the coming Friday and Saturday they will sleep in lodges at Maple Dell, a scout camp outside of Payson, Utah, and will also cross-country ski. I will not be joining them on this camp, but it appears that monthly campouts will be a part of my life for some time to come. I do not have many memories of the winter outings I went on as a scout. I recall one or two when we slept in a cabin or condo, and then went skiing the next day. Those trips were a treat since during a winter outdoor camp the most mundane of activities become major ordeals. Some harsh realities manifest themselves. Pitching a tent in the dark during a snow storm is no fun. Cleaning cooking gear in sub-freezing temperatures is no fun. Answering nature’s call in the middle of a mid-February night in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains is no fun. I’m not sure why, but other than in connection with scouting, I have never been on winter campout.