Those Who Went with the Adults and Those Who Stayed Behind

    In Scouts we went camping, and sometimes we would hike. In March of 1983, my troop did some of both. Problem was, instead of all of us doing the hike as planned through Hoosier National Forest, which may have amounted to 18 miles, which is a lot, some stayed behind, and they did not have adult supervision. In their boredom the boys unsupervised burnt trails through the pine needles around the campground. The night before a few of us took a boat, a small rowboat, unsupervised and without proper life jackets, went out on Lake Maumee. I was part of that group, I admit it.

    I went on the hike, though. Bobby, Evan, and maybe Channing and a few others did not join us. And that was a sign of disobedience, perhaps disrespect towards our adult leaders, and perhaps against the purpose of the excursion. Why stay behind? Why rebel, or dissent?

    We all have our reasons. The night before some of us explored the lake on the boat and saw same amazing wintry stars. We were doing risky things, and we incurred some punishment that summer for our water sally and the burning of the grounds of our campsite. All this before the summer season of the hundreds and thousands of us that would be there. I was twelve, my parents had split up. Life was real enough. Bobby had a single mom. Evan had a decent family life, we thought.

    I paid some of the price with the others later that August. We learned some lessons.

    But I feel like those who chose not to take the hike lost out the most.

    Forty years later, and that is what I see and perceive.

    

    We were young and foolish, we made decisions that might indicate our future plans and fates.

    Maybe.

    Maybe not.

    We should take the hikes and journeys, and make good decisions.

    We cannot guess if the past will indicate the future. But sometimes the way to take the Ring of Power to Mordor is fraught with peril and wonder, and many questions to ponder.

    I do.