The boys are going to CAMP. IV

A few days later was log cutting day at camp. All the boys would spend a few hours cutting down some of the smaller dead trees. The woods around camp provided more than enough. Hundreds of acres of woods. Each year the "big" logs (as the younger boys would call them. None of them more than with 8 inches diameter.) would be rotated like stock, so that they were well seasoned for both the up coming wood crafts and the big bonfire on the last night of camp. The boys were paired up and each team given a two handed saw. Yep, that meant allot of logs. There were little bonfires each night too. Along with one open pit cook out each day. Jarred and Stephen were disappointed that they weren't getting an axe or a chain saw. But who were they kidding? I know that they'd end up acting like Paul Bunion or some kind of Mid-Evil lumber jack who was granted a gift from the future. In his terrible British accent, Stephen would say something like "I've the power to take down this, the Kings forest, and therefore should be crowned King." He should be crowned alright. Crowned King Ram-a lam-a Ding Dong. And Jarred would have only led him on more, by putting his two pence worth in. "Sir Stephen of Gruberland, might I, your lowly squire, be aloud to fill your hungry tree eater with petrol, which hasn't even been invented yet?!?" They'd both snicker, Stephen would pretend to beat his squire, the squire would rebel and take arms against his Lordship Sir Stephen, and.............. Well nothing but trouble could be gained by giving these two something they could so easily cut off a limb with.

Each team was to find 5 dead trees. Then, cut 'em, carry 'em, and stack 'em back at camp. No one was to wander off farther than being able to see the bright orange vest that their cabin counselors wore. "If you can't see a vest, stay where you are and call out for someone to find you." Mr. Brydare said. So of course, after about an hour, there was a search party looking for you know who. Jarred and Stephen wandered off, and I just had to follow. They are my humans after all. Oh yeah, they cut down their 5 trees. But left each one where it was to look for the next one they were going to cut, thereby forgetting where the one before it was. In all they ended up cutting down 16 trees, which eventually led the search party right to them. Although a happy reunion was not going to be occur on this occasion.

Stephen had spotted some deer droppings along side of some tracks and started to follow them. With each couple of yards they stepped they heard some rustling sounds and would wait and try to see what was moving. But nothing could be seen. They wandered east and then south and then east some more. They were about 2 miles away from the nearest cabin counselor when they saw them in the clearing. Seventeen deer. No antlers growing yet this year, but they could tell there were a couple of pretty big bucks out there. The boys crept slowly, closer and closer toward the herd, and actually ended up within 30 yards of a few of the doe's. In the hunting safety course that the boys took the winter before, they learned to stay down wind of what ever they might be hunting. So down wind it was. But as fate would have it unfortunately the candy bars the boys had stuffed in their pockets were up wind of something else. The boys were sitting on a log and kept hold of me while whispering back and forth. "Bang. Got-cha! Venison stew for dinner" Stephen whispered. "Doot doot doot doot bleeeeeeep. Target locked. Fire." Jarred whispered back. Then after sitting ever so quietly I caught a glimpse of something to our right. It was close and under a bush. So, well........."Bar-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar-ar." I told it to get away. These were our deer. Any you can't have 'em. And so, the deer ran away. Now I was mad. "Henry!?!" Stephen said disappointed. "You Goober." Jarred added. I ignored the boys and just continued to tell who ever was behind that bush who was boss. ME! The boys now looked over at the bush, the bush moved, I jumped back, and....the skunk turned, raised it's tail and, ewwwwwwwwwwwe yuck. It missed me, and well, it would take 5 separate tomato juice improved showers, and am out in the middle of the bivouac area sleeping arranged for Stephen and Jarred.

It took 2 days to get that stink off of the boys. I slept at the foot of Mikes bed while stinky and stinkier were outside. There was a special mosquito tent for them to sleep under but it was the smell that kept them up most of the first night. The second night wasn't so bad, but then they had to sleep both nights with out their sleeping bags other wise their bedding would stink. So it was out on two rickety old cots, wearing nothing but some extra large hospital gowns the camp nurse would bring each year for emergencies such as this. Everyone snickered at the boys for a few days, until their attention was turned to some camper from Tremble County that got poison ivy just below the belt after touching a tree he was just leaning on that was wrapped with the stuff and then taking relieving his kidneys shorty after.

One week down, and one to go.
Henry the Dog.