Went out camping with the Cub Scouts this past weekend. After a busy week punctuated by inclement weather, a camp-out was not so appealing. But everything turned out very well. Nature and the roar of the campfire have a way of calming the mind and working things out.

We did some geocaching, hiked around, fished down the Unami Creek and cooked over open flames. Everyone worked together to make it a great event.

My favorite part of the trip, though, had to be watching the kids just running around and being kids. There was none of the usual sitting on the couch, playing video games – begging your children to go outside to get some fresh air. Beyond the planned activities, which served as an an excellent framework, the children just PLAYED! There was a lot of pick-up football and frisby, running around getting dirty. Everyone got along so well and at the end of the day, let me tell you – we were beat! We slept to the sound of owl hoots and coyote howls.

As I sat talking with parents or cooking at the fire, I saw the kids out beyond the campsite; they were definitely up to something! Later, a few of them approached the adults with much excitement. They wanted to show us what they were doing:

They led us out to a stone sculpture they had constructed. It was an intricate piling of rocks with a hole in the middle – a toilet! I complimented them on their fine work and went over to an adjacent wooden structure they created. It was a gully which they had stacked dead logs over, making a small shelter. One of the boys explained that a wolf spider, named Jeffie, lived in there now.

After issuing the Scouts some more accolades for their creativity, they became more excited yet and there was a lot of exploration and running around the wood with sticks, yelling. Reminded me of days gone by, when I was a lad, running through the Pine Barrens of NJ.

In this clip, the Scouts are leading us to a tower they found in the woods. It reminds me of a scene from Lord of the Flies, with all these little characters running about the wilderness, fending for themselves – of course, under the careful supervision of Scout leaders. It made me ponder the importance – FOR ALL OF US – to get out in nature and tap into our most creative inner explorer.