Written by Kay Q.
On Friday the third of March, a potentially impossible mission had just begun. The scouts began to arrive at the Lucketts Community Center to travel to the campsite Upon arrival at the campsite, it was raining, but the older and middle scouts knew just how to handle the situation. Once we all found suitable locations, the adult leaders and senior scouts demonstrated how to put up a tent for the younger scouts. They took out a rainfly –a type of tarp used for keeping food and gear like camping stoves dry– and set to work.
The following day started with cooking breakfast & cleanup. Those who didn’t cook cleaned. After cleaning and grabbing more water, everyone was made to count their steps over a distance of 100 feet. Then the younger scouts learned about cardinal directions and how to use a compass. This is when we began to prepare for the mission. The teams were separately told to go on an orienteering course so that they could practice using compasses. This was good practice for everyone, as it would come in handy later that day. After lunch, we learned about how to find North using the stars, how to respect the American Flag, how to deal with injuries, and how to tie certain knots. Afterwards, the older scouts took a tour of the mission course. While this was happening, the other scouts had time to bond and get to know each other better. Once the older scouts got back, we ate dinner. Finally, it was time for Mission Impossible.
The premise of Mission Impossible is simple; use your compasses to find points where there are clues that lead you to the next point. The catch; if you used any lights or made loud noises you could attract zombies! The scouts went from point to point and uncovered many clues, while having a lot of fun. After the mission was won and done, many of us scouts sat around a campfire for an hour before heading to sleep. The following morning we got up and ate breakfast. Then the teams got together to finish the orienteering course, lunch and cleaning up the campsite. Back to the Community Center for “Roses and Thorns” where we all have the opportunity to share what we could have personally done to perform better and be more prepared. Every scout had a good time and many younger scouts learned the important skill of how to use a compass The main lessons of Mission Impossible are that being prepared and critical thinking make even the most seemingly impossible missions possible.
