This post is coming to you from the one and only Colin C (shown above, prancing about) who will relate to you in his own words the events of yesterday.
“Well, we woke up in the morning and we had a simple breakfast of cereal and poptarts. Then, we got ready to go and went to Seneca Rocks, the Discovery Center. And then we watched this video on the trail, went to the bathroom and went on a hike up the rocks, about a mile and a half. We had many tempting shortcuts that Will was eager to take, and when we got to this overlook spot and we could see for miles and miles and miles and miles. Then we hiked back, it was a little bit shorter than hiking up, obviously. When we were done with that, we went to Spruce Knob, which is the highest point in West Virginia, to have lunch. After that, we went to the overlook spot and then we went on the Whispering Trail and it was about a half mile long. From there, we could see a 360 degree view of West Virginia. After that, we went back to camp, collected some firewood, and some of the Scouts headed down the river on rafts. The rafting trip lasted two hours for many reasons: because the current wasn’t as fast as we thought it would be, and we passed the campsite. Lucky for us, Mr. R, and Jake were fishing up the river and they saw us. So we swam ashore, got in their car, and headed back to camp. When we got back, Louie and Mr. Z were preparing dinner: the big burrito pigout. And when that was done, we feasted on big burritos. After that was done, we started a big fire and about the time when it got dark, we had Skit Night. Hank did some magic tricks, Louie acted kinda gay, and Luke, Hunter, Will, and I did the famous “Viper-Man” skit. And after that, we had some marshmallows, roasted them, and went to bed. Oh, and there was the Nicknaming Ceremony… I almost forgot about that.”
To clarify, my “acting kinda gay” was my performance of the Kenny Lust sketch from Monty Python’s Flying Circus; it was a routine I have performed at almost every summer trip to an increasingly enthusiastic audience. I would also like to complement Colin’s performance in “Viper-Man,” it was riveting, to say the least. Also, Colin mentioned the “nicknaming ceremony”; I am proud to announce that this has been the first official nicknaming ceremony since the Land Between the Lakes Trip. Although nicknames have been awarded sporadically, this has been the first official ceremony, in which the Senior Scouts on the trip (in this case, basically just me) give nicknames to the other Scouts on the trip. This year, I went a step further and gave the adults nicknames, as well. The nicknames were as follows:
Hank H (Previous Nicknames: Guppy, Pecos Bill) – “The Minstrel Boy”
Hank has a natural love of song and consistently tries to get everyone else to sing along with him, even when his original tunes are being written on the spot. His over-enthusiastic demeanor and somewhat annoying love of strange songs remind one of a medieval Minstrel; the 17-minute epic song “The Minstrel Boy” by Joe Strummer is his namesake.
Colin C (Previous Nicknames: The Tick) – “Sir Prance-a-Lot”
With someone as quirky as Colin, there are quite a few possibilities for nicknames. I could have named him for his love of Beef Jerky, his strange voices, or his absolutely adorable relationship with his father (and Mr. Z). However, his frantic prancing across the lovely meadows and forests of West Virginia win out as the most entertaining feature of someone who kept everyone thoroughly entertained throughout the trip.
Jake Z (Previous Nicknames: ) – “Buddy”
Jake never stops smiling. Even when he gets himself into ridiculous situations that generally end with physical pain, he always has a bright and sunny personality that either rubs off on you or (more frequently) annoys the heck out of you. His poor luck yet sunny disposition remind me perfectly of the character Buddy from the film Elf. It is truly a perfect fit.
Will S (Previous Nicknames: Gopher) – “Daredevil”
No one does ridiculous things quite like Will. Whether its putting three-days-old wild berries which are most likely inedible on his cereal or creating brand-new hiking trails which are almost certainly doomed to end in scraped knees, Young Will is always looking for a thrill, even when it’s not in his, or anyone’s, best interests.
Luke R (no previous nicknames) – “George”
Intelligent yet headstrong, a planner yet someone who always sticks to the facts, Luke reminds me far too much of the character George in Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Always entertaining and full of ideas, Luke has been awesome to have on this trip and I look forward to watching him mature as he travels the long road to Eagle.
Hunter K (no previous nicknames) – “Lenny”
As cliché as it may seem to name a pair of best friends after the stereotypical relationship of George and Lenny, Hunter’s sweet-as-honey, yet down-to-earth personality make him the living representation of this much-loved character. Although Hunter is, of course, a great deal more intelligent than Lenny, his gentle nature and unique friendship with Luke make Lenny a very accurate description of him.
And now, for the adults…
Dr. C (Colin’s father) – “The Scratchy Pounder”
Over the course of this week, Dr. C’s facial hair has come in very tough and bristly. His son lovingly refers to it as “scratchy” as he rubs his grubby fingers all over his angry father’s face. The second part of the dentist’s name derives from a statement he made while Colin was performing this action (for the millionth time): “Colin… I am going to pound you!” His frustration and articulation was too perfect to avoid giggling at. The Scratchy Pounder strikes again!
Mr. Z (Jake’s father) – “Gummy”
Read the first post. It’s too perfect to replace.
Mr. S (Will’s father) – “Big Daddy Sackful”
A true stroke of genius from Jack C, who was unfortunately unable to attend this trip, Big Daddy Sackful is one of the greatest nicknames I’ve ever heard of. Like Gummy, it’s too perfect to replace.
Mr. R (Luke’s father) – “Mighty Joe Blue”
The first part of the name, of course, comes from the film Mighty Joe Young. The second part comes from the name of his massive van… Big Blue. Mr. R has been a fantastic asset on this trip and, like Luke and Hunter, I look forward to working with him in the future.
Mr. H (Louie and Hank’s father) – “Calypso”
Even though he wasn’t present for the naming ceremony, my father’s insatiable love of John Denver spurred me to name him after one of his most catchy and well-known songs.
In an unprecedented move, the Scouts decided to give me a name as well…
Louie H (Previous nicknames: Trailmix) – “Wolverine”
I can only speculate as to why my fellow Scouts decided to name me after the Marvel Comics character. I have two theories: One, I am quite an outdoorsman and actions such as walking upstream against sets of respectable rapids probably seem extremely hardcore to them (even though to many Scouts my age it would seem quite normal), hence reminding them of the well-respected X-Man; Two, and far more likely, my facial hair has flourished in these outdoor conditions, and, since I haven’t shaved in over a week, has taken upon itself the distinctive look which Hugh Jackman had while portraying Wolverine in the movie series. Regardless of why, I am humbled and very much honored to have been named after such an impressive character by the other Scouts.
Well, it looks like we’re just about to head home. First though, we’re going to stop by Seneca Caverns. Stay tuned! More to come later!
Keep it real
Louie
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