When people are confronted with a large sum of work, it seems insurmountable. This can applied to how I felt about Boy Scouts early on. Boy Scouts is an important part of my life, my Sundays typically revolve around getting requirements done. Occasionally, my entire weekend will be camping with the troop. I hated Scouts early on because it seemed like a large amount of work with not a lot of fun. That changed after my first campout where I was able to hang out with friends all the while edging away at the seemingly impossible task of getting Eagle Scout.

My brother, already a scout, encouraged me to become a scout. He told me stories of going canoeing, archery, and going to the shooting ranges. My brother experienced showed through his rank as he was first class. I was a scout, at the age of 12, and would go on to be a tenderfoot, second class, first class, life scout, star scout, Eagle Scout. The camp was at Allatoona Lake on campground Red Top Mountain. It was an amazing place surrounded by water on all three sides, but you would have to walk to see it as our view was obstructed by a dense forest. The area smelled like Pine tree, and our camp ground was below the one area where there were no trees. As result of that, the sun would shine brightly on to our campground and make you squint frequently. Additionally, it was a great campground to go to because it wasn’t bug infested, a big contribution to why I would enjoy the camp. To have a successful camp, you need a strong leadership. Our Senior Patrol Leader (SPL) and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader (ASPL) names were Kredan and Mohammed, respectively. The names seem Arab because our troop is a Muslim one. Mohammed was great at issuing orders and making sure people carried them out. On the other hand, Kredan was terrible at doing what Mohammed could do, but he could think fast on his feet and come up with solutions quick. Not only that, but they were an inspiring sight. Both on the verge of getting their Eagle Scout at the young age of 16. The combination of those two was a reason why our leadership excelled. This was probably the most important camp of my Scouting life because it would decide my future with this organization.

The camp was during the summer, so the sun should have been bright and, my god, was it bright. The moment we left we had already reached the point of no return. The car ride was awesome with all the other kids my age whom I had already befriended. The dad driving the car, Jeff Shamma, was awesome. He was blasting music, age appropriate of course. We ending up arriving at eleven o’clock. We set up tents even though we were lumbering around starting to feel the effects of staying up to long and were clumsy. Even though my mind was at a slow, what I was feeling was indistinguishable. I had genuine fun and was hanging out with friends at the same time.

The next day, we had fun on levels I had previously thought impossible. We went biking on the trail and, finally, after reaching our physical limitations reached, got to the hill top. Our bodies were glistening with sweat and our breaths; deep and loud. Our muscles ached and our throats demanded water. However, the view was unmatched. You could see the sun rising with the vastness of the forest finally revealing itself to me. In the distance, straining my eyes, I could see the lake reflecting the young suns light. It was as if it was a scene from a movie. At this moment, I saw the possibilities boy scouts brings. I had only done one of the thousands of things we could have possibly done. Even so, I felt better than ever. This camp and the biking trip are times in my life I would consider defining moments where I changed as a person.

We went home the next day, the car ride back silent as we all fell into a deep slumber, tired from our adventures. This trip changed me, on a much different scale than ever before in life. I realized that scouting was a very unique opportunity in life and that I had to take this opportunity. Today, scouting is a major part of my life. I typically spend an hour on it every other day edging away at Eagle as I am first class. Scouting also made me a better student in school. This camp changed my train of thought from scouting is useless to scouting is a once in a lifetime chance; and if I seize it, my life could change for the better, and it did.