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Boy Scout Troop 220 Black Hills Adventure
September 8, 2012
Contributed Photo
Scouts pause for a photo in front of Devil's Tower.
By Joe Lauber
What kind of story did your son tell on the first day of school this year when his teacher asked what he did over the summer? If he is a Boy Scout in Troop 220 of Lee’s Summit Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), then perhaps his story was one of a fun week in South Dakota.
From July 29 through August 4 ten boys and six adults from Troop 220 struck out on an adventure to the Black Hills of South Dakota. The trip materialized as an opportunity to take Scouts not yet old enough to go on the High Adventure trips to Philmont, SeaBase, and Northern Tier on an “intermediate” adventure all their own.
For the first leg of the trip, the group drove to Sioux Falls where they spent the night at the Knights of Columbus Hall and performed a service project in exchange for a free night’s stay. The next day the group traveled west to Custer State Park with stops at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, S.D., and Wall Drug in Wall, S.D. on the way. The group pitched camp next to Center Lake in Custer State Park.
The next day the group traveled to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Our trip to the reservation was intended to serve two purposes: First, to perform a service project for the Oglala Lakota Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), and second, to learn more about Native American history and culture. Upon arriving at CASA our gracious hosts took us out to Wounded Knee, where the group was told the story of the massacre by CASA volunteers Jeffrey Not Help Him and Larry Swalley. What made this presentation even more poignant is the fact that Jeffrey and Larry, who are cousins, are also the great-grandsons of one of the Wounded Knee survivors. After our moving visit to Wounded Knee, we returned to Oglala Lakota CASA where the group spent several hours assisting Director Arlana Bettelyoun by cleaning the offices and property, moving boxes of donated materials, and assembling a desk for one of the offices. The CASA staff showed their appreciation by presenting the group with a signed print of the Ghost Dance and a handmade dream-catcher. After our time with CASA, the group toured the Red Cloud Indian Heritage Center on the Reservation. That night we dined with Re-Member, a not-for-profit group serving the Reservation. We ended the evening with a presentation by Larry Swalley on religious culture of the Sioux tribe.
The rest of the week was likewise packed with incredible adventures. Wednesday morning we learned that a herd of American Bison was in a meadow nearby, so we went over to see them. Later that day the group visited and hiked the trail around the base of Mt. Rushmore. That evening the boys prepared a traditional Native American meal, including bison stew, bison chili, and fry bread. On the fifth day of the trip the group traveled to Wyoming where they toured the Devil’s Tower National monument. That evening the group visited the Crazy Horse monument where we toured the Native American museum and watched a cool laser light show projected on the side the Crazy Horse monument.
The last full day in camp was also exciting, as the boys began their morning by building a model Sioux teepee, which completed the tasks necessary to earn their Indian Lore merit badge. Later that morning we toured Jewel Cave, where we went over 800 feet deep into the earth to see interesting cave formations, including the group’s favorite “Cave Bacon.” Returning to camp that afternoon we learned that a wildfire had been sparked about two miles away, so we were entertained by watching helicopters dip water out of the lake next to which we were camped. Later that night, many of the firefighters camped at the other end of our campsite and one of the South Dakota Department of Agriculture firefighters gave us a presentation about the techniques and equipment used in fighting wildfires.
As we left the park Saturday morning we saw a lone bull bison walking down the road headed the other direction. It was the perfect ending to the perfect week in South Dakota! Those attending the trip included Cole Dunton, Mark Dunton, Michael Edgar, Caleb Ferguson, Alex Keary, Tom Keary, Christian Lauber, Joe Lauber, Reid Morrissey, Rob Morrissey, Andy Whiteman, Travis Whiteman, Vasile Wilcox, Andy Wilcox, Joshua Wilson, and Keith Wilson. Troop 220 would like to extend a big thank you to HMH Autosport, Inc. for providing a discount on their van rental.
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