I continue to be the only set of pages on the internet for this phrase: isn't this odd?

Scouting provides adventure to boys who might not otherwise get it. This is one of the things ones bemoans the organization: it provides rare opportunities in America for youth to forge their own, private identity.

When I think of Scouts, I most often think of my later years -- both in the program and as an employee of the district. Were there adventures to be had? Yes.

My very first trip I suffered one of the worst physical punishments of my life to date and felt very green and alone. Our troop made one of its last such decisions when it split in two, one group taking the normal trail and the other taking the more grueling and technical horse trail. I was in that second group with mostly senior guys who could hack it. I was the green guy holding up the group, unfit and with a pack full of stuff I would not need but had been listed on the generic "pack list" every troop hands out.

Camping in Northern California? You need: a sleeping bag, something to keep sleeping bag clean (drop cloth), Sierra cup and spoon, water bottle, iodine. Allow for at least half as many clothes as days. Bring snacks.

That's it. Flashlight is pretty nice but you'll rise and set with the sun mostly. Tent is good if the weather is iffy. We always carried 'em on our 50s but most often would sleep out if the weather was nice.

Adventure is where you find it in life: not much of it happens in cars but plenty occurs in the streets of suburbia. You just have to know it exists and where to look for it. Arguably there's Everest-levels of adventure in every big city, properly exploited.

Recognizing it and enjoying it is the other part.

Often times adventures are not really that pleasant. Some of my most memorable Scouting trips from young times are from wind, rain, exhaustion, injury: hardships survived are memorable. One advenure my friend and I came out in pretty bad shape, making it to the top of a snow-covered hill we believed we knew better than we did in the dark. In other scenarios our bones would have been found bleached in the springtims just feet from the trail.

DC? DC was an adventure. Australia was an adventure. Camp was many, many adventures.

Because I am not an adherent to organized religion and have not really seen enough to peg anything on the existence of intelligent, caring design these things have been denied me.

Seems an awful un-American set of values to me.