Walter Jackson had recently made the transition from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts and was on his first camping trip outside the confines of his backyard. Under the watchful eye of his scout master and at least one scout master trainee, the troop hiked for almost an hour to their designated campground. They set up tents and sleeping bags and were given a couple of hours to rest before the nature lecture and a breakdown of the various merit badges to be earned under that topic. Walter planned to set the foundation for his “insects” or “reptile and amphibians” badge.
Walter did not plan to fall asleep. He was testing his sleeping area for lumps and bumps, and it just happened. The next thing he knew he was being shaken awake by Tommy Cutchins who was saying, “Get up, get up. It’s time to go”.
“Go where?” Walter asked.
“Home. You slept for two days”.
Walter’s jaw dropped as he tried to process the information. He was still trying to decipher how it was possible to sleep for two days when Tommy stepped back and started laughing. Turning towards another scout Tommy said, “He thinks he slept for two days. I think he’s gonna cry”.
Walter came out of the tent yelling, “Liar. Stupid liar”! They were face to face, about to tussle when the scout master yelled, “Scouts”! That got everybody’s attention, he said some things about teamwork and merit badges’ and then it was over.
Now it was their last day in the wilderness. Walter had not seen a single snake, but he had discovered and identified a variety of bugs. He showed them to the scout master who had seemed impressed. Walter was certain the empty green field of his merit badge sash would soon sport an insect merit badge. Tomorrow they were going home. Tonight they were capping off the adventure with a snipe hunt. The sun had almost set and Walter was kneeling on the ground, hidden in the brush. His burlap sack was open in the direction he expected the snipe to come from.
The troop had split into two groups; chasers and catchers. Walter was wishing he was a chaser. He was also wishing he had a better idea of what a snipe looked like. Fearful of asking a stupid question, he had simply listened to the troop banter about the animal, and accepted his role in the hunt. Most of the troop members who had been on successful snipe hunts wore merit badge sashes with an impressive array of badges. They were seasoned scouts. They knew how to survive in the wilderness.
Walter tried to put an image to everything he had learned about snipes. The animal was a cross between a baby ant eater and a platypus, (whatever that was). It was fast but not particularly dangerous. No teeth, but it had the worst breath of anything in the forest. And it was small enough to fit in a tow sack. Walter was ready and eager to prove himself.
After about thirty minutes he began thinking about the camping trip, and how good everything had been. He was on his way to an insect badge, and could see an advanced camping badge in his future. The only sour part of the experience had been the embarrassing episode with that butthead Tommy Cutchens. Walter promised himself never to let anything like that happen again, and then he heard the bushes shaking not too far away. He braced himself for the snipe.
(Jim McJunkin has been a photographer for over 50 years and has been involved in a number of art and photography shows around the country. He has work in the permanent collection at the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum in Chicago, Illinois, and has authored several photography related books. Jim and his wife Beth have lived in Wimberley for 20 years. [email protected] )
