Tennessee had on her best and brightest colors as the McDonald Road Pathfinders spent the weekend sharpening their camp skills. The weather was bright and sunny during the day with cool clear evenings perfect for star gazing or just sitting by the fire. Each tree seemed to be in a contest for the most vivid colors and we were all the beneficiaries as we enjoyed the scenery along with the fellowship

A last minute cancellation by our bus driver found us shuttling pathfinders to the directors' rural 10 acre homesite. This worked out well and no one felt cheated by the change of scene. Friday afternoon and evening were devoted to setting up camp and meal preparation followed by worship. Each pathfinder was responsible for providing and cooking his or her own meals and the menus were varied. One of our pathfinders survived on a diet of ramen noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner while others managed to provide themselves more balanced fare.

On Sabbath the pathfinders constructed biblical scenes out of materials they found in nature. Old Testament scenes seemed to prevail with a very well done sanctuary as one of the more notable.

At lunch time the pathfinders cooked biscuits in a reflector oven and made a hobo stew which they cooked in foil buried in the coals. Lunch was a leisurely affair and some of the staff were pleasantly surprised by all the good meals that could be prepared over a fire. With nearly 30 people cooking on one fire, Calvin took charge and kept track of just where each packet of food was buried in the coals.

After lunch it was time to learn or renew our Orienteering skills. A basic compass course was laid out for the younger pathfinders while a longer and more ambitious course was prepared for our older pathfinders. After some practice on the basic course everyone tackled the long course and we are happy to report that everyone returned safely.

When the compass courses were completed it was time for supper. Some of the campers had their own stoves while others cooked their evening meal over the fire. A cherry cobbler cooked in a Dutch oven caused a small stampede when it was offered to all, but there were no serious injuries.

With the sun down, it was game time, and Pam invented a series of games that seemed to be well received, judging by the sounds coming from the pasture. We were also serenaded periodically by approximately 30 Siberian Huskies being raised at a kennel on an adjoining property. All in all, it was a noisy and fun evening which was finished off with a story by the fire and then it was time for bed.

Sunday was another bright and sunny day and time to practice more of our outdoor skills. Fire building was a major component for the younger pathfinders while the teens constructed a rope bridge using small trees for the spars. Pam needed some of the small trees thinned and we needed the wood so everyone was happy.

Now it was time to put into practice those lashing skills which we had been refining at our weekly meetings. O.K. Jason, is it wrap it twice and frap it thrice or is it the other way around? He must have gotten it right because it all held together when it was finally finished.

Calvin showed us how truly courageous he is as he held the stake for Nikki without flinching. Tennessee soil is always a challenge to penetrate and we used three stakes in series sunk as deeply as possible to hold our bridge upright. It took us about 2 ½ hours to cut the wood needed for stakes and spars and to do the lashing and erect the bridge. We don't feel too embarrassed about the time since it was our first effort.

Since Nikki managed to drive those stakes without damage to Calvin we let her be the first to cross the raging river on our bridge. Jason is sitting with his feet in the "river" so you can see it wasn't really raging. Our younger pathfinders broke camp for us and everyone had a chance to test out the new bridge before we loaded the cars and headed for home.

All in all, a weekend well spent.

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