Antics with Ashley | Graphic by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
During our camping trip, the cub scouts and I found things in the woods we were not supposed to see. The parents of the trip ended up staying on lookout the rest of the night. Warning Sensitive Content.
The background
My little brother Patrick had been in Pack 173 of the Cub Scouts of America since he was in the 1st grade. Our mom was his Den Leader, which meant my Older sister Julia and I had to go on many trips with them and help out. While I could tell many stories from this period in time, the one that sticks out is the time we found a creepy man and his ‘materials’ in the woods during a camping trip.
The story
It was like most summer camps that were held by my Mom’s Den. Tons of activities for belt loops planned, hikes, swimming, all of it meticulously planned out. It was going to be held at Buck Creek State Park in Springfield Ohio, Mom had taken me and Julia to scope out the perfect camping spot a week prior. It was shaping up to be a great time.
Everything was going to plan, all of the boys came around to set up tents and camp. Patrick and his friends decided that they wanted to go into the woods to play. They were still fairly young so my mom sent Julia to go with them to play unsuspectingly. I was being nosy, as most sixth graders are, and getting in adult conversations when Julia approached me with a concerned look on her face.
“Ash, come with me real quick,” said Julia in a low, frightened tone.
I excused myself and we went off. We weren't but three feet in the woods when we found it. Someone had made a camp in the woods. The remnants of a camp that was filled with trash and debris, that wasn’t concerning. What was concerning was the copious amounts of explicit pictures and magazines scattered everywhere.
This was not here when we scoped the spot out and what was worse was all of the boys were surrounding the spot, asking questions no sixth grader should have to explain. So we went and got the adults.
It took a second to get the adults' attention. They were busy cooking the camp food and laughing in jovial conversation. It wasn’t until Patrick’s friend Skyler went up to his mom holding one of the pictures did it register with the adults just what Julia and I were trying to say.
After this the adults wrangled all fifteen of the kids together and rushed into the woods to clean up the mess.
We were not allowed in the woods without an adult the rest of the trip. The dads all stood watch, in case the person were to come back.
Despite all of that, and definitely not bragging or anything, my Mama planned an amazing camping trip. It ended up being one of the best Cub Scout outings I’ve been on.
