Report!!! Good stuff just a bit long! 3 Pioneers 2 Trailblazers 4 Challengers 2 Leaders 1 Man We drove 2 hours to Buffalo River (Kyles Landing). Unloaded and started backpacking to reach our camping spot 3 River Crossings away. When we got to the river we took off our hiking boots and put on our River shoes and walked across with packs on and then took off our River shoes and put on our Hiking Boots and off we hiked to the next crossing. This one was different. We had to swim. A spring was flowing out of the side of a huge bluff and the water was so refreshing. Then on to the 3rd river crossing called Gray Rock (This is where the canoes all tip over) where we bushwacked up the River 500 feet to a Beautiful spot called camp. It had a 8 foot sloped bank to a Swiming hole that had the best of both worlds even a 10 foot jumping bluff. We setup camp in the dark and had a small fire and devotion and went for a after dark swim. It was truly beautiful. The forest was alive with all kinds of creatures. As we hit the sack, I noticed this was the first backpack outing that we have ever had that all the boys had their own backpack tents. I thought man these guys are campers!!!! It was hot. I layed there on my thermorest with my battery operated fan sweating to death and all night long was brushing seed ticks off of me to only have them crawl up again... and ya it was yeky. Guys were up at 5:30 cooking breakfast. We had morning devotion Romans Chapter 1. I handed out a RR Business Card that for some reason was stuck in my mini bible and shook each of their hands and introduced myself and gave them one. I then went into to the Scriptuer and talked about how God has his calling card and how we can see God in his Creation and more. Then off to the day hike. 30 minutes into the hike we just had to stop at the jumpng cliffs and hit that 20 foot deep swimming hole that you could see the bottom from up on the 18foot jumping rock. We rock climbed and jumped (it took a few minutes for me to get the courage up to jump but you commanders know you gotta jump or your won't be one of the boys) the water was along way down at 18 feet and when I hit it was so cool. Everyone jumped several times except for those few that didn't want to. Then off ot Himmed in Hollow. A 300 foot water fall that comes off of the top of this HUGE Bluff and sprinkles down all around the rim of this Hollow. We ate lunch and the boys enjoyed the spring water pool that was at the bottom of the falls and would from time to time try to catch the water that was fallling off of the falls that would move as the wind blew it down... Not a lot of water but enough to soak 6 guys in a few seconds as it stung your body as it fell 300 feet. It is cool. Pictures and we went back to the jumping Bluff and had a great time. Then hiked back to camp. On the way back one man told me of a story of how he was a child and a kid came up to him and asked him if he could swim and he said no and the kid pushed him in and said now you do.... as he was drowning an adult jumped in and pulled him out. He said it made a impact and he was still terrified of the water. He said he wanted to follow the river down back to camp. I discouraged it and said I wasn't familar with the river and the boys would be going back on the trail. He had told me of many of a trip he had took with just a wim and his backpack stuff one wim took hiim to Florida from Missouri... He talked about living out of his tent for weeks at a time. He then said he was going to follow the River back to camp. I would have enjoyed it as well if I would have had a Tube or some floatation devices but didn't so we were sticking to the trail. He stayed with us until the last River Crossing back before camp and he took off down the River. It was just around the bend he said he just had to do this and left. I and the other commander brought of the tail end of the day hikers and when I walked back into camp one of the Challengers said I just pulled him out of the River he was out over his head going up and down screaming for help. I said what? He said as he was coming back into camp he heard him Screaming for help and he said he ran and dived in and swam out to him and pulled him into where he could get his footing again. I saw him about 45 minutes later ... he would come and go as he pleased. He didn't say anything to me and I didn't inqure with him.... He seemed a bit embarrised but was ok. He then packed up his stuff and said he was going back to the van. I said ok. We would be back to the van at noon the next day. Later he then opend up to me and told me what happend and how David had saved his life. Later, He then decieded to stay with us One hour before dark a group of 5 woman and 1 man, teen agers to adults came walking down the River pushning and draging Foam matteress. They had started 10 miles up the River had been on the River for 8 hours and were exhausted no food, no flashlights. Just water and foam matteress. I put them on the trail and gve them directions back to Kyles. They should have made it about dark. The council fire that night was done by our Junior Commander who GMAed this year just waiting on the GMA ceremony. The topic was Prayer and he talked about short, long, and all kinds of prayer. In conclusion of the Counicl fire Terry spoke up and said I said a short but meaningful prayer today. I asked him if he would tell us what it was. He said " Lord help me" and the next thing he knew David was pulling him out of the 7foot of water he was in. I then explained to the boys who were at this time very quiet what had happend and the story of what had happend to Terry when he was a little boy and that he isn't a strong swimmer. I then asked David the young man who pulled Terry out and Terry to come forward. We all gathered around and prayed for Terry and to thank God for Sending David to save his life. We also prayed for a healing for Terry on this Water Panic Attack. The Sunday morning Service just before we left was on Neimeha. Just a man with a burden. The campfire was extengished and we hiked back to the van. We all made it home safe and sound and God did a work in our lives. O my pour legs are killing me. I pulled over 10 ticks off of my skin in the last 3 days and that BUG Reppelent was no match for those Arkansas Ticks! I love trips like these! Aaaah! Air Conditioning, coffy chair, REAL FOOD... ICE! aaaah! REAL BIG GRIN!!!! Mark Jones Mark Jones, Ozark MO, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Download a Free Royal Ranger Database visit my website at: http://home1.gte.net/mjones02/index.html ________________________________________________________________ YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET! Juno now offers FREE Internet Access! Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. _______ To unsubscribe, send "unsubscribe rangernet" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Eat the hay & spit out the sticks! - A#1's mule" RTKB&G4JC! http://rangernet.org Autoresponder: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
