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Frozen Eggs and Hard Lessons on the Trail

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We crawled out of the tent and started a fire. The goals were simple: warm up and cook some breakfast. The chattering of our teeth, despite the long johns and layers of clothes on top of them, wasn’t helping as we tried to endure the freezing cold of the mountains around us.

We broke the ice in the bucket and poured enough water to fill a pan for grits. When the frying pan was hot, we added frozen bacon. We had planned on scrambled eggs, but when we cracked the shells, all we found inside were egg ice cubes. So we simply dropped those into the skillet.

When a bunch of Boy Scouts hit the trail, it’s amazing what the food sometimes looks like after we cook it. Most of the time it’s edible, but the appearance could sometimes sway one’s appetite. That morning we started out feeling as if we were already in a freezer. I can only remember one other time being quite so cold—on a camping trip in the northern part of the U.S.

After breakfast we cleaned up, broke camp, and moved on. Two adult leaders and about a dozen scouts with backpacks headed toward our rendezvous point.

Those monthly camping trips were about far more than getting from one campsite to the next. Their real purpose was to strengthen our survival skills and put into practice what we were learning as we worked through various merit badges. Our leaders were good fathers and great teachers who invested in us. Our lack of skills felt like a constant uphill battle, yet as we climbed the ranks we grew more proficient and eventually could advise and coach those coming up behind us. My late father was one of those adult leaders. He always made the best effort to pass on his skills.

Of course, we still dealt with the same dynamics we faced in everyday life. There were the cool guys and the not-so-cool ones, and we sometimes found our share of hazing among the ranks. I was never one of the cool guys, but I excelled at earning merit badges and rose quickly through the ranks. I learned fast, and after the initial hazing the incidents became fewer and further between.

One year at summer camp, however, the bullying grew heavy. It was one of the few times in my life that I truly lost my cool. Pushed so far that all I could do was lash out, I picked up a three-inch-thick wooden tent pole about six feet long and started swinging it at the boys who were harassing me. In retrospect it was stupid and could have ended very badly. Thankfully I don’t remember landing any blows. Had I connected, I could have killed someone or broken a bone. The one thing it accomplished was that they saw I was no longer going to take it, and they left me alone after that.

I learned a valuable lesson that day about dealing with anger in the face of bullying—a lesson that has stayed with me the rest of my life. I am a much better person for the experience. The cold mornings, the hard climbs, and even the painful moments all taught the same truth: when life sends you an opportunity, seize the lessons it offers and build skills that will help you again and again.

Read more of Randall’s writings in his books in our Store.

Adversity can drive a life

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While much of my childhood seemed idyllic in a “Leave It to Beaver” kind of way, there were days when I had Eddie Haskells making my life unpleasant.
My Haskells tended to be more than just jerks; in some cases, they were downright difficult.
When I started high school, I dreaded the bus ride to school. Those solid sitting seats were where those with ill intent often began their mischief. And sure enough, for me that is where I often found myself between the cross hairs of their disdain.
I was short and stout and due to my lack of athletic ability; I was the object of those with bullying tendencies. Let’s say, I was an easy mark.
Whether it was a group of jocks using my violin case for a football, a tough guy spitting in my hair or flicking my ears, the daily dread of anticipating those experiences made going and coming from school a less than pleasant experience.
Some days, ridicule was a consistent companion from those who had to tear others down.
I was raised that you didn’t bellyache over one’s plight in life. My dad taught me to stand up to bullies wherever possible, choose the battles, know when to fight and when to walk away to fight another day. My mother was a warrior who always stood up for the underdog.
While bucking up to my experiences, they inspiration became a solid part of my make up. But within my underlying drive, those times planted a mission statement that pushed me forward through my 20s – “I will show you.”
It took me some time to change that mission, but I did. I no longer desired to show anyone. I just wanted to fulfill whatever God’s path for my life was to be.
Adversity in our days, bullies in our lives, no matter the time or place when we face such, we must handle it with grace. My father’s teachings and my mother’s grit forge how I react when I encounter adults who never grew up and chose to bully others. I have always stood up protecting those within their aim. I have taken on slings and arrows thrown to protect others but thanks to all I endured early in life, I have strong shoulders upon which to carry those. God placed below me solid legs upon which to stand my ground in the face of those who wish to bulldoze others.
While I wish that I could have enjoyed a youth free from those experiences, and I would not wish them upon anyone, I would not be the man that I am without them. All those God has allowed me to help, would not have had the champion those created.
If life brings you adversity, chose the battleground, and use it to fight against what may come your way, with the ultimate goal to uplift and encourage others.