Go Darke

I mean if you’re going to name a Scouting competition after something, Haggis is probably not a bad choice. I’ve experienced worse nom de concours. And really, I don’t mind Haggis. Or blood sausage¹, or even tripe I decide.

[1] Growing up this was a ‘on-toast’ staple in our Teutonic house. Deeeeelicious. And nutritious. (probably not that nutritious)

Turns out Haggis is an eighty five year old Glaswegian, who despite having lived in South Africa for sixty years still means you have to scrunch up your eyes and dial in your attentiveness if you want to follow along with any measure of accuracy. (because the South African accent(s) are the pinnacle of modulation and clarity he says dryly… but also sarcastically)

John ‘Haggis’ Potter was… or might even still be (I feel I should know these things) the Quarter master at 1st Gordons Bay, and so, in an act of homage, we named our Scouting competition after him. Once you’ve batted 85 in your innings and you’re still ‘not-out’, I feel you deserve a certain amount of reverence².

[2] When I’m 85 I wouldn’t mind a Scouting competition named after me. I would name it the Jo-moer. Which… is a sorta a vernacular play on words. In Afrikaans, ‘Ek sal jou moer’ could roughly be translated into ‘I am going #$*@ you up’. Which I feel would please me… in a multi-cultural sorta way.

The first day started off with a 15.8km (10 miles) tour of the ridge line behind our our town, starting off at the Scout Hall and then hiking up onto the contour path. From there up and over one of the local peaks and then back down along the coast. Easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy.

Well, not that easy I decide.

I was carrying the big first aid backpack, 50mtrs of rope (and associated gear) and three liters of water (in case anyone needed to be re-hydrated or falls down the mountain along the way).

I haven’t rucked in a while… and quickly started to feel it.

It was also hot and I’d already started my day off with a double dose of ibuprofen, so going in I was a little grouchy about having to work so hard. (Apparently I’ve become quite the malingerer in my old age)

I was responsible for two of the thirty bases scattered along the the trail where the teams had to demonstrate some sort of Scout skill prowess. They would get awarded points for how well they did, the team with the most-est winning the coveted Haggis Shield³.

[3] Which as trophies go… is not the prettiest. It probably has a lot more in common with a stuffed sheep’s stomach than we had originally planned. #Accidentalhomogeneity

Even ugly silverware in the cabinet is still silverware. I was a mean judge though… and failed all the teams at my bases. No namby-pampy every one gets a participation trophy on my watch! This is how we used to Scout in the 80’s I grouse. (even though the records will reveal Jo was actually only a Scout in the 90’s)

I end up picking up one more base near the end of the trail though, because two of the other team members were helping a couple of scouts off the mountain, and by that stage I was feeling a bit better about life (and ergo more generous) despite a massive puff-adder slithering across the path in front of me as I trundled along. (which would, under normal circumstances, have trebucheted me off into unhappiness… and paranoia)

In the immortal words of Indiana Jones⁴, ‘I hate snakes’.

[4] Who if you are, like me, a firm believer in the first three movies making up the canon and everything else being heresy and genuine awfulness, gained his dislike of snakes while being a boy scout.

Everyone lived. (despite the event organizers best efforts)

Although I end up having to drive the last team back to base camp. (they’d fallen too far behind and it was already dark with about a mile and a half to go still)

Day two had more of a pioneering⁵ bend with bases in town. But they had enough adult peeps for that so I got to sit that one out. For which, my feet (and back) were quite grateful.

[5] pioneering is where they lash poles together and build structures, anything from a bridge to a table. Joey sucks at pioneering which is more likely the reason he wasn’t included in this evolution. (or they just got tired of his constant whinging)

Can’t deny that I’ve gotten soft though. Something I definitely need to work on now in the new year.

I’m a little embarrassed.