Boy Scout Adventure: Scorpion Bite

I hope you have been enjoying reliving the adventures of my youth. Today is another adventure while on a camping trip with the Boy Scouts. I have to really give props to the Methodist Church in whole. The church organization hosts a great many Boy Scout troops, including the one I was part of as a young man.

On this particular outing somewhere in North Texas, don’t rightly recollect, our troop set up camp near a beautiful Texas river, named the Brazos, you might have heard of it. The campsite was a great spot set in a tree line. The troop arrived around dusk, as seemed the usual time for many of our camping excursions. Camp was hastily erected, wood gathered in abundance and water brought up from the river.

With camp set, it was time to build the fire and begin what was always my favorite part of the trips, sitting around the fire telling jokes, stories, roasting weenies and marshmallows. I have a strong feeling it was many a scouts favorite part as well. The comradery went on late into the evening and many were slow to rise the next morning.

I rarely slept for long while on the troop camping trips. Who could sleep with so many exciting things to do and so little time to do it! This Scout was sure to pester those bunked in my tent to go on as many little adventures or fishing as was possible before the weekend was over.

This particular campout I was up early on a Saturday morning. After much pestering, I finally got my two fellow tent mates rousted from their sleeping bags and we were off to the river to explore and fish. We had tired of fishing that morning after having no luck in the fish catching department, so we went up the bank to a cool spot of shade to sit and joke around. As we watched the lazy river flow by for a spell, we saw a water moccasin. We decided it would be a great idea to pitch rocks at the river in the direction of the snake. As I grabbed quickly for stones, wanting to be the one to get the snake, I reached without thinking twice to pull up a stone and felt an electric shock hit my hand and shoot up my arm. Hastily I looked down to see to my horror, that a tiny little scorpion had stung my hand.

The next 24 hours was hazy. I had made my way to the tent not feeling well at all, my hand was hurting and I hadn’t thought to mention it to the troop leader. I lay down in my tent. First my arm tingled and went numb, then it moved throughout my body. It was noonish and I went out like a light. I awoke with tent mates shaking me, telling me it was time for lunch and I had been sleeping a long time, asking if I was ok. I found out during lunch, over course Dutch oven stew and corn bread, that I had been asleep for over 24 hours. Must have had an allergic reaction, who knows. I survived and have another great memory to relive. What adventured did you have as a youngster? This is Will B saying, we are tougher than some people would have us believe!