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The Tracker Trail website has no
official connection to the Tracker School or Tom Brown Jr. whatsoever.
Monday we did Scout pits. There were twelve
teams of eight. Monday we had to make a staff or lance. Monday night we had to
wake up in shifts to guard the lances so that the Shadow Scouts couldn't steal
them. There were nine shadow scouts and two double shadow scouts (who shadowed
the shadows).
Tuesday we did some blindfolded exercises on
the log. We had to stalk to a daylight mock party of the instructors and helpers
and we had to try to pick up as much from the scene as possible and recall it to
the instructors later. We did a real neat exercise that you could set up
yourself too. Run a string through an obstacle course. We went through a lot of
swamp and then you have to follow the string blindfolded. Then we did lots of
martial arts training all week. You probably heard of the three instructors who
run this for the scout class: George, Vanessa and Paul. Tuesday night's exercise
was two people at a fire as guards at our scout camp and the other six team
members had to put fake dynamite in the other Scout's camp.
Wednesday we learned how to work together as a
group and how to move silently through the bush. Then we did lots of lance work
with out partner and more martial arts. We did a long blindfolded drum stalk
from the tower road instead of the fire break like in the Back to Back class.
The night exercise was two mock parties with all the instructors and helpers,
and our teams had to go in there and get coup which were M&M candies hidden
on the vehicles. That exercise went to midnight. That was the cut-off time for
the party. But all the way there and back the shadow scouts had trip wires and
traps everywhere with fire crackers to keep us on our toes.
Thursday we did more martial arts & scout
philosophy. We did a blindfold stalk in daylight almost all the way to the
culvert. Then we did water stalking. Lots of discussion on traps. More martial
arts. The night exercise was quite long, 9:30 until 5:30 a.m. The whole class
went to a real party at the medicine waters but we were not allowed to go in -
we had to just get information that was going on at the party. When we
were part way back we heard a guy pull out a gun and start shooting while the
other groups were still coming in. No one got hurt but it was pretty intense.
One of our group was hiding in the bush, and one of the guys came up from the
party drunk and peed on his leg and didn't even see him. He thought that was
cool. On the way back there were also lots of traps.
Friday we did lots of log exercises
blindfolded, fighting with lances, trying to knock your partner off the log and
playing volley ball with two big balls that they had hanging from a log, which
was a very impressive exercise. People could actually hit the ball without
seeing it and actually move out of the way before being hit by the ball while
blindfolded. We also did some exercises of track erasing, crossing roads and
moving with the brush. Friday night's exercise was from 9:30 to 5:00 a.m. They
sent out only a few teams, to different parties - some of them were quite far
away. When we got there there was no party but there was lots of practice
sinking and fading, which is a method of getting off the road before the
vehicles see you. We saw lots of four wheelers, motor bikes and four wheel drive
trucks. One of them got stuck between us and the way out and we had to wait
until they got unstuck to get out. Tom warned us about a lot of these people in
the pine barrens. They are usually drunk, have dogs and guns so we have to
beware. The group got tired so me and two others stayed out and set traps for
other groups before we went in.
Saturday was your typical leaving day. |
