“A Top Five Campout Of All Time” – Gettysburg 2019
As I reflect on our Gettysburg Trip, taken October 11-13 of 2019, the words of one scout at Tuesday’s circle up stand out loud and clear….”A Top 5 Campout of All Time”. That sums up our history filled weekend campout in October of 2019.
As we made our way through the Historic Trail of Downtown Gettysburg, it was awesome to see a town with so much character and history packed into one area. The old buildings (1860’s) and landmarks were encased in modern restaurants, shops and businesses that honored that history. The statues and monuments allowed for pause to consider what the town was like just 160 years ago. The path we traveled held the footsteps of men like Abe Lincoln, Robert E. Lee, General Meade and so many more.
Our hike through the National Cemetary where Abe Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg Address was fantastic. Imagining what it would be like to be a soldier in the Civil War (regardless of what side you would be on) was quite breath-taking. The heat of battle in early July would be enough to challenge anyone’s character – yet one of the most lifechanging battles in American History was faught on the sacred ground where we would hike this one weekend in October of 2019!
Taking a short trip to the home/farm of President Dwight D. Eisenhower was an opportunity to see how a middle class President lived his life after serving as a 5 Star General in World War II and becoming President of the United States. The home and farm helped me to realize that President Eisenhower was just like you and me. He lived modestly and raised a family to be thankful for everything they had!
Closing out the weekend at the Flight 93 Memorial was chilling. To witness our scouts observe and reflect on modern history in a way they could have never imagined was eye opening. To see the somber and solemn attitude of 1000+ people in one area, where you could hear a pin drop, was astounding. To reflect on the heroism of 40 people one September morning that changed American History in a way noone could imagine was humbling. That plane was highjacked and taken over the City of Cleveland, Ohio – we were a part of it and did not know it at the time it was happening.
To experience a place that was not filled with amusement and high adventure but rather history and reflective humility, and have a scout say that it was a “Top 5 Campout of All Time” speaks hope. So many times people will speak down about our young people in this country. Often times young men and women are classified as lazy or uninspired. This was not the case in Gettysburg. Our boys not only experienced history like never before – they embraced it, wore it and truly enjoyed it. And, a trip to Devil’s Den to get a small piece of historical high adventure was the cherry on top.
