Out There

Thanks DMiller. I just bought a clip on and found out my son has a chromatic that he uses with his guitar.

I would not be the person I am today without his teaching. I will never speak anything disparingly about him. Once in life when I was at my lowest he put his arm on my shoulder and gave me words of encouragement. Yes I have heard all the stories of all the women he raped and the list is always growing. He and Wilt Chamberlain seemed to have alot in common supposedly. I can't judge him now nor did I in his life. I'll let God do all that

OK another BANJO question, I'm looking to get a Banjo tuner tomorrow. Which is better - a clip on or a plain vanilla tuner.? I know, Banjo's are really never in tune but I'm going to at least start each session with mine having some semblance of being in tune,

Larry Ramberg is there. he is ex-11th

What? Live in a world that is not with a Mathematical exactness and a scientific precision? I love Johniams arguement. I have 6 employees working for me and I would love to only pay them 75%. If I err in their favor I never hear anout it but if I am off even a nickel in my favor.. get the picture

poor dogs can't say anything to defend themselves.

The funniest thing was going into Uncle Harry hall and seeing Floss hung up to dry so it could be reused. Guess our $20 a month spending limit really wasn't enough for some folks. I wonder what all the Bars in Emporia thought when they had 100 people from The W.C. of E. come in and nobody ever spent more than $3 in an evening. Looking back BP could have been a good time if it weren't for those darn overnight hours. look, you had Jonny on Breast Patrol, some of the corps on Floss patrol, an afternoon mooning Back when I did it I always found some way to get into the walkin refrig and see what treasures were in there. I could hardly believe my eyes tyhat there were always homemade cookies in there with one that needed to be taste tested (for safety). By the way getting in and out of the frig was something you had to learn to do very quickly and quietly

Huh? Can anyone tell me what we are really talking about here? Oh, Eyes , Last December 15th I broke my backbone Ice Climbing and it's still healing up. Can I still count myself as having one?

YOWSA YOWSA YOWSA

LOL LOL LOL

Squirrel - They had a small first Aid kit but all the things they needed were available. I am a Wilderness EMT and we are taught to provide wilderness first Aid with a minimum of equipment (Pack frames make great backboards, Tent poles are great splints, branches and towels are good Thompson O-Rings (Splints for Femur fractures) T-Shirts will work as bandages and stay free minipads sop up blood and will help control bleeding, Tampons can be used as gauze in a mouth thats bleeding) they were OK in this area but in terms of groups being lead back to camp at the end of a day w/o a map or compass, Untrained climbing instructors and inadequate equipment. The food was tasty but the jury is still out as to whether they were providing enough caloric intake to sustain the activities we were required to do.

I'm sorry I am unable to help you being in Michigan but being a fellow entrepreneur I wish you all the best. If you ever have any business questions I can help you with please feel free to PM me or Email me Frank@higround.com I'll also be praying for your success!

yea. remember that movie that was out a few years back -- "Freeze Your Willie"

How many people actually quit smoking for good on BLEAD. I know I lit up both times within 30 seconds of leaving the Tinnie General Store. I also drank a beer within a minute of leaving Tinnie my second time. I chewed tobacco way back then and had a nice pack of leaf waiting for me hitchback clothes. I started chewing at Gunnison when my job was picking up .... behind the horses ( yes .... is the proper word for horse poop) I couldn't tell the difference between what I was chewin and what I was shovelin. (sudo if you read this I quit the stuff 23 years ago so my teeth are in somewhat good shape now)

"At Emporia, I don't think they ever did try to make it official or hand out badges, etc. It was just the Corps and College Program folks roaming the grounds in pairs all night speaking in tongues and praying. (or sneaking into the coolers for a snack, or finding a dark corner for a nap)" quote or looking for naked people to wake up

Green Cards.. Did I hear Green cards?... They don't need no stinkin Green Cards

I worked Bless Patrol at Emporia for 3 months - It was absolute torture. I was up all night 4 nights a week then in class all day. I can't tell you how many two hour naps I snuck.

Happy 50th to you!! Nows the time to really REV things up.

Happiest of birthdays to you.. If you were here I would sing for you (You are very lucky you aren't) You are the coolest!!

Back in May a sherpa climbed to the top of Everest, took ALL of his cloths off and stood naked at the top of the world for just over three minutes. I'm sure this was a positive experience for him which he has been bragging about since. except for the fact that he got a bad case of Penile Frostbite and is now going to lose his joystick, He had fun. The other sherpas and the monks are very upset becasue they have strict rules about exposing their bodies and especially in the presence of their mother goddess. Positive experiences and safety do not necessarily go together and in the category of BLEAD Outdoor Academy this was certainly the case. The ability of the program to provide a positive experience rested in the hands of the staff which in many cases just tore apart people and took great care of others

sounds great Eagle. I'm happy for you. I hope you have many more happy years together

Hi Dagoo - I have been in areas were I've seen 50 rattlesnakes a day. I learned a very simple rule about snakes. They don't want to have anything to do with you so you shouldn't have anything to do with them. They do not want to be petted, held, fed. they don't want their glands excised nor do they want you to talk baby talk to them. they just want to be left alone so that seems to tell us something - stay away from them. I've eaten a couple over the years and they are not all that good eatin. tastes like very stringy, tough chicken. No need for a gun in rattlesnake territory as long as you watch your step and don't step on one or try to pick one up. Now spiders, they are a different story - yes, SHOOT THEM!!! especially the big ones, they are the ring leaders.

I've hiked through areas with Grizzly bears along the trail, I've gone through villages were there were Banditos with pistolos, I've had black bear try to take fish off my hook, I've almost been run over by Yak trains, yet I have never carried a revolver or bear spray into the woods. I remember both trips to tinnie there were revolvers present. why?

My farside calendar the other day had a guy whistling while working in hell. The caption had the devil saying "We just aren't getting through to that guy" There are good times to be had anywhere and under almost any circumstances. I don't take away from the good times I had at Tinnie. I do condemm the way they ran the program though. their idea was the same as tearing down the old waste places of Isaiah but they didn't realize that not everyone had evil in their heart and needed to be torn down. they found wrong with everyone in both groups I was in and tried to tell everyone else what their problem was. My first year the whole group was rounded up and a face melting was instore for everyone "DON'T EVER LET YOUR MIND ENTERTAIN A DEVIL SPIRIT!" A wonderful 11th corps brother refused to do a rappell or something so immediately he had to be possessed. I felt terrible for him. I knew there was no devil spirit in him. he just decided that rappelling was something he didn't want to do with his life at that moment. Inside I was laughing my A$$ off at the stupidity of the ....ed off BLEAD person. His wild ravings did nothing more but than to prove how much spiritual savy he really had (Zippo, Nunno, pffft.) The wilderness is a tremendous place for someone to learn and to get quiet and have fellowship with God, but without the meekness, that was exhibited by many of the BLEAD staffers, it made it hard for many. I do not place the blame for the suicide of the 11th corps woman at the feet of the BLEAD program or the staffers. I knew her very well and she suffered terribly from the accident and medical science was unable to help her. Had she lived today perhaps help would have been there for her. I don't know if she left the corps or was thrown out but I do know the pain she suffered after the accident caused her to be depressed and depression in the way for any reason was surely a sign of possession.SHe always came off as tough as nails the first year in residence and after the accident she seemed sometimes even more standoffish. I got to know her when we were at HQ together one of the last blocks our final year. I was surprised at what a warm hearted individual she really was. Her loss was great to me. If she were alive today I know I would be counting her amongst my dearest friends. SO Dooj. don't think I am at all discounting the great things that being at BLEAD did for you and any other person. I call fault to the program and how they ran it, both from a safety standpoint and from a spiritual standpoint. You had novices out looking for ways to reprove intermediates and better

THis thread could have been subtitled = 'The Good, The Bad and the Ugly' . BLEAD has many fond memories for people and many horrors for others. I don't think that any other 14 days in the corps had as big an impact on people's lives as these. I had some very good times out there and I had some horrors. No matter how you look at it though you will find that the TWI was negligent in the protection they provided the participants of the program. I think that the liability waivers that they provided to anyone who suffered any kind of injury after the fact was a little underhanded and today the idea of having to sign one under duress would probably get some attention from the legal community. (Here sign this and I'm sure you'll get to graduate from the corps) Todays litigious spociety would never stand for the way people were put into harms way bv having them hitchhike 36 hours or the way someone 60 years old would be expected to perform to a standard set by a 20 year old. the older I get the more I can see the difference in what people are capable of. Tomorrow I have a 25 year old female client. I'm going to have to really push to give her a satisfying experience (on the rocks). Boy. life can be hard as we found at BLEAD but it can also be very satisfying.