More Scouting kilted

**Nick** · 10th June 07, 05:18 PM

This weekend I went to the spring conclave for our Order of the Arrow lodge, Ag-Im (Ojibwa for snowshoe). It's a service weekend where the lodge readies the council summercamp for campers and inducts new members. For those that don't know, the OA is an organization within the BSA that is youth-run and focused on service.

I wore my UK Workmans for Saturday. I was on the woodchipper crew, and we chipped a lot of wood. My knees and arms got pretty scratched up, but I volunteered for the job, so it's not like I wasn't expecting that.

I was wearing pants when I got there Friday, and some people commented on that. The last few times many of them have seen me I've been kilted (apparently pictures of me kilted at the centennial camporee have been circulating among the event staff). There was one boy, an Ordeal member candidate, who heard us talking about it and the rest of the night was making snide skirt comments, but I didn't hear anything from him the next day.

In addition, my brother recieved the Vigil honor, the highest honor in the Order of the Arrow. Now everyone in my family (me, Justin, dad, and mom) is a Vigil member, something very rare indeed! (The symbol of the Vigil honor is the triangle on the arrowshaft on the sash). Here's a picture of me, my brother (with the big ol' grin) and my dad. My mom is the advisor for the lodge storekeeper, so she was at the store when we took this.

The capotes we're wearing are a family thing, too. They're French-Canadian coats from the fur-trapping days. Dad made his several years ago, when I turned 13 he gave me a blanket and the pattern, and the same for my brother. They're all Hudson Bay 4-point blankets.

It was quite a weekend, I'm pretty worn out.

**fluter** · 10th June 07, 05:41 PM

Nick,

Please send your brother congratulations & a welcome to the brotherhood.

**McMurdo** · 10th June 07, 05:49 PM

Congratulations to your brother, being Canadian I just love the Hudson's Bay Blanket Coats.

**Cirthalion** · 10th June 07, 05:53 PM

I love Hudson's Bay blankets, too; the stripes are so distinctive.

I've posted this picture before, but seems appropos here: Here's me in Maple Leaf tartan, with an HBC over the shoulder....

Thanks again for the great pics!

-- Cirthalion

**Big Mikey** · 10th June 07, 07:06 PM

Not to hijack but I heard a rumour that one of our makers may have a line on HBC tartan!!!

**David Dalglish** · 10th June 07, 09:15 PM

Well done to your brother.

**sean_cummings** · 11th June 07, 09:07 AM

Looking great. I wish when I was in scouts we had scouts wearing kilts. And it was really nice to see the order of the arrow again. I have not thought about that in years.