Swansea Boy Scouts put to the test on hilly ride

Article written by Roger Kramer of the Belleville, IL News Democrat, July 2, 1996

CAMP is presented by the Gateway Council of Hostelling International, which puts on the Moonlight Ramble in St. Louis, and by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. In addition to providing a cycling challenge, the ride is intended to introduce cyclists to Missouri state parks. “I read about CAMP, and it sounded like a fun thing for us to do,” said Scoutmaster Mark Lewis of Swansea. “We wanted to go out and get some exercise, and we were looking for an activity that was also a big adventure.” A big adventure is what they got. After two days of gently rolling hills, they faced the long, steep downhills and uphills of the Ozarks for the five straight days.

It didn't take long for Eagle Scout John Lewis, the scoutmaster's son, to learn one of the basic laws of Missouri cycling. “Whatever goes down must come back up,” John said. The hills often provided magnificent vistas of the valleys below, but many cyclists were too exhausted to fully appreciate the views.

One hill near Meramec State Park invited cyclists to sit back and enjoy the ride. Downhill speeds approached 40 mph before cyclists could see a railroad crossing at the bottom of the hill. It was time to hit the brakes or risk a nasty accident on the crossing. By the time cyclists made the crossing, they realized they had an equally huge climb back up. Many just gave up and walked to the top. “I thought it was going to be tough, but I wasn't expecting it to be this tough,” John said.

Most weeklong bicycle trips end with a relatively easy day, but not CAMP. Cyclists were treated to 54 miles of oppressive eat, roads dotted with potholes and paved with coarse gravel and difficult hills. Three hills near Antonio in Jefferson Country forced many strong riders to dismount. “I was surprised, not only by the hills, but by the roughness of the roads, but the kids really hung in there and roughed it out,” Lewis said.

But 12-year-old Seth Wilson, the only Troop 52 member to ride every single mile and the youngest cyclist on the trip who crossed the state, found the secret to success. “When I started to get tired, I started to tell myself how much farther I had to go,” Seth said. “I kept on telling myself, only five more miles to go, only five more miles to go. “I lied to myself pretty much.” But those little white lies did plenty of good. “I really didn't feel finished when I got to the park,” Seth said. I didn't feel finished until I got home.”

Cyclists began the trip with a 68-mile trip from Lee's Summit, a Kansas City suburb, to Knob Noster State Park near Warrensburg. Scout Tom Appel, 13, fell four times that day. “One time, I flipped 1-1/2 times and landed on my face. I didn't feel too good that night, but I woke up the next day ready to go.”

From Knob Noster, the cyclists rolled into Truman State Park near Warsaw, Ha Ha Tonka State Park near Camdenton, Rolla Lions Park, Onondaga Cave State Park near Leasburg and Meramec State Park near Sullivan before finishing at Mastodon State Park.

In between the parks, the ride featured hamlets such as Tightwad, town of 50 people near Harry S. Truman Lake, and Montreal, considerably less cosmopolitan than its Canadian namesake. The ride also gave cyclists a taste of old Route 66. While much of the Mother Road has been repaved and given such designations as Routes AB and ZZ, some of it hasn't been resurfaced since it was cast aside and replaced by Interstate 44.

Cyclists either had to swerve to avoid potholes between the concrete sections of the highway or endure constant bumps from layers and layers of patching. But the Scouts' interests were elsewhere. Many looked forward to a swim in Truman Lake or the Meramec River. “Lunch was the highlight for me,” Seth said. “You'd be riding and go into a McDonald's or Hardee's to be in the air conditioning and feel more like at home.”

The Scouts used equipment ranging from modern 21-speed mountain bikes to older 10-speed models. Michael Hill, 13, had a 25-year-old Wester Flyer. Michael rode all seven days, but his Wester Flyer didn't. Michael couldn't finish the route between Truman and Ha Ha Tonka parks - the first of five hilly days - so his bike was loaded on a van heading to that night's camp. The bike fell off the van, bending the front fork, and was sidelined for the rest of the trip. Michael was able to finish by borrowing a 21-speed Trek bicycle. “It was a lot easier with that bike,” Michael said.

Six Scouts - John Lewis, Jeff Hemmer, Tom Appel, Jeremy Green, Andy Jackson and David Prather - rode six days but chose to take a 20-mile float trip between Onondaga and Meramec parks instead of cycling 48 miles on June 21. Two Scouts, Mike Santanello and Jeff Wilson, left the ride June 20 because they suffered minor injuries when they fell on a long downhill to the Onondaga campground. All 10 scouts fulfilled requirements for the cycling merit badge. “Not everybody is going to ride every single mile, but all of them were going to ride something,” Lewis said.

The troop had five training rides, including a 73-mile trip around Carlyle Lake, before CAMP, and most Scouts rode three to five times a week. During a training ride around Freeburg, a squirrel darted between the front and rear wheels of David's bicycle. The squirrel soon became a rallying point for the scouts, and they decided to call themselves the Kamikaze Squirrels. The squirrel lived.

Many of the scouts plan to ride CAMP next year. Dick Willis, executive director of the Hostelling International council, said a northern Missouri route is being planned, which means more gentle hills than this year.