This was a big weekend for the SAIL Pathfinder Club. We participated in a special church program marking the 73rd annual Pathfinder Day, inducted our new members into the club, went hiking to find dinosaur tracks, held a practice campout, and joined other volunteers for a lake clean-up.
The Induction program is an important part of the Pathfinder year. It marks the official welcome for new members, and a recommitment for returning members. It reminds us of the purpose of the Pathfinder program, and prepares us for the new Pathfinder year. This year we welcomed four new members, and also recognized four older Pathfinders joining the Teen Leadership Training (TLT) program, which provides additional opportunities and instruction for developing leaders. We were excited to also welcome out Area Coordinator, who presented the new Pathfinders with a pin marking the 73rd anniversary of the Pathfinder program, and placed the special scarf on the new TLTs. The Pathfinders ran the church program, provided special music, song service, and a children’s story, and explained the meaning of the Pathfinder Pledge and Law to all in attendance.
The Induction program is an important part of the Pathfinder year. It marks the official welcome for new members, and a recommitment for returning members. It reminds us of the purpose of the Pathfinder program, and prepares us for the new Pathfinder year. This year we welcomed four new members, and also recognized four older Pathfinders joining the Teen Leadership Training (TLT) program, which provides additional opportunities and instruction for developing leaders. We were excited to also welcome out Area Coordinator, who presented the new Pathfinders with a pin marking the 73rd anniversary of the Pathfinder program, and placed the special scarf on the new TLTs. The Pathfinders ran the church program, provided special music, song service, and a children’s story, and explained the meaning of the Pathfinder Pledge and Law to all in attendance.
After a shared lunch, it was off to find the dinosaur tracks in South Fork of the San Gabriel River in Leander. After a long, dry summer, we had a week of intermittent rain, bringing some life back to the river, and making the hike a bit wetter and muddier, but more fun. The tracks are likely from the Acrocanthosaurus, a bipedal theropod that left its footprints in Lower Cretaceous limestone throughout Central Texas. Like the Tyrannosaurus rex, the Acrocanthosaurus was a top predator, but unlike its more famous relative, study of its bones suggest its arms were much more powerful than on the T-Rex, and were tipped with three claws. It had notable elongated spines along its vertebrae, which account for its scientific name - “high-spiked lizard.”
In the evening, it was time for our annual lock-in, where we build team cohesion and prepare for our first camping trip. The Pathfinders prepared dinner outside (our signature pizza tacos), washed their own dishes (as usual), and set up camp inside, with returning Pathfinders helping instruct the new members and refreshing their own skills. After breakfast (cooked outside) the next morning, it was off to our first community service project of the year.
The SAIL Pathfinders have taken part in the annual Lake Travis Clean-Up several times, and it was great to get back out there this year, joining more than 600 other volunteers picking up trash around one of our key reservoirs. We collected everything from bottle caps to barrels, and plenty of other trash in between. With our focus on creation this year, getting out and cleaning things up seemed appropriate, and it serves as a reminder to keep things clean and litter free when we head out into nature. After a morning of cleaning, it was off for some ice cream before heading back to the church to break camp, grab a bite and head home.
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