Eagle Scout Project - The Main Event

Saturday, October 9 was Jourdan's Eagle Scout Project at JD Currie Youth Camp by Lacamas Lake.  We have had beautiful weather for weeks, including the 3 Saturdays before the project and the two afterward.  So, if you guessed that it rained ALL day, you would be correct.  But, it's not a real Eagle Scout Project unless you cover yourself in at least an inch of mud, right?  That's what we convinced ourselves of anyway.  The pictures below are the "before" shots.  Jourdan's project was to replace these 4 leaning and crooked benches with 7 new ones.

As you can see, these benches are on a hillside.  Whoever designed them, didn't seem too concerned with making the benches level.  Jourdan noticed this while doing science experiments with his 6th grade class in the creek that runs nearby.  So, when it came time to choose a project, this is what came to his mind. 

Not that I've ever been to another Eagle Project (Although I will take credit for doing much of the work on another one....person to remain nameless....not that anyone I know NOW would even know that person!) but I think Jourdan was blessed with a lot of volunteers.  It was amazing to see how many people he was able to "drag" out into the pouring rain.  Maybe that's why people came....they felt like everyone else would cancel due to the weather.  Whatever their reasons, we were so thankful to the large army of people who came to help.  It was so nice to see so many people support Jourdan, and it was fun to watch Jourdan lead all those adults and his peers.

The scouts from Jourdan's troop help to pound rebar into the railroad ties which were placed alongside the benches to prevent erosion.

Paul and Austin hauling a wheelbarrow of dirt from the trailer to the work site.

Jourdan looking fashionable in his yellow poncho.  Check out the huge walk-behind hydraulic auger behind him; it made quick work of the 14 post-holes that had to be drilled.

Grandpa came in his United Airlines ramp gear...just in case we needed to park or unload a 747.

So jealous of the two "dudes" who were smart enough to wear (and own in the NW) full-body rain gear.  Julia was set up under the blue tent with her sign-in/sign-out sheet and all the food.

I realize that the above photo is mostly of people with their backs facing the camera, but it's one of the only ones that shows many of the volunteers all in one place....even then, this is only about 1/3 of them.

My kindergarten-teacher-friend dressed up for the occasion.....she even matched her wheelbarrow.

Jourdan's 6th grade science teacher calls this her "action shot" because it was taken as she almost slipped in the mud while pushing the wheelbarrow of gravel down the hill.

Jourdan's 7th grade language arts teacher is holding the broom and shovel next to Jourdan (who has shed his poncho).  These volunteers are unloading the last of the gravel from Ken Harmon's truck.

When the project was almost finished is when a minor disaster struck.  The tire on the trailer which was hauling the final 3 yards of dirt blew its tire.  It was more than just a flat....it was destroyed.  Here's a picture of the mangled rim and smashed wheel.  The photo does not do the damage justice. 

Although you can't see the bent rim in the shot, you can see the completely flattened tire smashed on the ground.

At this point, Jourdan's two teachers and I thought our Eagle Scout candidate might have a panic attack and cry.  Which, if you know Jourdan and his need for things to be organized and orderly, is not much of a stretch.  As he heard the news of the flat tire, he put his hands on either side of his head and looked at the ground.  In my mind, I was thinking:  Please don't cry!  There's no crying in Boy Scouts!  The foreman of the Eagle Project cannot have a nervous breakdown!  He surprised us by standing up straight and giving directions to the volunteers.  He ended up having two trucks go to the accident site, and several men with shovels.  It all worked out, and he was able to finish the project with only an extra 1 1/2 hours added due to the extra trip for more fill dirt and the flat tire.  The family spent the rest of the day taking care of the flat on the trailer and washing the mud off everything...including the loaned trailer. 

Jourdan did a great job and was able to have his entire project funded through donations.  Just in case you are one of those people who likes to patronize businesses that are charitable and friendly to Scouts....here's a list of the companies that donated to his project :

Parkrose Hardware (hydraulic auger and sawzall rentals, deck screws)

Exterior Wood (all the lumber - not the railroad ties)

Les Schwab (the new tire and rim)

City Bark (6 yards of screen dirt)

Little Caesar's Pizza (pizza and bread sticks)

Lowe's (bolts, nuts, washers, and rebar)

Waste Connections (disposal of old cement)

Costco ($50)

Sakrete (14 bags of cement)

Home Depot ($25)

Stone Northwest (pea gravel)

Fastenal (washers)

So here's the final pictures of the benches.  He still has a lot of paper work to go, but at least the "big" part of the project is finished.

Just in case this post hasn't already been LONG enough for you, we thought it would be fun to do Jourdan's Eagle Project by the Numbers:

0 amount of money spent on project by parents

.5 tons of cement disposed of
1 yard of pea gravel spread
1 sawzall
2 teacher volunteers

3 railroad ties
3 trailers
6 yards of screen dirt delivered to the site
6 school friend volunteers
10 Boy Scout volunteers
12 age of prospective Eagle Scout (Jourdan)
13 volunteers who built benches
14 bags of cement
15 pizzas (and 5 orders of bread sticks) eaten
28 bolts
52 hand-made thank you cards
54 volunteers who worked in the mud and rain
60 feet of 4X4’s
114 feet of 2X4’s
115 hours put in by Jourdan alone (not done yet)
154 feet of 2X6’s
162 value of the new trailer tire and rim (donated by Les Schwab)
302 volunteer hours in total
420 deck screws
1078.56 value of total donations for the project
3200 pound hydraulic auger