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1-8
NOTHING PEAKBAGGER AWARD
This award was developed and sponsor
ed by Troop 1210 (Foothills Church),
Rancho Santa Margarita, California.
Parmenides was a 5th century BCE Greek ph
ilosopher born in Elea (now Ascea), a Greek
city on the southern coast of Italy.
He founded the Eleatic School of Philosophy, and pre-dated Socr
ates, Plato and Aristotle. Parmenides is considered the
grandfather of Western philosophical thought. Parmenides was the fi
rst of the ancient philosophers to consider the concept of
not
or
nothing
, and made the ontological argument against its existence...”F
or never shall this prevail, that things that are
not...are”.
On July 4th weekend of 2011, Troop 1210 Scouts and Scouters attempted a day trek of 14,496 foot Mt. Whitney. The 2010-
2011 Sierra Winter had experienced the highest snowpack in its recorded history. Despite a 0300 start with headlamps, and
trekking through snow with ice axes, Troop 1210 made it to 13,000
foot Trail Crest before making the right safety call,
turning around and heading down. The Whitney summit was
not
to be that day.
Or...was it? According to Parmenides,
not
does not exist. And so it is with Scouting, although the summit was
not
reached
that day, all Scouts and Scouters gained much experi
ence and good Scouting fellowship and memories, and should
not
come
away with nothing, because
nothing
does not exist. All should earn a High Adventure Award...this award.
Requirements:
1. This award is earned by Scouting units who plan and attempt to
bag a peak, but for safety considerations turn back due to
inclement weather, high water and/or
snow, hazardous terrain or unanticipated
illness or injury, among other safety
reasons.
References:
1. Mountaineering: Freedom of
the Hills, Sixth Edition. The
Mountaineers, Seattle, WA, 2010.
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