The Last Patrol

Scouting life is in constant movement, since you enter you are challenging your self and the people around you. As the time goes by, and you're growing, you're life in scouting grows too.

There's an internal structure, divided by ages and the kind of activities. As I mentioned previously, the youngest branch are the Wolf Cubs or "Lobatos" for kids from 7 to 11, taking the universe of Ruyard Kipling's The Jungle Book (the same story as the Walt Disney's movie); with the girls there was a change, about 5 years ago, when they were Gazelles (Gacelas) and a very nice story in the Andi's Forrest, but this no longer exist, now they are girl Wolf Cubs.

After that, there is the Troop, boy and girls from 11 to 15 (in the modern scheme), from 15 to 18 the Community, and finally, the Clan also known as Scouts Rovers.

But in my days, such thing as the Community doesn't exist, so I lived the Troop from 11 trough 18.

1995 was my last year in the Troop, becoming as and older an experienced trooper, being a patrol leader and guiding a patrol of 6 members.

There's a special ceremony to make this change, called Pass Ceremony. In each branch there's such ceremony, from Wolf Cubs to Troop, and from Troop to Clan.

Because I wasn't a Wolf Cub, I hadn't lived a ceremony like that. And my time to live one was close.

We started the year with our traditional excursion to the mount of San Miguel in the forest known as "El Desierto de los Leones" in Cuajimalpa. On April, I remember there was a competition against other troops, a technical competition about, knots, bonfires, morse code, first aids, fisical skill, and all kinds of thing that we do. I was sure that my patrol could get the first prize, an I prepared my patrol to that. Studying and practicing hard.

On the day of the competition, once we arrived at the place, I remembered analyzing my competition. There was only two or one patrol who could give us a good fight. From my group, there was not real competition, all my patrol leader friends were experienced but their patrols had young and unexperienced boys, so they weren't a threat to us. Also the girls patrols, who had good patrol leaders, including my sister, but having the same situation.

Before start the competition I gather my patrol around me, and told them something like this: "Guys, I'm not coming as a spectator, I come to take the first place an win, I will give all my guts and effort in order to win, that price will be my goodbye present for you... Are you with me?"

And so we did, we did our best, running faster, climbing faster, shouting harder and being almost perfect in everything.

The result was obvious, we won the first place. As a patrol leader I received the winning price, a wooden diploma, and a practical gas stove.

I was so happy, and felt with pride, not to me, to my patrol and friends. I did what I promised to them.

Two weeks after, I say goodbye to my Patrol and to the Troop, leaving behind 7 magnificent years of my life, fulled with terrific experiences, a lots of good and life time friends, and with the most cherished memories that I still have.

A new phase in my life was beginning and new and great experiences were lived, but not so deep or cherished as I had with the company of my Patrol, the Bufalos patrol, who gave me great adventures and good friends.