Be Prepared - When the Weather Turns
| Category: | Preparedness |
|---|---|
| Props: | A rain jacket or poncho (optional) |
| Notes: | Good at the meeting before a campout, during gear checks, or at a campfire after a storm. Part of a series - see also be-prepared-when-someone-gets-hurt and be-prepared-ready-to-lead. |
Every Scout eventually learns this lesson: the forecast is a suggestion, not a promise.
You check the weather on Thursday, and it says sunny all weekend. So you leave the rain jacket at home, because why carry extra weight? Then Saturday afternoon the clouds roll in, the temperature drops twenty degrees, and you're standing in a downpour in a cotton hoodie.
Being prepared for the weather is partly about gear. Pack the rain jacket even when the sky is clear. Bring the extra layer. Put your sleeping bag in a plastic bag inside your pack, because a wet sleeping bag at night is miserable. Pitch your tent where water won't run through it. These are the small habits that separate a rough night from a disaster.
But the bigger part is in your head. When the weather turns, plans change. The hike might get cut short. The campfire might turn into a game of cards under the dining fly. The Scout who's prepared expected that something might go wrong, so they adjust without falling apart.
Some of the best campout stories this troop has start with, "Remember that time it poured?" Nobody tells stories about the weekend it was seventy-two and sunny.
So pack for the weather you don't expect. And when it shows up anyway, smile. You were ready for it.