Small beginnings…

The pancakes for breakfast were good. But then everything took a turn for the worse.

“No more pancakes, boys,” the cook Teresa told the campers, showing them the empty jar of maple syrup. “That’s it until you guys do something about it.”

She was teasing them, but then they wondered. Could they do it? What was needed to make their own maple syrup?

Staff explained to the boys that they would need a few things to get started. To collect sap for syrup, they would need three things:

• some equipment like taps, pails, drills

• the ability to identify which trees were sugar maples

• the ability to identify the south side of the tree (where the taps need to go)

They had the equipment laying around the shop. That’s one problem solved.

But what about the other expertise? Flashback to two previous sessions:

In the fall session, the boys learned how to identify various types of trees and their uses. They went through each tree in-depth, learning how to identify them by shape, size, bark pattern, and leaves. They collected samples of bark and leaves of each tree. They also learned what each tree was used for, and how many BTUs of heat each tree can produce (useful for knowing which trees to cut for firewood!).

In the winter session, the theme was orienteering and winter survival. The boys learned how to use a compass, read a map, and find directions in the bush. As well, they learned how to build a winter survival structure.

They were amazed to realize that they had what they needed to make maple syrup. As a group, they decided to add the goal of making maple syrup to their tasks. The boys were excited to get started. They got the equipment ready and then set out for the bush.

They decided to find sugar maples that were close to the trail they took every day to Chuckwagon so they could easily monitor the pails. Once they found the right trees, they had to figure out which side was south, where the sap would flow the easiest. Then they had to drill a hole.

The next step: hammering a tap into the tree.

And then: attach a pail and see what happens:

The first drop of sap appears!

There’s a verse in the Bible that says, “Don’t despise the day of small beginnings.” (Zech 4:10).

Like so many things, a goal like making syrup takes many steps along the way. Without the previous sessions of learning, the boys wouldn’t have had the skills to tackle this new task. They might have wondered why they were learning about trees or orienteering. But now they’ve run into a situation where they need those skills.

Many things at camp are small beginnings: sitting through a lesson on trees; making your bed every morning; that first sentence acknowleding trauma; going to the group with a problem instead of lashing out. Each step of discovery may look like just a tiny drop of sap, but as leaders, we know that each small thing builds on each other and grows to become something sweet and good.

We can’t wait to have pancakes soon, with maple syrup the boys have made.