Calling for Backup...

   I figure we've gotta have a backup plan. It will be for those times when any of us gets stuck someplace we'd rather not be, with nothing to do. Here's the way I see it. Over on the Outpost page, we'll put a button called Plan B. Clicking on that will take you to a place where you can download projects to work on, or research you can do no matter where you are.

   And, hey, if anybody else comes up with more ideas for it, just drop me a line over at the WKC Mailbox (on the Outpost page). I'm not Einstein. It's just that I was wishing I had something like that when I got stranded out on Sweeny Lake in that freak snowstorm last weekend.

   Because there I was, with so much free time my eyes were crossing.  I didn't even have my backpack with me. Man -- I coulda had my whole Christmas Sale stuff organized by now if I did. Instead, I had to pass the time by looking through Mr. Johnson's high-powered binoculars, fish off the end of the boat, or invent new things to eat.

   But before you say, "How cool is that?" let me ask you some things. Like if you ever tried looking through binoculars in a snowstorm (you can't see anything). Or how long you think you could keep fishing after your fingers go numb (hey, we weren't expecting snow when we headed out there).

   And -- don't flood me with comments, here, but -- how many things can you think of to eat with only peanut butter, canned sardines, and crackers? There was a bottle of green olives down in one of the lockers, too, but yuk, yuk, and yuk! Anyway, when I finally got home, Mom said I smelled like fish.

   I didn't mind so much by that time, though.  Because Grandpa and I had the adventure of a lifetime when he let me row him over to shore for a hike in the woods the last afternoon. If I hadn't thought fast when he stepped on that bear... well, let's just say Mr. Johnson might have had to drive home by himself. Guess how I did it?

   Then come back tomorrow so I can tell you.

   Heh, heh, heh...
        W.K.

   P.S. Don't go looking for that Plan B button right away, because I haven't got it approved, yet. But I'll let you know when I do.

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Kidnapped...

     The thing I hate most about being a kid is the way everybody bosses you around. No kidding. I mean, when it comes to a group vote, mine only counts about half. Which is what happened over the holiday weekend when (in case you didn’t notice) I totally dropped off the map. Disappeared. Kidnapped, if you want to know the truth about it. See, what happened was, we ended up with way more company than usual around our house. Some neighbors of my grandparents who couldn’t fly out to see their own family because of the big storm. 

   So, right when I was gonna high-tail it outta there (because Mom usually likes me to stay out of her way when she’s cooking), Grandpa and Mr. Johnson decided to take a ride over to Sweeny Lake to see if the storm was pushing any of the big fish close into shore. I don’t know if that’s true (about fish coming closer to shore in storms). If you ask me, the women just wanted all the men out of the house so they could cook in peace. I mentioned I had some important patrol stuff I had to do with Buddy over at the Outpost, so they better go without me. But Mom said, no way. I was going. When was the last time I went fishing with Grandpa?

   But Grandpa said I could invite Buddy, too, so I wouldn’t get bored hanging out with just him and Mr. Johnson. Only Buddy couldn’t go. On account of it was a family day, and he had to hang out with his cousins. Which is why I ended up stranded out at Sweeny Lake for two whole days in one of the wildest storms we’ve had around here in years. In case any of you are wondering why I didn’t show up to do all those special things we were planning for the holiday, over at the Outpost. 

   Here’s how it happened. It was only just starting to rain when we first drove off. By the time we got there (a little over an hour later), it still wasn’t too bad, only we didn’t have any luck fishing off the pier. That’s when Mr. Johnson said what would it hurt to take the boat out for a bit, just to see if they were maybe biting farther out. Grandpa said he didn’t mind, at least there was a top on the thing and we wouldn’t have to stand in the rain. He gets a little grouchy when he gets cold or uncomfortable, and I could tell he was headed in that direction. But Mr. Johnson insisted (man-- does that guy like to fish) and it was his boat. His car we had drove up in, too, so Grandpa and I had to sort of go along with it. 

   Anyway, that’s how it happened I spent practically my whole Thanksgiving weekend with a conked-out engine on the back side of Sweeny Lake in the first snowstorm we’ve had around this area for ten years (it started to snow on the second day). Living off peanut butter, crackers, hot chocolate, and Kipper snacks (you know what those things are? Try looking them up sometime). Oh, yeah, and fish. Lots and lots of fish. Which was pretty good actually. But they say your taste-buds change a lot when you’re starving. Meanwhile, Grandpa and Mr. Johnson worked on the engine, and we finally rolled into home on Sunday. Can you believe it? 

   We weren’t in danger, or anything. Grandpa and Mr. Johnson been fishing out there like that for years, and they’re always getting stranded somewhere. Usually some other fisherman comes by and tows them in. But nobody but us thought how fun it would be to go fishing in a snowstorm. Even Mom, Grandma, and Mrs. Johnson didn’t sound too worried when we called in (we had cell phones out there -- only the roads were snowed in), because all they said was they’d save us some leftovers. Sheesh. So, I guess nobody was worried about all that but me. Which is another thing I hate about being a kid.

   Not understanding what adults are talking about half the time.

   Way, WAY later,

      W.K.

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Storm Weather...

   I don't know about your piece of the wilderness, but we've got a storm heading our way around here. So, Buddy and I are gonna meet before Thanksgiving dinner starts tomorrow, to make sure the Outpost is still buttoned up tight, and set more bird food out.

   After I finish my extra chores, that is. On account of the old dried-up bread I found sitting on the counter (that Buddy and I fed to the birds, today) was supposed to get made into turkey stuffing. Sheesh -- how was I supposed to know? Mom went sort of ballistic when she got home from work, but it's not like I could get any of it back by then. So I gotta peel about fifty potatoes and clean the bathrooms. I might even have to vacuum. But by the time dinner was over, she was starting to lighten up, so, maybe not.

   Anyway, we're gonna meet over at the Outpost at ten. Which only gives me tonight to get all my gear ready to sell. So, I better get busy. Oh, yeah -- and if anybody stops by to take a look -- I'm giving out a free prize on Friday. To the person who guesses what my all-time favorite piece of gear is. I'll tell you more about that tomorrow because I think I hear Mom calling me.

   Later,
    W.K,

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Holiday Plans...

   This is Thanksgiving week -- but don't worry -- whenever we're on a holiday schedule around our house, my job is to stay out of everybody's way. Heh, heh, heh...

   So, I'm gonna have lots of extra time to do things with the patrol. Like setting up feeding areas for our birds. And putting some of my backpack stuff up for sale. The Warner Sisters won't be around much, on account of they're putting together our WKC Campfire Cookbook for the Weekly Feature, next week. Besides that, they have to make pies and fruit salad with their family.

   The only thing I have to cook on Thanksgiving is toast and coffee for Mom after she sleeps in. Then I have a couple extra chores to do so the place won't look like a disaster when my Grandparents come. After that, I'm on my own. So, Buddy and I are gonna meet up at the Observation Outpost and make plans. He's got a couple sisters, and they way don't want him in the kitchen, either.

   So -- if you're not doing anything -- why don't you stop by? I'm gonna be checking my mail a lot more than usual, and answering a few questions that have been piling up. Oh, yeah -- and if you haven't joined WKC, yet to get into the "members only" area -- what are you waiting for? It doesn't cost anything.

   Seriously.
    W.K.

   P.S. Besides that, I still need more people on my patrol.

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Other People's Stuff...

    I have changed my best friends. I didn’t mean to. It just sort of happened. One week I was doing one thing, and the next, I was doing something else. If I planned it, I would have said, “No way.” You stick with your friends, no matter what. Except it didn’t happen like that. See, I never meant to do it. What happened was, I took a hike into uncharted territory... and never came back.

    Don’t get me wrong. I am not a flake. And I guess if I would show up at the old places and say, “Hi, guys!” they’d all probably pound me on the back and ask where I’ve been. The thing is, I just plain don’t want to go there anymore. Not because they aren’t all great -- they are! It’s just that I got enchanted out here in the wilderness and haven’t been back, yet. But -- hey, I’m going to. One of these days when I’m not so busy.

    See, ever since I got elected captain of my patrol, I have way more responsibilities. Not to mention all the time it takes to be the star of a new wildlife documentary show, when you still have to keep up with homework and chores at home. Mom would never (and I mean NEVER) change her mind about that, even if I was the next Crocodile Hunter. That’s just the way she is, and -- like I say -- you can’t pick your parents.

    But the biggest reason I changed best friends is the people I met since I got here. On account of they’re just like me. Better even. Because I couldn’t come up with half my great ideas without all of them giving me their ideas to think over in the first place. And you know what? I didn’t even know wilderness stuff was what I liked best until I got here. Which only goes to show how much a person can miss out on if they don’t take a little time to look at other people’s stuff once in a while. Instead of just their own. Anyway, I’m way glad I did.

Seriously,

   W.K.

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Sightings...

   This weekend the patrol has some major things going on. At first, we were just gonna get together to work on my Backpack Campaign. But then we decided that would be a good place to start the show. Then we got all excited about setting up The Outpost as a sort of "home base" for our filming operations. Besides that, we found out if we have one person on a wildlife watch at all times, we get our best sightings.

   Last week they were doing some tree-trimming around the edge of the park that we're next to. So, while three of us were inside the Outpost trying to come up with more ideas for protecting our birds in winter, C. got some really cool shots of a porcupine family toddling past our tree, trying to get away from all that noise. It was way cool. We didn't even know we had any out here, so it was a major sighting for us. Footage like that comes in real handy when you're trying to put a wildlife show together. I mean, we at least gotta have some wildlife, right?

   Actually, we're getting a pretty good collection, already. So far, we have turtles, ants, raccoons, squirrels, birds, and porcupines. All we have to do, now, is try to get me in the same picture, talking about them. I guess. Heck, that's how everybody else does it. Then, again... maybe we should do something a little different than that...

   Any ideas? Hey -- where did everybody go? Gotta run. My patrol's onto something. Have a great weekend, and don't forget to add your suggestions to the WKC Winter Birdfeeding Contest.

   See you next week!    
        W.K.

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My Name In Lights (maybe)...

   OK, they talked me into it. Starting next week, I'm gonna show everything I have in my backpack and tell where I got it. So all you other Wilderness Protectors out there can maybe ask for some of it yourselves this Christmas. I don't know about you, but whenever I ask for something special, I need to come up with a good reason to have it.

   Then (on account of my mom works and everything) I have to find out where to get one at the best price (on account of she's not made of money, either). Man -- I used to spend a way lot of time trying to find out about things. Then I found this place online that actually does the looking for me. They even tell you where to get it used, if you only want to pay a little money for it. Which I do, sometimes, if something is way expensive, or I have to come up with the money, myself.

   Like for some of the books I need. What do I care if somebody else read it already? I just want my own personal copy to lug around in my backpack (if it's a field guide), or set up on our  bookshelf over at the Outpost, in case we have to look something up. Like if a queen ant sting is more poison than a regular ant. Stuff like that. And what the heck to do about it instead of run home to your mom every time something like that happens.

   Hey -- we had to have a whole book on first aid just because Buddy gets hurt more than all the rest of us put together. We even had to get an extra box of Band-Aids (the Warner Sisters wrote his name on it), on account of his mom said the next time he tore the bottom off his shirt to use for one, he'd have to clean out the garage. Which is way worse than cleaning up your room -- or even doing dishes for a week -- because it takes practically a whole Saturday to finish something like that. So, we all pitched in.

   Mostly because it would be a bummer spending a whole Saturday in the Parks Wilderness without Buddy. On account of he comes up with the best ideas. Which is why we're going into the backpack business. He figures if we sell enough backpack stuff, we might be able to finance our own documentary show. I don't know about that, but I'm gonna help anyway. On account of they said I could be the star. Heh, heh, heh...

Seriously,

   W.K.

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Some Things You Have to Earn...

   I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about things you can't buy. Like respect. You can't buy that even if you're a millionaire. It's something that comes from the way you treat other people. And I'm not just talking about bullies and school stuff here, I'm talking about everything. Because it seems like whatever you respect gives back to you. Take my mom, for instance.

   Of course I respect my mom (you can't pick your parents), and I'd get into some way deep trouble if I didn't. But I've been coming out to our piece of the wilderness -- The Parks Wilderness, I mean (sheesh, I gotta get used to calling it that) -- for over a year, now, and she still thinks all we're doing out here is playing games. At least, that's what I thought she was thinking. And don't even TRY asking her to go camping, because she hates that stuff.

   Which is why I was totally shocked when she showed up last week. We had been on patrol, like usual, and found out somebody trashed turtle creek. Not just trash, either. Would you believe they dumped a huge broken-down washing machine in there? Probably didn't have enough money to take it to the dump. But, man! Anyway, our patrol cleaned up all the trash all right, only we were gonna have to wait till Saturday for Uncle Joe to come out and load up the washer.

   Then Mom showed up.

   I almost passed out. I mean -- I don't know she even knew how to get here. So, I guess maybe she really was listening some of those times when she'd say things like, "That's nice," or "Sounds interesting," or "Great story -- how about setting the table, now?" when I was trying to explain to her what we were doing out here. Saving our piece of the wilderness. The Parks Wilderness.

  So, when she showed up with a borrowed truck on Thursday (a work day and a school day!) and helped us all load up and take it to the dump, I was speechless. She even talked about how disrespectful it was for people to trash our wilderness places that way. Now, all I've been hearing from the rest of the patrol is, "Your mom is --like -- so cool!"

   I feel pretty good about that.

   Seriously.
     W.K.

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In It To Win It...

   OK, the contest is on over at WKC! Enter your ideas for feeding birds during winter in our piece of the wilderness and readers will vote for the one they like best. The winning entry will get an official WKC Bird Feeder that you can use at home, or in your own piece of the wilderness.

   So, hurry on over and submit your ideas. I already submitted mine (Hey -- I want one of those Bird Feeders), and now the patrol and I are busy thinking up even more ways to do it. On account of the more times we enter, the more chances we have to win (heh, heh, heh...). That's the way I look at it, anyway. Besides that, if we wait too long, somebody else might come up with those same ideas and get them listed before we do.

   And we have a lot of birds around here to feed.

   So, I'll race you.
        W.K.

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Tricks of the Trade...

   Hey -- I'm telling some of my coolest secrets about campfire cooking in this week's feature article over at WKC. Like I say, Buddy and I have been at it for a whole year, now, and we have a lot of tricks for doing things the easy way out there in the great outdoors. OK, so we didn't exactly figure them all out for ourselves, but that's the point. Anybody can do this stuff!

   Besides that, it's totally fun. I might even let you guys in on a few tricks I picked up to get your parents (or other adults) to supervise you on regular camp-outs. Who wants to wait till next summer rolls around? Not me. Right now, I'm working up a campaign for "A Wilderness Christmas" Heh, heh, heh...

   Of course, I'll have to work my tail off to get something like that, but a guy's gotta do what he's gotta do. It worked really great last year, and it was way worth it. Which is why I have to keep this short today, because I have chores to do.

Seriously.
   W.K.

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This Is For The Birds...

   OK, it's official. We're gonna have a contest over at WKC for who can come up with the best ideas for feeding wild birds during winter. Starting Monday, there will be a box where you can enter, and all ideas will be posted for two weeks. Then we'll vote. Whoever gets the most reader votes wins.

   Watch out, though. Because my patrol is pretty great at coming up with amazing ideas when we put our heads together. Besides, I really like prizes. I get a lot of my gear that way. In fact, I got my compass just for writing in to the company about how much I needed one in the line of work I'm in. Sheesh, a Wilderness Protector can't spend most of his time being lost in his own piece of the wilderness. How embarrassing is that?

   You gotta be able to figure out where you're going, or guess where you'll end up? Either one of two places. Nowhere -- because you didn't even try. Or, lost -- because you didn't know where you were in the first place. Like I always say, knowledge is power. But that's all I'm gonna say about that until after this contest. On account of I don't want anybody getting a head-start on me with my own advice. Heh, heh, heh...

   So, see you Monday.
          W.K.

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Who's Out There...

   Like I say, we've been doing a whole lot of talking around here. About all sorts of things. Like camping gear, and compass guides, and who's gonna ask for what at Christmas. Then last week Buddy piped up and said, "Who cares? When are we gonna start protecting something?"

   Sheesh, he had a point. I mean, even the Warner Sisters didn't have anything to say about that, because it was true. The only protecting we've done around our PARKS WILDERNES, so far, is protect ourselves from the ant army. We even have that on film, which I am way not proud of.

   Right away, the girls wanted to make a list of all the wildlife we have around here, so we could get organized. But Buddy said if we got any more organized than we already are, he was gonna puke. That was when I pointed out that every one of us knew by heart exactly who lived around here, and even where most of their houses were.

   C. suggested we could maybe protect our squirrels from poachers. Only that lasted less than a minute before S. said nobody in their right mind would face the dangers of our "Sticky Woods" to catch squirrels when everybody in town had at least a dozen living in their own yards.

     It was quiet for a long time after that. Then -- out of the clear blue -- Buddy said one word. "Birds." But I told him they were the least of our worries, on account of they can fly. I had to remind him of how we still hadn't figured out a way to get closer than you could throw a rock to any of them, ourselves. Besides that, it's illegal to shoot guns in our town, so we didn't have to worry about hunters, either.

   "Winter," he said. "We gotta protect them from the time of year when there's hardly any food."

   Man -- you'd have thought he said, "Let's go to Disneyland" the way we all hooped and hollered what a good idea that was. So, now we're on a big campaign to find out the best way to do that. Which gave me one of the greatest ideas I've had in a long time, too. We can have a contest. And maybe other Wilderness Protectors will do the same thing so they could win a really cool prize. That is, if anybody out there would be interested.

   So, who's out there?
       W.K.

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We Name Our Wilderness...

      When Buddy and I first started coming to our piece of the wilderness, we didn't talk things over. We didn't have to because we think so much alike. But now that we added C. and S. to our patrol, it seems like we have to vote on everything. Mostly because they keep coming up with things Buddy and I never even thought of before. Like naming our piece of the wilderness. They said, how could we protect something if it didn't even have a name?

     I guess they had a point. But then we had to vote on a name. In the end, we came up with THE PARKS WILDERNESS. On account of we are bordered on two sides by parks. Then we had to name all the places on our map. So, each of us would know where we were talking about when we had to meet up somewhere. They had a point there, too. Now Buddy's map is plastered all over with names like, "Turtle Creek," "Big Bug Canyon," and "The Sticky Woods."

     We've had to make a lot of changes since the girls joined up. Like when we camp out. Now, we have to take Aunt Sue along to watch out for the girls, along with Buddy's Uncle Joe. They even cleaned up the Outpost. There are special places to hang up our binoculars (for spotting wildlife), and a giant version of our wilderness map tacked onto one of the walls. C. blew it up on the computer, and S. colored it in with markers.

     At first, we did a lot of talking and arguing about things. Sometimes I think we spent more time doing that than actually getting out there protecting our piece of the wilderness. But lately, we've settled down into our own projects, and it's actually been kind of peaceful around here. Kind of exciting, too. Because if it hadn't been for the Warner Sisters and their homemade film studio, I would have never  realized what I want to do with my life. I'm gonna be a wildlife photographer. Seriously. I've been in about eight Warner documentaries, already.

     I think maybe they're gonna help me get famous. Heh, heh, heh...
    
     W.K.

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Telling How...

   The truth is, we don't have a whole lot of extra around our house. Which is why I started looking for ways to make things myself if I needed something. Like camping gear. The first things (and most important, if you ask me) I made were a sleeping bag and a hammock. Hey -- I only sleep on the ground if I have to.

  That was almost a year ago, now, and I don't mind saying I'm still using those two things every time I go camping. They work great. Which is why I agreed to share exactly how I did it. Don't worry, it wasn't hard. In case your figuring on trying it for yourself. If you are, head on over to WKC and find out how.

   Of course there's other ways of doing it, but I'm just saying how it worked best for me. Besides that, I'm sort of proud of them.

   Seriously.
     W.K.

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Putting Our Heads Together...

   OK. The Compass Class is a go, and my whole patrol is gonna help me with it. We'll each handle the part we do best. I'll go first and tell about how to use one when you're headed into uncharted territory, so you can get back without getting lost. No matter how far you get off the trail.

   Buddy will take it from there with the map section. On account of he is way good at drawing maps, and if you use your compass at the same time, it's a guarantee you won't get lost. C. wants to tell everybody how you can find your way if you DON'T have a compass.

   S. is going to show how to make one if you're already lost. You might wonder what good one would be then, but -- take my word for it -- a lost person needs a compass more than anybody. Because of how people have a habit of walking in circles when they don't know where they are. No kidding.

   Then all of us together will pool our ideas about the best kind of compass to buy. We each have different opinions about that. Except there is one thing we all agree on, no matter what. This time of year is the absolute best time to get a compass. On account of it's so close to Christmas, a lot of parents are asking kids what they want. Heh, heh, heh...

   Hey -- I wasn't born yesterday.

   So, stay tuned for times and dates, so you don't miss out on any of it. Meanwhile, have a great weekend. Oh, yeah. And if you don't have your own piece of the wilderness staked out, yet -- what are you waiting for? Get out there and find one!

   Seriously,
      W.K.

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Finding My Way...

   OK. So, I've told everybody how I found my piece of the wilderness to take care of. It's a pretty big piece -- big enough to get lost in. On account of people have a way of walking in one big circle when they aren't following a compass, or navigating by landmarks. Our piece of the wilderness is mostly woods, so it's easy for that to happen. Which was why we decided to get a compass and learn how to use it.

   I didn't know how it worked when I first got one. To me, it just looked like some weird watch, only with letters instead of numbers.  But I like doing research (finding out things other people don't know, heh, heh, heh...) so, I did a google search and found out how to use it. Then I told Buddy how, and we practiced. Man-- we're so good at it, now, I can get dropped off anywhere on the planet and find my way back, again. And I don't mind saying I'm pretty proud of that.

   Anyway, I was talking to the staff over at WKC, and they said my patrol and I could do a class on it. Which means I would have to let everybody in on the kind of compass we use (way cool), but it's for a good cause if it helps other Wilderness Protectors get started. Besides that, we're gearing up for a contest to pick out the coolest piece of wilderness to protect, and I wouldn't want it on my conscience if anybody got lost out there looking for one.

   I guess once you're a captain, you can't help feeling like one all the time -- even when you're not with your patrol. I don't know how that happened. I don't mind, though. Actually, I sort of like it. So, if you need any questions answered while you're out looking for your own piece of wilderness, you can leave them in the comment section of my journal, here. If I don't know the answer, I'll find out. Even if I have to time travel.

   Seriously.
     W.K.

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I Start My Patrol...

   Like I say, I wasn't too happy when I found out my friend Buddy followed me to my secret place where I made friends with the wild things. I mean, he didn't even ask to come with me. He just popped out from behind a tree and said, "Boo!" when I was taking pictures of that turtle. But I got over it.

   Mostly on account of Buddy had some way good ideas about finding a parrot. It was actually his idea to make a map, so we could keep track of where we had looked so far. And it was his map that first gave me the idea of claiming that place as our own piece of the wilderness, and becoming Wilderness Protectors. It was a cool map. After that, one thing just led to another. I found out it was a lot more fun to be outside with someone than all by myself.

   Besides that, Buddy comes up with great ideas for getting us out of the kind of fixes we get into out there. Which is half the fun. The adventure. You can read about it all day long, but you have to get out there and experience it yourself to really know what I mean. So, get out there! Whatever it takes -- believe me -- you won't be sorry.

   And don't forget to catch the feature article over at WKC this week about getting your camping gear together. That's what our patrol will be doing. This is the best time of year to camp.

   No kidding.
   W.K.

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