The Tennessee Valley

 

Today in the valley, expect a high of 56 degrees...

Not bad...  for a little past the middle of February, especially when our neighbors in the North are experiencing temps much, much colder...  and, our neighbors in Canada are buried under snow and expecting more...  however, if you travel a few hours to the south of us, the temperatures increase 10 degrees or so and by the time you get the the Gulf of Mexico, the temps will be approaching 70 degrees today...

Many of us in the Valley today will be walking around in shorts spending time outdoors since the sun is out and there are no clouds in the sky at all and none are expected.  While it is a little to cool to work on one's suntan, it is still a nice enough day to spend the majority of it outside experiencing the beauty of nature that has been so freely given to us.

As the figure above demonstrates, the Tennessee Valley is nestled between a plateau on the west and a range of mountains on the east.  The state appears to be landlocked as it does not border any oceans like the Atlantic, Pacific, or Gulf of Mexico, yet it is blessed with an abundance of rivers that flow along its western border like the Mississippi River and a plethera of smaller rivers like the Buffalo River, Clinch River, Cumberland River, Duck River, Elk River, Hatchie River, Hiwassee River, Holston River, Obion River, Sequatchie River, Tennessee River and Wolf River.

Obviously, there are numerous places in Tennessee to camp, fish, hunt, look at the landscape, take photographs, or simply experience the beauty of nature as you walk along the many nature or manmade paths that meander through it wilderness.

Boy Scouts of America BSA

They Knew...
The BSA knew all along about the abuse that was happening within its ranks. They even had a secret list known as the “Perversion Files” or “P Files” that included names of sex predators going all the way back to the early 1900’s. Tragically, the BSA did everything in its power to conceal these documents, allowing the abuses to go on. Instead of rooting out abusers, the BSA, like The Catholic Church, systematically protected pedophiles by allowing them to move from troop to troop.

When I lived in Alexandria, VA  until 1962/1963, prior to my leaving I was a Boy Scout, receiving my Eagle Scout and God and Country Awards that were later presented to me by the US Ambassador in Cairo, Egypt.  If I was abused, I don't recall and one would think that if there was abuse, one would never forget...  but abuse is not always physical...  and, there is probably a good possibility that one of those leaders during a camping trip in the Appalachian Mountains could have showed me photos and could have had conversations with me that I really don't remember because nothing physical happened...  and my leader was just more apprehensive about following through with something physical...

NONETHELESS...  it is disgusting what was happening to boys my age by leaders we grew up trusting to make us better people through Scouting.  And, I have always enjoyed my camping experiences...