ROCstock, Troop 92, and The Not-So-Dry Lakebed

by Bryn Barabas Potter (T92 Committee Member, 10/17/13)

With a Scoutmaster and ASMs who were real rocket scientists, ROCstock is a popular annual camping trip for Troop 92 of Northridge. ROCstock is the twice-yearly meeting of the Rocketry Organization of California. Fans of all ages gather to launch rockets, from Cub Scouts with 6” ready-mades to custom-made rockets that require FAA approval to fly over 7,000 feet above ground level.

In November 2008, skies were clear but windy when camp was set up on Friday night on Lake Lucerne’s dry bed. Saturday was filled with launches, with every rocket and rocketeer’s name announced prior to countdown and liftoff. Night launches were like fireworks, with rockets lit up by glow sticks and LEDs.

The weather was cold Saturday night as the Scouts retreated into their tents. The rain began sometime between 1 and 2 a.m. At about 4 a.m., Scoutmaster Norbert Soski decided to break camp as the lakebed was no longer dry. Scouts and leaders have vivid memories of the next few hours. Fighting the frigid weather, Tristan Carson sat bundled up in a heated minivan to get the blue tinge out of his lips. Reed Potter remembers using newly-learned skills to pack in the dark. Randy Potter had already packed when he got word to help his son Reed, whose tent had collapsed on him. As the younger Potter was extricated from the wet nylon mess, the elder Potter’s tent blew away. No longer weighted down by gear, the stakes had zero grip against the silty mud. SM Soski recalls “one-inch of mud caking onto the bottom of my shoes each time I took a step; I felt six inches taller.” The super-soft mud got everywhere – in seams of tents, in pockets and sleeping bags, in patrol boxes and stoves, in noses and ears.

Senior Patrol Leader Daniel Soski wrote about his experience in his college entrance essay:

As each person slipped and squished into the muddy ground, we rushed to take apart the tables, canopies and equipment stands that were still open. Once our campsite was sufficiently packed, everyone piled into the last standing tent to shield us from the rain. All still soaked, we huddled together in the tent and passed around a hand warmer, finally able to relax and marvel at our bonding opportunity. What happened that night took me by surprise, challenging me and requiring me to put my skills to use.

When dawn came, almost everyone had gone. Could T92 have left with the hundreds of other ROCstock participants? Yes, they could have, but no, they did not. Demonstrating true Scout Spirit, the Scoutmaster offered to help the ROCstock organizers Leave No Trace. As strong winds still blew, the Scouts rolled up all the wire, took down the launch stands, wound up the strings of flags, disassembled and packed the sound system. Very appreciative of the help, the organizers thanked Daniel, Reed, Tristan, Karcsi Toghia, Evan Engleking, Jon Burns, Duncan Martin, and leaders Soski, Potter, David Lichtman and Mike Yale.

ASM David Lichtman commented,

It was awesome to watch our Scouts cope with the weather, take everything in stride, and volunteer to go the extra mile to help the ROCstock organizers when they needed help the most. I was very proud of our Boy Scouts that day and I know that most of them learned and grew as a result of facing up to this challenge.

Everyone was tired, wet and hungry. They hit up a fast food joint in Apple Valley, filling the restroom sinks with mud washed off of hands and faces. Randy Potter recounted, “It is hard to express the amount of mud that was EVERYWHERE.” It was a character-building time of adversity, when friendships were forged and “A Scout is Helpful” was demonstrated. But with all of the mud, it was impossible to say “A Scout is Clean!”

Troop 92 attended the ROCtober 2013 weekend. Scouts Spencer Belkin, Dexter Carson, Keaton Daily, Sebastian Fernandez, Jacob Kritzer, Matthew Murphy, Bret Potter, Tom Smith, David Stepich, SM Jordan Brown and ASM Steve Belkin heard about the mud from ’08 veterans Norbert Soski, David Lichtman, Randy and Reed Potter. No rain this year, but plenty of lakebed dust and rocketry fun! Troop 92, active since 1949, meets at Northridge Park on Monday nights at 7 p.m. and is chartered by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post #2323 in Granada Hills.