Alaskans and the Boy Scouts
Matthew Nicolai a youngster growing up in the village of Kwethluk on the Kuskokwim River joined the Boy Scouts. Among the Scouting requirements was a completion of a five-mile hike.
Matthew's mother signed the parental permission slip for the outing but said she couldn't understand what the hike was supposed to prove. Yupik Eskimos routinely walk many miles in pursuit of fish and game -- But why would anyone trek five miles and intentionally come back empty handed?
((From the book "Moose Dropping and Other Crimes Against Nature" By Tom Brennan)
