Fremont Pathfinders

To all Pathfinders attending Wilson’s Creek:
 
As the date for registration has past, and though still a month out, it is time to begin coordination and to make arrangements for travel.  Of our 15 registered personel (12 troops and 3 civilians), we have already lost Phil due to his work screwing him over yet again, so we are down to 11 soldiers, yet if anyone not registered changes their mind you can substitute for Phil, but this will have to be handled on a first come, first serve basis.  Likewise, we will be joined by at least 3-4 outsiders who will serve with us during the campaign (three from 2nd IA Cavalry, and possibly one guy all the way from GA!!!???).
 
For Phil he had no choice, but let me reiterate the importance of still going.  If you told me to register you even though you have no intention of going, and I find out about it, then I’m very disappointed.  The Fremont Pathfinders is not that kind of unit, when we say we are attending we hold true to our word and follow thru.  Yes this is just a hobby, but the unit is counting on you to attend because you said you were.  Like I said for Twin Rivers last fall, we may think pretty highly of ourselves as a unit in this region, but that counts for little when we can’t follow thru with dedication and pride in our attendance and participation.  And we all agree that after Stand of Ticks, if you dont have numbers you don’t have a say!!!  I fully realize things come up, plans change, s*** happens, and if you have to pull out then do so, but do it for the right reasons.  And I can already sense some of your thoughts in a way, yes this heat sucks, things aren’t getting any cheaper, and we have all kinds of events coming up this fall, plenty of reasons to find excuses to not go.  But this is a 150th, truly once in a lifetime, and you WILL miss out!!!  Yes, lots of hard work, time and money involved, but trust me it is all worth it, nationals truly have a way of reminding you why you got involved in this hobby in the first place.  Believe me, it is no pleasure to be this pushy and I never like twisting arms off, but our record of minimul attendance this year has left me concerned, and I’ve come to realize my inadequacy as an officer and leader in dropping the ball on motivation to get people to show up, something I want to start changing around.  Otherwise I’d better step down and someone else can take charge.  I would ask everyone going to keep everyone else honest in their opinions/thoughts on Wilson’s Creek and keep each other fired up on attending!!!  I will now get off the soap box and move on.
 
Randy and Jordan Beaton (along with Jackie) will already be down there a week ahead of us on their vacation, so they have their own travel arranged.  Likewise, Paul and Wanda DauSchmidt will have the ability to make their own way down if need be as they are considerably closer than the rest of us up here in NE, IA.  This means we need to get at least 10 people and 4 horses transported from the Fremont/Omaha area, along with all our gear and camp.  I of course will be transporting the horses along with all the saddlery and tack, and should have enough room to take all our camp gear/tentage.  Four can ride in my truck comfortably, five can fit but would be kinda crammed, Matt Solon has offered his van to get people down there, and he can accomodate 6-7 people pretty easily, so two vehicles should get us down there and back.  As far as gas money, I will speak on Matt’s behalf that anyone riding with him should do their part/share in contributing to transportation expenses.  For my part, yes my vehicle will take more gasoline to get down there and back, and I do not ask anyone who rides with me to pay a “fair share” but simply give what they can afford.  Whenever I go someplace with horses, WHENEVER, I always be sure to have enough funds on hand to pay the trip myself, and if I get help it is appreciated and welcome.  I know there are no problems here as everyone has always done their part to help out.  And above all on horses, get those Coggins Tests and health papers ready (LoL, which I know this really only applies to me, Bill, and Paul)!!!
 
So, after reading through all of that, what I need from you is WHEN can you leave, time and date off work, Wednesday evening, Thursday morning, all that?  Afterwards, we will need to know WHERE can we all meet up to carpool and start down, Fremont, Omaha, suggestions?  And when does everyone need to be back, Sunday night, Monday morning?  When all this is determined, I will issue further info on options or what I think will be best for departure, and I will want your input/opinion.  Let’s get on this people so we have all the time we need to prepare for this!  For all of you going, I’m proud to call myself a Pathfinder and whether serving beside you or leading you into action, nothing will ever change my opinion of this organization!
 
Lt. Shaaaaane “Ice Cream” Johnson