By: Juan Pablo Gutiérrez-Alzate @elmiquitojpg
It was during a hard walk that was supposed to end in the Snowed Volcano El Ruiz, a very traditional and iconic Hill of the Coffee Region in Colombia. At the middle of the walk, between Manizales and El Ruiz, it was a peaceful place, very crowded from time to time, as we have checked several times the Group went there: La Gruta.
This was not a particularly different day from the others. A sunny Saturday, previous to my Birthday. That’s how It begun. We went to the area of Gallinazo, the usual star point, and with some tenderfoots among the participants we had to establish a working method: The Scout Leaders in the back, the Rover in Service in the Troop ahead with the most experts in walking outdoors ahead.
The Rover in Service, the Patrol’s Guide and one of the tenderfoots arrived to La Gruta about at 2:45 PM. Then they get into the thermal waters, perfect to get strength back, after a 5 hours walk, and before other 5 o 6 hours of walk ahead.
About 45 minutes later, the rest of the Troop arrived. We were 14 guys, boys and men, from 11 to 15 the Scouts, and 19 to 25 the Leaders. The Patrol’s Guide and the Rover in Service decided not to come back to La Gruta, but the other 12 decided to get into it. It was, until then, a very pleasant place, it was maybe my 4th time there.
We went to an upper farm about 750 mts. ahead, where we ate a typical food of Colombia named “Aguapanela” (A sweet beverage) with Cheese. Being there it started raining and the farm’s owner arrived sopping all around. He changed his wet clothes in front of us, but suddenly, his face changed and a terror look took place. He yelled “A landslide, a landslide!!!” looking to the place where we left the troop about 20 minutes ago.
We look at each other, and instinctively started running in direction to La Gruta. We only found a huge slime trail and when we were going to get into La Gruta, we heard a lame scream, it was the Troop’s Sub-Chief, who was with the boys and with the Chief, and miraculously came out of the morass that seconds ago was a clear and peaceful river. Another yell “Where are my children?!, Look for my children!!”. He meant the Boys who, as you can already assume, were no longer alive.
It was a terrible tragedy, it made a great impact in the lives of all of those who had anything to do. Their Families, the School (www.colsenora.edu.co) , the Scout Group, Scouting in Colombia, the three “survivors”...
As the famous song says, The Show Must Go On, and now, with a wide view of the happenings of that day, we can say we have kept their Spirit alive, fulfilling with Scouting responsibilities in the groups, the local area, the NSO and in WOSM. We remember them with joy, thanking God, as one of their parents said, “because they died doing good things, working for being better, demanding themselves… We are sure they are in heaven”. Yes we are!
In loving memory of Juan Manuel, Óscar Andrés, Luis Felipe, David Sebastián, Jorge Iván, Johan Sebastián, Leonardo, Juan Camilo, David, Andrés Eduardo and Edgar Ricardo, in the 9th anniversary of their death.
Please guys, Pray for Us!
Juan Pablo Gutiérrez-Alzate
Originally published in www.scout.org
http://www.scout.org/sites/default/files/scout_news/In%20Loving%20Memory_0.pdf
