Eagle Scout leaves his mark on state park

Published 5:00 am Saturday, December 9, 2006

POULSBO — When Boy Scout Mitchell Heesacker chose his Eagle Scout project, he planned on almost everything except a crash course in overcoming one of Murphy’s laws: Whatever can go wrong will go wrong.

Building a horseshoe pit at Kitsap Memorial State Park in the wettest November on record was a daunting task in itself. But it was just one of the challenges Heesacker and Troop 1506 faced at the work site, teaching them all some valuable lessons in perseverance.

“We were going to build the fence with four-by-fours and four-by-sixes, but the park had just built some new fencing nearby, so ours had to match,” Heesacker said.

In his search for the log like fencing, he discovered that the closest provider was located in Monroe, which was a bit too far to travel for materials, he said.

But in a stroke of good luck, which carried the project through to completion, Heesacker said Viking Fence stepped in with the proper materials a mere two weeks before his planned start date. James Lumber also aided in the effort.

“My troop has an outing there every November, so I was planning on doing it when the entire troop was there,” he said.

With one major issue resolved, Heesacker encountered yet another show stopper as only one corner post was delivered, leaving him to find another way to keep his project on schedule. Fortunately, one of the troop’s adult assistants Gary Lassiter was able to manufacture usable posts from the materials Heesacker had on site.

Then if that weren’t enough for a 15-year-old to handle, Mother Nature entered the picture as cool temperatures and heavy rains dominated the construction site.

“We actually had an aquatic construction area, but it turned out to be a good thing,” Heesacker said.

The pit’s location once served as a volleyball court, which over the years had taken on concrete-like characteristics, he said.

The heavy rains soften the hardpan and made the post installation easier and also helped solidify the foundations once the soil dried, he said. Once construction kicked into high gear, Heesacker faced another challenge as one of the younger Scouts began complaining about losing feeling in his feet.

“Me and another Scout took him to one of the Rangers and they opened up one of the halls, so people could get warm and dry,” he said.

For Heesacker’s parents, Mike and Diane, their son’s unflappability and uncanny ability to overcome all of the obstacles thrown his way was nothing short of extraordinary.

“If you can adapt to obstacles and overcome them, that’s the mark of a Scout,” Mike said.

Diane said she is pleased with the way her son took things on his shoulders and didn’t complain.

“He handled it all on his own, and we’re very proud of him,” she said.