A trip to the woods: Honorable Young Men Club takes camping trip with MDC help

Squinting down the shaft of his final arrow, 13-year-old Ketavion Dixon had already won.

But sibling rivalry ran deeper than the round-robin competition against the dozen or so other members of the Honorable Young Men Club. Ketavion wanted to beat his older brother, Keontae, for bragging rights.

As the final two left in the archery competition, the Dixons had already secured their prize: the privilege of sleeping in the cabin that night.

Maybe it was the thunderstorm squatting on the horizon, or maybe it was general unease, but for the club's inaugural outdoor weekend, hosted in conjunction with the Missouri Department of Conservation at the Castor River conservation area in Bollinger County, most of the honorable young men would have preferred to sleep indoors.

Bad weather had forced them inside the night before, and it would again for the second night of their stay, but the boys took to the rest of the activities with enthusiasm.

Derrick Clark, 12, laughs while trying to escape the grip of his friend Lemuel Gilbert, right, who was trying unsuccessfully to throw Clark into a pond.

Honorable Young Men Club co-president Kweku Arkorful said the trip, which included hiking, canoeing, archery and fishing, was intended to give the boys a chance to run around in the great outdoors that they might not otherwise have gotten this summer in Cape Girardeau.

Plus, working with the conservation department staff, he said, had helped many of the boys come to a deeper appreciation of nature; something he said is part of a well-rounded upbringing.

"I want them to take this knowledge and appreciation back with them and share it. I want them to be leaders, so that if they get back and see trash on the ground or something, they pick it up and lead by example," he said.

Cape Girardeau-based conservation agent Salvador Mondragon, who later led the group on a wade-fishing trip, said such education efforts are part of the Missouri Department of Conservation's mission.

"Our plan is to keep doing these," he said. "We didn't have any problem getting people to sign up, so we think this could become a regular thing."

Ketavion Dixon, right, hugs his older brother, Keontae, after the two faced off in the final round of an archery tournament.

The boys, for their part, seemed content to fish and canoe for as long as they could. Jeremiah Twiggs, 13, said it was a nice change of pace from Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau, where he sometimes fishes at home.

"So far, I've caught a sunfish, three bluegill and almost a catfish, but he got away," Twiggs said. "So I've done pretty good, I think."

Furthermore, Arkorful said, getting the boys outdoors, in an unfamiliar environment, was a good way to naturally foster teamwork between them.

And a little competition never hurt, either.

So when Ketavion Dixon loosed his final shaft, his aim was true. Just not as true as his big brother's. They hugged. "One man!" Arkorful yelled, commanding attention.

LEFT TOP: Keontae Dixon, left, shows off a minnow-sized smallmouth bass as Jimini Smoot, center, and Missouri Department of Conservation agent Salvador Mondragon, left, look on. LEFT BOTTOM: Malachi Smoot, 12, races down a gravel path ABOVE: Honorable Young Men Club co-president Kweku Arkorful, left, offers guidance to Malachi Smoot, center, as he tries archery.

"One voice," they responded in unison. Arkorful reminded the club members to personally shake the hands and thank each of the conservation agents who had instructed the archery lesson.

And then, much as they'd come, they were off again, laughing and sprinting up the gravel path, looking for the next adventure.