Now that 2012 is here, we only have about 18 months until we meet in West Virginia for the first-ever national Scout jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve.
If you have been reading my monthly blogs since October, you know that my name is Russell Smart and I am the volunteer team leader for all program activities at the 2013 jamboree.
Each month’s blog contains information about another part of our world-class program experience that is going to be more diverse, more intense, higher energy and more physically challenging than ever before.
For the past 3 months, my posts have been about a brand new program feature for the jamboree at the Summit – the “Jamboree Trek” to Garden Ground Mountain. Each unit will have a day scheduled for their trek, on which your unit will go with an Order of the Arrow guide on a 3- to 4-mile hike on one of several trails from your campsite to the Garden Ground. Garden Ground is the “summit” of the Summit and has several very large open areas where our participants will participate in a variety of interesting and engaging program activities.
Check the last two months’ blogs for information about the OA Indian Village and Pioneering.
Activities At The Summit
This month we focus on buckskin and highland games. At past jamborees, buckskin games were part of regional action center activities. But on top of Garden Ground Mountain, these games will be expanded and will include a new area called highland games.
In these areas, you will have the chance to shoot black powder rifles, throw tomahawks, toss a caber, put a Summit brand on just about anything, and do many other fun and challenging activities. The staff working in these areas will be in period costumes and can answer questions about what it was like to live “back in the pioneer days” when America was still expanding on our western frontier.
Want more?
Stay tuned, because next month we’ll start chatting about the many high-adventure activity areas that will be new to the Summit. In the meantime, look for special Summit jamboree program patches in your local Scout shop related to each month’s blog. And we would love feedback from you anytime about anything related to the jamboree program.