More from the Summit Blog

Updates From Team Summit: OA Indian Village

Jamboree at the Summit will deliver a world-class program experience – more diverse, more intense, higher energy and more physically challenging than ever before. My name is Russell Smart, and I am the volunteer team leader for all program activities at the 2013 National Scout Jamboree.

Each month, the Summit blog will feature one of the program elements that will be offered at the 2013 Jamboree. This month, it’s one of the many brand new program features for the Summit Jamboree: the “Jamboree Trek” to Garden Ground Mountain.

OA Indian Village
OA Indian Village on Garden Ground Mountain will feature tepees and other type lodges, plus Native American costume, regalia, dances, crafts and games. (Photo by boboroshi/Flickr Creative Commons)

On each of 5 days during the jamboree, the units in 4 of our 20 subcamps will participate in this activity. Each unit will be met at breakfast by an Order of the Arrow (OA) guide who will accompany them on a hike on one of several trails from their campsite to the Garden Ground.

These trails are moderate hikes of about 3-4 miles with an elevation change of about 1,000 feet, and should take no more than 2 ½ hours. Garden Ground is the “summit of the Summit” and has several very large open areas where participants will find a variety of interesting and engaging programs. Everyone will bring their lunch with them to eat on top of the mountain. Then, at the end of the day, on the way back to camp, there will be a BBQ dinner for everyone to share.

One of the Garden Ground Mountain programs is the OA Indian Village. This feature has been a part of our national jamborees for many years, but never before has it been located in such a fantastic setting! There will be lots of tepees and other type lodges, plus American Indian outfits, regalia, dances, crafts and games. Members of the Order of the Arrow will serve as the staff for this event, and it is sure to be the best ever.

Next month, we’ll look at another of the Garden Ground Mountain program features. 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.

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