Patriots' Path Council 2013 National Scout Jamboree Contingent Troop B410 comprises 36 youth and 4 adults from across New Jersey and nearby Pennsylvania. The hometowns of the Scouts include Clark, Cranford, Flanders, Hillsborough, Hopatcong, Kenilworth, Linden, Sussex, Union, Westfield, and Wharton, NJ and Bangor, PA. In the last day prior to departure, the Scouts are reviewing their packing lists and ensuring they include all of the equipment and clothes that will be required for their 10-day adventure. This blog is intended to chronicle the Troop's participation in the Jamboree.
In the meantime, I will provide a little bit of a background on the Jamboree.
Held once every four years, the national Scout jamboree draws tens of thousands of Scouts, Venturers, volunteers, and staff from all over the country to celebrate Scouting. The 10-day event helps prepare our nation’s youth to face and overcome challenges, while providing them with the opportunity to camp out, meet new friends, try high-adventure activities, learn new skills, work on merit badges, and enjoy the outdoors.
The first jamboree was held in 1937 and was attended by more than 27,000 Scouts who camped on the National Mall under the Washington Monument. Since that time, the Boy Scouts of America has held 17 national jamborees, with the most recent in 2010 at Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia.
The 2013 jamboree is the first to be held at the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve—the jamboree’s new permanent home in the wilderness of West Virginia. Approximately 30,000 Scout and Venturing participants and 7,000 staff and adult leaders are expected to attend the 2013 jamboree. During the course of the event, up to 50,000 visitors may attend. It will preserve the best of jamboree traditions while creating new ones. Other exciting changes for the jamboree’s inaugural year at the Summit include:
- Increased diversity. The 2013 jamboree isn’t just for Boy Scouts and Varsity Scouts. Beginning in 2013, Venturers are able to participate as well, which means this is the first year that girls will be participating in the national Scout jamboree.
- Elevated intensity and energy. The Summit’s high-adventure activities will make the 2013 jamboree more intense and will give it a higher energy level than previous jamborees reinforce the BSA’s commitment to the physical wellness. It will challenge Scouts with programs like BMX, climbing, whitewater rafting, hiking, and gliding along one of the longest and fastest zip line courses in North America – The Big Zip, which boasts five parallel zip lines spanning more than 3,000 feet!
Located in the New River Gorge region of West Virginia, the Summit sits on 10,600 acres of forested mountains adjacent to more than 70,000 acres of the New River Gorge National River area. Opened in 2013, the Summit hosts the Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base, the Boy Scouts of America’s fourth national high-adventure base, complementing the organization’s three other highadventure bases: Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, Northern Tier in Minnesota, and Florida Sea Base in Florida. More InformationTo learn more about the 2013 National Scout Jamboree, visit https://summit.scouting.org
