The Elements Of Fun

Today the guys worked and learned at the "Elements Program" activity. They performed exercises with fire, air, water, and earth.

A bit about the daily routine. In the mornings I get up before anyone. It is very quite. You might hear an occasional latrine door slam or some Scouts going to get breakfast. No one says much. Then we start cooking and reading our daily newspaper. We say a blessing, eat breakfast, fix our lunch to go, pack up, and head out for a full day.

In the evenings it gets loud. Really loud! We go and get out supper ration, prepare it, maybe a meal swap with another Troop, and then,... it is party time! There are so many different activities the Scouts can do. There are bands, international groups performing, but my favorite are the Scouts showing off their local talents. Some of these groups are wonderful.

We usually have a Troop meeting at 10:45 pm and go to bed at 11:00.

Asleep at 11:01!

Back To Gilwell

Today we spent the whole day in Gillwell Park. It was awesome!

Now I would assume Gillwell is usually a nice quite place with a lot of monuments and memories. It wasn't today.

The music was cranked up, a big screen flashing Scout scenes, and enough challenges to keep everyone hopping.

There were several adults who didn't appreciate the ill reverence, but I liked it, the guys loved it, and I think it would have made Baden Powell smile!

Trash Talk

Today we had our first program element and it was TRASH!

There were 4 basic parts in the program. "Knowledge" included dividing up into different international groups and answering questions about waste and recycling via a computer program. "Music" was where they got to beat on cans and other trash items to make a band. "Art" made you think and use some interesting rubbish to make something beautiful. "Challenge" made them use common junk to make a bridge and launch balls.

The afternoon was open and everyone visited different sections of the site such as Global World Development, Faiths, and World Villages.

There is more to do than you can imagine. It keeps everyone busy and smiling!

Let's Get This Party Started

Things are not very well organized here. We really don't know what we are doing next. What we do know, has changed several times. It would frustrate most people, but this is the biggest party I've ever attended!

Today we had the Opening Ceremony. We lined up at 10:00 am and the show finally started at 1:30 pm. And what a SHOW it was! Parachutists, a national flag parade and cheers, HRH Duke of Kent (President of the UK Scout Association) and HRH Prince William were there too. HRH Elizabeth R. sent her congrats!

There are around 40,000 Scouts and leaders here from 158 different countries. It sure was awe inspiring to give the Scout Sign and repeat the Scout Law along side all of them.

One of our Scouts, Nathan Watson from Shawnee Trails Council was selected as one of the two representatives from the BSA's 4,000 contingent to go to Brownsea Island on Sunrise Day August 1st. Nathan is freaking and we are all very proud!

Move It In, Set It Up

We arrived at our site today around 11:00 am. Our home for the next week or so is the Mountain Hub - Glacier Sub Camp.

The weather here is nice. Cool and windy. Kind of like Mckee in October.

We got everything hand packed in, set up tents and tarps, and had a quick lunch. Everyone is socializing and trading patches and neckerchiefs.

Ireland and France are our next door neighbors. At lights out, the Irish go to sleep. The French just get louder. Our tents are so tight, that there is barely a 12 inch walkway. So it is tough to get some sack time.

We'll sleep later. The whole world really is here to Scout and have a good time!

On The Road Again

Today was our final day of touring and we hit it hard! It was cool with some rain today, but that didn't stop us. A couple of things that I've noticed over here: The streets are small and narrow. The caution lights flash before the light turns green. They drive on the wrong side of the road. The drivers are very courteous (more so than we are!). The Police cars have the strangest paint jobs. They offered us tomatoes and baked beans with breakfast. The British are obsessed with the Simpsons.

We hit Saint Paul's Cathedral, drove by Parliament and Big Ben, toured West Minster Abby, walked by Buckingham Palace and ate lunch in Green Park, went through the shop at Hard Rock London, quickly zipped through The National Gallery (art), drove through Piccadilly Circus (like down town NYC!), Soho, theater district, and China Town, and spent the last part of the day at the wonderful British Museum (history).

We really got a good dose of Jamboree Spirit today. Scouts from other countries would ride by on buses, while yelling and waving hello to us. We talked to Scouts from Poland, Japan, South Korea, Belgium, and the UK today and the Jamboree doesn't even start until tomorrow.

All of us "Hill Scouts" are tired this evening, but we are starting to realize that this is really going to be wonderful!

Road Trip

Out early this morning to down town London and our first stop is the Tower of London. Amazing place. We board a boat and head down the River Thames to Greenwich Park. We eat lunch and visit the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Observatory. We got to stand on the Prime Meridian of the World at 0.0.0 degrees.

Nicholas Cage and Company are set up on the hill at the Observatory. Seems like they are filming "National Treasures II".

Nick said to say "Howdy"!!

Touch Down In England

We land in London around 9:00 am, their time is 5 hours ahead of us. We unload, easily go through Customs, and are whisked away to visit Windsor. It is a very nice little town. The architecture is so old and so different.

We got to visit Eton School, where William and Harry attended. After a box lunch in a local park, we visited Windsor Castle. It is unbelievable!

We are staying at the Conference Hertfordshire de Havilland. We each have our own dorm room and shower.

It is hard to figure out which is hot and cold water!

Leaving On A Jet Plane

We leave Pikeville at 11:00 am and make it to Cincy Airport a little after 3:00 pm.

Of course we had to stop and eat lunch at the Clay City Dairy Queen, "The Official Fuel Stop for Hill Scouts"!

After a brief meeting, a bunch of pictures, and a lot of good lucks and good byes, we finally leave for England, a little after 8:00.

I swallow an allergy pill after supper and go to sleep!

Meet The World

I believe this picture speaks volumes.

I'll try and update our adventures while we are over in jolly old England. Computers are limited, so if I don't get to it every day, I will come back and add pictures and stories later.

Stay tuned,...

Before I leave, I would like to thank Kelly Hampton, our Scout Executive for giving me the opportunity to lead these Scouts. A big Scout Salute to the Southern Region and the National Office for their leadership. Finally, I really appreciate all of our parents and family members that have trusted me enough to send their son to this once in a lifetime event.

Boys. Let's go to England and meet the world!

All Packed And Ready To Go

All of the meetings are done. The pre-WJ Camp Out was great. All of the patches are sewn on. 100% of the payments have been made. Passports, paper work, and medical forms are in, copied, and filed.

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go. A little tight, but I'm ready. Don told me earlier this week that his duffel bag weighed over 50 lbs. Mine only came in at 35 lbs.

I am taking a lot of stuff to trade, maybe that is why my bag is so light. The way I figure it, I can wash underwear and T-shirts, but I can't "swap badges", if I don't have any ammunition!

Everyone say a prayer today for Joe Ball. Joe is our senior ASM for World. He has been around Scouting for a really long time and this trip was going to be his last, before retiring from Scoutmaster from his Troop in Shepherdsville.

Joe sent me an email last night saying that his doctor wanted to see him this morning and may have to go to the hospital.

Update: I have some sad news to report. Our second assistant Scoutmaster Joe Ball has been hospitalized with pneumonia and the doctor will not release him to join us on Monday. We have a back up leader in place, John Scott-he played the bagpipes at the pre jamboree campout-who is a jamboree staff member, can help us out. John is on the same flight as us going over. We are doing what we can to have Joe come over when he is better and then return home with us. Joe has been a Scoutmaster for 40 years and deserves this trip more than anyone, so keep him in your prayers for his quick recovery so he can join us.

What's For Supper?

Breakfast
Cereals, milk, sugar, orange juice, tea, coffee, bread, margarine, jam

Plus: Hot: Bacon and egg or Cold: Sliced ham, tomatoes or Rice based: Long grain rice, egg, onion

Vegan: Those on vegan diets will receive an alternative to the bacon and egg

Lunch
Bread & margarine, cheese, tomato, chicken roll, chocolate bar, crisps, apple, drink

Vegan: Chickpea and red pepper

A bottle of water will be issued with the first lunch, which Participants should keep and refill throughout the event

Dinner
Soup, Minced beef, butter beans, chopped tomatoes, onion, mixed herbs, garden peas.

Choice of potatoes, rice or pasta. Bread & margarine
Stewed apple, custard,
Orange squash (concentrate), tea, coffee

Hmmmm.

Hik-Hik-Hik

There will be 16 sub camps at the World Scout Jamboree, and Mountain Hub - Glacier will be our home for 12 days.

Sub Camp Mascot: Peregrine Falcon

What lives on a mountain glacier? The very question we asked when choosing our mascot. Our answer - the Peregrine Falcon. A bird of prey that is an endangered species, the Peregrine Falcon lives in mountainous regions and river valleys – formed, of course, by Glaciers. Our logo shows a falcon preparing to dive, with its famous ‘hunting dive’. The Falcon was one of the original patrol names used by BP. BP gave the Falcon patrol the cry "hik-hik-hik". Be a Glacier falcon, dive (stoop) to the ground with your arms out giving the cry "hik-hik-hik".

Some Falcon trivia:

The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest creature on the planet in its hunting dive, reaching in excess of 320 km/h (200mph). The Falcon and the Island of Malta, home of our illustrious Sub camp leader. The Mediterranean Peregrine Falcon, in this context known as the Maltese Falcon, was the annual rent required by Holy Roman Emperor Charles V when he donated the Island of Malta to the Knights Hospitaller in 1530.

Countries Staying Here:
Belgium, Belize, Brazil inc Uruguay, Chile, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilies, Poland, Portugal, Russian Federation, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Scouts of China, Trinidad, UK, USA.

Cool. Very cool!

Just 7 More Days

This is from Russell Smart, our Southern Region WJ Chairman:

SCOUTMASTER’S LAST MINUTE: Well guys, this is it…the "last minute" from your old Southern Region Chairman. The above logo, common to Scouts all around the world, is the crest of the World Organization of Scouting Movement. It is the universal symbol of your brotherhood and camaraderie with over 28 million boys and girls, men and women who share membership in the largest youth movement on earth. Yes, we have differences in language, custom, race, and religion….but for almost two weeks you will forget all about these barriers as you discover the much more important common bond of friendship and service.
My hope is that I have been able to stir in you an anticipation that will literally consume you as our departure date approaches. This experience can be the summit of your Scouting career. I say "can be" because the rest is up to you. Each Scout and each leader will have his or her own most special moments during the magical time of jamboree. Yours will be unique to you. Maybe it will be a special friendship, an exciting event, an unforgettable ceremony, or an unusual meal. Who knows? All I know is that if you are ready and open your mind and heart to the possibilities, it will happen for you as it has for thousands and thousands of Scouts from all over the world in the twenty previous World Jamborees.
Your unit leaders and I have shared with you our dreams and a few of the special moments from Jamborees of the past. But there is no way to show you the "Jamboree Spirit" that Baden-Powell started in 1920. If you are ready, it will surround you, overwhelm you, and finally consume you as you pass through the gateway to the 21st World Scout Jamboree in Hylands Park, Chelmsford England on July 27th.
Once again and finally, thank you for letting me share this magical experience with you. Parents, all of us will "do our best" to care for your sons and daughters as if they were our own. In one sense, I guess that they are. I can hardly wait!!!

34.6 Miles

I didn't break my record of last year. I would have, but I needed some time to think.

I'll break through the 40 mile mark next year.

We were all proud of ASM Hugh B. Hall. Hugh B. is an energetic 65 year old, but had been having some serious foot pain in the past. I was particularly worried about him and all of the walking at McKee.

He did great and walked quite a bit more than I did.

By the way, if you notice the nice new sign for the William J. Baird Memorial Amphitheatre, you can thank Hugh B., Ralph Mullins, and Gary Ousley. Mr. Baird (Silver Beaver 1959) was from Pikeville and his son Charles (Silver Beaver 2005) is our Committee Chairman.

Day 5

We had 3.1 inches of rain last night according to Dan "The Weather Man". Dan is an honorary member of Troop 12. He has been with us every year and is great to camp with.

The sun is back out and amazingly no one's stuff got to wet.

Rex McNulty won the Scoutmaster's Golf Tournament with a 10 on the par 15. I cut the stick. Hugh B. and Dan worked on the club all week. We were like kids!

Rex can't wait to defend his title next year and is even talking about going to Wood Badge. I told him he could go, if he was in the Eagle Patrol and not a stinking Bob White!

Day 4

We do Polar Bear! It is not an option.

I can remember when I was a Scout, our Scoutmaster would make us go and it was a blast. Some things never change.

We had a good day. Jim Swinford's Troop always does a great 4th of July celebration at lunch.

We were invited over to Alan and C. Watts' house for a cook out and some of Tripp's inventive fireworks. A good time was had by all and it beats foil packs any day.

A lot of rain and some heavy lightning tonight.

Day 3

There are actually 2 patches this year. The yellow 2007 is for Boy Scouts and the blue 2007 is for Cub Scouts.

I am really impressed with the 4 new Scouts this year. No one is homesick and they really seem excited about their Merit Badge classes.

I am at the Trading Post everyday at 3:00 for an ice cream cone. Something that I have done faithfully every day, every year.

Hoggman and Smiley have developed commentary about the "Amanda 400". It is a NASCAR style race to see who sets next to Amanda during meals and such.

I have to run off Staff and put the older Scouts to bed at 11:00. The socialization is something new this year and is a good thing.

Day 2

Everything is great! This is the largest group we have ever taken. 11 Scouts, 4 Leaders, and Dan "The Weather Man".

We look sharp in our neckerchiefs, even though everyone complains that they are hot.

All of the Merit Badge classes are super. COPE and BSA Lifeguard is challenging our older Scouts.

Week #4, Day 1

It is a beautiful sight to pull up to Lake Vough and start reading the Scout Law signs.

We get checked in after an half hour delay. We had a flat on the trailer. Med check, swim test, and the Bill Gay dinning arrangement speech. (Don't wear a hat in Stamler!)

The campfire is great. Everyone is excited!