Did you miss me?
You may have noticed that I mysteriously stopped posting for a couple of days.
I've been camping!
I came on as a last-minute substitute when another leader was unexpectedly hospitalised, and whizzed off to Gilwell 24 with a small group of our Explorer Scouts.
It's an awesome event for teenage scouts - from 09:00 Saturday, to 09:00 Sunday, 24 hours of non-stop activities without the requirement of sleep. Four thousand Explorer Scouts took up the challenge, and almost all of them managed a full 24 hours of extreme Scouting.
Add to that a month's rain in about 20 hours, giving liquid mud on the scale of Glastonbury, it's hardly a surprise that every single Explorer fell asleep on the train home.
Because my standing-in was very short notice, none of my electronics were properly charged, but I did get a few snaps of the atmosphere before my iPod completely died.
I have never been so wet or so dirty on a camping trip, and I was taking it easy - it's the first time I've been forced to pack my tent away wet and muddy at the end of a camp.
If you're a Scout or an Explorer, and will be over 13½ next July, why not take up the challenge yourself?
If you fancy taking part, offering an activity, or otherwise getting involved in next year's event, they are already taking comments and ideas. If you're not in Scouting, and didn't realise it was so awesome (or that girls are allowed at any age), then why not think about joining?
(As an aside, I'd never seen Rock-It-Ball being played before. Looks fun.)
I've been camping!
I came on as a last-minute substitute when another leader was unexpectedly hospitalised, and whizzed off to Gilwell 24 with a small group of our Explorer Scouts.
It's an awesome event for teenage scouts - from 09:00 Saturday, to 09:00 Sunday, 24 hours of non-stop activities without the requirement of sleep. Four thousand Explorer Scouts took up the challenge, and almost all of them managed a full 24 hours of extreme Scouting.
- 3G Swing
- Archery
- Bushcraft Zone
- Bouldering
- Campfire
- Climbing (Outdoor rock and revolving wall)
- Craft zone
- Crate stacking
- Disco
- Fairground
- Flying Trapeze
- Geocaching
- Giant games
- Gilwell gauntlet
- Global Zone - including Shelterbox
- High ropes course
- Laser Clay Pigeon Shooting
- Mountain boarding
- Orienteering
- Outdoor arena
- Quad Bikes
- Outdoor Woodland Quaser
- Raft Racing / Boat Racing
- Rifle Shooting Competition
- Scavenger hunt
- Scuba Diving
- Slacklining
- Speed climbing
- Segways
- Simulators
- Technology zone
- Water rockets
- Assault Course
- Car driving
- Go Karts
- Power Boking
- Inflatables
- Fire Building
- Fishing
- Military Activity Team
- Speed Stacking
- Caving
- Zorbing
Add to that a month's rain in about 20 hours, giving liquid mud on the scale of Glastonbury, it's hardly a surprise that every single Explorer fell asleep on the train home.
Because my standing-in was very short notice, none of my electronics were properly charged, but I did get a few snaps of the atmosphere before my iPod completely died.
I have never been so wet or so dirty on a camping trip, and I was taking it easy - it's the first time I've been forced to pack my tent away wet and muddy at the end of a camp.
If you're a Scout or an Explorer, and will be over 13½ next July, why not take up the challenge yourself?
If you fancy taking part, offering an activity, or otherwise getting involved in next year's event, they are already taking comments and ideas. If you're not in Scouting, and didn't realise it was so awesome (or that girls are allowed at any age), then why not think about joining?
(As an aside, I'd never seen Rock-It-Ball being played before. Looks fun.)
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and too old for zorbing.
A
I wonder what the "car driving" is all about? I did that this morning (technically). :P
that you are a very young minded person indeed :)
A
My 18 year old son would say it was a compliment as long as you meant my mind. Unfortunately, I don't "feel" so young anymore... :(
Lake Tahoe
Remember the intrepid inventors making egg survival capsules
for 3 floor drops :-?
L
What is Zorbing?
Power Boking?
Global Zone - including Shelterbox?
Other that those odd ones,It looked like it was lots of fun!
Hmm I wonder if anyone made it past 24hrs of no sleep and complete exhaustion...
Anyways, it seems like you have plenty of fun too, Kiteman!
It's a pity there isn't really anything like this in the States, I would have loved something like this when I was younger... oh,well...
"Power boking" is apparently what you do when you are wearing powerisers.
The "Global Zone" was a series of stalls intended to educate the scouts about global issues, like water scarcity and disaster relief (hence the Shelterbox charity).
Quite a few (over half? more?) of the Scouts made it through the full 24 hours - I didn't try, sleeping through the 6+ hours of solid rain overnight - there were a lot of very groggy faces in the 24 hour cafe when I was having a fried breakfast, and quite an amusing incident on the 3G swing at about 7am, where a young man turned out to be sleep-walking, and woke up just as the release was pulled...
...
Though that might be just the prefect "alarm' for me.... or at least something similar... Darn it though! I don't NEED more ideas! I don't even have one of my current Projects In Progress (PIP's as I call them), anywhere near being completed!
It sounds like a blast. I can be over 13 1/2 next year!!! :)
Maybe next year.