By Brandon Kelly
The 2013 National Scout Jamboree was filled with tons of new aspects: everything from the innovative activities, such as the zip lines and white water rafting, to the awesome location, The Summit Bechtel Reserve. The Order of the Arrow played a few new roles too; one of which was the Order of the Arrow Trek Guide program.
More than 200 Arrowmen served as Trek Guides during the Jamboree. On each of the five program days, the guides led a unit to the top of Garden Ground Mountain, the summit of The Summit. Once at the top, units would take part in many different programs, including Buckskin Games, Highland Games, the OA Indian Village, Lewis and Clark demonstrations, and much more. But getting units to the top of Garden Ground Mountain was only the beginning of the Trek Guide experience.
As an OA Trek Guide, I was up and getting ready for the day at 5:00am and would hike to my assigned unit's campsite to meet and greet them at 7:00am for the hike that was ahead. When the unit was done cleaning up breakfast and ready to go, we began our hike to one of the most beautiful locations of SBR. Each day, more than 8,000 Scouts and Scouters experienced Garden Ground Mountain. I guided my unit to the trailhead, located in Camp Alpha, to start the journey up one of the four trails to the top of the mountain.
I would take frequent water breaks to make sure that my unit was staying hydrated during the hike. During the breaks I would discuss one of four topics during a trail talk. Typically, the trail talks focused on sustainability, wetland conservation, OA history and Leave No Trace. I would always end the last trail talk by sharing a poem with my unit as my own little spin on things. Shortly after the last trail talk we would reach the top of Garden Ground Mountain and the Scouts and Scouters were free to enjoy the rest of their day while the Trek Guides assisted other program areas with any and all staffing needs.
Without a doubt, the Trek Guide staff did an outstanding job assisting in the success of the 2013 National Scout Jamboree by completing an extraordinary grand total of 12,240 service hours. Also, the Order of the Arrow Trek Guides hiked a lot -- racking up a total of 24,235 miles, almost the entire circumference of the earth!