The Olympics of scouting

Boy scouts are known for outdoor adventures that take them away from home, but this year a group from Huntington Beach and Orange County went a bit further than usual. Not only were they crossing creeks and streams, but they were also bridging international borders. More than 100 scouts and adult leaders from Orange County, including a troop based in Huntington Beach, flew to the birthplace of scouting in Hyland Park, Chelmsford, England, for the 21st World Scout Jamboree earlier this month. The international celebration, held every four years, marked a century of the scouting movement, and put hometown scouts into contact with teens from dozens of countries.

The boys ages 14 to 17 spent their days and nights with counterparts from countries all over the world, said Rusty Carter, scoutmaster for World Jamboree Troop 403.

“They camped and lived with each other,” he said. “We had Iceland camping next to us. Ireland, Switzerland, Sudan, Nigeria, Belgium, Russia and the Netherlands were all within shouting distance. We ate together and lived together for 11 days.”

At the same time, talking to scouts from other countries made local scouts learn just how lucky they are, he added.

“Some of these countries had heck of a time just getting to Jamboree,” he said.

A big hit among the scouts of all countries was trading their patches, said scout John Kauppi, 16.

“By far the hottest activity is patch trading, or badge swapping in the English,” Kauppi wrote in an e-mail while in England. “Many of our scouts are trying to collect sets, which various countries have created to encourage collecting and exchange.”

The many events of the Jamboree celebrate Lord Robert Baden-Powell’s founding of scouting in 1907.

When not swapping and collecting, the scouts were involved in constant activity, celebrating 100 years of their movement, enjoying the outdoors, Carter said.

“It was truly an international experience,” he said. “The best way to describe it would be the Olympics of scouting.”