Willistown Troop 78                                

High Adventure

 

Algonquin Provincial Park, Ontario Canada

The troop has a long history of annual trips, dating back to the 1960s, to Algonquin in Canada for backcountry canoeing.  Algonquin is the largest park in Canada, covering 3000 square miles and including 2400 lakes and 600 miles of streams and rivers.

The scouts and leaders spend a week each summer canoeing in the park.  The group designs the route they will take, including lake and river paddling and portaging between lakes.  The scouts hone their outdoor skills: canoeing, hiking, cooking, all while following the tenants of Leave No Trace, no-impact backcountry camping.

 

Sea Base, Islamorada Florida

The scouts and leaders spend a week in the Florida Keys scuba diving on reefs and shipwrecks.  The scouts and leaders take scuba certification training in advance of the trip.  Each crew decides its daily activities, with several dives per day, exploring the wonders of the deep.  Many different and varied ocean creatures, corals, and plants, with bright colors are on display in nature’s underwater wonderland.

 

Kandersteg International Scout Centre, Switzerland

Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC) is the global center of the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM). The Centre began in 1923 with Lord Baden-Powell, who, after the first World Scout Jamboree, had a dream about a place where scouts from all over the world could meet. His dream came true with the opening of the scout center in Kandersteg.

Every four years, the scouts and leaders of troop 78 wing their way to Kandersteg for 2 weeks of exciting adventure in the Swiss Alps.  We join scouts from all over the world for daily touring, learning about other cultures, hiking glaciers to the tops of the surrounding mountains, canyoneering, zip-lining and many other exciting adventures.

 

Philmont Scout Ranch

Located in Cimarron New Mexico, the ranch covers over 200 square miles, with backcountry trails for horses and hiking.  The ranch includes plains, valleys, and mountains, with the showpiece being Mount Baldy at over 12,000 feet.  The scouts and leaders plan their own route and spend 10 days in the backcountry exploring the wilds of New Mexico.  They often include a hike to the summit of Baldy for the spectacular views and pictures of a lifetime.

National and World Jamborees

Every four years the BSA hosts a National Jamboree at the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.  Summit is over 14,000 acres of mountains, valleys, fields, and forests.  Scouts and Scouters gather for adventures, program, training and friendship.  The Summit offers all manner of outdoor activities, including hiking, mountain and BMX biking, boating, paddle-boarding, shooting sports, zip-lining, in addition to training in outdoor skills and leadership.

On a two year offset, every four years the World Scouting Organization hosts a World Jamboree. Various Scouting countries from around the world take turns hosting this event. Typically 40 to 50 thousand scouts and leaders from over 150 scout countries attend to take part in a huge cultural exchange.  The scouts soon discover though they are from different countries and grew up under different cultures, they are more alike than different.