After waking up earlier than planned this morning, I decided I would change up my usual plans of trading, and instead take part in some high adventure activities. I took a long hike to complete the Gateway Zipline, the only zipline at the Summit I had not completed besides the Legacy Zipline. However, I like to think of those two zip lines as the same since they launch from the same location at the top of a small mountain, and they are both about the same distance. While doing this activity, I met Alpha and Jay from the United States, and we quickly become good friends. Alpha demonstrated to me how he was able to solve a Rubix cube while singing all the countries of the world. After the Jamboree you should check my YouTube channel if you want to know more about that.
The other activity I decided to do was the Northern Challenge. This took place in a large tent within World Point. For those who do not know, World Point is a section of the central area of the Summit where each country gets their own tent in which they can share their culture with people passing by. This tent was one of the only ones that contained multiple countries including Iceland, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. The challenge was to complete all the activities in the tent, and for doing so you would receive a special patch. As I went through these various activities I paired up with a group of scouts from India that I ran into. Together we completed most of the challenges and got the patch! It was interesting to see just how much we had in common despite the distance between our homes.
After saying my goodbyes to these new friends, I was not quite sure what I wanted to do, but I noticed the tent for South Korea nearby and decided to check it out. Their tent was all themed around the Jamboree in South Korea in 2023. I actually got the opportunity to leave a video message to the participants of the next jamboree! The man running the station was very kind, and we ended up exchanging Koren patches for my USA luggage tag. He is a person I will surely not forget.
Tomorrow will be all about my experience on top of Mount Jack, the tallest point in the Summit. If it is anything like the 2017 National Jamboree, there should be a lot of awesome special activities for me to share with all of you!
Me (Middle) With the group of Indian scouts I completed the Northern Challenge with. Here, we had tried to diffuse a fake bomb as a team building exercise. We did not succeed, but I think the point came through loud and clear. Plus we had a blast doing it!
This is a photo of the neckerchief given to members of the India contingent. One of my goals is to trade for one before I leave the Summit this year! It’s going to be a challenge since they can only trade them on the last day! Wish me luck!
Me (Right), with the leader of the video message activity for the 23rd World Scout Jamboree in South Korea! He is holding the luggage tag I traded with him. I hope to see him around the Jamboree in the coming days.