GimletBlog

This is the extremely impressive gateway for Thing One’s troop, carved by the parents of two of the scouts in the troop. The thunderbirds at the top represent his troop, and the four animals underneath are the four patrols: Eagle, Bear, Orca, and Elk. The scoutmaster reports that visitors come from all over the Jamboree just to see (and photograph), touch, and smell the cedar totem poles.

One of the assistant scoutmasters shared the Makah tradition of the totem pole with the troop:

The Makah Indians would touch or slap the totem pole each time they left the village as a symbol to the ancestors to watch over them while they were gone.  Then, when they returned, they touched it again to say they had safely returned.  The tradition may also have included in the reason that the person was leaving and since the totem represented the life of his ancestors, that touching it was the symbol of having honor and that they would be honorable in all they did outside of their village and when they returned, they reported that they had returned with honor.

We discussed this with troop, and since each patrol has their personal symbol on the totem, as each member of their patrol leaves, they pat, touch or slap their personal totem on the pole.  It also brings good luck, so when ever a visitor comes, the troop tells them to touch the totem as they enter, and of course, the Orca patrol tells them to touch the Orca and the Bear patrol yells to touch the Bear.

(Read the troop blog for the rest of the story of the gateway.)

The troop has settled in, set up camp, and are having a wonderful time.  They’re having so much fun that they’re not posting much for now, but the official Jamboree site is full of slide shows and videos so those of us at home can keep up.  Some members of our troop show up in the Day 3 Flickr Gallery!

For fun, the scoutmaster has posted a photo quiz for parents on the troop blog: which messy campsite belongs to your son? Answers will be posted at the end of the jamboree, but we’re not sure we want to know.

Fun fact from the official Jamboree site:

Every day, seven tractor trailers leave a Pennsylvania food facility to deliver 44,000 freshly prepared picnic lunches to feed hungry Scouts and Scouters.

Thing One called earlier this week from the free cell phone kiosk to wish Thing Two a happy birthday, since he won’t be home for the big day.  He has already traded several patches, sampled a few of the activities, and had a ticket to see the Technology Quest exhibit later that day.

This is the set of Jamboree patches from our council, plus the special patches commemorating 100 years of Scouting.  The scouts received the large red halibut patch in the center when they signed up to attend the Jamboree.  Thing One is in the thunderbird troop (red patch).  The other LDS troop from our council is the whale troop (silver patch).  The other troops are represented by other Northwest animals:  seal (blue), salmon (green), heron (yellow) and sea otter (tan).  Above the Jamboree patches are the Order of the Arrow and Chief Seattle Council anniversary patches.

More reports and photos from the Jamboree as we receive them …

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Thing One’s troop arrived at the Jamboree on Monday, and after setting up camp they have been exploring all the activities, exhibits, and other fun the Jamboree has to offer.  Before the Jamboree, the scouts enjoyed four days around Washington, D.C., touring several monuments and historic sites.  Again, many thanks to the scoutmasters, troop historian, and webmaster of Troop 749 for sharing their photos and stories.

• Official Jamboree web site
• Thing One’s troop blog, updated daily with photos

On their first day in DC, the troop had tickets to go to the top of the Washington Monument and toured the Capitol Building and National Archives.  With an attorney as scoutmaster, a troop photo at the Supreme Court was in order.  A special Marine Barracks parade that evening was a grand end to the day.

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Thing One’s jamboree troop is posting daily journal entries and photos on their web site!  We’re enjoying the opportunity to follow along with Thing One and learn about what he’s seeing and doing.  The troop’s webmaster granted permission for us to share some of the troop photos on GimletBlog.  View a larger image by clicking on it.  We hope you’ll visit the troop’s web site too and read the great stories that go along with the pictures.

On Tuesday the troop had the opportunity to visit LDS Church historic sites around Palmyra, New York.  They toured the Joseph Smith farm, the Sacred Grove and Hill Cumorah, and the grounds of the Palmyra Temple.  They also visited the E.B. Grandin Press, where the Book of Mormon was first published, and the Peter Whitmer farm, where Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon from the plates and the LDS Church was organized on April 6, 1830.  These photos were taken just before a special devotional in the Sacred Grove, and later at the Palmyra Temple.

The troop also visited a Civil War battlefield site, and took pictures of the patrols.  Looks like this cannon needs a little Blue Steel, courtesy of Thing One.

All this, and we’re not even at the National Jamboree yet.  More adventures to come!

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After a year of preparation, pre-jamboree campouts and shakedowns, and long evenings sewing countless patches on the new jamboree uniforms, the big day is finally here!

This morning The Gimlet took Thing One to the airport, where he met up with his National Jamboree troop.  Two members of our troop are attending the Jamboree.

The two LDS troops from our council will spend a week touring LDS historic sites as well as Gettysburg and Washington, DC before settling in at for nine days of fun at the jamboree.  Thing One is looking forward to meeting up with his friends around the country from last year’s Philmont trek and NAYLE.

The Gimlet has very fond memories of his National Jamboree and dearly wishes he could go, too.  Maybe when it’s Thing Two’s turn.

• Follow along with the troop blog!
  Daily (or near-daily) journal entries will be posted on the troop’s web site.
• Gimlet Gallery Jamboree album
• Official BSA National Jamboree web site
• Chief Seattle Council LDS Jamboree troops web site

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See Thing One’s NAYLE photo album in the Gimlet Gallery.

An overview of the NAYLE program from the official web site:

The National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE) is an exciting program where youth enhance their leadership skills in the Philmont Backcountry. Scouts will expand upon the team building and ethical decision making skills learned in National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT). NAYLE uses elements of the Philmont Ranger Training as well as advanced Search and Rescue skills to teach leadership, teamwork and the lessons of selfless service. NAYLE will offer Scouts an unforgettable backcountry wilderness experience where they live leadership and teamwork, using the core elements of NYLT to make their leadership skills intuitive.

NAYLE will equip youth leaders to be better leaders, NYLT staff members and/or superior camp staff. It will help guide their journey to become true “servant leaders,” able to develop all members of whichever team they lead. It provides life skills for now and the future.

On Friday, June 25, I flew on a plane from Seattle to Albuquerque.  The Saturday flight from Seattle to Albuquerque would have been too late for the Philmont shuttle so I had to arrive a day early instead. I stayed at the house of a friend from my last Philmont Trek.  We hung out, went to Chili’s and watched movies.  On Saturday we had lunch at Dion’s Pizza in Albuquerque, and then I went back to the airport to take the shuttle to Philmont.

About eight other people rode on the shuttle, and we watched the movie Dodge Ball. The trip to Philmont took about four hours. Half of the people came on Saturday, and the rest arrived Sunday morning.  Everybody was either from Indiana or Texas, with sizable minorities from California and Minnesota.  Saturday night we stayed at Base Camp, ate dinner at the Philmont Training Center (PTC) cafeteria and there was a cracker barrel later in the evening.  At dinner I was recognized by one of my dad’s friends who was attending the LDS week at the PTC.

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Not long after this photo was taken, Thing One boarded a flight to Albuquerque, where he will spend the night with one of his friends from last year’s Philmont mountain trek.  Saturday morning he begins his NAYLE course at Philmont, which we’ll describe in greater detail when he returns.

If Thing One were here, he’d like to point out that he’s just about Gimlet height.  (And as much as we like Alaska Airlines, they don’t offer a nonstop flight to Albuquerque.)

We hope he takes plenty of photos and has many stories to share from his week.  Meanwhile, we will do our best to keep Thing Two from appropriating all of the cool stuff in Thing One’s room that Thing Two would like to have for himself.

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Thing One and his Order of the Arrow chapter assist other local Boy Scout, Cub Scout and Girl Scout troops and other community volunteers to place flags throughout the Evergreen-Washelli Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery, honoring the men and women who have sacrificed for our country.

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Editor’s Note: Just because we haven’t been posting lately doesn’t mean we haven’t been busy:  so far this month Thing One has attended an NYLT staff training campout at Camp Parsons, the Aurora District Camporee at Camp Pigott, the National Jamboree shakedown campout (also at Camp Pigott), and the Chief Seattle Council Eagle Scout recognition banquet.  At the banquet, he entered a drawing to win a seat on a Boeing 737 delivery flight to Alaska Airlines … and won!

Fifty Eagle Scouts enjoyed an approximately one hour flight as their Eagle Scout pilot flew the scenic route from Boeing Field to the Alaska Airlines hangar at SeaTac Airport.  Even without a barrel roll, it was a very cool adventure.  Many thanks to Boeing and Alaska Airlines for giving the council’s newest Eagle Scouts the opportunity to fly!

Thing One’s entire collection of photos can be viewed in the Gimlet Gallery.

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