BSA has four national high adventure bases that provide older Scouts challenging activities that aren’t readily available at home. The nearest one of these bases to Troop 581 is The Summit Bechtel Reserve, generally known as “The Summit” located in West Virginia. This is also the location of the National Jamboree, Camp James C. Justice and hosted the World Scouting Jamboree in 2019. The Summit High Adventure program allows crews to choose from a variety of outdoors adventures. This summer, the crew from Troop 581 participated in the New River Experience that included 50+ miles of backpacking-style travel on inflatable kayaks and rafts. Our Scouts spent the first several days traveling down the river in single person inflatable kayaks and navigated Class I-III rapids. They would camp along the river each night and continue on the next morning. On the final day, they transitioned to a large inflatable raft under the command of a river guide and navigated Class III-IV rapids.
The Summit offers lots of options for those looking for high adventure including backpacking, motorized quads, and shooting sports. Who knows what our Scouts will choose to do the next time we visit.