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ArrowCorps5 - Virginia


scoutmomma

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My son, who just passed his Ordeal last month, was fortunate to be able to go to ArrowCorps5 in George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. I won't know first-hand about his experience until he gets home on Sunday, but in the meantime, these news stories have kept me going:

 

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/search.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-06-23-0125.html

 

http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/167330

 

Yes, I am a proud mom! :-)

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I just returned tonight from the GW-Jeff AC5 event. What an absolutely amazing experience! I watched as 60 Scouts cutting a hiking trail through National Forest lands that even the rangers had never walked. To look to my left and right and see a line of 60 Scouts and Scout leaders working on a project of such magnitude made me smile.

 

At the closing show it was announced that the BSA had contributed over 70,000 hours of volunteer service to the GW-Jeff Nat'l Forest.

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Tokala, congratulations on your acccomplishments this past week. My son returned today also calling it GW-Jeff, and was just as jazzed about the week -- what a bang-up start to his OA experience! He tells me the Scouts built 72 miles of hiking trails during the week - wow!

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Thank you. I served as a squad leader for the event, as well as a van driver to the project sites and helping with logistics. I was one of about 6 leaders to last leave the camp and I didn't get on the road home until about 2 pm on Saturday.

 

There were 2 different project areas: Warm Springs and James River. Warm Springs did some trail maintenance, built campsite pads, and built a trail that winds along the shore of Lake Moomaw. James River was all about building trails. There were 4 major projects: Peter's Ridge, Fore Mountain, Douthat Connector and McGraw Loop. It was an ambious project and unfortunately the only one conpleted was Douthat Connector.

 

If he came home jazzed up, then we accomplished our goal. It wasn't necessarily about the trails or the work, but the experience. I'd rate it higher than National Jamboree, but less than a Philmont experience.(This message has been edited by Tokala)

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My son was working on the James River project. He told me he was disappointed that they didn't get to finish on Friday due to getting rained out, but that he felt pretty good about what his crew was able to do. He only just turned 14 so I wasn't sure how he was going to feel about all the work, but he told me today he's now thinking it would be cool to build a hiking trail as his Eagle project (he just passed his Life Board of Review two weeks before leaving for GW-Jeff). Plus he's going to suggest at his troop's next PLC meeting that they plan a trip to GW-Jeff so they can hike on a trail he worked on. :-)

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His attitude reflects many of the other youth and adults that participated. My squad also voiced their disappointment that they didn't get to finish.

 

They did announce that they had renamed a trail in the Forest to "Arrow Corps Loop" to recognize the effort and project.

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They did announce that they had renamed a trail in the Forest to "Arrow Corps Loop" to recognize the effort and project.

 

 

Great, I'll be sure to tell him that! Meantime, we're looking forward to when they post the Week in Review video for GW-Jeff.

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  • 2 months later...

My son also went to GW&J...his one word for the week...AWESOME....he helped build some camping pads and they were used before they even left. He met so many wonderful people and he is planning on seeing his crew next summer at NOAC. He is hoping to be on a trailcrew in Philmont next year...I think the boys did a fantastic job...

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