Boy Scout National Jamboree - Part 2

This is the second post on my week at the 2013 Boy Scout National Jamboree.  If you want to see my previous post, just click here.

Dear Friends,

When we left Part 1, I had shown you part of the trek to reach the Summit Center at the Jamboree.  This was the entrance.  If you look closely, you can see displays for each part of the Scout Law:

The Center was huge and contained an outdoor amphitheater/stadium that would host several large shows.  This is what the place looks like when you pack 40,000 Scouts into one arena:

I think the most impressive aspect of this, would be the organization required to get all these young men into this area.  I watched it happen and I was mesmerized. The Scouts were organized into troops (that's why you see streaks of color).  They approached the stadium in a truly organized fashion.  Here's a clip of the approach - it looks like a giant colony of ants...

At the edge of Summit Center was a ravine that you needed to cross, to reach Camp Alpha and Bravo.  They built a bridge there that was beautiful to walk across (Consol Bridge):

The catwalks on either side could be accessed during the day, as well

The view from the bridge...

The bridge at night...

Next to the bridge was the Sustainability Tree House.  This was a structure showcasing recycling, alternative energy usage and sustainable water treatment.  I was impressed with the dedication to preserving our natural resources.  In fact, there is a brand-new merit badge called Sustainability.  It's an Eagle-required badge and was introduced at the Jamboree.

Back at Summit Center, there were giant zip lines that went through the area.  These were high off the ground and when fully staffed, they could run 5 or 6 Scouts side-by-side:

Unfortunately, they couldn't run the zip lines all of the time.  During my week there, we had quite a few thunderstorms.  As lightning would approach, they would have to shut down anything that could be struck by the giant lightning bolts.  Safety first!

It also rained quite a bit.  More on that in Part 3 ; )