Camping in 2011

Want to know what Dragon Explorers are up to in 2011, see the list below. If you are interested in joining don't hesitate to get in contact!

Southern 50- 18-20^th February. A serious endurance challenge in the Chiltern Hills. Teams of four can choose to walk (or jog!) 30km, 50km or 50 miles across challenging terrain.

‘The Big One’ Easter 2011.As it says, this is going to be it. Four (or maybe five days) over the Bank Holiday weekend. The best bit; we aint telling you what it is going to be!

Dragnet- 1-3^rd July (provisional). Test your physical ability and your cunning. You will have 36 hours to get across the Lake District, the best bit; you have to avoid ‘the catchers’.

Gilwell 24- 8^th-10^th July (provisional). A very popular and fun 24 hour camp with an activities list as long as your arm. Event passports may be required to attend; you will therefore have to prove how sensible you are!

Summer Camp 23^rd-29^th July (provisional). We are looking to run a weeklong camp alongside 3^rd Upminster Scouts, coming together on some big activities but running a separate programme. A great opportunity to practice your Young Leader skills.

Diamond Chief Scout Hike 27^th-29^th August (bank holiday weekend). After Southern 50 and Dragnet you may even find this easy! It should be possible to use this as a Silver or Bronze Duke of Edinburgh training or practice hike, as long as you are signed up and get in contact with your adviser in advance. We are going to do this in the picturesque South Downs national park to finish off what ought to be a great summer of camping.

Come back to see the blog articles after each event to find out what happened!

Platinum Chief Scout Hike

A weekend that will most likely be remembered for its Saturday night antics round the camp fire also saw 8 Explorers complete their Platinum expedition and our two Gambian friends take inspiration for a similar event back home.

Setting off from Chigwell Row at 10 on Saturday morning saw the first group consisting of the two Chrises, Alex and Matt forgetting which way they had entered the car park. It didn’t get much better over the first leg, when met by Team 2, they were walking entirely the wrong direction. Tom, Elliot, Callum, Dobbie and Helena of Team 2 however had only a little more success arriving at the first checkpoint way behind schedule as well.

This however was not the theme of the day as both groups made good headway, Team 2 even beating expectations and arriving at Crow Camp on time. Team 1, deceived by some very hard map reading and rarely walked paths, arrived a little later, though significantly more fatigued.

When it came to dinner, without mentioning names; hopefully next time someone will remember to drain their pasta. Round the campfire there were ‘s’mores’ and ‘dampers’ to enjoy. The highlight of the evening without doubt though was Paul’s ‘chimney fire’ which created a spectacle leaving us grateful that we weren’t sharing the site with anyone else.

Both teams had clearly learnt from the mistakes they made early on Saturday and made exceptional progress on the second day. Racing ahead of schedule both teams arrived back at the den well before 4 o’clock. Sainey and Abubacaar walked the last stretch with the Explorers. Team 2 almost threw it away with Helena and Elliot helping a lost tourist however.

Both teams made a commendable effort walking around 32km, what was particularly applaudable was how when faced with difficulties rather than phone for help both teams stuck at the problem and then learnt from their mistakes; congratulations and well done.

For those that missed this weekend, and hopefully those that came and had such a good time, there are going to be a number of walking expeditions over the next 12 months. This will include the Southern 50, Dragnet, which can count as your Platinum Hike as well, and next summer; the Diamond Chief Scout Expedition.

Thank you for reading

James