World Scout Jamboree 2023

Date: July 28 - August 12, 2023

World Scout Jamboree took place in Korea this year.  Mount Baker sent 3 contingent members, 2 adults and one Scouts.  The Adults were assigned to work as a Chaplin and the other as Medical Support.  The 3 of us split our separate ways once we hit Korea as we took part in this 43,000 Scout/Scouter event.

Due to extreme weather conditions and limited resources in camp, our contingent members found ourselves extremely busy caring for thousands of heat and environmental injuries.  We didn't get a chance to take many pictures and this Jamboree turned out much different than anyone had anticipated. 

A World Jamboree Like No Other

The proposed World Scout Jamboree in SaeManGeum was advertised as a fantastic and safe adventure. 

Journey to Korea

Our Jamboree journey really started months prior to the July, with online meetings and pretrip preparation.  But on the 28th of July, 2 of our contingent members traveled from National Scout Jamboree to Incheon Korea. 

This group came directly from National Jamboree to World Jamboree.  Source: facebook.com/WSJ2023USA

We gathered at National Jamboree with 88 other Scouts and Scouters at Summit Bechtel Scout Ranch in West Virginia and took a 5 hour bus ride to Dales International Airport. 

After 2 weeks of Scout made meals, the Airplane food was more than welcome and very fun.

Thirteen hours on a plane ride over the top of the world meant a lot of hours sitting in our seats with the occasional lap down the isles to stretch our legs.  

Finally made it to Incheon.  There were thousands of Scouts at the airport from different countries trying to figure out were to go next. 

US contingent members broke up into bus groups before heading to their Pretour Hotel. 

One contingent member spent the night in Incheon at the Best Western by the Airport before heading out the the Jamboree site.  This turned out to be a good choice as setting up camp in the middle of the night isn't a lot of fun.  These pictures are of the inside of a convience store at the hotel.  Should have stocked up. 

Jamboree Site

It took about 6 hours on a bus to get to the Jamboree Site.  We were lucky to have a bus with working AC and stopped for snacks at a rest stop. 

At the entrance of the welcome center at the Jamboree site was a pillar with little men holding up a tower.  The little person represented one of the countries attending the Jamboree. 

Here is the Staff hub.  The giant tent to the left is the staff dining facility.  The other tent is the hang out area for staff.  A lot of adults not able to acquire a tent would spend the night here.  There are also food trucks, yoga, and patch trading tables here, and lots of fans. 

The IST hub had information for members of the International Service Team.  We received camping and job assignments here.

The walk to the US camp was just under a mile.  But it was a long mile hauling gear in the hot sun.  The yellow flag is the US IST Site.  The plastic pallets were required to keep you from sinking into the ground when it rained.  Just a few days ago, all of this was under water.  In a day, this would flood again and the pallets wouldn't be enough for some of the tents.  

We ran out of tents that night and those showing up at night were out of luck.  The pallets were also in short supply and more organized contingents would horde pallets for their own use.  This area was certainly NOT accessible to those with limited mobility. 

Welcome To Korea

While the US Continent Scouts were on PreTour, the rest of us started setting up camp.  Forty-five minutes of downpour was enough to completely flood the camp, leaving pathways, bathrooms and many campsites under water for the next couple of days.  The hospital was already filling up with adults who succumbed to the heat, bug bites or were otherwise doing poorly in Korea.  Many were sent offsite to be cared for in Korean Hospitals. 

45 minutes of heavy rain was enough to soak the entire campsite and even flood some of the tents on pallets.  Flip Flops were great footwear, since you were going to get soaked anyways up past boots and because they dried out fast.  Areas stayed flooded for days and the bugs seemed to come out in swarms.  

Bug were a concern because they transmitted diseases such as Japanese Encephalitis, which is potentially lethal and sometimes left victims severely impaired.  Interestingly enough, we had at least one US member contract Dengue Fever.  Dengue is not endemic to South Korea, but can be transmitted from a person with the Dengue virus to another person via a mosquito bites.  We were sharing blood between 43,000 people through mosquitos. 

Image Source: instagram.com and facebook.com 

These guys were lucky enough to get a hold of a cart, which made work so much easier.  This give you an idea of what the campsites looked like after a little rain.  It may look wet and cold, but that night we slept in our tents soaking wet and hot...at least those of us with tents above water. 

IST and CMTs goofing off in Scout Store prior to Scouts showing up.  The real Chief Scout Bear Grylls would make an appearance in the coming days. 

This sidewalk wasn't here when we first arrived, and somehow appeared and was already falling appart.  It was fixed by the afternoon. 

This concrete feature was also not here yesterday, but appeared overnight.  The entire camp was under construction and this grass covered area would be used later for the big ceremonies. 

The paved area would later get used for K-POP Play Dance.  See: youtube

Things got pretty soggy after the rains.  Some campsites were still very wet, or even submerged.  This was one of the campsites several days after the rains.  It was good enough for the Scouts that were already arriving in camp. 

The sand around Troop 10's site was a bit soft, but was "dry" engough to camp on.  The US and UK would postpone a day to allow for things to improve.  

Gear looks fine and was stored on pallet.  Deer tracks could be seen all around camp.  These small deer were referred to as "Vampire Deer" and signs said to stay away from them and snakes. 

Looks like we had penty of pallets for our soon to be happy campers.  The pallets weren't the most comfortable things to sleep on.  The were rough with holes in them, but were so much better then sinking into the mud and getting flooded out of your tent.  

Here is the Staff Dining Facility.  It was Air Conditioned and served nice meals at breakfast and dinner.  Lunch was a sack filled with an assortment of carb based snacks.  The lines moved fast, but were very long and could place you in the hot sun for over an hour.  Medical Personnel got to skip the line and go directly from duty, to their meal and back to their duty. 

Originally, some medical staff opted to not wait in line or eat, but this was not a sustainable approach to jamboree or caring for patients. 

Staff Camp at night.  The power was sometimes out, the entrances to latrines were sometimes underwater and the building were sometimes filthy or even flooded inside.  Soap was a luxury after the first few days.  Hand sanitizer was your friend, if you were smart enough to pack some from home. 

Several of the US staff rented cars so they could get around.  Otherwise, it was a 35 minute walk to the hospital, and there was no other way to get to the offsite Korean Hospitals they sent our patients to. 

ID tags for our Scouts.  Due to coordination challenges and road closures related to the Korean President's visit, we waited 4-hours on this blacktop to get IDs to our Scouts.  Some of the busses never made it to this gate. 

PreTour

While our IST team got things ready at the Jamboree site, the Jamboree experience for our Scouts started with a PreTour of Korea.  Troop 10 visited an assortment of cultural sites prior to heading out to the Jamboree Site. 

Opening Ceremony

Scouts are still pouring in through the Security checkpoint.  With the Korean President here, all attendees were searched prior to entering.  Riot Control police made sure that all 40 some thousand scouts when through the two metal detectors. 

Scouts were packed into a large area just large enough for 43,000 Scouts.  Some units gave up after hours in line. 

Chief Scout Bear Grylls gave an inspirational speach for all those who attended. 

Ceremony site the following morning. 

Jamboree Campsite

We finally made it.  After long travels and delays between the US, UK and Korean Jamboree, Troop 10 finially made it to Jamboree.  Everything was closed the first day due to concerns with the high heat and humidity. 

Sharing a meal with the dutch contingent in the covered area of our campsite. 

The maroity of the Jamboree site looked just like this - flat, open and replanted with grass.  There were NO trees and no natural shade.  Some areas were still bog and didn't have drainage ditches. 

Medical Conference

The 25th World Scout Jamboree would be the first to host a medical conference.  The medical direct would be called away for an emergency shortly after the conference started.  The Speaker on the right is Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General for Korea.

Medical Topics would include Jamboree Epidemiology, Heat Injuries and Bug Bites. 

Jamboree Central

The "Island" included the Jamobree HQ building, Jamboree Hospital and Stadium.  It also had the "FoodHouse", which included restaurants from all over the world.  This Scout is enjoying Swedish Meatballs in a HOT HOT tent. 

In the cultural tents, Scouts could play games, such as Snakes and Ladders in the Israeli tent, or sit and chat on cardboard furniture in this tent. 

Our Mount Baker Scouts is being interviewed by the Scouts Press. 

After part part of the crowd moved, we can get a glimpse of a European lady who passed out in the sun.  We shifted from photo mode to rescue mode.  Passing out in the sun was a common theme at the Jamboree. 

Troop 10 Campsite 

Scouts are posing at corner of Troop 10's Campsite. 

Troop 10 shares dinner with our Dutch neighbors. 

Continued in Part 2