37. Moonwalk competition hike

 Moonwalk competition hike

Hi!

Today I arrived at Broadstone Warren campsite to participate in the 'Moonwalk' hike challenge. As a unit we entered multiple teams, split up into our patrols. However there were are few changes made as some people couldn't make it. The campsite was really cool. 

I was sharing a tent with my friend Joseph. We set it up and made sure it was in a good spot. After this I shared out some of the cookies my Gran had made ( thanks Gran ). These always go down a treat and everyone loooveesss them.

When it got to around 7 pm we were given food. It was pasta bolognese which always goes down a treat before a hike. We washed up and chilled in our tents talking to each other before the hike. I packed my bag so it was all ready to go before we got called at around 9pm. The opening event was themed around time travel. Hence the name "Moonwalk hike ". There were lots of clocks on a stage and we were told by the leaders our instructions. We got split into big groups and got taken to the start line.

Next we were called up to the front and they let us go. We had 6 hours to gain as many points as possible through going to each base and completing each set task. This hike was not the sort of conventional hike I had been on before. We received co ordinates and could follow any route we wanted to get to each base. 

The sunset was amazing ! After we copied the co ordinates and plotted them all on the map we sprinted to the first point. The first challenge we had to lash together a sticks with a metal nail on the end so we could make up a circuit and it would make an explosion. This was very difficult to line up and we decided to try and come back later and complete it. I though we should stay, so instead of giving up I got down to the ground and reached as far as I could and after a while it worked ! Our team was really happy with this. We got the base token and went of to the next base. 

After this we went round to other bases making sure to be polite so we could gain additional points. We completed lots of other bases throughout the night with tasks such as a morse code challenge, hieroglyphic drawing, co ordination tests, first aid incidents and lots more. It was great fun to do it with the team and great practice for team building for Korea. We carried on until around 3am. We didnt sign out yet as there was a final base at basecamp. We sat down grabbed some food and drinks. As a collective we decided that we still had time left and if we ran really quickly there might be a slim chance to gain more points. The time was 3:24 am meaning we had ten minutes left. If we were even a second late we would be disqualified from the hike. We were all mad for thinking to do this but we did anyway. 

There were two bases near by but time was against us. We sprinted as fast as we could to the base to get more points then completed the task really quickly. Next we sprinted even more to the next base. We didnt do that task but picked up the base token. This act gained us lots more points. We had about 3 minutes to get all the way back to base camp and sign out before we were disqualified. We ran with all our might and got there just in time !! We all sat down and chilled. We couldn't believe we did it! 

Most of us found it difficult to fall asleep as the sun was already rising. So most of our unit stayed up and watched the sunrise. This was such a vibe! 

We got up and put our tents down after getting some breakfast. We were then eventually called over for the results. There were over 400 people participating in the event and we came 2nd ! We were really happy at this. 

After the results we were bored so we played with a tennis ball. #hotpotato #fire

Finally after being dismissed I thanked the organisers and leaders. I then headed to the car park where Dad was waiting to pick me up.

This was the last unit event before the actual Jamboree ! When I found this out the whole thing felt surreal. I can't wait, but nerves are starting to kick in...

GoFundMe: 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/fbymvb-25th-world-scout-jamboree

Many thanks 

Alec :)