All is packed and ready to go. Amazingly, I managed to get 3 weeks worth of gear into the Jamboree duffle & backpack and it only weighed 41 pounds. We were told that we must be able to carry everything about a mile once we get to Hyland Park. If I don’t have it now, I probably don’t need it - or will have to buy it or borrow it.
The four of us who are on the IST will be meeting at the airport and then have two days merge together as the London flight arrives in the morning. The organizers are no longer picking up IST at the arriving airports but asked that we transfer via bus to a smaller airport nearer the Jamboree site. I guess this makes sense as the folks arriving on Saturday are the first real wave of volunteers. The majority of volunteers will be arriving on the 24th.
We decided to wear our field uniforms during travel. The contingents are required to wear it and we shouldn’t need it for our job assignments. If we’re to be ambassadors for scouting, we might as well look the part. I’m sure it will start several conversations along the way.
The site of the jamboree is easy to find via Google Earth. Type in Chelmsford, Essex, England and see the aerial or hybrid view. Once you find the town of Chelmsford, scroll about a mile to the south west and find an estate along route 414. Hyland Park is 570 acres with a gray mansion in the middle. I figure it’s about ¾ of a mile wide and over a mile long. This should be a very densely packed place in about one week.
Hopefully we can send emails to this blog so you can share in our adventure. Yours in Scouting,
Mark Larson
