GLEN JEAN, W.Va. _ The Boy Scouts of America faced a wave of backlash earlier this week after President Donald J. Trump delivered a speech at the 2017 National Jamboree that some deemed too political and unreflective of core Scout values.
Shortly after the speech Monday night, the organization released a statement emphasizing that it is "wholly non-partisan" and does not endorse any party or policies.
But the controversy surrounding the speech was largely absent from the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, where 30,000 Scouts and 10,000 scoutmasters and staff members are wrapping up 10 days of community service and woodland adventures.
The Jamboree buzzed with activity as Scouts and Venturers _ members of the Boy Scouts' co-ed program for teenagers _ crisscrossed the 11,400-acre property, launching into the air on dirt bikes, learning about nature conservation, and hiking miles from activity to activity.
For Alex Mongelluzzo, 16, of McMurray, Pa., the president's speech was a thrilling, "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"He talked about how to be successful and updated us on what's going on in Washington, D.C.," he said.
But on the forefront of Alex's mind was patch trading, the Jamboree's most frenzied and competitive activity. Each council brings a patch set of its own design; Scouts lay out their patches on the edge of paths across the campground, trying to "trade up" for the most popular five-piece sets.
"There's a road between Camps A and B and kids pull out their cots and set out their patches on towels, all the way down," Alex said. "We call it the 'boulevard.' We trade all night."
There are Monty Python, Dr. Who and Halo patch sets, in addition to the patches representing each council's region. Everyone wants the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers patch sets brought by those councils.
"When you trade patches, you need to explain the story behind the patch," said Ethan Turturice, 14, of Washington, Pa.
This year's patch set from the Laurel Highlands Council, which Alex and Ethan's troops are part of, displays paintings of the French and Indian War made by artist Robert Griffing.
"Lots of the patches are embroidered, and a lot of people want those more than silk-screened patches. But look at that Indian tattoo work on his arm," Ethan said, pointing to the silk-screened patch. "You'd never be able to get that level of detail with an embroidered patch."
Greg Tokar, a scoutmaster from the Laurel Highlands Council, which sent eight troops from the Pittsburgh area, said he arrived with 75 extra council patches _ and has given away all but seven to his Scouts to trade.
The first Scouts arrived July 19 and within a matter of hours had set up their campsites in four major areas. On valleys across the reserve, lines of color-coded two-man tents stretch far into the distance, state flags fluttering in the wind. Scouts have free range of the property; the only rules are that they must walk along trails, not the main road, and always with a buddy.
Scouts are up with the 6 a.m. reveille, pick up their food for the day, and rotate cooking for meals. After all-day activities, they have dinner and trade patches until Taps at 10 p.m.
"It's a full day, most of the kids walking 10 miles a day," said Paul Wain, a scoutmaster from the Laurel Highlands Council.
At Goodrich Lake, some scouts caught a record-breaking 22-pound carp _ and more than 3,000 other fish, said Scott Armstrong, a Boy Scouts of America spokesman. There are pools where scouts can scuba dive, a STEM center where they can learn about bridge engineering and flood control, and a tree house offering lessons in sustainability. Scouts skateboard in a park designed by Tony Hawk and fly through the mountain canopy on more than five miles of zip lines.
The Jamboree offers classic activities _ black powder rifle shooting, tomahawk throwing, archery _ but also more high-tech ones such as laser shooting and movie making.
AT&T equipped the Jamboree with cellphone service, wi-fi stations and a specially designed smartphone app. Through the app, Scouts can figure out the best route to different activities and check wait times, while scoutmasters can track their whereabouts on a virtual map. Some Scouts hike around with solar panels strapped to their backpacks, perpetually charging their devices.
But the Jamboree isn't only fun and games; Scouts have completed more than 100,000 hours of collective community service, Armstrong said. Some troops stopped at towns along the way to West Virginia and others were dispatched to communities in the nearby region, cleaning off headstones at historic cemeteries, laying mulch, and lending a hand where it was needed.
Alex's troop helped cut a new trail in the New River Gorge National River, a National Park Service site that borders the Summit Bechtel Reserve. The Scouts cleared brush with hoes, shovels and pick axes, Tokar said. The Laurel Highlands Council alone contributed more than 2,000 hours of service to the area, he added.
The Jamboree exhibits the best of the Boy Scouts, said Wain, providing opportunities for kids to learn practical skills such as cooking and cleaning, build confidence and make new friends. Wain was an Eagle Scout in Troop 329 in McCandless, Pa., the same troop he has now been a scoutmaster of for more than 30 years.
"I'll say to parents, give us three years and we will make a positive impact on your kid's life," he said.
