Day 2 of a JOTT hike – walking back to Sowerby Bridge along the old railway track
Every year we take part in Jamboree on the Trail, which is a worldwide event where Cubs & Scouts go walking on the same day and share their experiences. Our Cubs regularly go hiking (and love it!) so a day’s walk is nothing new. We usually make the event into a weekend with a longish walk on the Saturday, a night away in suitable local accommodation, and a short walk back on the Sunday morning.
The idea first came about when a Canadian Scout Troop hiked part of the Trans Canada Trail one fine October weekend in 1997. The following Monday, Scoutmaster Dave Wiebe sent a trip report to the Internet email list ScoutsCan-L, beginning a conversation on hiking. The conversation led to the idea of a Scout hiking day for all sections and on any trail. Further discussion set the date for the first event as April 25, 1998; late enough that those in the Northern parts were likely to have trails free of snow on which to walk.
Reading list messages about the idea, UK Scouter Kevin Thomson began to wish that he could take part in this too. It then occurred to him that this needn’t be limited to the shores of Canada as there are trails to walk on all over the world. Scouters quickly agreed that this could be a world-wide event.
It is now a worldwide event attracting tens of thousands of participants all over the world and around 10,000 in the UK alone, that we know about.