GLEN JEAN, W.Va. – When you enter the Summit Bechtel Reserve, you’ll find Boy Scouts as far as the eye can see. But if you look closely, you’ll notice that some of the Jamboree-goers are girls.
Catherine Tighe, 15, a Venture Scout from the Hudson Valley Council, just outside New York City, said she couldn’t wait to arrive.
“My brother is a Boy Scout and he goes on all these camping trips,” said Tighe. “I wanted to do that and now we can do it.”
For the very first time, girls are in attendance at a Boy Scout Jamboree as participants. Tighe said she is more than excited to be at this year’s event.
“It’s really cool because you see all these Boy Scouts and how they get to do all this stuff,” exclaimed Tighe. “Now they’re letting girls do it!”
And they are taking advantage of all the opportunities offered to the boys.
Elizabeth Klosky, 14, also with the Hudson Valley Council, took on the ATV course. She was beside several fellow females and her male counterparts in the Venture Scouts. She was a little apprehensive about learning to ride a 4-wheeler. But these girls are determined not to let the boys have all the fun. She gave it a go and had a blast.
“It’s pretty cool! I think I probably got a little more comfortable cause I know how it moves a little bit from riding with my grandpa,” explained Klosky.
As well as being a Venture Scout, Klosky’s also a Girl Scout. She says as much as she loves her experiences with the Girl Scouts, they just don’t offer the kind of adventures that are found at the Jamboree.
Emily Ruff is a former Girl Scout turned Venture Scout.
“You get to have shooting sports and this rock climbing wall and all this stuff that Girl Scouts don’t do,” explained Ruff.
Tighe agreed. She says the Jamboree is the opportunity of a lifetime. She said she’s getting to do activities that she never imagined were possible for girls.
“Zip lining, all the ropes courses, all the camping, rock climbing, ATV’s and just so much I can’t even name,” said Tighe.
The only concerns the Venture girls have about the Jamboree is if they’ll be able to fit in all the activities they want to do between now and next Tuesday.