Let’s Go: Explore, Serve and Share

THE NORTH PACIFIC UNION PATHFINDER CAMPOREE WAS HELD IN KALISPELL, MONTANA, AT THE NORTHWEST MONTANA FAIRGROUNDS SEPT. 21–25. 1,653 PATHFINDERS, ADVENTURERS, MASTER GUIDES AND PARENT VOLUNTEERS FROM ALL SIX CONFERENCES REPRESENTED BY THE NPUC CAME TO EXPLORE, SERVE AND SHARE.

Day one was rainy and cold, but that didn’t phase any of the Pathfinders, Adventurers or staff. Luckily, rainfall was heaviest in the morning when the activities were designed to be indoors.

The Adventurers learned fire safety, made their own bear paw print makers out of flipflops, crafted ornaments from clay and learned about bears.

They also helped fill Adventist Community Services Disaster Clean Up buckets. Gabriele Laub, Montana Conference Adventist Community Services coordinator, said they hoped to fill 120 buckets to replenish their supply. Recently, they distributed more than 150 buckets to people in eastern Montana who were affected by flooding.

Pathfinders, greeted in the honors building by two largerthan-life inflatable Pathfinders wearing full Class A uniforms, had 25 choices of honors to work on. New honors piloted at the camporee include: Dams and Hydroelectricity, Wildfire Preparation and Prevention, Land Surveying, Search and Rescue, and Glaciers. The space was filled with the sound of pounding nails from those working towards their String Art honor, while other Pathfinders concentrated on learning various details needed for each honor.

Addie, from Golden Eagle Pathfinder Club, said her favorite thing about the camporee was the people. Julisa, from Meadow Glade Pathfinder Club, said the best thing was seeing people and completing the honors. Alynna, from Meadow Glade Pathfinder Club, said her favorite thing about Pathfinders is that she gets to go places she probably never would have gone.

In the afternoon, the rain slowed in time for outdoor activities. The Mountain Man Village introduced Pathfinders to a trapper, an Indian arrowhead maker and a leather worker, and it gave them a chance to throw a tomahawk at a tree stump. Additional outdoor activities included an air-filled maze race, a volleyball toss into barrels, ladder ball and a blow-up hatchet throwing game.

Inside, Danielle Oyler from the Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks department taught Pathfinders how to be safe around bears and the differences between black bears and grizzly bears. One fact they learned turned into a safety lesson: bears can run up to 35 mph, so don’t try to run from them!

Stan Hudson, NPUC creation ministries director, shared the reasoning for creation in his presentation. He provided facts, including that dinosaurs were real. He believes God created dinosaurs and mankind bred some to be aggressive to use as hunters or warriors.

Archery was another indoor activity. Pathfinders discovered if they were lefteyed or right-eyed. Even if they were left-handed, they could be right-eyed. That determined which bow they used and how they stood.

Everyone enjoyed visiting the Pathfinder Museum to see memorabilia. Dixie Plata has been running the museum for over 40 years. A young Pathfinder surprised her by giving her a Montana pin for this year’s camporee exhibit.

The evening program had music, a story by a mountain man, prayer and a talk by Ron Whitehead, International Pathfinder Camporee executive director, about Abraham’s friendship and journey with God. Sierra and Anniston, from Puyallup Pioneers Pathfinder Club, enjoyed the music and thought the Mountain Man was hilarious.

Day two started as fog burned off and the sun peaked through, and Pathfinders and Adventurers walked with more bounce in their step.

The Adventurers had a surprise guest during their morning program. Smokey Bear and a ranger showed up! The ranger asked questions about fire safety because the Adventurers were learning to be Junior Rangers. When asked how to put a fire out, one boy responded with the correct response — pour water on it until it’s completely out.

Honor rotations continued with many Pathfinders pursuing self-guided ones, allowing them to earn several honors in a short period of time.