High-Adventure Week: A look back at the Summit Bechtel Reserve

HAW-ThursdayCompared to the BSA’s three other national high-adventure bases, the Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve is in its infancy. But despite its youth, the base has already left a lasting mark on Scouting, starting with the stellar 2013 National Jamboree.

The property was first announced in November 2009 as the newest addition to the BSA high-adventure base family, thanks in part to a $50 million donation from Stephen D. Bechtel Jr.

Since then — with fundraising exceeding $100 million thanks to generous donors — the West Virginia land first welcomed Scouts and Venturers to the Summit Shakedown in 2012. This event gave youth the first glimpse at the terrific adventure awaiting at the 2013 jamboree. The base opened in 2013 with a bang, hosting 30,037 youth and adult participants. In 2014, the high-adventure base welcomed Scouts, and even more excitement is planned for next year and beyond.

Take a look back at some snapshots from the Scouting magazine archives featuring the Summit. Plus, we’ve included some images from this summer to help give you a glimpse at the excitement to come.

 SummitAnnouncement
Scouting magazine first announced the new BSA national high-adventure base in the January-February 2010 edition.

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Former Chief Scout Executive Bob Mazzuca, who helped spearhead the project, shares his remarks about the property in the March-April 2010 edition of Scouting.

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Plans reveal an early glimpse at the CONSOL Energy Bridge in the September-October 2010 edition of Scouting

SummitShakedown

The Summit Shakedown appears on the Scouting cover in November-December 2012. This edition features a special behind-the-scenes feature from the Shakedown to help readers prepare their units for the upcoming jamboree.

SummitJamboree

Scouting featured six pages of photos from the 2013 National Jamboree in the November-December 2013 edition. View a slideshow of even more images from the jamboree.

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Sunrise over the Summit. View even more images from 2014 summer activities at the Summit Flickr pagePhoto courtesy of the Summit.

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Climbers keep their eyes skyward at the Rocks. Photo by Beth Wald.

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The Summit’s massive network of zip lines keeps Scouts and Venturers busy during summer 2014 activities. Photo courtesy of the Summit.

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Cyclists challenge their skills with BMX courses at the Summit. Follow @BechtelSummit on Instagram for more photos.

– Gretchen Sparling


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.