An unexpected journey: Pathfinders reflect on interesting week in Gillette

GILLETTE — Last week, after three and a half years of buildup, the International Pathfinder Camporee came to Gillette.

Friday, it was announced that the Camporee would end a day early due to the potential of severe weather Saturday evening. That severe weather ended up never happening.

It was a fitting end to a week that threw all sorts of variables at the Pathfinders, who had to rearrange their plans on several occasions.

“A lot of unexpected twists and turns,” said Emily Hubbard, a parent with a Pathfinder club from Vancouver, Washington. “Not all that was unexpected for us has been bad, it’s just been trying to keep flexible.”

But despite the uncooperative weather and all the fun that came with that, the Pathfinders managed to come away from this year’s Camporee with a positive attitude.

“I’ve been enjoying it, all the random things that happen,” said Peniel Amo-Mensah from Roanoke, Virginia.

Eddy Gilles, a parent from Atlanta, said he was skeptical leading up to the Camporee about Cam-plex’s ability to handle thousands of people.

“I’m very, very impressed by the facilities. I didn’t think that one place could accommodate so many people,” he said. “It’s huge.”

And many of the Pathfinders enjoyed the nighttime performances on the big stage at Cam-plex Park, which had enough room for the 60,000 attendees.

But the weather was anything but cooperative for most of Camporee. Last week, it rained 1.23 inches in Gillette, including 0.36 inches on Tuesday and 0.76 inches Wednesday. For context, Gillette got more rain in those two days than either June or July.

Last Tuesday’s storm, which canceled the opening nighttime performance and sent Pathfinders to seek shelter wherever they could find it, was the first heavy rainstorm Gillette’s had since late June.

“If it’s a Pathfinder event, it will rain; that’s just kind of how it goes,” said Jennifer Dodge, a parent with the Roanoke Challengers from Virginia.

Anyone who hoped that things would dry out the next day was disappointed. It rained even more, and the sun stayed behind the clouds for most of the day. Some clubs were more prepared than others.

“It doesn’t matter how prepared you are, sometimes nature comes by and takes everything,” said Moses Juarez of Montrose, Colorado.

Hubbard said when they were told to seek shelter during last Tuesday’s storm, things got scary, especially for the kids.

“That part was probably the most unsettling, you’re just following a crowd, you’re not quite sure where you’re headed,” she said.

Her club ended up sheltering in the Heritage Center. She saw kids stressing out and panicking.

“I wasn’t scared of the storm itself, I just didn’t like being packed in the building,” said Lainey Spoo from Washington. “You couldn’t have 2 feet of space.”

But even in all of the chaos, “When you looked around, you saw more than the panic; you saw people helping other people,” Hubbard said.

“We were all in the theater, and they sang and helped calm us down,” Lainey said. “It took our minds off of what was happening.”

Cinthia Mendoza, a director with a club from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, said her club had prepared for the weather, but they were still hit by unexpected challenges. Her camp lost a few tents, including their kitchen tent, and they had to drive two hours to find a replacement tent.

Gilles said his campsite got so muddy that he had to go to The Home Depot to buy mulch and put it down to make the site somewhat bearable.

There were a few other issues the Pathfinders pointed out. Gilles said the sanitation issues could’ve been handled better. He saw people waiting for the buildings to open in the morning so they could use the restrooms.

Davis said his “No. 1 fear is porta-potties,” and noted that while there were some issues in the first couple of days with people dumping trash in his campground’s facilities, that got resolved.

Dee Hopson, from Beavercreek, Ohio, said despite those problems, she told the kids in her club to just appreciate the fact that they were here.

“This is a one-time experience, so just enjoy it, even though sometimes it’s hard to get to the restroom,” she said. “Just enjoy.”

Alberto Reyes, the head chef for the North Cascade Eagles from Washington, enjoyed the international aspects.

“For me, it’s been great being able to hear different languages, trying food from all over the world, it’s been an amazing experience,” he said.

He thought the communication during last Tuesday’s storm was fine, and that “they did a great job getting people to safety, good information for everyone.”

While he noted there were some issues as far as logistics goes, he said there’s potential for a much smoother event in 2029.

“It seemed to be fairly well organized, considering there’s a first round for everything, a learning curve,” Reyes said.

The Pathfinders appreciated all of the off-site activities, and at least for the club from Roanoke, the Rockpile Museum and the planetarium were two of the biggest highlights for the week. Other kids enjoyed getting to see horses up close, as well as just seeing the sights on the way to Gillette, such as the Badlands and the Black Hills.

“People are so accommodating here, making sure that we are well taken care of,” said Mela Julin from Virginia.

The reaction to the Camporee ending a day early was mostly disappointment.

“I’m excited to get back to my own bed, but I will be sad when it’s over because it’s been really fun, and I’ve gotten to do a bunch of things I would never really get to do at home,” Lainey said.

“I’m kind of sad, I wanted to do more,” said Taylor Washington from Beavercreek, Ohio.

“We spent so much time and money to get here, and we’re not getting the full experience,” Gilles said.

The severe weather ended up not happening, as Gillette saw no rain Saturday or Sunday.

Lessons learned

Washington and Alysha Hopson, also from Beavercreek, Ohio, said this week taught them a lot about patience and compassion.

“When you’re spending a week with other people, when you’re with the same people, it kind of gets on your nerves,” Alysha said.

“What I learned was to be more kind and gracious to people,” Taylor said. “I was getting really annoyed, but I was like, I can’t be rude to (others) just because I’m upset.”

Mendoza said that leading up to Camporee, she was excited for Gillette to see “wonderful things God does through Pathfinders, but God really taught me a lesson this week.”

“He is already working in the hearts of the people of Gillette,” she said. “He showed us what he’s doing with the people of Gillette, by the kindness that they showed through the donations they gave, and the amazing things they did to support Camporee.”

Campbell County stepped up, collecting sleeping bags and tents for the Pathfinders. Others opened up their churches and homes for the Pathfinders to stay the night.

The clubs whose campsites escaped most of the damage walked around and helped the clubs who were in a tough spot.

Then, of course, the double rainbow that came out after the storm.

“Everyone was just elated to come out and see the rainbow,” Hubbard said. “We heard people singing as they were going back.”

Aiden Davis, from Colorado Springs, Colorado, said it was the clearest rainbow he’d ever seen, and that it couldn’t have been a coincidence.

“The double rainbow just blows my mind, with this year’s theme, how it’s Believe the Promise, and God gave us the rainbow as a symbol of his promise,” Davis said. “You just know it was him. And even if the storm was from Satan, God turned it into something good.”

Despite the week not going as smoothly as the Pathfinders would’ve liked, Mendoza said this was a lesson from God about the importance of faith.

“He knows what he’s doing,” Mendoza said. “All we do is pray, for faith, for us to be able to look forward and to see the amazing things he’s going to do regardless.”