Lily Bogeff from Sydney tells us how it works.
ScoutHike is not a simple walk around the forest! The event is based on Patrols navigating their way through the forest using a compass, a supplied map, a series of grid reference points indicating the Activity Bases they could visit, and Sleep Points.
In their pack, Scouts carry everything from their sleeping bag, tent, clothes, etc to food. This means that the pack must be in good condition and suitable for lightweight hiking, and the contents as small and as light as possible. Checks are carried out to ensure that every Scout is not carrying more than 1/5th of their body weight - they need to look after their growing, impressionable backs! Water bottles are excluded from the weigh-in.
Menus need to be nutritious, using light weight or dried foods, so that each Scout in the Patrol gets to the Finish Point with enough energy to get on the bus for the trip home.
