Members of Clamtown Boy Scout Troop 755 will soon be heading to an adventure of their lifetime.

The 15 Scouts, along with Scoutmaster Damon Krall, leave next week for the 2023 Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree at Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia.

The event brings troops from around the U.S. and world for 10 days of camping, outdoor activities and more.

And it is a long time coming, said Blake Tharp, the Troop’s treasurer.

“This has been delayed for a couple of years because of COVID,” Tharp said, noting that the 2021 Jamboree the troop had planned to attend was canceled because of the pandemic.

“The guys were heartbroken. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They had been saving for four years to fund this,” Tharp said. “To think that this would be added to the list of COVID-canceled activities was heartbreaking to say the least.”

In 2022, Boy Scouts of America announced that the Jamboree was back on track and would return this year.

“It was delayed two years but fortunately, our guys have not aged out. They can attend until they are 18,” Tharp said.

All of the troop’s Scouts who registered for the 2021 event are still eligible, he said. Ten of them are Eagle Scouts, and the remaining five are on their way to Scouting’s top rank.

Tharp recalled that many of the Scouts had been thinking about the trip since 2017, when two Troop members attended and shared their experiences.

“The experience sounded wonderful, and the majority of the boys (who were just 10 and 11 at the time) and their families set their sights on the next one to be held in July 2021,” Tharp recalled.

To fund the trip, the troop began selling candy, meat sticks, homemade fudge, subs and discount cards.

Tharp said that one of the Scouts has since moved away from the area.

“But the other 15 (along with their scoutmaster) are committed to attend this event,” he said. “Most of the other local troops usually send a couple of scouts, but the ‘Clamtown 15’ is a very noteworthy contingent.”

He noted that most have been involved in Scouting for the majority of their lives.

“It is great that their scouting journey will culminate in the biggest Scouting event - the Jamboree. Jamborees are an opportunity for more than 30,000 Scouts, Venturers and Scouters to come together for fellowship, high adventure and exciting once-in-a-lifetime programs,” Tharp said.

Many of the boys are looking forward to things like whitewater rafting, zip linking and rock wall climbing. They’ll also attend leadership sessions and complete service projects, he said.

According to Boy Scouts of America, the gathering is typically held every four years.