2024 International Seventh-day Adventist Pathfinder Camporee: A history and report
Every five years since 1994, the Seventh-day Adventist version of the Scouts, called Pathfinders, has an international camporee. This year's was held this week in Gillette, Wyoming.
In 2021, Gillette, Wyoming began planning for a 2024 influx of over 55,000 expected Seventh-day Adventist people, mainly children.
Gillette, Wyoming, has a population of 33,403 per Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillette,_Wyoming
Pathfinders is like Scouts: Seventh-day Adventists (SDAs, or Adventists) have a co-ed Boy and Girl Scouts style thing, called Pathfinders. Per the Encyclopedia of Seventh-day Adventists, every five years since 1994, Pathfinders have had an International Pathfinder Camporee. This is a week-long festival that Pathfinders from all over the world attend. https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=A9Y2
My Pathfinder indoctrination: I was a Pathfinder and a Pathfinder youth leader. I was taught that things I learned in Pathfinders would prepare me for The Time of Trouble, when Adventists worldwide will be tortured, jailed, persecuted by Sunday-keeping humans. Pathfinders are still taught this.
Adventists use Bible verses and their prophetess Ellen White’s writings to “prove” the Time of Trouble will happen. They teach Adventists will have to run and hide in the wilderness during the Time of Trouble. (That is, the not-jailed Adventists will have to be in the wilderness because Bible verses.) Pathfinders is a place to learn how to survive The Time of Trouble.
It has also burgeoned into its own Scout-like culture. Pathfinders volunteer in the local communities during camporees, design and trade official camporee pins, earn honors, learn arts, music, marching, have parades.
All camporees are a time for Adventist kids to have fun, and a time for adults to indoctrinate the kids on how any day now god will return and The Time of Trouble will occur.
Counting how many Pathfinders get baptized at each camporee is a big deal for SDAs. The number is recorded on its websites, its social media, and published worldwide in its magazines.
A brief history of Pathfinder International Camporees, per the Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia:
After several local and North American Pathfinder camporees from the 1950s on, Pathfinders decided to hold international camporees every five years.
In 1994, the first International Pathfinder Camporee was held in Morrison, Colorado. This town population is currently 396 per Wikipedia.
The camporee was held on the Bandimere Speedway, a vehicle racing facility. Over 12,000 Pathfinders attended. Previously scheduled racing events continued during the camporee.
Overwhelming local population with huge amounts of Pathfinders is Pathfinder tradition: In 1994, over 12,000 Pathfinders, mostly kids, camped at a race facility where the town population was smaller than 396. This year, Pathfinders “only” trebled Gillete’s population.
In 1999, the Pathfinder International Camporee was held at Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) grounds in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Over 21,000 Pathfinders attended.
By the way, Oshkosh, WI, has a current population of 66,816 per Wikipedia. This town is better prepared for an influx of a lot of humans.
Of note here, Pathfinders believe they are under god’s supernatural protection during camporees: Per official SDA written Pathfinder history, in 1999, “Participants [of the Oshkosh camporee] sensed God’s protection when a major storm split to go around the campground. More than 150 people were baptized.11”
https://encyclopedia.adventist.org/article?id=A9Y2
The SDA article above has an “11” superscript link reference to prove the storm split, or to prove the number of Pathfinders baptized in 1999. The article is unclear which thing is being proven.
Clicking on “11” leads to ““Our History,” International Camporee” which is this Adventist web page: https://www.camporee.org/about/our-history/ There's a six minute video with zero evidence of storm splitting.
This is “trust me, bro” proof.
Almanac.com does state that on August 11, 1999, in Oshkosh, WI, during the camporee, there were wind gusts of 999 mph. Inclement weather happened. https://www.almanac.com/weather/history/WI/Oshkosh/1999-08-11
I looked for and found no secular evidence that “a major storm split to go around the campground”. Anyone who can supply such evidence can message me and I'll update my blog with it.
I was there, August 11, at the 1999 camporee. There were strong winds and rain. We ran in the middle of the night from our tents to shelter in concrete bathrooms. My friend was age 11, shaking, in tears.
Back to camporee history:
In 2004, the camporee was held at Oshkosh, WI. Over 31,000 Pathfinders attended.
In 2009, the camporee was held in Oshkosh, WI. More than 36,000 Pathfinders attended.
In 2014, it was held in Oshkosh. Over 50,000 Pathfinders attended.
In 2019, it was held in Oshkosh. Over 55,000 Pathfinders attended.
Gillette, Wyoming chosen as new camporee site in 2021: In 2021, Pathfinder leadership opted to find another place for the camporee because reasons I do not know and can not find online. Adventists chose Gillette, Wyoming’s Cam-Plex facilities. It boasts over 1,000 acres of land and multiple amenities. https://www.cam-plex.com/business/cam-plex-facilities
Cam-Plex preparations began immediately. An estimated $1.8 million in county tax dollars went towards this event. https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/local/article_a385317b-e277-56d1-94ba-84ea1b780c93.html
Pathfinders marketed themselves as a responsible, godly, wholesome youth outreach event with international tourism that brought an estimated $25 million into the local Oshkosh, WI community in 2019. https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/03/02/gillette-camporee-will-bring-60-000-shatter-wyoming-event-attendance-records/?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=campaign&_kx=CTyC1LFSrxbMoZAXBIyKKRmSTFKd2TTKASBDnC5gGms.UXPtrV
Much community preparation done by city, county, state for camporee: Per above article, Verizon anticipated cell phone coverage issues during the camporee. A temporary cell phone tower was installed.
Wyoming Department of Transportation brought in radios to broadcast expected traffic issues. An expert weatherman with the National Weather Service traveled from South Dakota to Gillette for the event. Daily garbage trucks were scheduled for an anticipated 400 tons of garbage, the amount of waste the Pathfinders made in the 2019 Oshkosh Camporee.
Emergency management stepped up preparation, too.
““Wyoming has been very proactive about this,” Lyles [Cam-Plex Executive Director] said. “From Homeland Security to, you name it, the Highway Patrol, Department of Transportation — all these agencies are, and it’s been very humbling for me, to see the skill and expertise that they bring to the table.”
This year’s camporee was scheduled during the Sturgis motorcycle festival, 113 miles away: The International Camporee was scheduled for August 5-11, 2024 in Gillette, Wyoming. It was expected to attract at least 55,000 people.
One and a half hours down the road is the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, on August 2-11, 2024. In 2022, over 500,000 humans attended Sturgis. https://sturgis.com/blogs/2022-sturgis-rally-attendance/
Articles mention both ongoing festivals and how local resources like hospitals, emergency medical teams, ambulances might be strained.
My sources: My sources include the official Facebook camporee page, called “International Camporee”. I also am relying on information from friends who attended this camporee.
The folks in charge: An Adventist organization called Centers for Youth Evangelism organized the event. Images on the Facebook page show a main stage being built over time ahead of the event. https://www.cye.org/get-involved/mission-trips-events/international-camporee/
Ron Whitehead is the camporee’s executive director.
Events as they happened:
Monday, August 5: Over 55,000 Pathfinders flowed in to Gillette’s Cam-Plex. The camporee Facebook page shared a link for all attendees to sign up for local emergency notifications.
The Pathfinders invited locals to attend opening events for free. https://county17.com/2024/08/05/hundreds-drawn-to-international-pathfinder-camporee-premiere-of-believe-the-promise/
“For nearly an hour, actors danced across the stage while reciting carefully scripted lines and singing original musical numbers in a never-before-seen take on the story of Moses and Miriam,” reported County 17, a local newspaper.
Pathfinders presented a statue of “grief-stricken Moses” to a local cemetery, crafted by Adventist artist Victor Issa of Colorado. Smaller statues were gifted to community leaders including Gillette’s mayor.
Tuesday, August 6: Weather was hot, dry, windy. Scheduled events, classes, parades, pin trading, community service, and nightly play went on as planned.
I heard unsubstantiated rumors that Adventist emergency preparedness staff at the camporee had insufficient medical supplies and mainly unpaid volunteer staff.
This is in line with what I knew of prior SDA International Camporees. A relative of mine, an experienced pediatric RN, volunteered at prior camporees. She called Adventist nurses she knew to try to get them to volunteer at the camporees.
Wednesday, August 7: Pathfinders set a Guinness World Record “for the most people filling backpacks with school supplies simultaneously”. Four thousand of the backpacks were donated to the local community. https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/local/article_2395f548-5b6c-5a56-867b-8624a0fcf651.html
That night, it stormed. Gillette weather reports 0.17 inch of rain and gusts of wind up to 44.88 mph. https://www.almanac.com/weather/history/WY/Gillette/2024-08-07
An on-site reporter, Samuel Girven, for the Adventist magazine, Spectrum, said “campers were directed to find “hard shelter” after the National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the county.” https://spectrummagazine.org/news/severe-storm-interrupts-international-pathfinder-camporee/
Local reporters captured a lightning strike at the Cam-Plex on film: https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/image_4a8e60bb-925f-5b39-8ef3-3ddcf1103d55.html
Videos from that time on International Camporee Facebook page show lightning striking a tent at the camporee. This is a screenshot:
Other shared video shows Texas Pathfinders holding onto metal poles on their tent as winds blow:
Posted comments below that video show one person claiming it’s ok to hold metal poles during lightning storms because they’re Texans:
That night, a friend at the camporee told me, “Gillette didn’t have to be out there at one am with vans full of tents and blankets to donate, but they were”.
Gillette locals went to the International Camporee page, offering help:
Local businesses such as this one offered services:
The townspeople of Gillette donated so much that the City of Gillette (Government) Facebook page had to call a donation halt until further needs were assessed:
Also during the storm, a lightning-started fire burned down a local apartment building, displacing multiple families. Gillette stepped up to help them too. The Red Cross came to assist. https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/08/07/lightning-sets-gillette-apartment-complex-on-fire-forces-evacuation-of-21-units/
Cell phone services went out:
Pathfinders on site reported they were notified too late to escape the storm:
Local Church of Latter Day Saints churches opened their doors to shelter hundreds of Pathfinders: https://www.gillettenewsrecord.com/news/local/article_60ee43ec-870a-5f3c-b126-6e09ffd54429.html#tncms-source=article-nav-next
Later a news report stated there were overflowing portapotties due to a shortage of at least 1000 portapotties because of SDA leaders’ poor planning, and that the camporee was “flooded out”. https://cowboystatedaily.com/2024/08/09/camporee-brought-60-000-people-to-gillette-but-not-enough-porta-potties/
Per that report Pathfinder children had to “hold [stool and urine] in”, making the children sick.
“In Gillette, members of Santos’ [a Pathfinder leader] group based in the camp’s Atlantic Union section were unable to use facilities Tuesday and Wednesday, causing kids to “hold it in” and get sick.
“He notified Camporee officials, only to be directed elsewhere. Santos said one pastor accused him of breaking Camporee’s chain of command.
“I don't care what is said about me. My only concern is about the children,” Santos replied.”
The article includes reports that there were up to 80,000 attendees.
Contracted camporee sanitation workers worked 20 hour shifts after the storm:
“After Tuesday’s storm, Clancy [a contracted sanitation worker at the camporee] estimated her business was logging 20-hour days at Camporee. From her perspective, the convention’s overall organization was poor.
“It was under-staffed and very frustrating,” she said. “There’s no way anybody could keep up with this.””
Adventist official Facebook page’s response to the community preparations, donations, services: There's nothing. There's no official thank you. There's no shared news stories. Nothing.
There's a double rainbow that happened after the storm. This is a very common thing in the American West after a fall thunderstorm. The rainbow has been photographed and shown hundreds of times in comments. There's thanks from Pathfinder individuals to local Gillette residents in the comments.
By far, the most thanks is to god. The most repeated phrase is the camporee motto, “Remember the promise”. Some Pathfinders recall in comments how in 1999 god split a storm to go around the camporee (sic).
Adventist leadership canceled the rest of the camporee Friday night, because another storm was coming in Saturday.
In summary: Because of background preparations by the state, county, and city, the town of Gillette was able to host this camporee. Perhaps 80,000 Pathfinders attended instead of the expected 60,000.
No one died during the lightning rainstorm in spite of several documented lightning strikes and Pathfinders holding metal tent poles. Lightning started an apartment fire near the camp.
Adventists had no viable escape plans. Cell phone service went out for everyone.
The local Gillette townspeople stepped up to help the people displaced by the apartment fire and the Adventists.
The Adventists were short by 1000 portapotties. Pathfinder children had hold their stool and urine in for two days, causing those children to become ill. A Pathfinder leader looking for working portapotties was unable to find any. He was also accused of “breaking the [Adventist Pathfinder] chain of command” for looking for working portapotties.
The Adventist emergency preparedness team brought along with the camporee had insufficient medical supplies for easily anticipated life-threatening emergencies including altitude sickness and asthma.
Contracted waste management workers were forced to work shifts as long as 20 hours because of the above fiasco.
The official Adventist Pathfinder web page, International Camporee, says nothing about the background state, county, city preparations. Nothing about Gillette townspeople helping Pathfinders. Nothing about sanitary working helping Pathfinders.
As of the time this blog post was last edited, the latest Facebook Pathfinder International Camporee page post is an advertisement for 2029 camporee, to be held in Gillette, Wyoming.
Take from that what you will. All I can say is that as a child and young adult, I was wholly unaware that state, county, and city agencies had to step up to facilitate Pathfinder events. I was taught that Pathfinders did everything.