Chesapeake Pathfinders Invest Record 32 Master Guides at Camporee, 650 Attendees from 23 Clubs

HAGERSTOWN, Md. – Chesapeake Conference Pathfinders invested 32 Master Guides at the Pathfinder Camporee, held Sept. 24-27 at Mt. Aetna Retreat Center in Hagerstown, Md. The group is the largest Master Guide class in conference history. About 650 people from 23 clubs attended the weekend, themed “Speak Lord, We Are Listening.”

Rain forced organizers to change plans for the second half of the weekend, but Pathfinders kept taking part in the remaining activities.

Clubs competed in skill events, including land rowing races, semaphore communication, first aid relays, five-minute sermons, skits, drilling, and a blindfolded walk through a course.

Pathfinders also served the community. They helped with cleanup and garden maintenance at Highland View Academy and Mt. Aetna Elementary School.

The Capital Brazilian Falcons won the 2026 Camporee Cup. The Laurel-Columbia Haniel club placed second, and the Triadelphia Sparks placed third. Clubs also earned first place in the camporee skill events and Eagle Awards for activities, participation, and reporting during the 2025-2026 Pathfinder year. The conference named its Pathfinder of the Year and Teen Leadership Training (TLT) of the Year.

“This camporee was full of honors and activities and so many exciting moments for Pathfinders to learn and make memories with others,” said Kenia Reyes-de Leon, youth and young adult ministries director for the Chesapeake Conference. “Although the rain did force us to pivot for the later half of the weekend, it did not stop our Pathfinders from enjoying what they could.”

The weekend’s theme drew from the biblical story of young Samuel hearing God’s call. Reyes-de Leon said the goal was “to remind our Pathfinders that God is still speaking and it is on us if we are choosing to listen to His voice or the noise around us.”