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I was at AP Hill in 1985 - and boy was I glad that we had dome tents (and those fiberglass rods were near invincible.) Hurricane Bob (well, says TD in the Scouting article below) really tore through the encampment and the morning after, it was very much like those television reports of disaster areas in foreign countries.

But we had one heck of a great time, some Good Vibrations and the First Lady. Couldn't have asked for a better trip.

1985: 'The Spirit Lives On'

Hurricane Bob couldn't dampen camper enthusiasm in 1985.

As 1985 marked the Diamond Jubilee of the Boy Scouts of America, the theme of the 11th National Scout Jamboree celebrated the enduring nature of the spirit of Scouting.

And that spirit was put to the test early by an unexpected visitor named Bob—Hurricane Bob. Although reduced to a tropical depression by the time the storm roared into Fort A.P. Hill, Bob still flattened tents, knocked down gateways, soaked sleeping bags, and turned pathways to mud.

But Scouting perseverance paid off. By midweek the sun was out, the ground was drying, and Bob was soon forgotten. Scouts focused on the fun activities in the Challenge Trail, fishing and boating, and visiting the 92 booths at the largest Merit Badge Midway to date.

New jamboree activities included board-sailing on lower Travis Lake, snorkeling in aboveground pools, a trap shooting range, and a bicycle motocross (BMX) course.

Onstage, the Beach Boys were the celebrity entertainers, but the No. 1 guest of honor was First Lady Nancy Reagan, substituting for her husband, President Ronald Reagan, who was ill.

I was at AP Hill in '85 as well. I remember walking back to camp during the storm with the wind and rain at my back. When I got back, my back was soaked, and my front was dry. I remember being not very impressed with the choice of the Beach Boys. Oh well. It was a great time anyway.

I still have the large stack of council patches that I traded for all week, including a partricularly coveted one from somewhere in California. I'll have to go searching for them and all the old pictures.