Later this month, two Scouts from Limerick will be heading off to Iceland to take part in the Crean Challenge. This event is one of the toughest challenges on the Scouting calendar and requires several months of preparation. We asked Arran and Cathal to tell us about what they’ve done to prepare
Arran
Hi, my name is Arran and I’m from 14th Limerick Murroe-Boher Scout Group. On the 9th of June, 2021, I opened my phone to see an email from the Crean Challenge confirming that I got accepted. Over the next few months, we went through four training weekends and many, many evenings of preparation to get ready for the Land of Fire and Ice.
What is the Crean Challenge? It’s an annual event where 32 scouts from around the country spend 6 months preparing for a week-long expedition in Iceland. They stay at a campsite a couple of hours from Reykjavik and, yes, they camp in the snow! At some point in the week, they do a two-day trek to some mountain lodges with no running water or electricity. Sounds fun, right?
The preparation for the expedition takes place over the course of 6 months, in which time you go to 4 training weekends, do 4 training hikes and complete 2 projects. Each training weekend takes place in a different part of Ireland. We had a Backwoods Camp in Castleconnell, hiked in complete fog in the Galtees, stumbled down the Wicklow mountains in the dark and climbed Carrauntoohil.
Probably the best thing about the challenge is how independent you are. While there are adults there, they don’t really tell you if you’ve gone wrong and all the navigation is up to you to figure out. You’re in charge of your gear, your tent, and if you mess up the dinner, you’re gonna be hungry. Each weekend focuses on different skills, and over each weekend I have learned so, so much.
On top of the training weekends, we had to do 4 training hikes in our own time, all of which had to be over 500m and over 15km long. These were to test your fitness and also helped to practice navigation and break in your new equipment. I did mine in the Knockmealdowns, Ballyhouras, Comeraghs and Slievenamon. I did Slievenamon with Cathal from Ballybricken Scouts and the rest with my family, who are involved in scouts, and other scouters from my group.
At the start of our Crean training, the organisers split everyone up into 4 patrols of 8. In these patrols, you do everything from hiking the highest mountain in Ireland to doing the dishes together. This is what really sets this event apart from others I’ve done. In the course of 6 months, I’ve gone from a Level 4 hiking badge to Level 6, climbed the highest mountain in Ireland and played a 16 person game of snap. I can’t recommend the Crean Challenge enough to anybody who thinks that this is the type of thing for them. I am extremely lucky to be part of this and am so glad that I decided to join. It is a life-changing experience and I assure you that you will enjoy it too.
Cathal
My name is Cathal from Ballybricken 46th Scouts. I am 15 years old. I am currently doing the Crean Challenge Expedition which is an annual Scouting Ireland event taking place over 6 months culminating in a week-long expedition to Iceland starting February 19th, 2022. Over the course of 6 months, participants must complete 4 training weekends, 4 training hikes and 2 projects prior to the expedition to Iceland.
Two scouts from my group had done the Crean challenge in previous years so I already had an idea of what it involved and had heard their exciting stories. I sent in my application, which was an essay on my Scouting life and a short video about myself and my reasons for wanting to participate in the Crean challenge. I was one of the lucky ones to be accepted. After being accepted the Challenge began.
Over the course of six months, there were four training camps with the Crean Team in Castleconnell, the Galtee Mountains, the Wicklow Mountains and Carrauntoohill. Over those four camps, I’ve met and made friends with lots of different people from all over Ireland. I learned new skills and had lots of challenges – navigating across the Galtees, a night hike on the Wicklow mountains and climbing Carrauntoohill in January.
As well we had to complete 4 personal training hikes to make sure we were fit enough for the expedition. I did mine on Moylussa, Slievenamon, Keeper Hill and the Knockmealdowns. I did these hikes with my family, scout leaders and another Crean participant from Limerick, Arran Kinsella from Murroe-Boher Scouts.
The last part of the challenge is to complete 2 projects related to scouting. I did my first project on renewable energy in Iceland and the other on teaching younger sections about hiking over several sessions. Through these projects, I’ve learned skills such as public speaking and researching.
Throughout the whole challenge, we must keep a logbook of everything we do. The logbook contains logs of all the camps, hikes and projects, and is what the instructors judge to decide whether you have completed the challenge. We will be going to Iceland in February where we will be hiking and camping. The Crean challenge has already been my greatest experience in scouting. I’ve made so many new friends and had so many incredible experiences. I want to thank all the Crean challenge team for this opportunity and thank my own scout leaders from Ballybricken and other groups in Limerick who helped me along with this challenge.
