There were two different routes which were based around the fantastic Glendalough area and for many Scouts it was their first taste of what Wicklow has to offer. 1999 saw us back in the Knockmealdowns with a good dose of mist and fog to test the navigation skills. The Mountain Leadership Award Bringing Scouts out onto the hills and mountains is an essential part of any good Scout programme. It provides excellent training opportunities in areas such as navigation,survival skills and first aid as well as being a great experience and good fun. Over the last number of years there has been a fortunate increase in the awareness about both the potential risks involved in such activities and the safety precautions which need to be taken.
All adventure sports involve a degree of risk and hillwalking and mountaineering are no exceptions.
These facts combined with media hype every time there is a search and rescue operation makes some leaders unwilling to lead young people onto the hills and some parents are unwilling to allow them to do so. Fortunately there are now many steps which can be taken to improve the safety of scouts and the confidence of leaders partaking in Adventure Sports. It is becoming the minimum standard for those who take responsibility for others in hillwalking and mountain activity in Ireland. The scheme consists of 5 days of training followed by a 3 day assessment. In addition an outdoor first aid certificate must be attained and a log book of mountain activity in various ranges, terrains and conditions is kept.