By Prescott Ruff

2010 National Boy Scout Jamboree hometown news correspondent

FORT A.P. HILL, VA., -- Somewhere between 43,000 and 45,000 Boy Scouts are attending the 100th anniversary 2010 National Boy Scout Jamboree during the heat of late July.

The scouts will enjoy this event for a limited 10-day period, during which they will squeeze every ounce of joy they can out of it, according to those attending.

Scouts from everywhere in the United States and some from foreign countries have been strategically located within the confines of Fort A.P. Hill to their assigned sub-camps to settle in and prepare for the adventures awaiting them. The set-up process takes many hours to complete properly.

One scout, Colby McLiverty, from Troop 126, a star-ranked scout with two years' experience, was fascinated at the immense number of scouts at the jamboree.

"I'm amazed by the amount of kids that are here," he said.

True to what Colby observed, scouts can be found in every crevice of the camp. Another surprise to McLiverty was the contrast between the actual jamboree and pictures he'd seen of it.

"I was surprised at how different the actual terrain is from that shown on the Internet," he said.

Scouts travel in buddy pairs at all times, one of the many safety regulations strictly enforced here at the jamboree. Scouts wear matching uniforms, unique to each troop, making them easy for scout leaders to identify.

With the heat, and more often than not, the radiant and hot sunshine, many of the scouts have come to adapt their attire to more comfortably fit the weather. Hats and sunscreen are worn to block the excessive sunlight.

Scouts enjoyed an entire afternoon packed with fun events and free time to hangout or earn merit badges. After the heat of the day all the scouts migrated back to their appropriate campsites to eat dinner, re-organize and refresh for the mysteries of the coming day. Colby said he enjoys this calming time. "I like the night time when you get to rest up for the next day," he said.

Prescott Ruff is a 16-year-old Durham Boy Scout who earned his Eagle Scout rank with Troop 451. He is the hometown correspondent for The Herald-Sun to the National Boy Scout Jamboree and will be sharing slices of life from the annual event. The jamboree began Monday and continues through Aug. 4.