Information for Candidates:
Coming to your ordeal will be a great experience for you. You may have heard a lot of things about the Ordeal, but it is really a ceremony - not a camp as you are used to having.
The Ordeal is a time for you to make some commitments that will make you ready to become a member of the Order of the Arrow.
Plan on arriving at the location for the ordeal on Friday night by 7:00 p.m. You can come anytime after 6:00 p.m. You will be finished on Saturday around 9:00 p.m.
Eat dinner before arriving.
You will need to bring a sleeping bag and ground cloth, work clothes and work gloves, wet weather gear, a canteen, your class 'A' uniform and any other personal articles you may need.
You will not need any food or cooking gear. Bring any medications that you need to take during the day.
At your ordeal you will be organized in a patrol sized group of candidates with an experienced arrowman as your guide. We call him an elangomat - it means friend.
You will attend a campfire on Friday evening that will remind you of some of the commitments that you need to think about. Then you will be taken to your camping place for the night.
Saturday will be spent doing service projects of various types. Most will be pretty dirty, so bring old work clothes. At the conclusion of the day you will attend another campfire which will teach you of the traditions of the Order of the Arrow.
We will provide all of the food that you need at your ordeal. Most of the time that you are with us you will be placed on silence. It is a time to think and make some personal decisions. Plan on leaving all the usual things that occupy your time at home.
There is nothing like standing at the campfire and being presented with your own sash. Look forward to your Ordeal. It is a mountain top experience in scouting.
Don't worry about your ordeal. There is nothing to be afraid of, in spite of what others may have said. It will be one of the great experiences in your scouting life - one that you will remember a long time.