An angry purple face sits snarling on the right shoulder Joseph Wolsey's Boy Scout uniform. A patch, the face signifies the Calamitous Coffee Cans, the group Wolsey will be with during the National Scout Jamboree.

"When we were looking through the dictionary, 'calamitous' came up," he said.

He and others in the group thought the word, which means having dire consequences, was awesome. The name and patch design followed, he said.

Joseph Wolsey, left, and Zach Schmitt will attend the national Boy Scout Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia. (Fred Lynch)

Wolsey and Zach Schmitt are two local boys making the trek to Virginia for a 10-day gathering of Scouts from all over the world. The Cape Girardeau Central High School sophomores are camping at Fort A.P. Hill, the location for the annual event for nearly 30 years.

This year's Jamboree began Monday and will continue until Wednesday with about 50,000 Scouts and leaders.

Brian Weiss, assistant Scoutmaster for Troop 1118, said the event reinforces the teamwork and camaraderie of Scouting.

"Mainly, it's meeting other Scouts," he said.

Weiss and the two Scouts traveled with a troop from Southern Illinois. The group includes about 35 Scouts and several adults.

The Scouts split into different groups called patrols. Everyone has a responsibility. For the Calamitous Coffee Cans, Wolsey will be the patrol leader.

For Schmitt's group, the Radioactive Geckos, he will be the hometown correspondent. With a little training and one of a few Internet connections available, he will write articles about events and activities during the Jamboree.

Schmitt said a typical Jamboree day includes waking up early to cook breakfast with the patrol, then doing as many activities as possible. Activities include rappelling, scuba diving and kayaking.

"They have pretty much every activity you could think of," Schmitt said.

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