gershon

I was in Scouts in the late 60's. I got my hiking merit badge. My 20 mile hike was in Morristown, NJ. I don't remember anything about 10 mile hikes. Maybe they didn't have them then. Now I live in Colorado and backpack a lot. This year, I'm seeing a lot of kids on the trail. There is a 12 year old kid on the Appalacian Trail this year. She hiked the Pacific Crest Trail last year. It's not unusual to see kids 5 to 10 years old far from a trailhead with their parents. I met an 8 year old who is already dreaming of the long trails. My personal opinion is 8 miles should be about the longest required for the MB. I have a few reasons for this. 1. It's easier to find adults who can hike 8 miles. 2. 20 miles is really a darn difficult hike on trails, so it leads to urban hikes. I like urban hikes, so I'm not knocking them. 3. Being able to do 8 miles is good enough for going backpacking. It's a more realistic distance in mountainous areas. 4. It's probably easier for a scout to legitimately plan an 8 mile hike. I would really insist each scout planned the hike even if an adult picked a trail. With shorter hikes, it's more realistic to allow a scout to make all the decisions. Rest breaks, lunch, wading in a stream or standing under a waterfall. Perhaps it could be a requirement for a scout to lead a hike for the last one of the MB. (With adult supervision if needed.)

A. How is it better now? I like the idea of having choices. I missed Eagle because of one requirement on the Lifesaving merit badge. I wasn't able to retrieve a weight from the bottom of a lake as I got disoriented in murky water. It didn't affect my life any, but it is a disappointment. B. How could it be improved now? I'm not in scouting, so it's just a general comment. I think the learning should be relevant to the life the kids are leading and to what will happen the next few years. It should also be doable in the area they live. This might mean different tracks to Eagle Scout in different parts of the country. Scouting should be a safe haven for all the boys. For some it might be a place to relax away from a bad family situation. Maybe they aren't interested in advancement and just want friends. I'm not much of a leader. I prefer to be a good follower in the workplace. I'm thankful for all my boss does for me. In the same way, I'm thankful for all the good adult organizers and leaders in scouting. It's really not my place to make big suggestions.

I was a scout in the late 60's in Troop 151 in Nutley, NJ. I went to camp at Camp Tamarack which is now gone. Lately, I hiked to Camp Burch in Colorado. It was the first camp in Colorado built in the 20's. Although it is in ruins, it brought back a lot of good memories. Looking back, I realize the leadership and followership teaching in scouts was much better than I got at the Air Force Academy. I've been reading through the merit badge requirements and also reading the forums for the last week or so. It's not the good old days. In many ways, it's better.