Scouting

THE MISSION OF the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Scout Law. The words might have changed some over the past 110 years, bu

In 1913, women’s suffragists marched in the streets of Washington, D.C., demanding the right to vote. Thousands of spectators attended, but some did not support the cause. Marchers were heckled and assaulted; police struggled to maintain control. Tha

Somewhere in Colorado, there’s a merit badge counselor who can smile with pride. When he was a Scout, Derrick Goold earned the Emergency Preparedness merit badge while attending summer camp at Ben Delatour Scout Ranch in the BSA’s Longs Peak Council.

They’re in separate troops, but make no mistake: Charlotte and Alex Beatson are on this Scouting journey together. They’ve worked on merit badges together, were inducted into the Order of the Arrow at the same time, and have even attended some of the

Tyler Henry wanted to help Memorial United Methodist Church in Summit Point, W.Va., where his grandmother had attended and where Troop 421 met. As a tribute to his grandmother and a thank-you on behalf of his troop, Tyler decided to take on multiple

There’s a reason it’s called the “death zone.” At 29,029 feet, the lack of oxygen atop Mount Everest seriously limits how well a person can function. Risks of fatigue, frostbite and stress to the heart and brain skyrocket. Bruce Terry, Scoutmaster of

Madison Burrell uses these adjectives to describe her time at the wet and windy West Point Camporee: “tiring, scary, wet, muddy, crusty and painful.” Hardly a ringing endorsement, right? But then read what Madison says next: “I hope I’ll get to make

TO EARN A merit badge, a young person must work with a registered merit badge counselor. Here are some frequently asked questions about these important adult volunteers. WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS TO BE A MERIT BADGE COUNSELOR? Counselors must be men

THE NATIONAL SUMMERTIME Pack Award program features all sorts of prizes. There’s a streamer for the pack flag if the pack holds an activity during each summer month. There’s a streamer for the den flag if the den gets at least half its members to eac

Sophia Twining has always been aware of the dangers of drunk driving. But her awareness has gone through the roof since her high school’s SADD chapter hosted an activity that let students experience what it’s like to drive drunk. (They drove golf car

A SCOUT IS KIND, but is anybody else? You might not think so, judging by daily headlines and your social-media feeds. But Dale Atkins and Amanda Salzhauer argue that kindness is all around us — even in toddlers who are still learning to walk and talk

Troop 425 Scouts hopped over from the Hawaiian island of Oahu to Maui to backpack in Haleakal? National Park. Although they weren’t too far from home, they felt like they were on a different planet: spectacular sunrises atop a dormant volcano, rare p

On the surface, it all seemed so seamless: one Scout troop, split into three crews based on experience level, cruising through miles and miles of the backcountry of Yosemite National Park. As the Scouts and adults from Troop 65 in Morgantown, W.Va.,

Scouting is a year-round activity. Though the temperatures rise as we enter summer, we still take Scouts outdoors. Hiking, biking, camping … these are all popular summer outings. But there’s one warm-weather activity that rules them all: aquatics. If

If St. Louis were building its famed Gateway Arch today, it might have trouble finding enough skilled tradespeople to finish the job. According to the State of the St. Louis Workforce 2017 report, nearly 60% of companies that hire workers in the skil

YOU’VE MASTERED THE gold standard of Dutch oven cooking: the legendary cake-topped peach cobbler. As delicious as it is, though, the dessert delivers a ton of sugar in every bite, most of it from high fructose corn syrup. You can do better. Dutch ove

I LOVE KNOTS. There’s magic in taking a piece of rope and, with a few bends and turns, creating a remarkable structure that is as useful as it is attractive. I’m also delighted to know that people sitting around campfires thousands of years ago taugh

KNOWING HOW TO predict weather is far more than a matter of convenience. It can make a huge difference for your daily logistics, safety and survival. Decisions on whether or not to cross a large body of water by canoe, attempt a mountain climb or sto

OLIVIA GOODREAU WAS 6 when she was bitten by a tick. She has been living with Lyme disease ever since. Now 15, she wants people to know they could be just one bite away from getting the disease themselves. Olivia is the founder of the LivLyme Foundat

SET ALONG A FORK in the Red River, Camp Don Harrington offers views of the impressive Palo Duro Canyon as Scouts hike to different activity stations. Established as a BSA camp in 1945, the 1,600-acre property is now primarily used as a Cub Scout day

Ben Sebastian, 21, was in a car with friends near San Leandro, Calif., when a vehicle on the road ahead of them lost control and plummeted down an embankment into the waters of San Francisco Bay. The driver pulled over, and Sebastian jumped out of th