About Scouts
Iowa Scouts Forge Their Own Dutch ovens
It's easy to cook up a killer cobbler in a Dutch oven. But watch as these guys actually make their own Dutch oven, too.
Geocaching
The word geocache is a combination of “geo,” which means “earth,” and “cache,” which means “a hiding place.” Geocaching describes a hiding place on planet Earth—a hiding place you can find using a GPS unit.
Consider Recycling, not Burning, a Retired Flag
The most common way for a Boy Scout to properly dispose of an unusable U.S. flag is by burning. But if the flag is made of nylon, burning is not necessarily a good idea.
A Year of Celebration
Tell us how you celebrated BSA's 100th birthday.
Record-Breaking Rocket Launch
Several thousand Texas Scouts gathered this fall to launch more than 3,000 rockets into the sky. They also launched themselves into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The Best of Boys’ Life
In 2011, Boys' Life will celebrate its 100th birthday. Between now and then, you can find some of the best writing in our history in one book.
The Screamin’ Eagle is One Long Pinewood Derby Track
Imagine a Pinewood Derby track nearly as long as football field. That's the Screamin' Eagle, a 263-foot, 2 1/4-inch track that was featured at a Cub Scout event in Illinois last summer.
Cub Scouts Use Bike-A-Thon to Collect Food for the Hungry
Watch as Texas Cub Scouts put a new twist on the old Scouting for Food tradition.
Inventing
Inventing involves finding technological solutions to real-world problems. Inventors understand the importance of inventing to society because they creatively think of ways to improve the lives of others. Explore the world of inventing through this new merit badge, and discover your inner inventiveness.
Eagle Scout Eric Fiala Talks About His Epic Bike Ride From Alaska to Argentina
Eagle Scout Eric Fiala biked 20,000 miles from Alaska to Argentina in the name of adventure and autism awareness. Listen to BL's interview with Eric as he talks about the trip's memorable moments.
Share your Eagle Scout service project ideas
Looking for ideas for a good Eagle Scout service project? Wondering what type of Eagle Scout projects that other Scouts are doing? Use this message board to share ideas or tell others about your Eagle project.
Johnny Strange Talks About Climbing the Seven Summits
Johnny Strange was the youngest person to climb the Seven Summits -- the tallest peaks on each of the seven continents. Listen to exclusive excerpts of our interview with this former Cub Scout.
Video of Okpik Winter Camping at Northern Tier High Adventure Base
Okpik at the Northern Tier High Adventure Bases is not a winter survival camp. Okpik is a winter fun camp. Watch these videos to get a taste of Okpik fun.
Video of a Super-Fast Pinewood Derby Track
Watch video of Indiana Cub Scouts experiencing a whole new speed of pinewood derby at this giant track.
Day 12: Ponil to Base Camp
Guess what? We broke Ponil’s 24-day streak of bear sightings. I can’t believe that we’ve made it through a place reportedly crawling with bears and never saw one.
Day 11: Flume Canyon to Ponil
I dreamed last night that I was at work and hadn’t taken a shower since getting back from Philmont. (Which would serve my boss right after sending me on this assignment.) The crew gets a kick out of this. “You’ll be traumatized by Philmont and will be setting up bear bags in your office,” Blake says.
Day 10: Miranda to Flume Canyon
Burro packing is on our program itinerary today. We’re supposed to get a couple of the four-hooved beasts of burden and load our crew gear on them. But when we get to the Miranda corral, the staff tells us that thunderstorms are predicted for the day (oh, joy). Since burros can be skittish in bad weather, our crew has the option to pass on the burro packing, which we do.
Day 9: Baldy Mountain
Today is the day that we tackle Baldy Mountain, which will have us climbing 4,000 feet up from Miranda to the summit. It’s a day hike, so we don’t have to break camp and pack up. We just shoulder our day packs and take off.
Day 8: Upper Dean Cow to Miranda
It’s a fairly short hike to Head of Dean staffed camp this morning. Head of Dean is a cool place because it has a big challenge course, which is designed to get the crew working together as a team to accomplish different tasks.
Day 7: Visto Grande to Upper Dean Cow
This morning, we take a left instead of a right at the Cimarron River and end up flailing around in the underbrush when our path runs out. When we backtrack to where we took the wrong turn, Blake points out the logs placed across the trail. “I guess we could’ve paid attention to the trail markers.” Live and learn.
Day 6: Hunting Lodge to Visto Grande
It’s another glorious morning—the rain and the bear stayed away last night. Maybe we should have chili for dinner every night.
Day 5: Schaefers Pass to Hunting Lodge
It’s a gloriously sunny morning. We take advantage of it and let our clothes and gear finally dry.
Day 4: Crater Lake to Schaefers Pass
Today is the day our ranger leaves us. Dylan bids us farewell this morning, and all excited about being on our own, the first thing we do is get lost.
Day 3: Olympia to Crater Lake
After a beautiful, warm — and dry — morning hike during which we spot lots of deer, we arrive at Abreu camp for lunch.
Day 2: Base Camp to Olympia
After breakfast, Ranger Dylan does a shakedown of our gear. In a shakedown, you take everything from your backpack and spread it out for the ranger to look at. He then advises you on what you should and shouldn’t take on the trek.
Day 1: Philmont Base Camp
The first official day of the trek is our last one spent in civilization: Philmont Base Camp, where there’s a cafeteria and hot showers. And canvas tents on concrete platforms with cots—a real treat, we’ll soon find out.