Happy 100th anniversary Boy Scouts

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Happy Birthday. If there was ever an organization that helped bond me to the outdoors, it was the scouts. My family moved to a small town in New Hampshire (population 3,000) when I was 8. It was there that I became a scout-Troop 266, Daniel Webster Council-Algonquin (now Nutfield) District. Did my first backpacking trip with the scouts-first mountain climb too-and boy did I ever look forward to camping jamborees and week long summer camp at Hidden Valley in New Hampshire's gorgeous lake district. I learned camping skills, survival skills, how to shoot a gun, how to use a bow and arrow, paddle, backcountry cook and a myriad of other great survival and life skills. I find it sad now that many boys and girls are shunning scouting. Yet another reason along with our urbanized society and plugged-in lifestyles that our next generations may never know the great outdoors. What a shame-long live the Boy Scouts and hopefully in its second 100 years more boys will discover and embrace it.

Just an aside-I guess having a district called Nutfield doesn't help recruitment! LOL- Seriously-it is the original name of the area that I grew up in-Oh, so that explains it!