A report on how members of Troop 159 spent their summer

The boys of Our Lady Queen of Peace Troop 159 had an exciting and very busy summer despite COVID-19.

This summer a select group of eight youth and four adults attended the high adventure camp in the Adirondacks. Floodwood Mountain Scout Reservation has been the ultimate site for High Adventure for over 50 years. Floodwood is located near Saranac Lake, New York, about an hour west of Lake Placid in the heart of the Adirondacks.

With its many lakes, streams and High Peaks, Floodwood is perfectly located to offer a High Adventure challenge second to none.

‘50 Miler Award’

The scouts achieved the prestigious “50 Miler Award” by rowing more than 50 miles in six days, camping in undisturbed forests and on uninhabited islands on Upper Saranac Lake. The camp limits treks to a maximum of 12 individuals per group to ensure the campers enjoy the peaceful tranquility of undisturbed nature at its best.

Summer camp: 86 merit

Joseph A. Citta Scout Reservation in Barnegat, N.J. was the location the boys selected this year to attend summer camp. The boys fished, enjoyed canoeing and many other water sports with troops from other councils in New Jersey.

The boys (18 in attendance this year) amazingly earned 86 merit badges. Below is a list of all the merit badges earned over the summer of 2021 by the scouts of OLQP Troop 159 in Hewitt, NJ:

Merit badges earned include:

American Cultures, American Heritage, Archery, Astronomy, Camping, Chemistry, Citizenship in the Community, Citizenship in the Nation, Citizenship in the world, Communications and Cooking.

Also: Crime prevention, Emergency Preparedness, Environmental Science, Family life, Fingerprinting, Fire Safety, First Aid, Fishing, Game design and Geocaching.

Also: Horsemanship, Indian lore, Law, Leatherwork, Lifesaving, Medicine, Nuclear Science, Oceanography, Personal Fitness, Personal Management, Rifle shooting, Rowing, Shotgun shooting.

Also: Small boat sailing, Snow sports, Space exploration, Sustainability, Swimming, Veterinary Medicine, Welding and Woodcarving.

Essentials

Each merit badge consists of many hours of education and hands on experience coupled with fun and different requirements. This is an impressive list of excellent life skills and learning experiences that make a scout a well rounded interesting individual.

If you have a son who may be interested in joining Troop 159 please reach out to Scoutmaster Lee Szoulsha at asmszolusha@gmail.com .

This article and photos were provided by Nicholas M. Salleroli.