A 5 Mile Hike

Tyler is thoroughly enjoying being a Scout. He has done a lot of work to ensure he not only gets his Webelos rank, but also achieves Arrow of Light, the highest rank a Cub Scout can achieve. By going those extra steps to reach Arrow of Light, he'll be able to "crossover," moving from Cub Scout to Boy Scout, at the end of February, rather than waiting until the end of the year.

One of the requirements for Arrow of Light involves an outing with a Boy Scout troop. He actually met this requirement with a campout in the fall, but had the opportunity to go on a hike with the Boy Scout troop this weekend.

A 5-mile hike seemed like a long distance to me, especially since he's never done any hiking, but he was excited to participate. They hiked the path around Lake Fayetteville, a beautiful trek that goes by the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks and concludes by crossing over the spillway for Lake Fayetteville.

The boys had a great time! There wound up only being a small group of his Webelos den, but Tyler enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know some of the older boys, too. Since he'll be a part of their troop in a very short time period, it was good for him to start getting to know them. The weather was almost perfect. It was a cool day, but not cold, and after a short time they were able to take their jackets off. Tyler had carried his lighter jacket, so it was good for the time they needed the jackets, but also lighter to carry once they took them off.

Even after a 5-mile hike, the boys had plenty of energy. When I arrived to pick them up they were even chasing one another around the pick-up area!

Tyler thoroughly enjoyed the day and the time with his friends. He's now looking forward to crossing over and joining his new friends in Boy Scout Troop 107.