What is Northern Tier? If you don’t know what Northern Tier is, it is 1 of the 4 High Adventure Camps the BSA offers, which includes Philmont Scout Ranch, NM, Northern Tier, MN/Canada, Florida Sea Base, FL, and Summit Bechtel, WV. Although all 4 of these camps are the best of the best the BSA provides, Northern Tier is arguably the most unique and challenging. In itself, Northern Tier is a weeklong canoeing trip, where crews canoe and camp on the beautiful big lakes, while carrying all the gear needed for the entire week. Although each crew is provided with a trained guide who stays with the crew throughout the trek, the trek itself is incredibly difficult as you must navigate through the complicated waterways of the Canadian Crownlands with only a compass and map, paddle through heavy winds and choppy waters, rely on only the natural resources around you, and portage across land to get from one body of water to another. Portaging is where you and your canoeing group hikes with the canoe on top of your head and carrying 100-pound backpacks full of gear.   Thanks: Before I jump into our crew’s specific journey and trek, I would like to thank a few important figures. Firstly, I would like to thank Mr. Anand Ranganathan, our crew’s Lead Advisor, for organizing our trek and creating a template that other crews can use for years to come. I would also like to thank our other adult advisors, Mr. Karthik Mokashi, Mr. Arun Muthuraman and Mr. Sidharth Anand for ensuring that our trek went safely and smoothly, and letting us scouts make decisions on our own. Planning: Our adventure first started off a year ago, a month after this same crew came back from Philmont Scout Ranch. Mr. Ranganathan booked our Northern Tier trek, and immediately started researching all the logistics to plan for the trip, as this is the first time a crew from our troop has gone. As time went on, we finalized our crew and started preparing for the trip. Because we knew this adventure would be very physically demanding, we started working out and exercising as a crew and individually. We also had a couple of swimming practices to make sure everyone was prepared for anything that could happen out on the water. During the summer we went on 2 canoeing practice trips where we got used to paddling and steering, which played a huge part of the trek itself.  Delta Flight Delay: Using the immense research and planning Mr. Ranganthan did over the last year, we felt very prepared. But as we we’re getting ready to leave for the airport, our Delta flight got canceled due to the Microsoft CrowdStrike issue. Right away Mr. Ranganthan and Mr. Muthuraman got to work searching for other flights that could take us to Minneapolis, MN. After 3 hours of searching, they finally found and booked a flight. Luckily our trek didn’t get impacted by the delay. Once we reached the Minneapolis airport, we were picked up by a Blue-Sky Adventure Bus, which drove us 7 hours through the night, across the US/Canadian border to Atikokan Ontario, which is where one of the 3 Northern Tier bases is located. We arrived at 4 AM in the morning, but luckily our guide packed a lot of the crew gear for us the day before, which is why we were able to hit the water by 2PM that day like nothing even happened. Our Trek Details: Our trek was an 8-day trek in the Crownlands of Canada, where we covered a total of 75 miles by canoe. We faced MANY challenges along the way, including strong winds, choppy waters, heavy rain, capsizing, spider bites, leeches, and mosquito bites like nothing you have ever seen before. The most challenging part of the trek was definitely portaging. Carrying and hiking with a big 45-pound canoe over your head, and 100-pound backpacks, through rugged terrain such as rocks, hills, swamps, rivers, rapids, thick forests, and even chest deep mud! However the hardest part of our trek was specifically the 1.5 ml Anne Bay Portage. This portage specifically, we as a crew agree, was the most physically and mentally toughest thing we’ve ever done in our entire lives. But the end result was so rewarding. The beautiful scenery everywhere you look, the clearest water you’ll ever see, and the most untouched land that makes it seem like you’re on a different planet. After we completed our trek and returned to base camp, we cleaned up all of our gear, jumped into the first shower we had in a week, and drank regular water for the first time after a week of having to purify lake water on trail. As a crew we earned the 75 Miler award, and the Duty to God award while on trail.  Conclusion: As a crew we highly recommend that all of you go to Northern Tier and get to experience what we all got to experience this summer. Luckily Mr. Ranganathan has put together a slideshow of everything we’ve gathered from our trip, including things to buy, how to plan, things to bring, and reusable common crew gear, in hopes of multiple crews from our troop attending each year in the future. Overall, this was the most challenging, incredible, and breathtaking experience we’ve ever had. We learned and got to experience things that wouldn’t be possible anywhere else in the world. Although our crew is already very close, this trip allowed us to disconnect from the outside world and become even greater friends. I will never forget this once in a lifetime experience throughout the rest of my life. And like Northern Tier says, “3 Seasons, 2 Countries and 1 adventure of a lifetime.”

Hi! I’m Neel Manekar, and last summer, I attended Philmont Scout Ranch, and served as the crew leader for my crew consisting of 7 scouts and 4 adults. Philmont is one of the four High Adventure camps that Boy Scouts can attend. It is located in Cimarron, New Mexico. Philmont is said to be the most fun and challenging High Adventure camp of the four. Before arriving at Philmont, your crew has to choose an itinerary, which is a very important decision. Depending on the itinerary your crew chooses, you will hike between 40 and 120 miles! Also, you can choose if you want to do a 7-day, 9-day, or 12-day itinerary. Last summer, when my crew and I went, we did a 9-day trek, consisting of 40-50 miles of hiking. Not only do you get to hike many miles with your friends, but you also get to tons of fun activities! My crew and I did railroading, blacksmithing, muzzle-loading rifle shooting, atlatl darts, and more. One of the highlights of our trek was summiting Baldy Mountain, which is 12,441 feet tall! Climbing to that peak was extremely difficult, but it was all worth it in the end. I remember that when some of my crew members and I were one step from summiting, I told them to wait for the others, so we could all summit the mountain together. Standing on Baldy’s peak, made you feel like you were on top of the world. You would feel the strong rush of the winds while seeing a gorgeous view. In the end, I would absolutely recommend attending Philmont to anyone. It’s an incredible opportunity to gain leadership skills, and you get to experience once-in-a-lifetime views and take in memories that will last a lifetime.

Royaneh was a fantastic experience. I earned four Eagle-required merit badges and participated in the ATV program, which was an exciting new opportunity. The staff were incredibly nice, making the camp both educational and enjoyable. The cabins were better than tents, and out of all the camps I’ve attended, the food at Royaneh was the best. The camp offered a variety of programs, including competitions, horseback riding, basketball, campfires, and more. As one of the older scouts, I had the chance to learn how to lead a large group for the first time, which was a valuable experience in developing my leadership skills.  Overall, the camp was a relaxing and fun experience, and I gained lots of knowledge about leadership and earned merit badges. I highly recommend this camp to others; it’s a great option for future camps.

Troop 888 went to Wolfeboro from June 23rd to June 29th. Wolfeboro is a week-long summer camp, where you can get many merit badges and camping nights. Troop 888 goes to Wolfeboro almost every year as we have found it to be perfect for our needs. Wolfeboro has lots of activities that can be done for fun too, such as rifle ranges or swimming. Wolfeboro has something for every scout that attends. Wolfeboro staff organizes Sourdough for 1st time campers. Sourdough is a backpacking trip through a trail that needs to a campground near a stream. Campers will stay there overnight, sleeping under the stars. The next day, everyone packs up and hikes back. Sourdough is a great way to train new scouts in scouting skills like camping, hiking and backpacking while having a great time.   For older scouts, Wolfeboro has opportunities for many merit badges. You also can get rockers, which are like special awards for doing a list of requirements related to a scouting skill. You can get rockers in hiking, nature, swimming, etc. Finally, for scouts who want to go above and beyond, there are opportunities for scouts to become part of Wolfeboro’s staff. The last major award a scout can achieve at Wolfeboro is becoming a pioneer. A pioneer must have attended 3 years of Wolfeboro and completed other requirements.    Troop 888 has seen that these opportunities are what makes Wolfeboro unique and a great option for a summer camp. Due to all the activities at the camp, everyone that attended had a great time.

Troop 888 conducted Trooporee from September 13th to 15th at Bort Meadow Group Campsite. Trooporee is troop 888’s version of camporee. Trooporee has many games similar to camporee and others too. There is also a pumpkin carving competition and a cooking competition. You get points for each game you play, and the winners of Trooporee also get prizes! The best part about Trooporee is that there is always an activity happening. The campout is jam-packed with games or competitions. To wind down, there is a campfire full of skits and stories. These activities help build patrol spirit and let you have a good time. No requirements are done at Trooporee since its main objective is to have fun. This event is funded by the troop and relies a lot on scout participation so all scouts from Troop 888 are welcome to come.

Troop 888 went to Camporee 2024 from April 12th to April 14th. In short, a camporee is a 2-night long campout organized by the Meridian District. The campout is packed with skill and team building games. It also provides a good opportunity to build patrol spirit and bond with scouts in our troop and others. One major challenge that we faced during this year’s camporee was the rain. There was a lot of rain and it soaked through our jackets and tents. Everyone’s spirits were pretty low, since everyone was freezing cold. Some of the new scouts were sent back, since they were underprepared and they weren’t ready for the rain.  But, some patrols managed to play a few of the games that were set up. Additionally, we also participated in the cooking competition and made a few outstanding desserts. Troop 888, for the most part, persevered through the elements and showed courage and had a great time, even though it was raining.

For his Eagle Project, Aaditya created a 3-day plan to get unused bikes to kids who needed them. By creating fliers, distributing them, and finally collecting bikes and repairing them, Aaditya was able to successfully donate these bikes to children in need with assistance from Kids Bike Lane. Day 1: On the first day, Aaditya created informative fliers to announce the upcoming bike collection, with a clear goal of gathering and refurbishing bikes for children in need. The fliers were designed to be eye-catching and detailed, explaining the project’s mission and how community members could contribute. This initial step was crucial for building awareness and encouraging donations within the neighborhood.   Day 2: On the second day, Aaditya and the other scouts dedicated time to distributing the fliers around the neighborhood, following a thoughtfully planned route similar to the one used for the  Scouting for Food event. By doing so, he was able to spread awareness of the fundraiser to many people in the community allowing for a sufficient number of donations.   Day 3: On the third day, Aaditya successfully collected 20 bikes from generous community members, reflecting a positive response to the outreach efforts. Each bike was inspected and underwent any necessary repairs to ensure they were safe and functional, with the help of experienced volunteers from Kids Bike Lanes. This careful process guaranteed that each bike was ready for safe use and could soon be enjoyed by children in need.   After all 3 days of the project were completed, Aaditya worked together with Kids Bike Lane one last time to ensure that kids in need were able to receive a bike for them to use and enjoy.

Romir hosted a conservation outing at Fertile Groundworks on April 6, 2024. The outing was organized to assist the folks at Fertile Groundworks in removing the invasive weed species growing uncontrollably around their newly established rows of saplings, which had been planted during a previous conservation event in December, also hosted by Romir. During this outing, the participants dug out the ground to remove an invasive weed species known as bindweed, using tools like shovels, trowels, and rakes. After removing the bindweed, they used wheelbarrows to haul the excess soil onto the garden bed. Then, they evened out the rows of saplings by adding more soil and water around them. The group also used leaves, chosen by the people of Fertile Groundworks, to cover the ground around the saplings.       At the end of the event, they took pictures with the staff and shared refreshments with the attendees. The staff at Fertile Groundworks were very pleased with the work done by Troop 888 and appreciated that nobody pulled out their phones during the outing, a common issue they had observed with other groups. The event ran smoothly overall; however, Romir faced a challenge as not many people who signed up actually showed up. On the event page of the troop’s website, seven scouts and two adults had signed up, but only three scouts and one adult attended. Romir had to make a few last-minute phone calls to arrange for one more adult and another scout to join the event.