Monument Peak Trail

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The Hiking Merit Badge is rated as one of the most difficult merit badges because it helps build stamina, confidence, and break mental barriers. It includes one 5-mile hike, three 10-mile hikes, one 15-mile hike, and one 20-mile hike. However, it is also one of the essential components of scouting as it is outdoors and exposes scouts to nature. You never know when you will take a wrong turn in not only BSA but life in general and will need to use skills you learned through hikes.

On February 5, we went on our first 10-mile of the hiking merit badge. It was at Monument Peak Trail, a beautiful hiking trail at EdLevin Park with lots of flowers; we even saw a Marigold! We hiked in pairs and saw many cows along the way. We even came across one that was so aggressive, it charged towards us and we had to change our route. You never know when you will have to change your path!

We took a "lunch" break in the middle to eat the snacks we brought and then continued hiking while listening to Hollywood, Bollywood, and some cringy songs for enjoyment. And I think that at this point, it's practically our tradition to climb a tree every hike we go on. However, our troop was very spread out rather than together, which made it difficult to conduct a count-off. But overall, the hike was very enjoyable and we all had fun!