COM Boy Scouts Philmont — Philmont: Boy Scout Troop 107 members at Philmont Scout Reservation Base Camp in June. Alex Mueller, from left, David Duba, David Jones, Sam Greathouse, Alec Brooks, Ben Carroll, Martin Behrens, Evan Seitz, Sam Mueller and Colby Neumann. Not pictured were Boy Scout Lucas Kooy and adult leaders Bob Mueller, Tim Neumann, Dave Duba and Craig Kooy.

Westfield, Boy Scout Troop 107, chartered by Christ United Methodist Church in downtown Westfield, recently completed record setting summer camping experiences.

On June 19, 11 Scouts and four adults headed west to conquer Boy Scouts of America’s first High Adventure Base, Philmont Scout Ranch. Located in the New Mexico Rocky Mountains, Philmont has 137,000 square acres of mountains, trails and camps. The group backpacked 69 miles over 10 days, including a one day, 14-mile trek to the top of Mount Baldy.

Then in mid-July, 40 scouts and 12 adults braved the heat and dry weather to venture to Ransburg Scout Reservation in Bloomington for a week of learning and improving their Scouting skills. Scouts participated in more than 40 different merit badges including Engineering, Robotics, Rowing, Water Sports, Swimming, Life Saving, Fishing, Archery, Rifle and Shotgun to name a few.

COM Boy Scouts Scout Camp — Scout Camp: Boy Scout Troop 107 members prepare to leave for Ransburg Summer Camp in July. Boy Scouts attending included Kevin Adamski, Curtis Bender, Jarod Bowser, Andrew Bredensteiner, Alec Brooks, Cooper Brooks, Charlie Castle, Tyler Chemelewski, Conner Comstock, Jacob Espey, Daniel Fitzgerald, Sam Greathouse, Alec Hartman, Conner Henderson, Gabe Henderson, Chad Hershey, Patrick Hester, Reilly Hester, Ben Hicks, David Jones, Taylor Jones, Kiel Koontz, Devin McCleary, Ryker McPhail, Jerod Mershimer, Alex Mueller, Connor Pearson, Ryan Rigdon, Dylan Rinehart, Max Rollo, Chris Rosado, Hayden Rush, Evan Seitz, John Semler, Nick Svendsen, Noah Turner, Nicky Von Bulow, Nathan Voorhis, Byron Weber and Joel Wilken. Adult leaders spending time at camp were Mark Adamski, Susan Bowser, Andy Fitzgerald, Norm Ganzel, Jim Hester, Bob Heston, Phil Jones, Rick McCleary, Rich McPhail, Kevin Mershimer, Kent Rigdon and Rob Wilken.

Twenty two scouts completed requirements in the 92-year-old Firecrafter Program. Dating back to 1920 and founded by F.O. Belzer at what is now known as Belzer Scout Reservation in Indianapolis, Firecrafter is based upon three ideals – friendship, leadership and service. Boy Scouts complete requirements for the ranks of Camper, Woodsman and Firecrafter during their week at summer camp. Requirements include map reading, knots, lashings, service and of course fire building. The third and most rigorous rank, Firecrafter, includes building a fire by friction set that is used to start a fire from the spark created by the scout. Firecrafter candidates also plan and execute a full campfire program including a safe fire, camp songs, stories and skits.

This year, Troop 107 had two Firecrafter candidates – Reilly Hester and Devin McCleary. Hester and McCleary will complete their candidacy at a weekend campout in August know as Grand Ritual, where scouts are tested on their skills and perform service to their camp.

Troop 107 was founded in 1948 and is the oldest Boy Scout Troop in Westfield. With more than 60 scouts and 20 adult leaders, Troop 107 continues to grow stronger within the Westfield Community. For more information, contact Jim Hester at [email protected].

Know More

For more information on scouting in Westfield, join Troop 107 at the Westfield Farmer’s Market on Aug. 17 starting at 4:30 pm. Members of Troop 107 along with Cub Scout Packs within Westfield will be available to answer questions about the Scouting program. Troop 107 will be setting up a campsite for visitors to inspect and will have support from the local Indiana National Guard and their portably Climbing Wall for all to enjoy.

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