Hiking and camping are hallmarks of scouting. Recently, when I interviwed the widow of one of Pelham's earliest scouts, she allowed me to hold his Boy Scout manual. In I read the requirements for First Class Scout.

Make a round trip alone (or with another scout) to a point at least seven miles away, going on foot or rowing boat, and write a satisfactory account of the trip and things observed.

Beginning the summer of 2015 exploration of trails near and not-so-near will take place. The committee is seeking adults with trail experience to contact the Scoutmaster, Mr. Wilkerson, and discuss your interests and abilities. A schedule will appear on this page by June 15. A special emphasis will be provided for first year scouts to get out and gain experience and increase comfort on the trail through increasing fitness and aquisition of key skills.

Participating scouts will have an opportunity for some high adventure this fall and winter. In addition to developing our capacity to hike remote areas we plan to explore snow shoeing. Among the opportunities we will schedule is an overnight in a winter hut with snow shoeing and sledding on the agenda.

Benefits of these adventures include opportunities to forge new and deeper friendships, gain self-confidence through self-sufficiency improved fitness, increased strength and stamina, and possibly earning both the Hiking merit badge and the National Outdoor Achievement award for Hiking.

No trip home from a hike is complete without pizza and we have mapped our GPS for several great locations!

You can monitor this column for our most recent status updates.

• We completed introductory hike in the White Mountain National Forest on the Lincoln Woods and Franconia Falls trails .