Scouting Around

Ray Decker went years without a haircut, until it was long enough to donate to Wigs for Kids.

Exploration, the BSA’s newest merit badge, is designed to celebrate your spirit of adventure.

The Scouts from Troop 2012 aren’t in a real emergency. They’ve gone camping in the East Texas wilderness.

Eagle Scout Brandon Lawrence, from Troop 605 in Henderson, North Carolina, just earned his 141st merit badge.

The race cars at the NASCAR Hall of Fame are some of the fastest ever. The Pinewood Derby cars are not too shabby, either.

It started when Parker Schmidt was a Webelos Scout and it hasn't slowed down since.

The Exploring program gives you a behind-the-scenes view of a career that could be right for you.

Sailing is tricky. But once you get the hang of it, there are few things cooler than cruising across the water, powered only by the wind blowing against your sails.

By Aaron Derr Photographs by W. Garth Dowling When you are a Boy Scout, you will get to do all kinds of amazing things on the water. Things like sailing, kayaking and

Not only is good fitness essential to many of the most fun Scout activities, it’s also a major contributor to a long, healthy life.

They journeyed by train for thousands of miles to two national parks and a whole new world.

From streams to rivers to lakes, you can fish it all at fish camp.

When you’re rappelling or rock climbing, you have a team on your side to keep you safe.

When you go on a Scout trip — whether it’s hiking, camping or something else — you’re making memories. Consider keeping a journal of your Scout outings that will keep those memories fresh for years to come.

When the Baltimore Area Council tried to develop a STEM camp they knew just whom to ask: the guys in Troop 944 in Baltimore, Maryland.

You can't conquer Half Dome halfheartedly.

A Scout is Helpful: After a horrifying disaster on Mount Everest, a 17-year-old Eagle Scout steps up and saves lives.

Boy Scout Troop 100 from Tucson, Arizona, is participating in a cool service project: using a 3-D printer to create parts for prosthetic hands, then assembling them for those in need.

You’re automatically a citizen of the country in which you were born. But that doesn't automatically make you a good citizen.

Troop 118 from Glendale, California, didn’t visit just one national park for their big summer trip last year. When Troop 118 traveled, they went big-time.

When Ben Linkous, an Eagle Scout from Troop 417 in Gulf Breeze, Florida, participated in the Eco-Adventure program at Florida Sea Base, he was amazed at the fish, coral and other marine life that he saw.

Even in a survival situation, you should build a fire in a way that does not put the environment or yourself at risk.

It’s not easy to become a Navy SEAL. When Scouts from Troop 7 in Modesto, California, participate in the Navy SEAL Challenge, they get a taste of what that it takes.

Learn more about science, technology, engineering and math by working on one of the BSA’s Nova awards.

Each month, Boys’ Life magazine picks a theme from the Program Features for Troops, Teams, and Crews series of books for readers to consider for their program. October's suggested theme: Science.