High Adventure

High Adventure outings are the most physically and mentally challenging in Scouting, and are therefore limited to older scouts. These outings can be troop-organized, like climbing Mt. Whitney, or they can be programs run by BSA, such as at the four national High Adventure bases:

• Philmont Scout Ranch - two weeks backpacking in the Rocky Mountains of northeastern New Mexico, or a Cavalcade trek is one and a half weeks horseback riding and camping (since 1942);
• Northern Tier - one and a half weeks canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of northeastern Minnesota, and possibly in Ontario or Manitoba (since 1923);
• Sea Base - one week sailing and snorkeling in the Florida Keys, and possibly in the U.S. Virgin Islands or the Bahamas (since 1980);
• Summit Bechtel Reserve - one week kayaking and rafting on the New River in southern West Virginia (since 2014).

Troop 509 has historically been a regular participant in High Adventure outings, especially Philmont. The troop goes to one or more High Adventure outings each summer depending on scout interest.

Scout Qualifications. To attend Sea Base, scouts must be at least 13 (or close to 13) at the time of the outing. To attend Philmont, Northern Tier and Summit, scouts must be at least 14 at the time of the outing, or 13 and have completed 8th grade. For all bases, Scouts can attend even after they've turned 18.

Adult Qualifications. Parents - both dads and moms - can go to the national High Adventure programs. Every crew is required to have a minimum of two adults (three for Philmont), who must be registered with BSA and have completed Youth Protection training, plus have the same doctor clearance and meet the same height and weight requirements as the scouts. Crews with female scouts must have a female adult.

Signing Up. The troop typically takes sign-ups for national High Adventure programs a year and a half before the outing, because that is when these programs start taking reservations. Philmont has a lottery in Oct., and Northern Tier, Sea Base and Summit have first-come, first-served registration three months later in Jan.

Cost. The estimated cost for Philmont is $1,950, for Cavalcade $1,700, for Northern Tier $1,950, for Sea Base $2,000, and for Summit $1,900. These sums cover all expenses including transportation to and from the High Adventure program, but not the participant's personal gear like a backpack and boots for Philmont, and a dry bag for Northern Tier. Financial aid is available from the programs, but is limited to about $400. We collect a $150 per person deposit at sign-up, and the balance is collected in installments, around Sep., Jan. and Apr.

Preparation. For Philmont we have conditioning hikes carrying increasing loads over increasing distances and increasing altitudes, starting about five months before the outing. For Northern Tier, the best preparation is to lift weights on your own to strengthen arms and shoulders as you'll be lifting a canoe over your head and carrying it on your shoulders. For Summit it's best to first earn the kayaking merit badge. Sea Base doesn't require any preparation.

Packing Lists & Itineraries. Packing lists, itineraries and other resources from the troop's most recent High Adventure outings are here:

• Philmont
• Cavalcade
• Northern Tier
• Sea Base
• Summit

Past Outings. Links to the troop's past High Adventure outings are in the right column of this page.

Below are videos of some of the troop's recent High Adventure outings:

Awards. Scouts and adults who attend three of the four national High Adventure programs qualify for BSA's Triple Crown award, and if they attend all four they qualify for BSA's Grand Slam award.

BSA used to have High Adventure programs in Maine (1970-91) and Wisconsin (1940-83).

More information about Philmont and Cavalcade can be found on Philmont's website, its YouTube channel, Facebook page, Instagram account and X feed.

More information about Northern Tier can be found on Northern Tier's website, its YouTube channel, Facebook page, Instagram account and X feed.

More information about Sea Base can be found on Sea Base's website, its YouTube channel, Facebook page, Instagram account and X feed.

More information about Summit can be found on Summit's website, its YouTube channel, Facebook page, Instagram account, Flickr account and X feed.