Lynnfield’s BSA Boy Scout Troop 48 joined with Lynnfield’s Webelos Scouts to enjoy a day of adventure at the New England Orienteering Club’s “Scout-O” day on April 13 at the Hale Education Center in Westwood.
The club’s members volunteer each year to teach Scouts all about orienteering. Each Scout brought their own orienteering compass, which has a flat clear base so that the user can still read the map when the compass is placed over it. The club provides the maps to the Hale Center, which is a sprawling, beautiful forest with hills, lakes, swamps, etc.
Lynnfield’s Scouts were assigned to a club member named Xevi who was originally from Catalonia, Spain and had participated in orienteering events and races around the world. Xevi taught the Scouts how to read an orienteering map, how to use their compasses, and how to navigate through the topography of the land from one designated “control point” on the map to the next control point.
It sounds easy in principle but it is challenging and requires practice. Orienteering is not just about running from point A to point B on a map. There may be thick forest, or swamp or poison ivy patches between control points, so one has to navigate their way around the topography to find the path of least resistance to make the fastest time on the course.
Once the Scouts got the hang of it, they had developed a skill that they can use anywhere in the world to navigate for recreation, in orienteering races, or even in an emergency.
The older Boy Scouts paired up with the younger Webelo Scouts, who are fourth graders, to mentor them through this day. As the most senior Scout in attendance, Erik Bell served as the Scout leader through the multiple forest courses.
During one of the courses, the Scouts earned second place for moving through the course and checking in at each of the designated control points in the second fastest time.
Through this adventure day, the Scouts got outside on a beautiful April weekend, enjoyed vigorous exercise and activity, bonded with their teammates and fellow Scouts of different ages, built independence and leadership skills, and learned a practical, fun skill that can serve them later in life.
Scouting offers opportunities that are completely different from what today’s youth get at school, online gaming, sports teams, etc. Lynnfield’s Scouting system has been so successful that over the years it has generated 138 Eagle Scouts through 2023 with more scheduled to achieve that prestigious rank in 2024. Achieving Eagle Scout is the pinnacle of scouting and is achieved by roughly 5% of Scouts.
Scouting begins as young as kindergarten and Boy Scouts begins as early as sixth grade through age 17. New Scouts are welcome to join at any time. Potential Scouts and their parents/guardians can attend a meeting or Scouting event to give it a try and see what it is like. If you have interest in learning more, please contact Troop 48 Scoutmaster Jim Squadrito at jsquadrito@gmail.com.
