BSA Troop 888 - Baton Rouge, LA

Last weekend, Troop 888 enjoyed a beautiful weekend at Bogue Chitto State Park. Our Scouts worked on their kayaking skills and were able to float down the river, used their biking skills to tackle the trails and obstacles, and were able to do some fishing from our campsite on the water. The weather was perfect to spend some time enjoying nature with our fellow Scouts!

It has been a busy few months for Troop 888, so here’s a brief recap:
-We finished off the year with our second annual Troop Christmas party. Our Scouts enjoyed a costume contest, white elephant gift exchange, and plenty of snacks.
-In January we welcomed new Scouts who crossed over from their Cub Scout Packs. We enjoyed a day of fun and games at MBS for everyone to get to know each other.
-February took us to northeast Alabama for some cave exploring. Over 20 of our brave members, accompanied by our 2 guides, ventured underground. We made our way through sand, rocks, water, and mud! Some of our campers were also able to enjoy a more leisurely tour of Cathedral Caverns.
-In March we held another Court of Honor to recognize rank advancement and merit badges, as well as award patrol patches to our newest members.

Congrats to our Scouts who were recognized at our November Court of Honor. We were able to award merit badges and several rank advancements. We are happy to see so many of our Troop continue to progress along their Scouting journey!!

Earlier this month, Troop 888 got back to camping with a beautiful weekend at Avondale! The Scouts worked on their compass skills in the morning, and in the afternoon learned about search and rescue techniques. Later they were able to practice those skills with some “lost Scout” scenarios. And of course there was time for free time, food, and fun!!

Last week we held our Court of Honor to recognize recent achievements. We awarded a number of merit badges and rank advancements, many of them from summer camp. We also recognized Scouts who completed the mile swim at summer camp, adult leaders who completed IOLS training, and our Scouts and adult leaders who attended Montana Outdoor High Asventure Base (MOHAB) and Camp Rainey Mountain summer camp this summer. Congrats to all of our Scouts on their advancement!

To mark the end of summer, we took a break from camping and learning Scout skills to have some fun last weekend. Our Scouts and leaders had fun racing at K1 Speed and enjoyed relaxing with pizza after we were done competing. We look forward to getting back to camping and our regulr activities soon!

Summer camp 2025 was a success! Troop 888 sent 34 campers to north Georgia to Camp Rainey Mountain for a week of Scouting fun. Our Scouts worked on over 60 merit badges during the week. We also had 12 Scouts participate in The New Trail program to work on rank advancements. Several first year campers completed the 5 mile hike, and we had 2 Scouts complete the mile swim on Thursday morning. Our adult leaders got invovled as well, sending at least one adult to all 8 classes that were offered with 34 class completions between the group. They also participated in the Scoutmaster belly flop contest, and (not surprisingly) won the Dutch oven cookoff with a delicious pastalaya! It was a great week of Scouting fun! Special thanks to our youth leadership team for leading a very young group of campers on a fun and successful week of camp!!

On Sunday, the Istrouma Area Council held their annual Court of Honor to recognize 2025 Eagle Scouts. There were 91 Istrouma Council Scouts who earned the rank of Eagle this year. Troop 888 had 4 Scouts attend to be recognized for their accomplishments. We are very proud of these young men!!

Our Scouts had a great time today at Uptown Climbing. They enjoyed pushing themselves to new heights and encouraging each other. Everyone had a lot of fun, and many were able to conquer their fears and reach the top!!

On Tuesday night, Troop 888 held our quarterly Court of Honor. We awarded 16 Scouts for merit badge completions as well as 5 Scouts for rank advancement. Congrats to all who were recognized for their efforts!!

Next month, we are sending a crew to Montana Outdoor High Adventure Base (MOHAB) for a week of pack-rafting and backpacking. We are holding a fundraiser on June 1 to help offset some of the travel costs.

For only $50, you will have 5-7 pounds of pulled pork meat. You can grab some hamburger buns and make 10-15 large pulled pork sandwiches or enjoy 10-15 large servings of pulled pork. You also have the option of adding two sides (8 servings of beans and 8 servings of mac n cheese) for only $25 more.

This fundraiser will be preorder only, so please place your order by Monday, May 26. Please see the flyer for information on how to place your order. Thanks for your support of Scouting and Troop 888!!