Troop 172 Boy Scouts - Albany/Springfield

08/15/2026

What a YEAR!

We always hold our last Court of Honor at the end of summer, right before school starts. It’s become our little tradition of closing out one Scout year, celebrating everything these boys accomplished, and hitting the reset button for a brand-new year.

And WOW… these Scouts absolutely knocked it out of the park!

This summer was BUSY! Summer camp at Woodruff Scout Camp, the White River 120, the 2026 National Jamboree, and enough scout adventures to make us wonder if these boys ever actually went home. 😂

Since February, our Scouts have earned 21 rank badges, 100+ merit badges, and countless other awards and achievements. That’s more than just a bunch of numbers, it’s a pretty dang good sign of a healthy, active troop!

We couldn’t be more proud of these boys and everything they continue to accomplish. Watching them grow, challenge themselves, lead, and make memories together is what this whole thing is about.

Now they have a fresh 12 months, a blank slate, and a whole lot of possibilities in front of them. The sky is the limit! So… what’s next? CALENDAR PLANNING.

Let’s see what adventures these boys can dream up next. Whatever the year brings, we know it’s going to be one heck of a ride!

Here’s to another year of making memories, chasing adventures, building leaders, and probably saying, “Well… we’ve never done THAT before!”

Bring on the new scout year! 💚

08/10/2026

THE GREAT JAMBOREE PATCH TRADE OF 2026

Somewhere in the middle of 10 days filled more adventure than we could possibly fit into one post…

There was PATCH TRADING.

Now, our Scoutmaster had tried to warn them. He told them about it. He explained the madness. He encouraged them to bring patches. He probably repeated himself more than once. But you know how that goes.

“Yeah, yeah, we get it.”

Except… They did not get it. 😂 Not until they arrived at Jamboree. Not until they walked into the middle of thousands of Scouts carrying bags, binders, backpacks, and pockets overflowing with patches.

But suddenly… THEY UNDERSTOOD.

And when we say the patch trading was out of control…

We mean OUT. OF. CONTROL.

Everywhere you looked, Scouts were comparing patches. They were setup on picnic tables, patches of grass, gravel lots, cots lined up along the road, pretty much any area they could find.

“What do you have? What will you trade for this one? I’ll give you two for that. Absolutely not. Fine… what if I throw in this one too?”

Deals were made.

Deals were rejected.

Deals were renegotiated.

Collections grew by the hour.

And before long, some of these Scouts were negotiating like they had spent their entire lives preparing for this moment. Some of these scouts were negotiating like seasoned Wall Street investors… or maybe a ruthless used car salesman. 🤔

Welcome to Jamboree Patch Trading.

And then there was our Louisiana Contingent…

Rumor has it that more than one deal involving one of these Louisiana Scouts required a little extra negotiation.

Not money.

Not another patch.

A hot sauce challenge. 🌶️🔥

Because apparently, sometimes the value of a patch isn’t determined by how rare it is…

But by how badly you’re willing to suffer for it.

Somewhere along the way, our Scoutmaster got the satisfaction of watching it all unfold with the quiet confidence of a man who had tried to tell them all along.

Because some things can’t be explained.

Some things can’t be understood from stories.

Sometimes…

You just have to show up at Jamboree and experience the madness for yourself.

08/10/2026

DAYS 5–14 — THE GREAT SCOUTING INVASION ⚜️

And then…

WE ARRIVED AT JAMBOREE!!!

After days on the road, countless miles, multiple buffet lines, world-famous waterfalls, and a whole lot of adventure…

The Louisiana Contingents finally made it to West Virginia.

And we weren’t alone.

Thousands of Scouts and leaders from all across the country descended upon the Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia for 10 days of Scouting on an absolutely epic scale.

The first order of business? Set up camp.

The second? Get down to business. And by business, we mean scouting fun!

For the next 10 days, these scouts took on just about everything Jamboree could throw at them. They ziplined, scuba dived, interacted with military branches, tried flight and welding simulators, tackled the shooting sports, skateboarded, BMX biked, rock climbed, rappelled, and squeezed in more merit badge classes than we can count.

But even with all the excitement, there were still moments that stood out above the rest.

One of our scouts even got to spend a little time as Baldy the Eagle Scout himself. 🦅

And as if meeting Scouts from across the country and experiencing the adventure of a lifetime wasn’t enough, they also had the opportunity to meet David Baden-Powell, the great-grandson of Scouting’s founder.

For 10 days, they lived in a world built almost entirely around adventure.

A place where thousands of Scouts gathered.

A place where every trail led to something new.

A place where you could start the day climbing a rock wall, spend the afternoon scuba diving, and end the evening trading patches with someone from across the country.

Ten days.

Thousands of Scouts.

Countless adventures.

And memories these kids will carry with them long after the tents came down and the trails grew quiet.

This was Jamboree.

And these scouts showed up ready to experience every single second of it.

08/10/2026

DAY 4 — WHEN THE STORM CHANGES THE PLAN ⛈️

The theme for the day was rain and lots of it. Plans got changed on the spot all day long. The first was a quick campsite evacuation to stay ahead of the storm and keep dry tents. After breakfast at The Pancake House, the adventure continued toward our next destination:

Camp Anawanna, we hold you in our hearts. Salute your shorts anyone??

Anyway, as any experienced scout knows…

The wilderness has a way of reminding you that the plan is only the plan until the weather has something to say about it.

With bad weather continuing to roll in, we traded our tents for the comfort of the camp lodge.

And honestly?

It turned out to be exactly what we needed.

The scouts stepped up and cooked chicken alfredo for the entire group and it was delicious!

With dinner finished and the storm safely outside, the evening turned into card games, laughter, stories, and the kind of hanging out that somehow becomes some of the best memories of the trip.

No grand attraction.

No famous landmark.

Just a group of scouts and leaders from all over south Louisiana and a few from Mississippi, gathered together in a lodge, laughing until bedtime.

And maybe that is the real adventure.

Not just the places we go.

Not just the miles we travel.

But the moments in between.

The ones you can’t plan.

The rainstorms.

The wet clothes.

The card games.

The late-night laughter.

The meals cooked together.

The friendships that grow a little stronger somewhere between the first stop and the next destination.

Four days down.

Miles behind us.

More memories than we can count.

And the adventure… was just getting started.

08/10/2026

3 — INTO THE MIST 🌊🌈

Morning came with a view of Lake Ontario.

But there was no time to waste.

Because ahead of us stood one of the greatest natural wonders in North America… NIAGARA FALLS.

We entered Niagara Falls State Park and began our journey through the roaring mist.

The Beyond the View Walking Tour took us deeper into the history and beauty of the falls.

Then came Cave of the Winds.

Step by step, we descended closer to the thunderous power of the water until we reached the legendary Hurricane Deck.

And suddenly, it made sense why they call it that. 🌪️💦

The water roared.

The wind whipped.

Ponchos surrendered.

And everyone got SOAKED. 😂

But the adventure wasn’t over.

Next, we boarded the Maid of the Mist and sailed straight toward the towering walls of water.

There are some things you can see in pictures…

And then there are things you have to experience.

The feeling of standing together in the middle of something so massive that it makes you realize just how small you really are.

That night, after dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe, we returned to the falls one last time.

This time, the darkness had fallen.

And the waterfalls came alive with color.

A sight none of us will soon forget.

08/09/2026

DAY 2 — WATER, BASEBALL, BUFFETS & THE OPEN ROAD 🌊⚾🍽️🛣️

Before the next leg of our journey could begin, there was one important item to check off before we left Camp Crooked Creek.

The morning started at the lake with a swim check, making sure everyone had an opportunity to be ready for the water adventures still ahead.

With that accomplished, it was time to dry off, load up, and get back on the road. First stop Shoney’s Breakfast Buffet. Not sure anything gets more American than that. We fueled 21 hungry scouts for the start of another long day.

Next stop: Louisville, Kentucky, and the legendary Louisville Slugger Museum. We explored the history of America’s pastime and got a look at some seriously impressive bats.

Then came the long stretch north, miles of highway, snacks disappearing at an alarming rate, and scouts finding increasingly creative ways to sleep on the bus.

By evening, we had made it to Cleveland, Ohio, where dinner at Golden Corral gave everyone a chance to refuel before the final push of the day.

Our destination that night was Four Mile Creek State Park.

Tents went up. Gear was unpacked. And for the first time, we settled in beside the shores of Lake Ontario.

The next morning, we would wake up with the lake at our backs…

And one of the greatest wonders of our journey waiting just ahead.

Niagara Falls. 🌊🌈

08/09/2026

Every great adventure has a beginning.

For us, it started at 3AM with a bus full of scouts, leaders, gear, and absolutely no idea how many miles, laughs, unexpected moments, and memories were waiting ahead on the road to the 2026 National Jamboree.

DAY 1 — THE JOURNEY BEGINS 🚌🏁🏎️

The engines roared to life, and our contingent hit the road in the Ugly Knot.

Our first stop brought us to Bowling Green, Kentucky, home of the legendary National Corvette Museum. Surrounded by classic cars, horsepower, and machines built for speed, the scouts got a glimpse into automotive history before climbing back aboard and continuing north.

As the sun began to set, we found our way to Double Dogs, where we ate dinner on the patio, swapped stories, and pulled into Camp Crooked Creek to rest up for what was still to come.

08/01/2026

On Baldy’s fifth day at Nat Jamboree we found that one of our very own scouts was masquerading as Baldy on the Conservation Trail. 🦅

One of the nicest places at the Jamboree. The shaded winding trail through the forest surrounding Goodrich Lake.

07/24/2026

Their epic pre trip is over but next up… 2026 National Jamboree!

07/21/2026

Leave the uniform on and toss in some camp suds and you got clean clothes too! 🧼😂

Or just wait til it thunderstorms... ⛈️ 😆 🤣 on behalf of parents everywhere, please shower. 🙏 🚿 😆

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