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Troop 615 generally has one high adventure outing each year. We have generally alternated between Northern Tier (canoeing) one year and Philmont Scout Ranch the next. We also have had crews attend Sea Base in both Florida and St. Thomas and occasional crews attend The Summit.
Northern Tier
Northern Tier is the Boy Scouts of America’s gateway to adventure in the Great Northwoods and the premier Scouts BSA experience for canoeing and winter camping. In the summer, Scouts from Northern Tier’s three wilderness canoe bases explore millions of acres of pristine lakes, meandering rivers, dense forests and wetlands in Northern Minnesota, Northwest Ontario and Northeast Manitoba. Northern Tier crews paddle in almost 6 million acres of exclusively canoe-access wilderness from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) of Minnesota to the Atikaki Provincial Park of Manitoba. Trips range in length from 6-14 days and usually include between 50-150 miles of wilderness travel. In the winter, Northern Tier is home to the Okpik Cold Weather Camping program, the BSA’s premier winter high adventure program. Fall trips are also available. All trips are fully outfitted and provisioned. A highly trained staff member, called an Interpreter, accompanies all crews on their trek.
Philmont
Philmont Scout Ranch is the Boy Scouts of America’s largest National High-Adventure Base. Born in 1938 as Philturn Rocky Mountain Scout Camp, Philmont has become a bustling center for high adventure and training. It covers 140,177 acres of rugged mountain wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern New Mexico. Ancient Native Americans chipped petroglyphs into canyon walls. Spanish conquistadors explored the Southwest long before the first colonists arrived on the Atlantic coast. The rugged breed of mountain man such as Kit Carson blazed trails across this land. The great land barons like Lucien Maxwell built ranches along the Santa Fe Trail. Miners, loggers and cowboys have all left their mark on Philmont’s unique history. Backpacking treks, horseback cavalcades, and training and service programs offer young people many ways to experience this legendary country.
Sea Base
Sea Base is a unique Scouting program that offers aquatics programs found nowhere else. Whether your interests lie in sailing, scuba diving, rustic camping on an undeveloped barrier island, fishing or a combination of all, this is the place for your Troop, Crew, Sea Ship or Explorer Post. Sea Base serves around 16,000 participants annually. Sea Base began in the early 1970’s as a local program in the Florida Keys called the Florida Gateway to High Adventure under the guidance of Sam Wampler, a professional Scouter from the South Florida Council. It offered primarily sailing programs using local marinas and chartered boats sailing to the Bahamas and back. As the idea caught on and grew, it joined the high adventure offerings of the National Council of the BSA along with Philmont Scout Ranch and the Northern Tier High Adventure Base. In 1979, Sea Base acquired a permanent facility on Lower Matecumbe Key and when this opened for Scouts in 1980 it was renamed the Florida National High Adventure Sea Base. As the popularity of this program grew, scuba diving was added and in 1984 the BSA received the gift of Big Munson Island from Homer Formsby. This undeveloped island offered tremendous program potential as an outpost for primitive camping, Robinson Crusoe style. During this time period the sailing program concentrated on sailing around the fabulous Florida Keys. New sailing programs were started that originated and ended in Marsh Harbor in the beautiful Abaco Islands of the Bahamas.
Summit Bechtel Reserve
The Summit Bechtel Reserve (or “The Summit,” for short) is a unique Scouting facility with an expansive main property spanning over 10,000 acres. We offer a variety of Scouting adventures that are exclusive to our location. Nestled in the heart of West Virginia, The Summit is strategically positioned within an eight-hour drive of 60% of the US population. It’s the permanent home for Scouting America’s National Jamboree, but it’s more than just the Jamboree site. It’s a place where Scouts can learn, explore, and push themselves to the limit, fostering a sense of curiosity and eagerness to participate.
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