On December 14th, Troop 925 held a ceremony for three scouts who achieved the prestigious rank of Eagle. It is only the second time in the troop’s history that a Triple Eagle Court of Honor has occurred.

Scoutmaster Marty Yigdall stated, “I am so proud to be a part of this amazing troop.”

From Scoutmaster Marty Yigdall:

To say the least, 2020 was certainly like no other year. The word “unprecedented” is an understatement and has been used on a daily basis. Quite frankly, I’m tired of it. Therefore, I’m going to reverse that with the following statement. Like ALL prior years, even with Covid-19, Troop 925 has earned “Gold” in BSA’s JTE (Journey to Excellence) program. This program is listed as, “The BSA method for annual planning and continuous improvement”. The basis for this includes (in part); advancement, camping, service, training, program, and leadership.

On the weekend of July 17-19, our troop decided to hold a family lakeside campout at Lake Hartwell. Nine families from the troop got together and had a great time canoeing on the lake. Here is a recap of the trip from Gabe:

This lakeside campout wasn’t only a great campout but ended in one of the craziest ways I have ever seen in my many years of camping. We all arrived our separate ways and times but the thing everyone did was right after setting up camp we immediately went into the lake. The water was in the words of Mr. Yigdall “hotter than my bath water” which honestly in some spots was no exaggeration. Even though the water was so hot it was still refreshing, and leaving it had you wishing to go back in. The next day we woke up and ate breakfast then canoed roughly a mile to a distant island where we hung out for a little while. After this we went back to our little cove and that is when the canoe flipping began. The great thing about flipping canoes is that they float even while being flipped and can be easily righted with a couple people and some teamwork and the canoeing skills we learned. We spent most of the day playing in the lake and canoeing etc. Then we started to get reports of a thunderstorm so we immediately packed up all the canoes and non-waterproof belongings. We did this just in time, as minutes later the sky opened up! It got up to 50 mile per hour winds with heavy raining, which caused multiple tents to flood and some even to be destroyed. After the craziest storm I have ever camped in had passed we decided to pack up and go home that night. That concluded the Lake Hartwell family campout except one brave family who stayed the night. All in all, this was one of my favorite campouts of all time and can’t wait to camp here again sometime soon hopefully this September.

-Gabe H, SPL

Recently, Troop 925 has been working with conservationist Ken Carman to help create a pollinator habitat at Prince of Peace. You may ask what exactly a pollinator habitat is. A pollinator habitat is an area dedicated for flowering plants to be grown, which allows pollination from pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

On May 16 and May 30, a group of scouts helped create the habitat and also lashed a nice-looking wooden cross. This is a great opportunity to earn service hours, so make sure to contact Mr. Yigdall if you are interested in participating.

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected everyday life for everyone, including Troop 925. However, we are continuing to prosper and have fun while staying safe. We have replaced our in-person meetings on Monday nights with Zoom meetings. This allows the whole troop to gather and have our weekly meetings while avoiding spread of the virus.

It is important to read the troop email from Mr. Yigdall every week to keep up to date. This is also where the link for the Zoom meetings can be found. Make sure to attend every meeting for important information, even if the activities of the meeting may not apply to you. At the end of each meeting, you can also get to play on the troop Minecraft server! If you have a Minecraft Bedrock account, you are all set.

During this time, do not put your scouting journey on hold. You can earn merit badges, earn rank advancements, and more at home with the help of our friendly adult leaders. Make sure to let the merit badge counselor or an assistant scoutmaster know what you are working on.

From Mr. Yigdall:

A proud night for all, with some great food. We presented 24 earned merit badges and 8 earned rank advancement, including Victor, who earned the rank of Eagle Scout. Thank you all!

On Feb 8 several scouts went to Paris Mountain to do a hike and search for some geocaches. This turned into a mighty adventure hike of around 3 miles during the best snowfall of the season! The scouts experienced the thrill of the hunt for geocaches, finding all but one, while enjoying a “Raging South Carolina Blizzard.” They also got to see a little piece of history when they saw several Eagle Projects completed by our own Troop 925 Eagles.

After lunch, an impromptu Philmont training hike was had along the Sulphur Springs Loop, and the scenery was magnificent! Despite the mud and slippery terrain, the hike was wonderful. The snow on the ground deadened the woodland sounds and all we could hear was the snow falling or the rush of water. Yet another cherished memory for me in my participation with the Scouts!