Fifty Plus (50+) - Achieved a long range goal on Saturday

Saturday I rode the Trail of the Coeur d' Alenes in North Idaho with a young 16 year old boy scout I helped get the cycling merit badge last summer. We rode 146 miles in 8hrs 47min. of ride time, for me that is time in the saddle. We started at 7:20am and ended the ride at 6:55pm. We averaged 16.5mph on the ride. This is a flat ride with only 2300ft. of total elevation gain. I have had a goal of doing the entire trail from Mullan to Plummer and back to Mullan in one day since 2008 when I started riding. Goal achieved with help of one fine young man!

Way to go for both of you, I strongly believe in Scouting and all they teach a young man about values and morals. Good for you for being a Merit Badge counselor and to him for achieving the cycling badge as well as your ride. Former B.S.A. Unit Commissioner for Pensacola Bay Council.

Bill

Congratulations!

Good job. :thumb:

Way to go! That was a lot of saddle time.

Damn. I'm impressed. Congratulations.

I'm more impressed that you found a boy scout who went after the cycling badge. Just in case someone in one of the local troops wanted to pursue the cycling badge, a local troop leader asked if I would volunteer to mentor. I agreed to do it (I also arranged to have another unrelated adult present at all times; We've had "those issues" here in OR with both BSA and the Catholic Church.), In two years they still haven't had a single boy who wanted to learn anything about riding a bike. No one even wanted to meet the old ogres who would be helping him.

It's probably just as well, since the alternative badge appears to be swimming and we certainly need to teach more of our young people how to not drown in our rivers.

Congratulations on the ride as well. Maybe you can make it an annual event with as many of your merit badge successes as possible.

My butt hurts thinking about it. But that sounds like a nice out and back ride if there is a good B&B at the far end. So what does a scout have to do to get that badge?

There are nine requirements and I will not go into all of them, but the ride part requires two 10 mile rides, two 15 mile rides, two 25 mile rides, and one 50 mile ride. I earned the merit badge back in 1967 and the requirements were nearly the same, the ride part is still the same. I have had 7 boys get the merit badge in the last two years. All of them also earned the swimming merit badge. I am the 11 year old scout leader for our troop and I have encouraged them to work on the cycling merit badge.

Good job on your part and for the boys that earned the merit badge. You are making an investment in the future by spending time with the boys now. Well Done, Sir!!!!

Bill

Hey! I could do that no trouble! (If you gave me about a week!) :)

seriously: That is a very big accomplishment that not many people could ever even dream of much less do.
... (I hope that 16 year old didn't slow the old man up too much?)

Congratualtions !! !

Congratulations!