To be an Eagle Scout is one of the highest honors one can achieve in the Boy Scouts. To obtain it you need to show leadership, you need to be willing and able to put the work in, and you need to give back to the community you live in. It is a high honor bestowed to 2.5 million youth since it’s creation in 1911. It is a lengthy and meticulous process that only 4% of Scouts will get in their scouting career.

Sahuaro senior, Peter Lange was given the prestigious award after months of hard work and setbacks. Peter has been in scouting all his life as his dad was a Scout leader when he was a kid. Some of Peter’s first memories we’re from going to Pimarees as a kid and interacting with all the Scouts there. Once he got to becoming a Boy Scout himself, he was ready to get out and explore as much as possible. By far his favorite part of being in the Scouts is going on the camping trips. He was a camp counselor at a Boy Scout summer camp for 3 years and goes on almost every trip that his troops plan. He likes to be more adventurous and admits that the days where he has to sit down and just work on getting merit badges or doing projects are quite dull in comparison. Peter would go out as much as possible, on anything from rafting, hiking, camping and anything else they did outdoors.

For his Eagle Scout project he went to the Boulder Crest foundation which is a resort/ retreat for veterans in Sonoita. He re-painted the fencing at the corral with a re-sealer that covers over rust and can’t rust over. But that wouldn’t be enough to be a full project, so he had to come up with something else as well. That’s when he got the idea to add a tomahawk and throwing knife range with blocks of wood. The project was set to start in October of 2020 but got delayed by some of the people set to work on the project, including Peter himself who got a positive Covid result. The project ended up happening in December and Peter was officially given the title of “Eagle Scout” in early 2021.

Peter would recommend scouting to anyone who likes to get outdoors and be active. He says that while scouting seems tedious and inconvenient at times that you still learn a lot of important life skills and survival techniques. There’s camaraderie in scouting that you just can’t find many other places, and a lot more chances to be outdoorsy and adventurous. It’s not too late to join up, and it could serve as a good motivator for anyone looking to get out and about.