“We are the boys of 160 you hear so much about,
The people stop and stare at us whenever we go out.
Oh, we’re not a bit stuck up about the clever things we do,
Most everybody likes us and we hope you like us too.
Oh, as we go marching, as the band begins to… P-L-A-Y ((unofficially “pee along the roadside”)),
You can hear us shouting- the boys of 160 are on their way! Rah Rah”
On April 28th, 2024, I was honored to attend the 100th Anniversary of Boy Scout Troop 160, from Burholme, PA. In its 100-year history, Troop 160 has had just 10 Scoutmasters. For most of my time in Boy Scouts, the troop was led by Bill Graefe, who spent an amazing 29 years as scoutmaster. We also had John “Butts” MacMillan, who was a registered scout and then adult leader with Troop 160 for an unprecedented 85 years, until his death at the age of 97. My former classmate and fellow scouter, Butts’ son, Bob MacMillan, is following in his father’s footsteps and also continues to be active in the Troop to this day. I was disappointed that our oldest living alumni, 95-year-old Don Blair, was unable to make the trip- he was certainly missed. Nowadays the troop is led by another former classmate and scout from my days in the Troop, Walt McBride, who has been scoutmaster for the past 20 years. So many people have kept the troop going over the past 100 years, it is impossible to mention them all. Our leaders lived the scout law every day- “A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent”. It was nice to see some old faces at the celebration, and to hear the touching tributes to our past leaders.
I started my life with Troop 160 in 1968. We had a big troop, with well over 50 scouts and about 6 or 7 patrols. At summer camp, I was always proud to be in Troop 160- we were always the biggest and the best. I especially loved going to camp at Treasure Island. Swimming, the rifle range, the archery range, earning merit badges- it was always a fun time. And I have so many great memories of our monthly camping trips as well- lots of adventures, some good and some bad, but all helping me grow into the adult I am today. We went backpacking year ’round, camping in pouring rain and snowstorms. My first weekend backpacking experience was that brutal trek up Sunfish Pond, but it was quite an accomplishment for a small 11-year-old, carrying a tent, dining tarp, sleeping bag, water, and supplies on his back up that steep rocky climb. I remember on many occasions laying in my sleeping bag trying to avoid the puddles from the rain dripping in through the cracks in our puptents. And bravely getting out of my semi-warm sleeping bag in freezing temperatures to get a fire started. Then there was my first night at summer camp, tucked in my sleeping bag getting ready to doze off, when my tentmate, Richie Palmer, said “Hey Jack, can you feel the worms I put in your sleeping bag?” (Indeed, he really did!) There were lots of fun times with songs and skits around the campfire. It was surprising that I still remembered those same songs and skits 50 years later, as the scouts of today performed them at the anniversary celebration. And the drum-and-bugle corps is still performing the same songs we did so long ago. Although the band was not my favorite part of scouting (I couldn’t play that bugle if my life depended on it), it still got me a bit emotional to hear the kids playing those songs again.
No, I never made it to Eagle scout. I was more interested in the camping trips and having fun than I was in working on badges. For me, the highlight of my scouting career was going to the Philmont High Adventure camp in New Mexico in 1972, at the age of 15. Philmont is comprised of 140,177 acres of wilderness in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the east side of the Cimarron Range of the Rocky Mountains. It was my first trip on an airplane, and the longest I had ever been away from home by myself. On the way there, we had lunch at the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs. Then on to Philmont where I experienced my first time riding a horse, rock climbing, and shooting a black powder rifle. We had a top-notch crew and we all got along great. Climbing to the summit of the 11,742-foot Mount Phillips, enjoying a chuckwagon dinner with the cowboys at Camp Beaubien, learning how to hand tie fishing flies, and scrambling up the iconic Tooth of Time rock formation to admire the view were all part of an unforgettable experience.
After Boy Scouts, I joined the 160 Explorer Post (for older kids) and continued to enjoy camping and staying involved in scouts. In 1980, when the Boy Scout Troop needed a leader for their annual trip to Philmont, I volunteered and returned to lead the Troop 160 contingent on their high adventure trip, along with another young adult, Bill Kantner. This time we went by bus, seeing the country as we travelled to New Mexico, visiting sights like the Indianapolis Speedway, Pike’s Peak, and the St. Louis Arch along the way. It was a big responsibility to manage a group of teenage boys on a trip across the country for a 10-day wilderness adventure and we had our hands full at times, but I think both the scouts and leaders learned a lot along the way, and the kids had a great time. It was touching at the anniversary celebration to get a big thanks from some of those same scouts, 44 years later.
When I returned from that last Philmont trip, I quit scouts as I got married and moved out of the area. But my love of hiking continued throughout my life. I’ve had the opportunity to hike numerous times in Scotland and Japan, culminating in a climb to the summit of Mount Fuji in Japan after I retired. Although my bad knees prohibit me from doing extensive hiking nowadays, I still enjoy getting out into nature and walking as much as I can in my “golden years”. And I often hear those old hiking songs in my head as I’m walking along the trail- “We are the boys of 160 you hear so much about…”
It was certainly a pleasure to go back and celebrate 100 years of scouting with Troop 160. We closed the night with the songs we would always end our campfires with, including “Till We Meet Again”. Although it’s been 50 years, I remembered every single word like I was 15 again-
“By the blazing council fire light
We have met in comradeship tonight.
‘round about the whisp’ring trees
Guard our golden memories.
And so before we close our eyes and sleep
Let us pledge each other that we’ll keep
Scouting friendship strong and deep
Till we meet again.”
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