About Troop 78

For over 50 years, Troop 78 has been one of Boulder, Colorado’s most active and successful Boy Scout troops. We count our successes not in Eagle Scouts (163 so far), but in the skills and leadership qualities our unique program instills in our Scouts.

Our Goal

Troop 78 spends more time outside than inside. We camp year-round in all weather. Our Scouting program prepares Scouts not just for the next monthly outing but also for life.

Boy-Led, Adult-Enabled

Scouting is a leadership program, so a healthy troop is led by the Scouts and supported by Scoutmasters and adult volunteers. In Troop 78, the Scouts choose each month’s outing, the adult leadership enables and provides guidance as needed, and more experienced Scouts prepare younger Scouts for the upcoming outing. At most of our troop meetings, you’ll find older Scouts running the program and teaching skills to younger Scouts so they are ready for camping, cooking, wilderness survival, cycling, canoeing, backpacking, orienteering, pioneering, and whatever the Colorado wilderness has to offer.

Patrol Method

Scouting’s Patrol Method splits the troop into patrols of 4-8 Scouts that are led by a Patrol Leader, who is elected and usually a little more experienced in Scouting than the rest of the patrol. During an outing, the Patrol Leader will guide the patrol while they camp together, cook together, share and maintain their patrol gear, learn together, and tackle challenges as a unit. Since Patrol Leaders are elected twice a year, patrols often take a few months to begin functioning smoothly as a unit. This is normal, expected, and part of the program. At Troop 78, the before-and-after comparison of younger and more experienced Scouts is evident at meetings and outings.

Our troop has about 54 Scouts divided into four patrols (Beavers, Dragons, Eagles, and Moose) and two Venture patrol units (older Scouts) as well as 22 adult Assistant Scoutmasters, which means we have a robust leadership corps and ample volunteers to support the boy-led program and outings.

On to First Class

Lord Baden Powell, the founder of Boy Scouts, said that when a boy has earned the rank of First Class, he is “the complete Scout” because he has learned all the basic Scouting skills. At Troop 78, we focus all new Scouts on developing the skills required to earn First Class rank through our proven On to First Class program. Led by more experienced Scouts and an adult Assistant Scoutmaster, our On to First Class program trains new Scouts quickly in all the skills required for the ranks of Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class, and more importantly, for all the outings and adventures the troop will offer them. Troop 78’s On to First Class program, plus summer camp, are the keys to engaging first-year Scouts and jump-start them on their Scouting journey.

The Stairstep to Adventure: Leveled Challenges

Over the decades, Troop 78 has developed a “Stairstep to Adventure” program that provides challenging but achievable adventures as Scouts grow in skills and strength. New Scouts develop skills and abilities and practice the Patrol Method on Monthly Outings and Summer Adventures that are leveled by age and skill. As they master the Scouting skills, they are prepared to tackle bolder adventures like week-long backpacking or canoe trips and eventually BSA High Adventure Bases and Troop 78’s own custom Super High Adventures. See more on Troop 78’s Stairstep to Adventure Program and see a list of recent Troop 78 outings and adventures.

On to Eagle

By challenging Scouts at the right level, Troop 78’s Scouts stay engaged longer in the Scouting program. For many, they will continue to earn merit badges and Scouting’s more difficult, service-oriented and leadership-intensive higher ranks. Our troop supports aspiring Eagle Scouts through its Life to Eagle mentorship program led by a veteran Scoutmaster.

What’s next for you? Visit Troop 78, send questions to our adult leadership, receive our newsletter, and follow us on Facebook.