A path to earning the Hiking merit badge in a big city

District chairman and former Scoutmaster Mike DiTrani has completed five Philmont treks and frequently hikes in the Adirondacks, but some of his favorite hiking happens much closer to his Staten Island home.

“Urban hiking turns sidewalks into trails,” he says.

Manhattan Scoutmaster Bob Bradley enjoys taking his Scouts hiking in Central Park — just two blocks from their meeting place — and on sidewalks and shared-use paths all over New York City.

“There are so many different opportunities,” he says. “And if you spin around a little bit, you can gain a new perspective — all for free.”

We talked to these two veteran Scouters for tips on teaching the Hiking merit badge in a suburb or city.

Routes

Finding routes is easy, whether you use city streets, shared-use paths or trails in urban parks. DiTrani is a fan of Staten Island’s Greenbelt Nature Center, which has 35 miles of trails. Bradley has managed a 20-mile hike within Central Park’s 843 acres.

To find routes in your city, do a Google search.

Once you pick a route, Bradley says it’s important to stick to it, even though there are unlimited shortcuts Scouts can take.

“Yes, that’s fun for them, but it’s not necessarily the goal you wanted them to attain,” he says.

Etiquette and Safety

On the trail, uphill hikers and horses have the right of way.

In some urban settings, non-hiking pedestrians have the right of way — especially if they’re rushing to work or a subway station. It also helps to keep groups small, much as you would in the backcountry.

In cities, you probably won’t have to worry about wildlife, but you will need to look out for bikes, scooters and cars.

“You’ve really got to have your head on a swivel when you’re crossing the street in Manhattan,” DiTrani says.

Gear and Food

While it makes sense to carry rain gear, extra clothing and a first-aid kit, leave a couple of the Scout Basic Essentials at home if you plan on visiting attractions along the route.

“With some of the museums, it’s much like at the airport,” DiTrani says. “They don’t want a lighter or a knife.”

Visibility is important, especially early and late in the day, so consider headlamps and reflective clothing.

“You know what’s good on the back of your backpack? One of those red blinking bike lamps,” he says.

DiTrani is OK with his Scouts buying food along the route — he has a favorite pizzeria near Brooklyn Bridge Park — but Bradley holds the line.

“Although we’re in New York City and food’s more accessible, the idea of the merit badge is that you need to carry this stuff with you,” he says. “We don’t want to swing over to a hot-dog vendor to grab a water bottle just because it’s in front of us.”

Scheduling

Mile for mile, urban hiking might take longer than trail hiking, especially if you allow for museum visits and the occasional street fair, so plan accordingly. And Be Prepared for amazement.

Bradley still remembers a Scout and his mom who joined a troop hike to Central Park.

“They’d lived there their whole life — grew up in that neighborhood two blocks away — and I introduced Central Park to them for the first time ever,” he says.


5 Comments

  1. Our Council does a Ten Commandment Hike every Friday after Thanksgiving, this year being our 24th Hike. We go to different districts each year, to 10 different Worship places and parks, plan a loop route that ends where we started. We route it over 5 miles so that Scouts Hiking credit can do it and then draw their own map for credit. All Scouts, their units and families are invited, Scouts pay a $5 fee for event patch and beverages at lunch stop. A commandment is presented by each stop and then about the Religious Emblems for each faith. We usually have 120 to 240 attending but have had around 400 some years.

    • This Friday After Thanksgiving, if you live in the Phoenix AZ area or are visiting, our 24th 10 Commandment Hike will be on Nov-29 2019 starting 7:45-am and ends about 3:45-pm; start/end Trinity Bible Church, 3420 W Peoria Ave, Phoenix, Arizona 85029. All Scouts in all Units with/without uniform are invited along with friends and/or family, hike about 5-miles to 10 Worship Places, special event patch for Scouts, place on your calendars now.

  2. Fort Worth Texas has the Trinity River Trail. It is a fun and interesting hike past Colonial Golf Club, through several parks and the back side of Fort Worth that you seldom see.

    • Every year for over 50 years the Longhorn Council Trailblazer District has a 50-mile city hike that has been featured on Boys’ Life and Scouter Magazine, and in the news many times (https://www.star-telegram.com/news/local/community/keller-citizen/article15068315.html. The person who started the hike was Paul Kempff. Paul was a Dutch Naval soldier that was an Allied Forces prisoner of war for two-and-a-half years in the Japanese camp during WWII building of the Burma-Thailand railroad bridge across the River Kwai, and survived the Death March of Bataan. After the war he settled in the USA and very much was involved in the BSA as a Longhorn Council adult leader, and I met him in the OA and when I was a Unit Commissioner. Paul created this hike as a challenge to the community youth (once included YMCA, USGSA, church youth,…). Paul also started the Texas Korfball Association. The Trailblazer District (formally Chaparral District. and now undergoing another name change) kept this hike alive through the years as a tribute/memorial to Paul Kempff.

  3. My son and I did the now deprecated 15 mile hike for his hiking merit badge today through Brooklyn. His map included a pizza joint for lunch, a couple of record shops, and a couple of thrift stores. (“A scout is thrifty” is his constant refrain.)

    It was a blast. We saw parts of Brooklyn we don’t often venture into, and I picked up a Galaxie 500 record I’d been looking for for quite a while.

    Most of his hikes have been urban hikes, and they’ve been awesome. We did a 10 mile chunk of The Great Saunter route earlier, a trip down to the Staten Island Greenbelt, and so much Prospect Park.

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