As many people familiar with me know, I was a Boy Scout for most of my youth. I joined Troop 609 in 2014, and was incredibly active, going on almost every single one of the outings and events. My troop was famous in Los Angeles County for being THEE high adventure troop, and to this day, it still maintains that title.

However, after visiting the troop following a very long hiatus, I could tell things were different. Not necessarily in a bad way, but in a way that made me realize just how long I was gone, and how much has happened since then.

My memories of 609

While many people around me know that I was a Boy Scout, I haven't talked about those experiences much, if at all. Not because I was ever ashamed of them, but because I never really felt the need to. But after seeing how different my troop was many years later, I finally understood just how much I appreciated the things I took for granted.

Weekly Meetings

From the day I joined Troop 609 in 2014, until the onset of COVID-19, I was very active in my troop. I attended almost every single weekly meeting, an event I consistently looked forward to. The meetings were a time to not only stay involved with the troop and be aware of upcoming events, but also to see my friends weekly.

Troops are organized into patrols, and during my time the troop had about 6 active patrols at any given moment, totaling approximately 50 scouts. I was a part of the Blackbird Patrol, named after the plane of the same name.

Patrols were a core part of our identity, as they formed the people whom we interacted with most. Moreover, they were entirely youth-led, meaning we all learned together through our successes and failures. Despite how cliquey this sounds, it never reached this point. The troop as a whole was mostly youth-led. Also, any competition among patrols was very friendly.

Every troop meeting, we would always devote 30 minutes–1 hour playing a game, sometimes with patrols competing. Our favorite game was "trash can", which was eventually banned by the scoutmasters for being too rough. While at first I always wanted to skip these games to cut down on the meeting length, it wasn't until much later that I realized just how memorable they were.

I looked forward to these meetings greatly. It was an opportunity to not only interact with my patrol, but also everyone in the troop. Seeing about 50 peers regularly to socialize and plan events with is a unique experience, especially when you're so young.

Outings: Short and Simple Trips

The real joy of Boy Scouts, however, was the outings. For most troops, this meant something very simple. For example, a hike lasting around 5–10 miles, or driving to a camping ground and spending a day or two there to enjoy the scenery. We dubbed the latter "car camping" since we typically didn't travel very far from the cars.

Troop 609 certainly had outings like this, and they formed the bulk of our outings. After all, they had the most broad appeal. For many scouts in my troop, these outings were the extent of their involvement. Of course, there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but in my opinion, they missed out on more exciting adventures.

Outings: High Adventure Treks

By far what defined Troop 609's identity was its regularly scheduled high adventure treks. These trips often lasted 3 days minimum and were arduous. We hosted several of these trips a year, most notably during the summer and winter when all the scouts were on break.

These trips were always my favorite, as we went to places inaccessible to most people. The sights we saw were unlike anything else. It truly is a unique experience to venture out in nature to a place mostly untouched by humans.

While backpacking constituted a majority of our treks, it certainly wasn't the only high adventure we did. Another notable trip was canoeing 50 miles down the Colorado River, starting from Hoover Dam. A truly unique experience I'll probably never get again.

Something I never really appreciated until many years later was just how much endurance these adventures gave me. Backpacking, and treks in general, are hard. It is nothing short of miserable to feel the weight of 40 pounds of gear on your back, knowing that the destination is so far, and turning around is equally worse. But through this misery lies a purpose and a beauty. At the end of the day, I chose to go on these trips, knowing exactly how I will feel for most of it.

That stress made these trips all the better. It really felt like I had to earn these sights. And well, I did. This blog displays the most exemplary pictures, but it pales in comparison to experiencing it first-hand. Not many people are able to say they've seen the views I've seen, or the experiences I've had. Sightseeing is one thing, but going well-out of my comfort zone to connect with nature first-hand isn't something I can articulate in words or pictures. Also, it's nice to disconnect from the world and take some time off for myself.

My Farewell to 609

My last memory of the troop was my final meeting as a Boy Scout, occurring about a week before I turned 18. As per tradition, every Scout is asked to give a brief farewell speech before transitioning into an adult. My speech verbatim was the following

Hello everybody. Some of you may know me, but to those that don't, my name is Daniel Naylor. This is my last meeting as a youth, as my 18th birthday is rapidly approaching. I've been in this Troop since 2014, about 7 years, and I hope you guys will remain here until you age out. I was thinking about what I could talk about: my greatest experiences, my most fond memories, etc., but I’d like to share something else, something that I’ve learned throughout my scouting experiences: try to be as open-minded as you can be.

What do I mean by that? Don’t dismiss things because they’re unfamiliar. When I first joined, I hated the idea of camping and backpacking, especially for days long. Honestly, I thought it was a waste of time since I could easily access beautiful scenery within seconds on my phone. Yet, I tried them anyways, even though I was thinking to myself "this is a waste of time" while on the trip. It took a while and many, many trips, but I eventually broke out of that closed mindset and learned the value of camping and backpacking and, more importantly, the value of hard work and perseverance.

I’m not suggesting that camping and backpacking is for everyone, but my main point is to be open minded, and don’t dismiss things you have yet to try. Aside from that, that’s all I really have to say. Thank you all for listening, and have a great rest of your youth.

As superfluously worded as this is, I still stand by this message. But after turning 18, I pretty much dropped most of my involvement with Troop 609. After all, I was about to graduate high school, and was excited to begin new experiences in college. I was periodically involved with the Order of the Arrow during my undergraduate years, but for the most part, I had left Scouting behind me.

The New 609

About a week ago (9/9/2025), I caught wind of my troop's semiannual award ceremony. Having not been in touch with the troop for about 4 years, I figured I'd attend and greet everyone again. After all, why not see how the troop is doing?

Upon arrival, I cannot describe my utter shock when I saw everyone again. I knew people aged, but I never really internalized what that meant. The younger scouts I grew up with were now the older scouts. You're telling me the troublemakers I remembered were now the people that the younger scouts look up to?

What especially broke my heart was seeing how small the troop had become. I remember the troop being massive, having 6 patrols at any given time, totaling about 50 people. However, a lot of scouts dropped out after covid. At this ceremony, there were 3 patrols and 20 scouts at best. The troop felt small. Roles like the bugler were vacant. My first impressions were that the troop is now a mere skeleton of what it used to be. What happened to all the liveliness I remember growing up with?

Covid hit scouting hard. Recruitment after covid never recovered to what it used to be. Many troops entirely collapsed and ceased to exist. In fact, another troop merged with 609 after their leadership effectively disappeared. While the pandemic may feel like a distancing memory, the effects of it are still felt and present, as evidenced by troop membership at an all-time low. Saddened about this, I talked to my scoutmaster, who's been diligent all these years and still leading the troop.

Despite these concerns, my scoutmaster assured me there's nothing to worry about. While the troop is small, it's still as lively as ever, just not in the same way. The frequency and attendance of events are going strong. Maybe the grandeur of going somewhere with 50 like-minded youth is a thing of the past, but the joy of the events is here to stay.

I checked the troop's website after the meeting, and my scoutmaster was absolutely right. The website is covered with pictures of recent outings, from the short and simple ones to the high adventure treks. Our title of being THEE high adventure troop in Los Angeles County is as strong as I remembered it being.

I'm very happy that the troop managed to survive the challenges of covid. It brings me joy to know that the experiences I grew up with are no longer a thing of the past. Still, seeing the new composition of members, the new size of the troop, the vacancies in all the roles, I couldn't help but think that the troop is approaching its endgame. As they say, all good things must come to an end.

Maybe I'm being dramatic and the troop only changed superficially. After all, the core values are still present and strong as ever. To say that it's the same is just wrong, but does it need to be? Maybe this is a step in the right direction, and I'm just too stuck in the past. No matter, I'm glad 609 is here to stay for the foreseeable future.

Acknowledgements

Many of these pictures, and video, were taken by myself and other members of Troop 609. Special thanks to them.

These pictures and videos are not to be used without permission. The creative commons license applies only to the text of this blog post.