New Scouts working their way through Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, and First Class focus on learning all the basics of Scouting. At this time, there’s little emphasis on Merit Badges. For most scouts, they’ll earn their first Merit Badges at summer camp. Don’t let all the information about Merit Badges overwhelm you. Scouts will start diving into that as they approach First Class rank. However, if a scout is ambitious and wants to start earning merit badges, we will not slow them down. We’ll do everything we can to help them achieve their goals.

Trail to Eagle

Each scout’s trail to Eagle is unique. There are merit badges to earn, projects to do and leadership roles to fill. No two scouts will follow the exact same path. Some will get requirements done quickly and some will take their time. In Troop 184, we would love every scout to have the ambition and desire to earn Eagle. Many won’t, and that’s ok. Earning Eagle is not for every scout. But if you want to, we’ll help you find your trail.

Merit Badges

First Class rank and up have Merit Badge requirements to help them reach the 21 Merit Badges they need to have for Eagle. Of the 21, 13 are Eagle-required. They can choose eight elective Merit Badges to work on.

IMPORTANT: Scouts ready to work on a Merit Badge should talk to the Scoutmaster or Advancement Chair as soon as possible. This is so we can help connect them with an appropriate merit badge counselor to guide them through the requirements. However, a scout can start working on a merit badge at any time. Some merit badges require an understanding of potential hazards or approval of projects by the counselor before working on some of the requirements.