Welcome to the Troop 117 Blog!

Troop 117 is chartered by Kahalu'u United Methodist Church.
Troop 117 meets twice monthly on the second and fourth Sundays of the month from 3-4pm at Kahalu'u United Methodist Church on Waihe'e Road.

MONKEY BRIDGE

Four 7th grade T117 Scouts from King Intermediate spent the night at Ahuimanu Elementary School constructing a Monkey Bridge.  The Troop Worked the next day at the school's funfair guiding over 500 kids across the bridge.

KOOLAU CAMP

Scouts spend the evening catching prawns, swimming in the stream, cruising around the campfire and hiking to the waterfall at night without flashlights.

OCEAN ADVENTURE

Always a favorite, T117 boys enjoying the undersea world.

PHILMONT SCOUT RANCH

Partnering with sister troop 113, Scouts traveled to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico to experience "Scouting Paradise."  The 11 day, 80 mile trek included black powder musket shooting, tomahawk throwing, rock climbing, gold panning, climbing Mt. Baldy & the Tooth of time peaks, branding, black smithing, goat milking, goat racing, traveling with a burro and experiencing wildlife including bears, rattle snakes, mountain lion, deer, bats and "mini bears" (chipmunks).

117 WINS GOLDEN OUTRIGGER

Outpacing 14 other troops, T117 scouts took home 1st place in the coveted "Golden Outrigger" relay at Camp Pupukea.  The Golden Outrigger is a troop relay competition testing outdoors skills, fitness, intelligence, teamwork and competitive spirit. 

HOT LAVA!

T117 Scouts had the opportunity to get up close and personal with molten lava.  Prepared with water, food, sun protection, hiking boots, flashlights and the experience of 5 days on the lava field and months of training, the boys were able to see one of Earth's phenomenal sights, hot lava!

HALAPE HIGH ADVENTURE

Scouts spent 7 days on the island of Hawaii, backpacking to Halape on the South East coast of Volcano National Park.  The 40 mile hiking adventure included snorkeling, eating Opihi (limpets), swimming in brackish water pools, camping on the beach and a up close experience with a hot lava flow.

MOKULEIA TRAIL

Troop 117 cleared trails in the Pahole Mountain reserve as part of a service project/camp for the Department of Land and Natural Resources.

PEACOCK FLATS STICKBALL

Nothing like a championship stickball tournament while camping!

EAGLE SCOUTS

Troop 117 honored 3 new Eagle Scouts at a Court of Honor.

TROOP 117

WINTER CAMP

"Do you fear the force of the wind,
The slash of the rain?
Go face them and fight them,
Be savage again.
Go hungry and cold like the wolf,
Go wade like the crane;
The palms of your hand will thicken,
The skin of your cheek will tan,
You'll grow ragged and weary and swarthy,
But you'll walk like a man."
- Hamlin Garland

PALI-LIKELIKE TRAIL

Backpacking along the Ko'olau from the Pali Lookout into Ho'omaluhia Botanical Gardens, Scouts honed their skills outdoor.

"I love to go a-wandering, Along the mountain track, And as I go, I love to sing, My knapsack on my back."

- The Happy Wanderer

EAGLE SCOUT

A Scout smiles and whistles under all circumstances. - Robert Baden-Powell

TROOP LEADERSHIP TRAINING

Scout Leadership participated in the BSA Troop Leadership Training curriculum, learning leadership skills they will use for the rest of their lives.

“The object of the patrol method is not so much saving the Scoutmaster trouble as to give responsibility to the boy.” —Robert S. S. Baden-Powell

CAMPOREE 2011

Troops from the Ko'olau district gathered at the Marine Corps Base Hawaii for 3 days of scouting. Troop 117 took home many honors and lots of smiles.

Troop Competition:
1st Place Camp Inspection
1st Place God Bless the Cook
2nd Place Overall

Patrol Competition:
1st Place Seige of Mafeking (blindfold obstacle course)
2nd Place Skit
2nd Place Morse Code
3rd Place Kim's Game (memory game)

EAGLE SERVICE PROJECT

Scouts, students and community members fabricated metal pull up bars for the Castle High School P.E./Wrestling room. For many of the scouts this was their first opportunity to work with metal, cutting, drilling, welding, fabricating the pull up bars from scratch.

COURT OF HONOR

Troop 117 Court of honor recognized scouts for their achievements. Boys earned 17 rank advancements and 60 merit badges.

The ceremony included a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of the September 11, attacks on the United States.

HAKIPU'U LO'I

Scouts worked in the taro patch, opening up the natural springs, clearing weeds, rebuilding rock formations and weeding areas replanted with native species.

JURASSIC PARK

T117 camped with the dinosaurs, King Kong, 50 first dates, wind talkers, Lost, Hawaii Five-O and more.

CAMP MALUHIA MAUI

Scouts attended camp Maluhia on Maui. Highlights were shooting trap at the shotgun range, daily hikes to the waterfall, playing music, and earning a host of merit badges.

117 WINS COBBLER COOK OFF

Competing against 12 other Dutch oven confections, Troop 117 won top honors at Camp Pupukea this summer with a Scouter Magazine Dutch oven strawberry cheesecake. Once again T117 rises to the top in the cooking arena.

KAUAI HIGH ADVENTURE

PACK CROSSOVER 2011

Become a Scout.
Grow from the past.
Achieve today.
Be the future.

PALI-WAIMANALO TRAIL

"As a camper and hiker, there is one piece of your equipment you should know, and know well--your compass. With your compass, you can follow trail maps, or lay out plots of land. You will have little excuse for being lost in any kind or country, if you can use your compass correctly."

--Handbook for Boys, 1949

WA'AHILA RIDGE

Boys hike up Wa'ahila Ridge.

"We should know the Great Spirit is within all things: the trees, the grasses, the rivers, the mountains, and the four-legged and winged peoples."

- Black Elk (1863-1950), Oglala Sioux holy man

SUMMER CAMP 2011

KALAUAO HIKE

Scouts and adults training for this summer's high adventure on Kauai enjoy Kalauao falls.

MUSUBI MAKING

Scouts make over 200 musubi!

HIGH ADVENTURE TRAINING

The view from the top of the mountain.

IMU

Troop 117, partnering with K.E.Y. Project and Kahalu‘u Elementary community prepare the imu. Four pigs with a combined weight of 1,200 lbs. went into the imu as a fundraiser for the Kahalu‘u Elementary, Ho‘olaulea.

TROOP LEADERSHIP TRAINING

"Training boy leaders to run their troop is the Scoutmaster's most important job." - Robert Baden-Powell

Troop Leadership Training is a B.S.A. curriculum of Scoutmaster-directed training, designed to provide scouts the necessary tools and encouragement to be successful.

Leadership is a vital part of the Scouting program. Scouts in positions of leadership run their patrols and the troop. They take care of the many tasks necessary for troop meetings and activities to run smoothly and well. By accepting the responsibilities of troop and patrol leadership, they are preparing themselves to be leaders throughout their lives.

COURT OF HONOR

Troop 117 celebrates the boys rank advancement and merit badges earned.

FAMILY CAMP

"When we use all of our senses outdoors, we live fully in the present moment, and so live more richly and intensely." - Joseph Cornell, environmentalist

96744 FAIR

T117 organized a hamburger stand for the “96744 Fair-A 5Rs Festival of Fun" Saturday, March 6th at King Intermediate School. The fair was organized for the 96744 community to come together for a day of fun and fellowship. Celebrating the community’s commitment to living a drug-free lifestyle and living, and teaching the 5Rs: Respect, Responsibility, Resourcefulness, Relationships, and Resiliency.

DLNR TRAINING

Boys attended the State of Hawaii, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, Hunter Education Program. The 12 hour classroom curriculum covered conservation and firearms safety. All of our boys (and adults) who took the assessment at the end of the course passed the test. Congratulations!

TROOP 117 EAGLES

Striving to become an Eagle Scout requires your best effort to master the skills of leadership, service, and outdoor know-how, and to practice good citizenship and ethical behavior of the highest order. Fewer than 4 percent of all Scouts earn the Eagle rank - a testament to its high standards.

I LOVE HULA

Find it at the Fountain in Kailua Town

Troop 117 provided set up and take down for halau hula performances on sixteen Thursdays from June to December, 2010. The Harold K.L. Castle Foundation and Kaneohe Ranch event series strove to perpetuate Hawaiian culture in Kailua by creating a venue for Windward Oahu. The performances featured local halau, drawing crowds of residents and visitors to enjoy the authentic hula experience!

EAGLE LEADERSHIP SERVICE PROJECT

Scouts constructed a seat wall planter for Castle High School under the leadership of an Eagle Scout candidate. Requirement: While a Life Scout, plan develop and give leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or your community.

THE TEN ESSENTIALS

PUNCHBOWL

T117 Scouts stand before "Columbia" at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. Engraved below the figure are the words of President Abraham Lincoln, expressing sympathy to a mother of five sons who died in battle, "THE SOLEMN PRIDE THAT MUST BE YOURS TO HAVE LAID SO COSTLY A SACRIFICE UPON THE ALTAR OF FREEDOM."

CITIZENSHIP IN THE NATION

National Park Service Volunteer explains details of the December 7, 1941 attack on the U.S.S. Arizona. Scouts toured the USS Arizona Memorial, part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument while working on their Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge.

ANIMATED SCOUT LAW

MOCHI POUNDING

Scouts and members of the Kahalu'u United Methodist Church community participate in the traditional Japanese New Year cultural practice of pounding mochi.

ALAN DAVIS BEACH HIKE

Scouts navigate their way on an orienteering course searching for Alan Davis Beach.

WINTER CAMP 2010

After experiencing some of Oahu's worst winter weather, T117 scouts were rewarded with two spectacular days of winter camping on the North Shore. Boys did a lot of cooking, working on advancement and learning how to camp in extreme rain!

K.E.Y. PROJECT BEAUTIFICATION

STREET SMART

Big mahalo to officers from the Honolulu Police Department and State Narcotics Enforcement Division who gave T117 Scouts the "street" version of D.A.R.E., for the Second Class drug awareness requirement.

WAIMANO FALLS

GEAR ORGANIZING DAY

Scouts cleaned out the Troop locker, organized patrol boxes, and got ready for another big year of camping and outdoor activities.

NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY

Troop and Pack 117 join forces with K.E.Y. Project and the Board of Water Supply to clear invasive species along Waihe'e stream.

National Public Lands Day keeps the promise of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the "tree army" that worked from 1933-42 to preserve and protect America's natural heritage.

TROOP 117 EAGLES

Troop 117 scouts celebrate reaching Scouting's highest rank, Eagle.

T117 @ SHARK'S COVE

Sharks Cove has been rated by Scuba Diving Magazine as one of the "Top Twelve Shore Dives in the World". Located on Oahu's world famous North Shore, this small rocky bay boasts blue water and an impressive amount of sea life.

SCOUT SOAP

Be sure to get your Scout Soap! Works great in High Efficiency machines too. Mahalo to ABC corp for their generosity in partnering with Troop 117 and the scouts Salesmanship Merit Badge.

FIREARMS SAFETY

Scouts learn firearm safety, practice basic shooting techniques, and have fun.