Hiking
Merit Badge Workbook
This workbook can help you, but you still need to read the merit badge pamphlet.
This Workbook can help you organize your thoughts as you prepare to meet with your merit badge counselor
Merit Badge Counselors may not require the use of this or any similar workbooks.
You still must satisfy your counselor that you can demonstrate each skill and have learned the information.
You should use the work space provided for each requirement to keep track of which requirements have been completed,
and to make notes for discussing the item with your counselor, not for providing full and complete answers.
If a requirement says that you must take an action using words such as "discuss", "show",
"tell", "explain", "demonstrate", "identify", etc, that is what you must do.
No one may add or subtract from the official requirements found in Scouts BSA Requirements (Pub.# 33216) and/or on Scouting.org.
The requirements were last issued or revised in 2023 • This workbook was updated in November 2023.
Scout’s Name: ___________________________ Unit ____________________________________ Date Started _______________________
Counselor’s Name: _______________________ Phone No.: ______________________________ Email: ____________________________
Please submit errors, omissions, comments or suggestions about this workbook to: Workbooks@USScouts.Org
Comments or suggestions for changes to the requirements for the merit badge should be sent to: Merit.Badge@Scouting.Org
1. Do the following:
a. Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you may encounter while hiking, and what you should do to
anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.
Workbook © Copyright 2023 - U.S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. - All Rights Reserved
Requirements © Copyright, Boy Scouts of America (Used with permission.)
This workbook may be reproduced and used locally by Scouts and Scouters for purposes consistent with the programs of the Boy
Scouts of America (BSA), the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) or other Scouting and Guiding Organizations.
However it may NOT be used or reproduced for electronic redistribution or for commercial or other non-Scouting purposes without
the express permission of the U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. (USSSP).
Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
b. Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while hiking, including hypothermia,
frostbite, dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, sunburn, hyperventilation, altitude sickness, sprained ankle,
blisters, insect stings, tick bites, and snakebite.
Hypothermia:
Frostbite:
Dehydration:
Heat exhaustion:
Heatstroke
Sunburn:
Hyperventilation
Altitude sickness:
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Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
Sprained ankle:
Blisters:
Insect stings
Tick bites:
Snakebite:
2. Do the following:
a. Explain and, where possible, show the points of good hiking practices including proper outdoor ethics, hiking
safety in the daytime and at night, courtesy to others, choice of footwear, and proper care of feet and footwear.
Proper outdoor ethics
Hiking safety in the daytime
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Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
Hiking safety at night,
Courtesy to others,
Choice of footwear,
Proper care of feet and footwear.
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Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
b. Read aloud or recite the Leave No Trace guidelines, and discuss why each is important while hiking.
c. Read aloud or recite the Outdoor Code, and give examples of how to follow it on a hike
3. Explain how hiking is an aerobic activity.
Develop a plan for conditioning yourself for 10-mile hikes, and describe how you will increase your fitness for longer hikes.
4. Take four 10-mile hikes and one 20-mile hike, each on a different day, and each of continuous miles. Prepare a written hike
plan before each hike and share it with your merit badge counselor or a designee for approval before starting the hike. Include
map routes, a clothing and equipment list, and a list of items for a trail lunch. You may stop for as many short rest periods as
needed, as well as one meal, during each hike, but not for an extended period such as overnight.*
Date
1. Four 10 mile hikes
2,
3.
4.
5. One 20 mile hike
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Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
Hike 1 (10 miles)
Destination(s):
Map routes:
Clothing and equipment list,
Items for a trail lunch.
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Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
Hike 2 (10 miles)
Destination(s):
Map routes:
Clothing and equipment list,
Items for a trail lunch.
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Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
Hike 3 (10 miles)
Destination(s):
Map routes:
Clothing and equipment list,
Items for a trail lunch.
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Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
Hike 4 (10 miles)
Destination(s):
Map routes:
Clothing and equipment list,
Items for a trail lunch.
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Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
Hike 5 (20 miles)
Destination(s):
Map routes:
Clothing and equipment list,
Items for a trail lunch.
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Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
5. After each of the hikes (or during each hike if on one continuous “trek”) in requirement 4, write a short report on your hike. For
each hike, give the date and description (or map) of the route covered, the weather, any interesting things you saw, and any
challenges you had and how you overcame them. It may include something you learned about yourself, about the outdoors, or
about others you were hiking with. Share this with your merit badge counselor.*
Hike 1 (10 miles)
Date
Descriptions of routes covered,
Weather,
Any interesting things you saw.
Challenges you had and how
you overcame them
Something you learned about
yourself, about the outdoors, or
about others you were hiking
with
Hike 2 (10 miles)
Date
Descriptions of routes covered,
Weather,
Any interesting things you saw.
Challenges you had and how
you overcame them
Something you learned about
yourself, about the outdoors, or
about others you were hiking
with
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Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
Hike 3 (10 miles)
Date
Descriptions of routes covered,
Weather,
Any interesting things you saw.
Challenges you had and how
you overcame them
Something you learned about
yourself, about the outdoors, or
about others you were hiking
with
Hike 4 (10 miles)
Date
Descriptions of routes covered,
Weather,
Any interesting things you saw.
Challenges you had and how
you overcame them
Something you learned about
yourself, about the outdoors, or
about others you were hiking
with
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Hiking Scout's Name: ________________________
Hike 5 (20 miles)
Date
Descriptions of routes covered,
Weather,
Any interesting things you saw.
Challenges you had and how
you overcame them
Something you learned about
yourself, about the outdoors, or
about others you were hiking
with
* The required hikes for this badge may be used in fulfilling hiking requirements for rank advancement. However, these hikes cannot
be used to fulfill requirements of other merit badges.
When working on merit badges, Scouts and Scouters should be aware of some vital information in the current edition of
the Guide to Advancement (BSA publication 33088). Important excerpts from that publication can be downloaded from
http://usscouts.org/advance/docs/GTA-Excerpts-meritbadges.pdf.
You can download a complete copy of the Guide to Advancement from http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33088.pdf.
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