This section of our website focuses on one of the Troop’s Eagle Scouts (either a current or a former Troop member). Included in the update we will review how this Eagle Scout has used the skills and experiences he acquired in the Troop to help himself, others in his community or God and his Country.
Ryan Mill
Ryan, one of the more than thirty five Troop 48 Eagle Scouts, graduated from Central Bucks East High School in 2016. At East he played soccer for a Pennsylvania AAAAA State Championship team, and he was a “States- qualifying" Pole Vaulter. Imagine leaping up and over a pole more than 14 feet of of the ground?
Leap forward a few years. Ryan is now between his junior and senior years at the University of Nevada, Reno. Over the last three years he has majored in mechanical engineering, had a stint preparing for a career in the Army National Guard, and then a career in business management—all the while doing the thing he most loves and trained for in scouting—enjoying the outdoors. Ryan attends school a mere thirty minutes from the Sierra Nevada mountains and Lake Tahoe, one of the largest and deepest crater lakes in the United States. His daily regimen revolves around morning classes from 8-noon, followed by a few hours of either skiing the nearby mountains, mountain biking or hiking. By mid-afternoon when the sun is at its hottest, Ryan heads home for a shower and several hours of studying and school work, or his job working as a bicycle repair specialist and sales person. After squeezing in a little dinner and another hour of studying, Ryan pulls out either his mountain bike or his off-road mountain-geared motorcycle and heads for a final ride steering around rattlesnakes in the cooler mountain air for a view of the Reno city lights from atop a nearby mountain. He often sends home a snapshot to show us the view from his latest perch.
It’s now 2019. Ryan has settled into a marketing major with a minor in business and has landed his dream job, working as an intern for Galfer USA. Galfer makes specialty brake rotors for bicycles and motorcycles of all types, and Ryan is the new spokesman for this Spanish-owned company with U.S. offices in Carson City, Nevada. That’s right, Ryan handles the Twitter account, the Instagram account and is busy each day creating videos and other promotional materials for Galfer. The company has plans to send him on a world tour promoting Galfer components. Maybe Ryan’s next selfie photo will be sent from atop a mountain at a Red Bull-sponsored mountain bike competition in Spain?
Can you imagine landing your dream job? As a Scout, Ryan was an assistant senior patrol leader. He was always free-sprited, full of laughter and loved being active and teaching his scout skills to younger scouts. He took young scouts under his wing and helped them along the scouting trail. We knew that Ryan would someday use his outgoing “charisma” (some would call it “loud") to make a career, and Ryan knew from the day he left for college 2000 miles from home that the mountains and mountain biking were where he wanted to land a career. Well, he’s landed in Scouting country and a career is now in the works. As Scout leaders we often tell our Scouts how the Scouting program and discovering new skills through merit badges will lead them on a career path. For Ryan, nothing could be more true. From hiking and camping and wilderness survival skills, to public speaking, salesmanship and citizenship, Ryan has used the full gamut of his scout training to steer him on a path to success, and we wish him all the success in the world.
Want to follow Ryan as he soars into the future? Follow Galfer on Instagram. It’s a sure bet that the posts are all Ryan’s work.
Graham Thomas
With the success of the High-adventure hiking trip in the White Mountains in New Hampshire, Graham Thomas (Eagle Class 2013) was selected as the first Eagle to be reviewed.
After graduation from Central Bucks West in 2013, Graham attended Northeastern University in Boston, a wonderful school in a great town. For those who remember Graham, he truly enjoyed the hiking trips and being outside with nature. As a Scout, he excelled in his knowledge of outdoor cooking, hiking and survival skills. During his first semester at Northeastern, Graham began to feel confined in the city, he wanted to get out, back to a Bucks County type of surroundings. He even considered transferring schools but then found the Northeastern University Outdoor Club. They regularly took weekend camping trips in the New England area and Graham enjoyed these trips. His next semester, he went on all of the trips and was happy to be outside once again. He taught others some of the things he learned as a Scout, especially his cooking ability. He used his teaching and leadership skills to become a valuable team member in this club. He also made up his mind to challenge himself with a special activity this past summer. He decided he would hike the entire 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain, Georgia up to Maine. This very challenging trail goes through 14 states and ends with a very steep climb up to Mount Katahdin.
He thought back to his Scouting experiences on the Horseshoe Trail, what he was taught by his leaders and what he learned from these hikes. He remembered the planning steps - what he would need, what he would take with him, how would he replenish his food and water and how to plan and be prepared. In May, Graham said goodbye to his parent at the beginning of the trail in Georgia and began his journey. During this trek, he met many interesting people from all sorts of backgrounds and goals concerning the Appalachian Trail. He was proud of what he was accomplishing. He hiked up some very impressive mountains with wonderful views. In the Smokey Mountains of Virginia, he met an interesting new friend who wanted to share Graham’s food, Graham just turned around there here he was. A picture of this new friend is over to the right.
Unfortunately, he was not able to complete the entire 2,200 miles. He got into New York State and then it was time to return to School. Although he did not complete the entire trail in one summer, he does not feel that he failed at his quest, he traveled over 1,900 miles in the 14 weeks, sometimes covering 30 miles a day. He learned he is capable of doing just about anything he can dream of. He also helped others, he enjoyed himself and created many memories that he will have for a lifetime. He has already stated he will return to the spot he left the trail next May to complete the last 300 miles. He will not be denied. All of this was possible because of what he learned in Scouting, the basics of hiking and survival. This is a passion for Graham and a lifetime hobby. As for the boys on the recent White Mountain trip, well maybe one of them (or all of them) will follow in Graham’s footsteps. What would Graham do next, for that, you will have to ask him, there is always the Pacific Trail out west and lots of other trails in between. Good Luck Graham, Troop 48 is very proud of your accomplishments and achievements-congratulations on a job well done! Next month, we will see how well another one of our Eagles is using his skills to help others in the community.