Hunt earns Eagle Scout rank

An Eagle Scout Court of Honor for Troop 139 was held on Saturday at Aspen Lakes to recognize their newest Eagle Scout, 18-year-old Christian Hunt, who is a student at Sisters High School.

Troop 139 Scout Master Ryan Roy welcomed the scouts and guests, and presented the Eagle Scout award to Hunt. Matt Cyrus, committee chairman, introduced the guests and described the path to become an Eagle Scout.

A formal Eagle Scout Court of Honor is held after an Eagle Scout board of review has certified that a Scout has completed all the requirements for the highest rank in scouting. Only about four out of every 100 scouts achieve Eagle rank. Candidates need to be active in patrol, demonstrate scout spirit, take positions of leadership and responsibility, and earn 21 badges beyond the basic requirements.

When asked which was the hardest of his 30 badges to earn, young Hunt said, "All of them are hard, but definitely lifesaving. It takes a lot of strength and skill to save someone who is drowning, then do CPR."

Other badges include programs in citizenship, entrepreneurship, family life skills, personal management, and a wide variety of sports. He says he learned a lot about goal-setting, planning, time-management and staying on task, which he hopes will help him in the future. His favorite subjects in high school are chemistry and physics. He wants to go to a university and study engineering but isn't yet sure what direction he wants to go with his degree. The Eagle Scout he admires the most is Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon.

The Hunt family came to Sisters from Southern California eight years ago, where Christian had been involved in scouting since elementary school. He follows in the tradition of his father, Steve, and his two brothers. Parents Steve and Kris Hunt also have a 17-year-old son Daniel, who is working on his own badges of accomplishments.

Mom Kris is very proud of both her boys and the paths they have chosen.

"Scouting is great for keeping boys out of trouble and giving them a good start in life," she said. "They are always busy, always productive, always on task."

Steve is still an active scout and takes groups of boys on high adventure and training wilderness treks. He recently took them to the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, which is the pinnacle of scouting. The group of eight boys and four adults hiked in full pack 110 miles over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in 10 days. Each boy had to take over the leadership role for a day to test his mettle.

Their most exciting event was finding that a bear had ransacked their camp while they were off on a day hike.

"This is a very active troop with a lot of activities," he said. "Closer to home we hike the Pacific Crest Trail, go canoeing, climbing, and cycling. We took a group to Florida to learn SCUBA diving. We want them to be well-rounded and responsible."

Scout Troop 139 is sponsored by Kiwanis and meets at the Sisters fire department community hall on Sundays at 5:30 p.m.