BSA Troop 654

In July 2025, Troop 654 sent 9 scouts of ages 13-15 to Florida Sea base High Adventure in Key West, FL. These scouts formed 2 crews, and each crew spent the first night and morning preparing supplies for their stay at Big Munson Island. The two crews canoed 5.5 miles around various islands, battling not only the seas, but 90+ degree heat. The “war canoes” as they were called, were each a pair of 4 seat canoes attached by rope and planks. To get to the island, crews had to wade through both water and rotting sargassum 1 foot deep collected near shore. Supplies were moved in from floating docks. For the next 4 days, the crews were challenged by blistering heat, immensely powerful thunderstorms, and relentless insects, but the many activities on the island helped to distract from these. On the first day, crews partook in kayaking, shark fishing, and a partial tour of the island. While neither crew caught any sharks, many sharks swam very close. The next day, crews fished on the open ocean. One crew caught dinner for themselves and the other crew, which caught plenty overall, but they were too small to keep. The following day, everyone went snorkelling over one of the largest reefs in the world, followed by a less stunning yet history rich tour of the salt flats, a large, flat part of the island with an unusual history of ghost sightings. Scouts also began a hermit crab racing tournament, which had crews from other troops participating as well. The last full day on the island involved a beach clean up, a cobbler cook off, and official Staff sanctioned crab racing, though scouts are told not to spoil the details of this official version. Upon canoeing back from the Island, There was a luau and after a scout from one of 654’s crews won a very intense game involving pushing one’s opponent into a trash can, we all celebrated by jumping into the marina. On our flight home, we reflected on the past week, one of the largest adventures of our lives.