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How to Decorate a Scout's Hiking Stick

A walking stick can make a Boy Scout feel like a seasoned hiker and will turn an afternoon walk into an adventure, especially when that stick is decorated with patrol names and colors. Traditional scout hiking sticks are called staves, measure five feet in length and are hand-made by scouts themselves. A scout should feel ownership and honor about his hiking stick and should let that sense of pride guide him when decorating his hiking stick.

Things You'll Need

5-foot hiking stick or straight sapling
Wood-carving tools
Acrylic paint
Paintbrush
Wood glue

Instructions

- 1
  Check with your scout troop guidelines regarding hiking stick decoration before adding any details to your stick. Some programs allow only decorations listed in the scouting troop manual to be added to hiking sticks.
- 2
  Carve your scout troop's patrol name, vertically, beginning at the top of the hiking stick, using a wood-carving knife. Use skills from the "Shaving and Chips" scout-instruction unit to carry out the carving.
- 3
  Carve two bands beneath the scout troop patrol name and paint them with the colors of your scout troop.
- 4
  Carve inch marks, as on a ruler, starting at the bottom of the stick and moving upward, to mark the first foot of your stick. Make a horizontal mark, delineating each subsequent foot, all the way up the stick to clearly show the height of your stick as being in compliance with the five-foot standard established by the Boy Scouts.
- 5
  Attach medallions and small emblems for hiking to your stick with wood glue as you earn them from your scout troop. Make a notch in your hiking stick below the troop patrol color bands for every hike or camp-out you successfully complete.

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