Boy Scouts of America

Be Prepared for High Adventure

SUMMARY

High-adventure trips are intended to deliver wilderness and learning adventures that last a lifetime. Being both medically and physically prepared for these trips will help ensure they are as safe and enjoyable as they are memorable. While this is true for all Scouts, it is especially critical for adult leaders to be prepared!

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • High-adventure trips are physically demanding and have inherent risks, and each crew member needs to understand how to mitigate these risks. Part of this process is ensuring that each crew member has identified any medical issues that might place either the crew member or the crew at an increased risk of a medical emergency while on the trip.
  • The first step is to complete the three parts of the BSA Annual Health and Medical Record (AHMR). You must meet with a licensed health care provider (e.g., M.D., D.O., N.P., or P.A.) to complete Part C of the record. Be sure you and your provider have read the “High-Adventure Risk Advisory” section of the AHMR so everyone fully understands the known health risks associated with the high adventure.
  • Have an honest and open conversation with your provider about whether it is appropriate for you to go on the trip. The physical demands vary by high-adventure activity, but the presence of any of several medical risk factors can raise concerns. While the list is not all-inclusive, the following are important factors: excessive body weight, history of heart or cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, seizures (epilepsy), asthma, allergies or anaphylaxis, ingrown toenails, recent musculoskeletal injuries, orthopedic surgery, and psychological or emotional difficulties.
  • If it is medically appropriate for you to go, the second step is to be sure you are physically fit enough to meet the challenges of high adventure. Being fit will greatly enhance your enjoyment of the trip! Most high-adventure trips require a combination of cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular endurance, and muscular strength. Can you walk three miles in an hour without stopping? Pass the BSA swim test? Do 10 push-ups? Go up three flights of stairs without your legs tiring? If not, then you would benefit from improving your fitness.

RESOURCES

Reviewed January 26, 2024. 

Bray Barnes

Director, Global Security Innovative
Strategies

Bray Barnes is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, Silver
Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Learning for Life Distinguished
Service Award. He received the Messengers of Peace Hero award from
the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and he’s a life member of
the 101st Airborne Association and Vietnam Veterans Association. Barnes
serves as a senior fellow for the Global Federation of Competitiveness
Councils, a nonpartisan network of corporate CEOs, university presidents, and
national laboratory directors. He has also served as a senior executive for the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leading the first-responder program
and has two U.S. presidential appointments

David Alexander

Managing Member Calje

David Alexander is a Baden-Powell Fellow, Summit Bechtel Reserve philanthropist, and recipient of the Silver Buffalo and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the founder of Caljet, one of the largest independent motor fuels terminals in the U.S. He has served the Arizona Petroleum Marketers Association, Teen Lifeline, and American Heart Association. A triathlete who has completed hundreds of races, Alexander has also mentored the women’s triathlon team at Arizona State University.

Glenn Adams

President, CEO & Managing Director
Stonetex Oil Corp.

Glenn Adams is a recipient of the Silver Beaver, Silver Antelope, Silver Buffalo, and Distinguished Eagle Scout Award. He is the former president of the National Eagle Scout Association and established the Glenn A. and Melinda W. Adams National Eagle Scout Service Project of the Year Award. He has more than 40 years of experience in the oil, gas, and energy fields, including serving as a president, owner, and CEO. Adams has also received multiple service awards from the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers.