With hypothermia symptoms, Saraff said he was not able to do anything about his condition despite having normal cognitive function. As he experienced dizziness and confusion, Saraff said their Scout leaders said Murdock gave him instructions on how to best recover and guided him step by step. Saraff said the experience with Murdock and Scouts overall has shaped their friendship and who he is today.
Murdock said the circumstance was stressful because he thought his friend could not think clearly. As crew leader for that adventure, he was responsible for making decisions throughout the hike. He said he used his Boy Scout training to provide aid in the tense situation. Once they got Saraff warmed up and fed a hot meal, Murdock said the situation was resolved. He said it made for a strenuous, but memorable day.
His mother, Sharon Murdock said she viewed her son helping his friend with an emergency as a moment of leadership. Throughout his participation in Scouts, she said her son has initiated action in less-than-ideal circumstances.
“He took charge and knew what to do,” Sharon said. “He didn’t second-guess himself. He was able to think on his feet.”
Reflecting on his experience hiking through the mountains of New Mexico, Murdock expressed his love for the adventure of being a Scout. During his summer journey at a High Adventure Base at the Philmont Scout Ranch, Murdock and his troop traveled 168 miles in two weeks, each carrying a 60-pound backpack filled with food, water and gear for their expedition.
“The best part was getting [to] camp, setting up and hanging out after a long day hiking, [and] talking with what essentially became family by the end of it,” Murdock said.
They traveled through different elevations and dense foliage, and Murdock said the most amazing view was two converging mountains with a beautiful sunset to frame them.
Murdock joined Cub Scouts in first grade. The process consists of Cub Scouts and then being a Webelo for one year, which is a transition period. To transfer into Boy Scouts, he also had to go through an Arrow of Light ceremony which presents the achievements and awards an individual has done to move on. He received his Eagle Scout rank after completing the necessary requirements in eighth grade and has remained involved ever since, helping younger Scouts along the way.
Murdock said he and his troop seek to live by the Scout Law and values. A key value he said he tries to incorporate into his daily life is leadership. Having already become an Eagle Scout, Murdock said he looks for opportunities to lead younger Scouts. He said being a leader is not only about giving instructions, but also applying them to yourself.
Sharon said her son has been following in the footsteps of his brothers ever since he joined Scouts. She said Scouts benefits his confidence, leadership skills and overall bravery.
There are 12 points of the Scout Law junior Riley Saugstad strives to live by. Being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
Saugstad became a member of Scouts, the flagship Boy Scout program, on Feb. 1, 2019, the day girls were officially allowed to join. In the time leading up to girls being allowed to join Scouts, Saugstad expressed her interest in being a part of this activity.
“I would show up to the meetings even though I wasn’t allowed to participate,” Saugstad said.
For most of elementary school, Saugstad was a part of Girl Scouts. She wanted to be a part of her brother’s troop but was turned away because she was a girl. Eventually, Saugstad found a boy troop that allowed girls to join, which she said was more fitting for her.
“Girl Scouts is an amazing program for many girls, but for me, the more outdoorsy Boy Scouts was a better fit,” Saugstad said.
Since receiving her Eagle Scout rank in February 2024, Saugstad has taken on a leadership role, mentoring younger Scouts and planning troop meetings. As a mentor, Saugstad said she gets the opportunity to help them overcome their fears and teach them new skills she has learned. She said she works with them on skills like tying knots and building fires.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to use the skills that I’ve been taught in this program to empower the next generation,” Saugstad said.
While teaching the younger Scouts is rewarding, Saugstad considers becoming an Eagle Scout one of her biggest accomplishments. To earn the title, an individual must complete 13 merit badges and an Eagle Scout service project.
“That (project) was definitely a huge undertaking, but I [knew] it was [going] to be a great learning experience,” Saugstad said.
Along with Scouts, Saugstad is involved in theatre. At the time of completing her Eagle Scout, Saugstad attended Oxford Middle School and said the school’s theatre department needed to create platforms for their shows. Knowing this, Saugstad said she decided to make a difference at her school for her project.
“I built them some custom platforms that are super easy to take down [and] super easy to store,” Saugstad said.
Becoming an Eagle Scout can be a long process. Although Saugstad has already received this title, some students are still working toward the same goal.
Freshman Boy Scout Jackson Moore is currently working toward becoming an Eagle Scout. He said he joined Scouts at a young age, mostly because his friends were involved.
Moore said becoming an Eagle Scout has been an important goal to him because it is an achievement that stands out. Being recognized with this honor shows others great leadership qualities, and Moore said he has ranked up relatively fast. He is currently a Life Scout, just below the Eagle Scout rank.
For Murdock, the merit badges earned through Scouts have taught him a range of valuable skills such as first aid, cooking, automotive maintenance and physical fitness.
With the variety of skills he learned, Murdock said some of his badges were easier to complete than others. For example, he said he needed three weekends of classes to finish the CPR badge, and the cooking badge required 100 hours of work. Murdock said the automotive maintenance badge was one of his favorites due to his preexisting knowledge and interest in cars.
“There’s lots of experiences you can have with the merit badges, and [they’ve] given me a clear path on what I want to do,” Murdock said.
By earning these badges, Murdock said he developed an interest in mechanical engineering, which has helped him plan for what courses to take. Along with these learned skills, Murdock said attending monthly campouts introduced a new element of fun to Scouts.
Other skills Sharon said her son learned included personal finance and family life.
While merit badges are an important element of Scouts, Murdock said they don’t define everything about Scouts.
“I feel like there [is] a whole stigma around merit badges and Scouts. It’s just a thing to do,” Murdock said. “Whatever you can do to make other people’s lives better, like being helpful in some way, that’s really what I’ve taken away (from Scouts).”
Moore also said the reason he continued Scouts was due to the outdoor experiences. As he went on the campouts, he said they did many activities ranging from rock climbing to shooting sports. During the winter, his troop did an all-night lock-in at a rock climbing location.
Similarly, Saugstad said her favorite part of Scouts is the campouts. She camped in below-freezing weather as well as temperatures above 100 degrees. She has also worked on staff at the campouts, which she described as just as rewarding as attending. Saugstad said she has met the best friends of her life from being involved in the campouts.
“It’s taught me good life lessons, leadership and how to be a good person,” Moore said.
As a parent, Sharon said she encourages anyone interested in Scouts to try it. She said pieces of leadership and long-term growth can be learned from sports or music, but Boy Scouts provides different lessons than those other activities.
“There’s something very unique about the scouting relationships and program that is a lot broader and deeper at the same time,” Sharon said.
She said Scouts does not just apply to the people in the program, but it involves the entire family, too. Sharon said having her own children so closely involved in the program has shaped her as a parent, and she believes the program teaches the value of giving back.
As his Scouting journey comes to a close, Murdock said one of the biggest lessons he has taken away is to live in the moment and appreciate the time you have left. For these last few adventures, he said he consciously made an effort to enjoy what he is doing, and now it comes much more naturally to him.
“You’ll be more disappointed with the things you didn’t do than what you did. If you just go with the flow, you’ll be happy by the end of it,” Murdock said.
