Marquette — Lace on those hiking boots and plan a family hike for this weekend, as the Bay-Lakes Council invites the public to join scouts and families from across the Upper Peninsula and northeast Wisconsin for a Hike-In.

Participants are encouraged to send photos as they defeat cabin fever and put the outing back in scouting. It’s as easy as these three steps:

— Plan a day hike for some time Friday through Sunday. As long as the planned hike is safe, maintains social distancing and is in compliance with Michigan COVID-19 restrictions, it can be anything from a weekend wilderness backpack trip to a hike up Sugarloaf to a lap around the yard.

— Email favorite photos in each competitive category for the Best Picture Contest. Label the subject line with first name, unit number (skip if not a scout), location and category being entered. Send the photo to scoutingathome@baylakesbsa.org. Categories include: Best Picture of Cub Scout(s), Scouts(s), Venturer(s), Best Family Picture, Best Scenery, Best Wildlife, Best Plant Life, Best Action Picture and Best Service Project Picture.  

–Tune in to the Awards Campfire broadcast at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time Monday, June 1, for an Awards Campfire, featuring a slide show of everybody’s hikes, red carpet treatment of winning photo announcements, plus a few scouting songs and skits. This takes place on the Bay-Lakes Council, Boy Scouts of America Facebook page, www.facebook.com/BayLakesCouncil/.

Want to plan a weekend Hike? Go to www.baylakesbsa.org/scouting-at-home/ to build a 10 essentials kit, learn the outdoor code, and find out more details on the Scouting at Home Hike-In. Those utilizing the website resources need not be registered in the Bay-Lakes Council or Boy Scouts of America.

For more information about scouting in the Upper Peninsula or any scouting event, contact Patrick O’Brien at 920-419-8401 or patrick.obrien@scouting.org.