About 1,400 pounds of redwood were shipped to Joshua Tree National Park’s historic site, the Desert Queen Ranch, on a trailer linked to a Subaru Outback driven by Cal High junior Ved Joshi.
This 485-mile journey to the national park east of Los Angeles and northeast of Palm Springs took place in late September and concluded Joshi’s uniquely large Eagle Scout Project for Troop 236.
An Eagle Project demonstrates a Boy Scout’s willingness to help their outdoor community as well as to exemplify dedication and hard work.
“Eagle is the highest honor you can earn as a scout, and the project is a cumulation of all the leadership skills that scouts learn throughout their career,” Eric Pinkela, Joshi’s scoutmaster said.
The first thing Joshi did to begin brainstorming his project in the summer of 2022 for was to call surrounding national parks, asking what he could do to help. When Joshi and a Joshua Tree exhibitionist specialist agreed upon the construction of seven picnic tables to replace several worn out ones, Joshi immediately started on a prototype.
“I don’t really like all of [the online table designs] so I mixed it up and was like, OK, I want this and I don’t want that,” said Joshi, who has been a scout since fourth grade.
Upon completing the model entirely out of pocket, Joshi gathered a team of volunteers to begin production on all seven picnic tables in his backyard.
“I can’t do any of the work as an Eagle Scout, doing the project,” Joshi said. “It’s supposed to be a leadership project.”
Joshi looked to his troop, friends and family for support on his project. Joshi brought in several volunteers ranging from fifth graders all the way up to seniors.
Joshi instructed the younger volunteers to work on low difficulty tasks such as sanding and staining the redwood, which he used for the tables. He left the riskier work, such as using a miter saw to cut the redwood, for the older volunteers.
“At first [Joshi] was very unorganized because there were a ton of people and there weren’t a lot of jobs that were ready for those members to work on,” said sophomore Skylar Chan, who volunteered for the project. “Later on, I think he got everything more organized and he gave us proper jobs that we could focus on.”
“In the troop, we help each other out and we want to support each other all the way through Eagle,” Cal junior Jayden Widmer, Joshi’s troop member and project volunteer, said.
Cal junior Jayden Widmer, who is part of Joshi’s troop, said when people had questions, Joshi always knew what to do and he was good at guiding people with their next task.
“The thing is, aesthetics also mattered because this was going on a historic ranch in Joshua Tree, so it’s kind of like a cultural thing as well,” Joshi said. “They kind of tried to freeze time in that location.”
Joshi paid close attention to the artistry of the tables, as they were being built to replace worn ones already located at the traditional Desert Queen Ranch. The rustic quality of these tables were very important to the integrity of the project.
After finishing the seven picnic tables, Joshi then deconstructed the tables and fit them in the back of a trailer he and his dad would drive to Joshua Tree.
“The scope of Ved’s project stood out to me,” Pinkela said. “The acquisition of materials, leadership of scouts and parents who were constructing and staining the materials, and the transportation of finished benches, which needed to be built again on site, was a massive amount of work and coordination.”
Joshi said park rangers were excited to receive the new tables and thanked them profusely.
“When we were moving the old tables out, they were destroyed. They’re like gray, they’re splintered,” Joshi said. “So we were lifting them up and the top just popped out! They were in horrible condition.”
Once Joshi’s project was completed, he reflected happily on his entire experience which in all took him a little over a year.
“I miss seeing those benches- I had seven picnic tables just stacked in my backyard,” Joshi added. “I was like wow, my backyard feels so empty now. What am I going to do without them?”
In order to earn his Eagle Award, Joshi now must complete four more merit badges. Joshi said his time in Boy Scouts has developed his organizational, communication and leadership skills while giving him a lively space to make friends.
Joshi’s Eagle Project taught him exceptional leadership skills and forced him to step out of his own comfort zone.
“When [Joshi] orders people around, it’s very clear and precise,” Chan said. “So that way you don’t miss any steps and you don’t do anything incorrect.”
Widmer agreed that Joshi was an approachable person who always stayed on task.
“Ved is the epitome of what we look for in Scouts,” Pinkela said. “He is friendly, confident, knowledgeable, and I watched him become an impressive leader. He’s just a good guy.”
