Female Boy Scout ahead of the pack

At a time when most of her classmates are learning algebra and essay-writing, Gabrielle Thorsen has been learning how to save lives, build a fire and camp in the snow. The seventh-grader at Swan River School is a member of Scout Troop 1916, an all-girl Boy Scout troop in Bigfork.

“She’s learning a lot of important things you sometimes don’t learn until later in life,” her mother and Scout Master, Cindy, observed. The troop derives its number designation from the year Jeannette Rankin became the first woman elected to Congress.

“We do forestry, first aid, family history, citizenship … it’s life skills, basically,” she said before lighting the fire at the Bigfork Community Bonfire Friday night. “We do all sorts of different things.”

Thorsen started as a “Webelo” in fifth grade and later became one of the first girls in the state of Montana to “bridge” from a Cub Scout to a Boy Scout. Now, she’s working towards becoming an Eagle Scout, and her goal is to be in the first group of girls to reach the prestigious landmark.

From the looks of things, she’s well on her way.

She was one of the first girls to earn the Scouts’ “Arrow of Life” patch, a notable achievement that requires Cub Scouts to earn a minimum of seven pins in a variety of categories. “I earned all of them,” she eagerly divulged.

Thorsen — who loves hiking, swimming, fishing and just about any outdoor activity you can think of — first joined Scouts because “it’s about getting down and getting dirty.” The Boy Scouts of America officially included girls in their organization in February.

Cindy added the Thorsens like the family-oriented nature of the organization. “The family comes along for the whole activity,” she explained, rather than sending the Scouts off on their own, separate from their parents and siblings.

It means a lot for Gabrielle since her father Eric, who runs Eric Thorsen Fine Art Gallery on Electric Avenue, was an Eagle Scout. “It’s an opportunity for her to follow in his footsteps,” Cindy said.

In order to join the elite Eagle Scout ranks, which include her father and more well-known alumni like Neil Armstrong, Thorsen must complete 21 merit badges and a number of other requirements, including campouts, conservation hours and a service project.

The earliest she could complete her Eagle Scout qualifications would be in the fall.

Thorsen — who hopes to one day be a veterinarian, an animal breeder or an artist — is thinking of constructing osprey nests for her Eagle Scout project. She’s also considering other projects like building an outdoor education pavilion at her school, and since she’s already ahead of the average Eagle Scout, who earns the honor around age 17, she might go ahead and do multiple Eagle Scout projects.

“There’s a lot of requirements. This is not a simple, 10-minute activity,” her mother insisted, even though her daughter seems to make quick work of most of the challenges.

But even Thorsen, who has earned 17 merit badges, has faced challenges and setbacks throughout her scouting.

While in the process of earning her life-saving badge, she was required to dive for a 10-pound block at the bottom of a lake. On her first try, she wasn’t able to bring the block to the surface, so she spent a summer practicing with a 30-pound rock in Flathead Lake. The next time she tested for her badge, Thorsen not only carried the 10-pound block to the surface—she went back down and lifted it a second time for good measure.

“They made me do it twice, just to be sure,” she said. She laughed at the memory of earning the most difficult badge in her collection.

Thorsen believes she has been able to achieve accomplishments like this, “because I’ve been pushing myself,” she said. “My parents help and my former scout master helped,” she added.

Cindy also said the Bigfork community has been extremely supportive of the Thorsens and Troop 1916 as a whole. The Community United Methodist Church in Bigfork serves as their charter organization, providing an area for meetings, space to store camping gear, some financial support and guidance through the various merit badge requirements.

“There’s great leadership and a supportive community,” Cindy said. “We’d love to see more girls in Scouts.” ¦