“Dual troop” Eagle Scout James Estes, of Hebron, was part of both Troop 130 in South Paris and Auburn’s Troop 111 during his time in Boy Scouts of America. submitted photo

HEBRON — Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School senior and Hebron resident James Estes recently became an Eagle Scout with a unique distinction— he was part of both Boy Scouts of America Troop 130 in South Paris and Auburn’s Troop 111. 

Estes said that being in “dual troops” was “kind of an unheard-of thing,” but each troop did different things, so he got more out of the experience that way.

His longtime cubmaster, and then scoutmaster, the late James “Jim” Hatch, always encouraged Estes.

“A lot of people didn’t really like it, but Jim was a big supporter of it,” he said.

Estes wanted to do an Eagle Scout project that he could dedicate to Hatch’s memory. He died in 2022 at age 54. Estes ended up building two 24-foot-long bridges across streams to increase accessibility at Cornwall Preserve in South Paris.

“Every time we’d go camping, he’d say, ‘Let’s go hiking at Cornwall,’ and it kind of just became something that was really funny,” Estes said.

Estes surprised James Hatch’s son, Matthew, and his widow, Heather, with the dedication ceremony.

 Estes ran into a few people who told him they were very appreciative of the new bridges.

Eagle Scout James Estes (left) stands with Heather and Matthew Hatch during a dedication of his Eagle Scout project, building two bridges at Cornwall Preserve in South Paris, to the late James “Jim” Hatch. Hatch was Heather’s husband, Matthew’s father, and a longtime scoutmaster. submitted photo

“It was a couple months of actual work,” Estes said of the project that was completed last September. “It definitely made it more accessible.”

Before the bridges, there were only a few rocks stacked to cross the streams, he said.

Estes’ earliest memory of scouting, from when he was about 3 years old, is when his older brother, who was about 7, graduated from Wolves to Tigers in Cub Scouts.

“I took his old Tiger hat and neckerchief and I put it around my neck and I walked around with it on,” Estes said.

The Boy Scout experience has been “great,” Estes said, noting how he learned so many things, including outdoor survival skills, and met many friends.

“I wouldn’t know half of what I know,” he said.

A challenging time for Estes was during COVID-19 lockdowns, when the troops rarely met in person.

“All I had left to do was merit badges and my Eagle Scout project, and it was so hard for me to sit down and do merit badges when there was no one there, no one around,” Estes said.

He plans to go to a specialized college, possibly the University of Northwestern Ohio, and major in high performance automotive technology. He holds Automotive Service Excellence certifications for automotive collision and repair that he earned at the high school’s technical school.

In his free time, Estes likes to go to the Oxford Plains Speedway and spend time outdoors.