NEW PARIS, Ind. — He may have just become the most decorated Scout in the 107-year history of the Boy Scouts of America, but Nathan Hite is about as humble as they come.

Hite, a member of the Boy Scouts Troop 12 in New Paris, for the past eight years, recently completed his 143rd merit badge, officially making him the most decorated Boy Scout in scouting history.

“It has definitely been a little bit stressful, because my 18th birthday was approaching fast,” Hite said of his recent achievement. He noted that 18 is the age when Scouts officially age out of the program. “Overall it was a great experience,” he added. “I got to learn a little bit of everything, and so now I feel confident that I can start a family and know the things I need to know for life.”

From hiking and swimming to carpentry and pathfinding, if you name a badge, Hite has earned it. He earned his most recent badge, for exploration, just days before his 18th birthday on May 4.

“It came right down to the wire,” Hite said with a laugh.

According to Meredith Isenberg, senior district executive with the South Bend-based Boy Scouts of America LaSalle Council, which oversees the New Paris troop, the Boy Scouts of America currently offers 138 merit badges. The number of total badges actually fluctuates over time, allowing Scouts to achieve more than the official total as some badges are phased out and new ones are added. It’s a process Hite knows all too well.

“Back in 2010, they released four merit badges that had previously been retired. I think they brought them back for just that year, for an anniversary or something like that, and I got all four of those: carpentry, pathfinding, signaling and tracking,” Hite said of some of his now-retired badges. “So that’s how I got more badges than are actually available.”

With his recent achievement, Hite has joined a very select group within the Boy Scouts — those who have completed all merit badges available to them at the time of their service. According to the organization, of the more than 100 million boys who have been Scouts since the organization’s founding in 1910, only about 250 have ever accomplished the feat — and none to the extent of Hite’s 143 badges.

Hite attributes much of his success to being homeschooled, which he said provided him with more time and opportunity to pursue merit badges than some other Scouts. He also praised his scoutmaster and current Elkhart County Sheriff Brad Rogers, as well as his father, Steve Hite, who serves as assistant scoutmaster for his troop.

“They’ve both been super supportive and encouraging throughout my time as a Scout, and throughout my entire life, really,” Hite told the Goshen, Indiana News. “They’re both a big inspiration. And then of course my mom, Cara, she’s super proud of me. She tries to brag about me all the time.”

Hite also attributes a portion of his success to the fact that he was able to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout by the time he was 13, whereas many Boy Scouts tend to make the Eagle designation just before they turn 18. The way the Boy Scouts ranking system is currently set up, new entrants must first work toward the rank of Scout, then move on to Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Life, and finally Eagle — the most difficult and prestigious of all the ranks. At that point, many Scouts age out of the program.

“I had earned 53 merit badges by the time I was an Eagle. So at that point, I was like, ‘Now what am I going to do?’,” Hite said. “For me, it was a good accomplishment, but I wasn’t quite ready to stop. So I decided to make a goal and keep going.”

Over the course of his eight years with the New Paris troop, Hite said he has probably spent an average of about 10 hours a week working toward his various merit badges and other troop duties, though that time can fluctuate depending on the specific task or challenge at hand.

Asked about the badges he is most proud of, Hite said aviation was definitely at the top of his list.

“I’d probably have to say aviation, because not many kids get to fly an airplane for a half an hour,” Hite said. “That was just awesome. And then the robotics badge, that’s probably what really got me into computers, because to get to see the programming that goes into the robot and makes it move, that’s just cool.”

As for the badges that gave him the most trouble, Hite didn’t have to think long before coming up with that answer.

“It was probably personal fitness and cycling, because you had to do like three full months of personal fitness, and with cycling you had to go like 150 or 175 miles,” Hite said. “So those were tough.”

Even today, after all the time and hard work he has dedicated to the Scouts, Hite said he can hardly believe all he has achieved.

“It’s definitely not something I ever really thought of when I was just getting started,” Hite said. “Really I just wanted to go for Eagle and then I’d be good. But I just kept going, and here we are. I still can’t really believe it.”

Set to graduate from high school this spring, Hite said his current plans are to take a gap year to raise some money and get some things off his bucket list, after which his hope is to attend Purdue University where he will major in computer science.

Hite currently lives in Elkhart with his parents and his 13-year-old brother, Levi, who Hite is proud to say is well on his way to achieving his own Eagle Scout status within the New Paris troop.

“We’ll see how it goes,” he said with a grin.

Kline writes for the Goshen, Indiana News.