Boy Scout From Missouri Earns Every Available Merit Badge

A Boy Scout from western Missouri has achieved a rare milestone —earning every available merit badge.

KMBC-TV reports that Ryan Niederschulte says he earned 138 badges, even though only 21 are needed to be an Eagle Scout, because "I just wanted to keep going." The 17-year-old is from Grain Valley, which is about 20 miles east of Kansas City.

He says his favorite badge was horsemanship. Through scouting, he's been on all kinds of adventures across the country with his father, including scuba diving, kayaking and hiking. He acknowledged that it was a "lot of work" but said it also was a "lot of fun."

The Boy Scouts no longer offer the computer merit badge. Future scouts can only earn 137 badges.