The pandemic forced many people to change their daily routines, but a Wilton teen changed his nightly one.

William Olmstead's favorite activity has always been camping out with his Boy Scout troop. He is part of Troop 20.

"We used to go camping once a month and we weren't able to do that during the pandemic, so I decided to do it myself," he said.

Instead, Olmstead, 13, swapped his bedroom for a tent in the yard.

"At first it was a just a couple days, and then I decided to keep on going."

Since April 2 of last year, he has slept outside every night. He's done so no matter the weather, including frigid temperatures.

"The coldest night was like 20 below freezing," Olmstead said.

Still, he didn't go inside but added blankets.

He's moved the tent all over the yard, including under the back deck when it snowed. At one point, he said, there was a foot and a half of snow.

He's also had company -- brother Oliver often joins him, and sometimes even mom or dad.

"I don't get lonely because of all the wildlife around me. Almost every night I listen to wildlife," he said. "I hear coyotes often."

William's streak will end Sunday when he reaches his goal of a year and a day outside in the tent. He says he wanted to set a record no other boy scout would try to beat, and "a year and a day" just sounded right.

He'll stop "at least for one day, and then I'll probably come back out."