By Jim Heavey
This past Saturday and Sunday at the Ernest Thomson Seton Scout Reservation, the Black Wolf District of Scouting America held its annual Klondike Derby. The purpose of the Klondike Derby is for Scouts to test their skills at outdoor Scouting, camping, teamwork, and leadership while utilizing the patrol method. A patrol is the smallest unit inside of a Scout troop, and it’s usually made up of five to eight Scouts. In the weeks ahead of the Klondike Derby, patrols worked on honing their outdoor Scouting skills. On the day of the competition, each patrol was given a list of equipment they are required to carry from station to station on their sled. Patrols received points at each station, depending on how well they performed.
This year’s Klondike had a combination of stations that the Scouts have seen in the past as well as a few new ones — all of them very challenging. There were snowshoe relay, fire building, shelter building for the entire patrol, compass course, hatchet throwing, blade safety, and first aid stations. A number of the events were timed, including milk-crate stacking and an Ididarot-style race that involved Scouts pulling their sleds around the lake. Each station presented a leadership reaction scenario where patrol leaders had to figure out how to resolve a challenging problem while in the outdoors using their leaderships skills and the equipment on their sled.
Scouts arrived early Saturday morning to have their sleds inspected by veteran Greenwich Scouters Robert Moore and Bob Neilsen, who made sure they had the proper equipment for all the various competitions and the chilly weather. The Scouts then pulled their sleds from station to station over the recently fallen snow.
When a patrol arrived at one of the stations located throughout Seton Scout Reservation, they received instructions from an adult leader. Scouts were then given an opportunity to plan and execute their effort to perform the challenge.
The First Aid Station was manned by Explorers from the Greenwich Emergency Medical Service explorer post. Exploring is another type of Scouting offered to high school-age youth, in which they can explore certain professions.
Part of the Greenwich Council’s Klondike Derby tradition is that every Scout brings two cans of soup. A soup station operates throughout the day, where Scouts can stop along the trail during the event to warm up and have some soup. At the end of the event, the unused cans of soup are donated to Neighbor to Neighbor.
This year’s competition was very close, and all 10 patrols performed very well. The top three scorers received plaques at the closing ceremony. The Wizard Patrol of Troop 608 from Hamden, CT, took the gold. Cos Cob Troop 11’s Gladiator Patrol came in second, and third place went to the Surfing Ducks of Troop 23 from Old Greenwich.
Following the day-long competition, the patrols returned to their troop campsites to prepare dinner over an open fire or gas stove. After the meal, they returned to the main camp for a campfire. Finally, the Scouts returned to their campsites for an overnight stay, while recorded temperatures fell into the 20s. The Scouts stayed in tents and lean-tos, while a few lucky Scouts slept in the Winter Cabin. The next morning, Scouts prepared a hearty warm breakfast before they headed back home.
Scouting America is open to all youth who have completed the fifth grade or reached the age of 11 up to the age of 18, and they can join at any time. If you’re interested in joining Scouting, contact Scouting America, Greenwich Council at (203) 622-8024.
Greenwich Police Chief Jim Heavey is an Eagle Scout and served as Scoutmaster of Greenwich Scout Troop 35 for many years. He currently serves as an Assistant Scoutmaster and on the Council Activities Committee within the Greenwich Council.
