Klondike Derby

This past weekend was rainy and cold, but the Phoenix Patrol prevailed!


We arrived at Little Bennett Campground around 4:30 in the afternoon on Friday and set up camp. The Scouts did an excellent job of putting up a large tarp over our kitchen area as dusk settled over the campsite, ensuring that they would be able to cook dinner even as rain threatened.


Later on Friday evening, members of the Order of the Arrow inspected all of the Klondike Sleds and Survival Kits. Our Scouts were not missing anything from their Survival Kit, having paid careful attention to the requirements.


It rained most of the night, but the Scouts were dry and reasonably cozy in their tents. After a quick breakfast of oatmeal in the morning, the Scouts were off to the morning session of Klondike Derby Stations in a light rain. I was glad to learn that they gave away their excess dry tinder and kindling to other Scouts who hadn't brought any and were struggling in the wet conditions. After three hours of competition, there was an hour break for lunch, by which time the rain had stopped. In the afternoon, our Scouts went to a second field and worked on a different set of challenges from those that had been available to them in the morning.


The evening featured a dessert competition and a campfire, where the Scouts presented a skit.
Saturday night was dry but considerably colder, testing the warmth of our sleeping bags and blankets. In the morning, we worked hard to pack up as much as possible before the Sled Race. After a muddy race and the closing ceremony, we finished packing up camp and headed home, arriving back home around 1:00.


The Scouts came in 16th out of 86 patrols, which is an outstanding result considering that no one involved had ever been to a Klondike Derby, and everyone in the troop has been a member of Scouts BSA for less than a year. They got the maximum possible score on several of the challenges, including knots and fire-building.