Local Scouts learn winter survival skills at annual Klondike Derby

CANFIELD

Huddling around a campfire, fishing and hiking through the woods are some of the things that come to mind when you think about Boy Scouts going off to camp.

But in the dead of winter? Not so much.

Yet that’s what nearly 200 Scouts from Mahoning and Trumbull counties did over the weekend during the annual Klondike Derby at Camp Stambaugh on Leffingwell Road.

The Derby has taken place every winter since 1949 with Scouts in the United States and Canada. It’s based on the heritage of the Klondike Gold Rush in Alaska and generally consists of Scouts moving among several stations where they test their scouting skills and leadership abilities.

Damion said the scouts had trained for weeks to be prepared for the Derby. Besides getting ready for the competitive skills tests, they also were schooled by their troop leaders about how to dress for the weather.

“It’s to [help them] learn winter skills, to be prepared if they have to survive in a winter environment,” said Kurt Hilderbrand, scout-master of Troop 80.

Read more about the event in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.