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Scouts attend, compete at Klondike
By Bob Jackson
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.
Scouts had to pull their supplies between stations on sleds that they had made. Since there was no snow on the ground, they added wheels to the sled bottoms to do the work that would have been done by skis.
“I’d rather have snow out here,” said Damion Williams, 15. “I want my skis on the sled.”
With temperatures Saturday morning sticking to the sub-30-degree range, Scouts were undeterred and went about their business like troupers.
“It’s a little nippy,” said Damion.
“Yeah, but it’s better than below zero,” added 12-year-old Brendan Baber.
Damion and Brendan are members of Troop 101 from Struthers, and were part of a patrol participating in the station challenges Saturday at Camp Stambaugh. Joining them were Lars Eyo, 12; Stephen Bartos, 15; and Will Morris, 14, who also are in Troop 101.
Damion said the scouts had trained for weeks to be prepared for the Klondike 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, explaining the reason behind the winter camp-out. “They performed well this weekend.”
The Scouts at Stambaugh had their choice of 17 testing stations over the weekend. They were required to complete four: Fire-building, first-aid, flag respect, and map and compass. The other stations were elective, if they wanted to participate and rack up extra points, Hilderbrand said.
The elective stations included studies of mammals, fish, birds and reptiles; forestry and botany; geology; and knot-tying.
Ray O’Neill, Troop 101’s scoutmaster, said having the Scouts work in groups teaches them about teamwork, which is one of the things for which they were graded.
Damion, who was attending his fifth Klondike Derby, said leadership is another important lesson learned from the event. Those who have been through it before mentor their younger counterparts, who will, in turn, become mentors to future generations.
Hilderbrand said Scouts were also learning about time-management, because they had to decide whether to wait in line to complete the required stations or go off to complete electives for more points and come back later for the requirements.
“I’m finding that a lot of the basic skills, like tying knots, are being missed by kids today because of technology,” Hilderbrand said. “These are things kids used to be taught, but they aren’t learning them so much any more.”
That reliance of technology is one of the reasons Lars said he enjoys scouting.
“It actually gets me outside,” he said. “Because usually I’m sitting inside on my computer.”
Brendan, who like Lars, was taking part in his first Klondike Derby, said he enjoys the adventure afforded him by scouting.
“I like it because I get to do things that I’d never have gotten to do on my own,” said Stephen, who was attending his seventh Klondike Derby. He said events such as white-water rafting and horseback riding have been his favorites.