The Klondike That Almost Was
This year’s Klondike Derby didn’t turn out quite as we had planned for our troop, but we made the best of it!
Snow…snow…snow
Klondike weekend turned out to be a very snowy weekend in the St. Louis area. From the perspective of the event itself…it was perfect! This event was made for snow, and given the unpredictability of snow in our area, most Klondike Derby do not have the benefit of snow on the ground during the event. Most times, the ground is at least frozen. If we’re really unlucky, and it’s not freezing, there’s mud everywhere. Having snow on the ground makes it SO much easier for the Scouts to pull their sled around from area to area during the competition.
While the snow was perfect for the event, it eventually became too much for the camp to handle. Simply getting to camp was an adventure in itself. The roads were completely snow covered, and we experienced numerous challenges once we actually made it to camp.
It wasn’t until we were there for a little while and had unpacked most of our gear that they ended up canceling the event. At that point, we basically had 2 options. Pack up and head home, or stay the night.
Making the best of the situation
Boy Scouts is about training our youth to be good leaders. We do that by giving them additional
Sticking with that approach, we asked the Scouts what they wanted to do. The decision was quick and unanimous. We were staying the night. Rather than hauling all of our gear back to the trailer and driving home, we decided to make the most of it and spend the night at camp in our tents.
The snow fell all night. However, the temperature stayed in the mid 20’s, so it never really got that cold. Once we were all snug in our sleeping bags and blankets, we all stayed toasty warm through the night.
By morning, several more inches of snow had fallen, and the camp was absolutely beautiful. As a bonus, the snow was PERFECT for packing. As a result, the Scouts didn’t hesitate to start a snowball fight whenever they could.
While it didn’t go quite as planned, it was a good weekend, and one that the Scouts will likely remember for years to come. Success!