Klondike Derby 2025 – With Snow!

The annual Klondike Derby is always a fun and unique event. This year was event better with the snow! As usual, our Scouts did a great job!

An Annual Tradition

Each year, our troop’s youth leaders (with our adult leaders’ help) create the troop’s annual plan. There’s often an attempt to try new things regarding weekend campouts, Summer Camp locations, and other events. It keeps things interesting and allows the Scouts to try and see new things.

That said… We also have a list of annual traditional events, and the annual Klondike Derby at Camp Warren Levis is one of them.

This is an incredibly unique event. First, it’s always in January, so the weather aspect is unpredictable. It’s also a competitive event, which is unlike most Scouting events. The best part is that the competitive aspect forces the Scouts to work together as a team, which is amazing to watch.

No Camping This Time

Normally we break out our large tents and turn this into a weekend camping event. The tents provide a welcome break from the cold winds that often whip through the camp. Unfortunately, the weather (and our availability) didn’t cooperate. Our only opportunity for setting them up was right before a big snowstorm prediction. We were concerned that, if it snowed as much as anticipated, the tents may not remain in their normal and convenient upright position. So, we canceled our setup date.

This ended up being a good call, as it snowed quite a bit! Sadly, we couldn’t find another time to get them set up. Given the cold temps, we decided to make this year’s Klondike a day event. (No complaints from the adults!)

Teamwork

As mentioned above, one of the aspects of this event is that each crew has to work together as a team throughout the competition. This is one of the areas where the Scouting program excels. There is a huge focus on leadership and working together. The annual Klondike event is one of those times when the Scouts really get to show off what they’ve learned, and this year was no exception.

Despite the cold, the mud, and wind, and the challenges of the event, our Scouts pressed on all day, working together as best as they could. The adult leaders aren’t able to interact with the Scouts during the event. However, we can observe from a distance. It’s always great to see how they approach each challenge as a team, and this year was no exception.

Fantastic job, guys!