Troop 97 recently took part in a Klondike Adventure at Hidden Valley Scout Reservation. The theme was "Bigfoot - A Cryptozoological Expedition." The weekend included opportunites to apply Scouting skills and leadership training.
The Klondike is an exercise in problem solving with contests of skills. Scout patrols from many troops acted as huskies, pulling a homemade sled around a field course marked by stations. At the Leave No Trace station, the Scouts evaluated different manmade and natural items and sorted them by decomposition rate. The Knot Tying station challenged the Scouts to correctly and quickly tie five basic knots while wearing gloves to increase the level of the difficulty.
Scouts demonstrated preparedness and problem-solving skills at the Fire Building, Orienteering, First Aid, and Shelter Building stations. As a team, the Scouts had to rescue one of their own who was "trapped" on an ice flow. Using supplies only packed on their sled, the patrol had to administer first aid and create a stretcher to transport the "victim."
While looking for traces of Bigfoot at the Tracks in the Wilderness station, the Scouts correctly identified animal tracks and markings. Team-building challenges included the Snowshoe Race, where four Scouts walked in tandem on one pair of snowshoes. One of the Scouts' favorite stations was the Tomahawk Throw.
The Klondike was planned and conducted by staff and volunteers at Hidden Valley.
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