Troop 84 attends Klondike Derby

ANDOVER — Scouts and leaders from Boy Scouts of America Troop 84, along with a couple hundred others, converged on the snow covered wilderness of Mount Allamuchy Scout Reservation near Andover for the beginning of the 2014 Klondike Derby.

In a Klondike Derby, scout patrols pulled specially designed homemade sleds around a course marked by various stations. At each station, the Scouts tackled exercises in problem solving, team work, and outdoor skills.

BSA units have been running Klondike derbies since 1949. The event traces back to just before the turn of the 19th century, where gold prospectors traveled the sub-zero reaches of Alaska by means of dogs and sleds. They camped out in all kinds of winter weather, and therefore needed adequate survival skills, which they learned from the native Eskimos. Scouting has incorporated this theme in the Klondike Derby.

This year’s Yeti-themed event included a sled race, where the sled teams had to pull one of their members around a race course. Another station was the fire building event where teams scored highest if they were able to start a fire using flint and steel. There was a station that required the scouts to communicate a message across a long distance using either Morse code or semaphore flags. Another station required great teamwork to use a two-man saw to cut through a large log, and an ice-rescue station requiring the scouts to rescue a “victim” that had fallen through thin ice. One of the most difficult events required all but one team member to wear a blindfold, while the one “sighted” member directed them to set up a tent.

For weeks before the event the scouts worked on their winter camping skills to ensure they were prepared for spending a weekend “living” in the cold and snow. They learned what to wear and how to set themselves up at night to stay warm, even when the wind chill dropped below zero. During this weekend, not only did the scouts participate in the competition, but they also had to prepare two breakfasts and a lunch for themselves using lightweight camping stoves, and the menu they had planned and purchased the week before.

The culmination of the event was the dinner meal on Saturday night, which is prepared and served by scouting volunteers, followed by the award ceremony. During this ceremony, the top three scoring sleds out of the 26 that competed were award trophies. This year Troop 84 had two sleds in the competition, and ended up taking home the first-place and the third-place trophies.

For information about Boy Scouts or to find out what we are all about, contact Troop 84 Scoutmaster Jason Helmer at 973-670-0004, or send an email with any questions you may have to njtroop84@gmail.com. Or, stop by the Sussex United Methodist Church, 15 Bank St., Sussex, on Wednesday nights between 7:30 and 9 p.m. to learn about upcoming activities. Any boy between the ages of 11 and 17 is welcome.