NISSWA-Boy Scouts from Pine Tree District of Central Minnesota Council spent their Saturday at Parker Scout Camp in Nisswa competing in a Klondike Derby.
"The Scouts competed in several activities including fire building, first aid and classic lumberjack sawing," Loren Meinke, one of the event coordinators, stated in a news release.
A Klondike derby is an annual event hosted by some Boy Scouts of America and Scouts Canada districts during the winter months and is based on the heritage of the Klondike Gold Rush.
Scouts build dog sleds to transport gear and race for fun.
At the fire building station the Scouts were challenged to build a fire in five minutes and then burn through a string as fast as possible, said Kenneth Toole, Pine Tree district executive, who ran the station.
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"We had to gather our own wood and build the fire and we had to work as a team to be successful," said Jacob Meier, a First Class Scout with Troop 45.
The Scouts also competed in a nature identification trail.
"We got to go out in the woods on the trail and had to identify trees, bushes and other things; all while being timed," said Zac Lockwood, 16, a Life Scout with Troop 45 in Brainerd.
Boy Scouts report they take a great deal of pride in their knowledge of first aid.
"We challenged the boys to use their minds and decision-making ability," said Dan Vogt, Pine Tree district commissioner, who ran the first-aid station. "The boys were given a scenario where two people were injured and they could only transport one of the parties. They had to make the choice of who needed to be treated and who could wait and would still be OK. The boys often impress me with their abilities and knowledge."
According to a study conducted by the Boy Scouts of America, two of every 100 Scouts will
use the skills they learn in Scouting to save someone else's life.
During the lumberjack competition the boys had to utilize a 4-foot-long saw to cut through a log.
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"It was not as easy as it looked," stated Lockwood. "You had to allow the saw to do the work and it was much faster to use the whole length of the saw rather than just one small part."
The boys finished off their day with sled races.
"The units were each given very simple instructions for their sleds," Toole said. "The sled
could be made of anything they chose but it had to be boy-built and it had to be in the dog sled style. Boy's Life magazine had put out some ideas that we provided to them to give them some guidance, but in the end we had four very unique sleds at the event."
"My favorite part was the sled race," said Aidan Norgard, 11, a Tenderfoot Scout with Troop 43
in Brainerd.
Klondike is a competition but it is also a way to hone the Scout skills the boys are learning.
Visit www.bsacmc.org to learn more about Scouting in Central Minnesota.
