Troop 54 broke out of its long-standing habit of attending a local Klondike to join the Nashua Valley Council at its Massasoit District Klondike in Littleton, MA (or Harvard or Boxborough, depending on exactly where you were standing). 12 Scouts participated in this event, along with three leaders.
Camping MenuAdult Meals: (Chinese New Year theme) Scout Meals: Sat Breakfast - Eggs with home fries |
The entire event was youth led, with seventeen year old (at the time) Josh Champagne in the lead role. Josh is former chief of the Grand Monadnock Lodge of the Order of the Arrow and a Camp Wanocksett summer camp counsellor. At the opening ceremony, Troop 54 answered the call for volunteers, running the First Aid station, where each patrol was put through a test of knowledge, demonstrating an ice rescue, splinting a broken leg, carrying a member using a stretcher.
This event marked the troop's thirty-seventh consecutive month with at least one overnight camping trip.
The location, the Harvard Sportsman's Club, was huge. We passed shooting ranges of all types and sizes, including a western town for shoot-ups.
The food was great (see inset), and the Scouts enjoyed cooking each of their meals from scratch (except the bagels).
The weather was mild for January, with temperatures in the high twenties overnight and approaching the high thirties during the day.
The troop formed the Racoon Patrol for this event. The patrol took second place in the dodgeball tournament and second place at the firestarting station, a timed event boiling a gallon of water. Most exciting was the Klondike Sled Race. Ten of the troops fielded sleds for this, with some entering more than one sled; not all had wheels. The field was partly grassy, mostly muddy and had a couple of water hazards to cross. With 10" all-terrain pneumatic tires installed just that week (thanks to Mr. Keevan), our sled was well-adapted to the field conditions. In the final heat, our Racoon Patrol finished first, narrowly edging out its nearest competitors. Our Scouts were both elated and muddy.
Page updated 12/25/12.
