Troop 54 participated in the its first Narragansett Council Klondike Derby. This one was at Camp Norse in Kingston, Massachusetts, our first trip there as a troop, at least in the last decade. Camp Norse had been part of Annawon Council until its merger with Narragansett in 2015. We had two Scouts and three leaders participating.
Our Scouts combined sleds with Troop 7 of Middletown, RI, for travelling around to the stations. Troop 7 had come to the event with Troop 4 of Riverside, RI. For the sled races, one of our Scouts was on the Troop 4 sled; the other was with the Troop 7 sled.
The weather this weekend was unseasonably warm, with temperatures in the 30s and 40s, never dropping below freezing. We were assigned Line Cabin 3, which had 8 bunks. This propane heated cabin kept us warm without the smoke and work we usually experience with wood stoves. The nearest frost-free valve was just a few feet from the cabin, a much-appreciated convenience.
Stations included a tarp game (fold the tarp without anyone stepping off it), shelter building and other Scout skills and fun activities. The Troop 7/54 team took third place in the tarp game.
The Klondike Derby competitions took the morning, the seld race was right after lunch, and the rest of the afternoon was an open program time, incliuding rifle and shotgun shooting and hatchet toss.
Unlike Worcester, this area had virtually no snow. Ours was one of few sleds at the event with wheels, which worked well for going around to the stations. For the race, however, the rule was no wheels allowed, so the Troop 4 and Troop 7 sleds were used.
Since we had a small contingent, the youth and adults cooked together on this trip, although the Scouts joined Troops 4 and 7 for lunch. Our dinner was Jambalaya, putting our Scouts to work chopping lots of ingredients.
This was the troop's ninety-seventh consecutive month with at least one overnight camping trip.
Page updated 3/14/17.