Troop 333 Hosts 2014 Klondike

The Great Sled Race 2014

Over the weekend of January 24th, 14 patrols gathered at Camp Butler to partake in the 2014 Annual Klondike Campout, which was planned and run by Troop 333.  As the host for this year’s Klondike, Troop 333 was responsible for coming up with a theme for the campout and with stations that relate to the theme.  The theme chosen by the scouts of Troop 333 (almost unanimously) was “Lord of the Rings”.  After around four months of planning, brainstorming, and preparing in general, each of the patrols was ready for the Klondike, with the result being the stations that were present on the Klondike: The Obstacle Course, Ladder Building, Fire-Making, Shelter-Building, Blind Tent-Building, First Aid, and the pièce de résistance: The Sled Race.

Finally, the day of the Klondike arrived, and with it came cold temperatures and a lot of snow.  As the snow began to fall, the scouts of Troop 333 headed to their stations to wait for the competitors. As the day wore on, temperatures continued to hover at –5 to –2 degrees (not factoring wind chill). Overall, the competitors did well at the morning stations, but cold and hungry, everyone was glad to break for lunch back at their camps. At about 1:45 PM, after everyone had finished the stations, we were hit by a near complete whiteout. Fortunately, the snow cleared in time for the main event, The Sled Race.  Among the winning patrols were The Rainbow Narwhals and The Fellowship, with The Fellowship winning first place overall.

Best Patch Ever

On Saturday night, much like every year, the adults prepared a large dinner for the all of the scouts and adults who came to the campout.  Pasta, meatballs, sausage, green beans, and cookies were served. After dinner, the top 3 patrols got prizes for their victory at the awards ceremony. First place got a ring on a chain and a bag of onion rings, second place got a staff with a yellow glow stick on top, and third place got a staff with a red glow stick on top.  To top it off, after we went inside to unwind from the day, the adults put on “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” for us to watch. When all was said and done, we had a great time on the campout.

Click here for more Klondike photos and to view The Great Sled Race Movie.