High Adventure Unpacked: Troop 150 Goes to Okpik

This last January, Troop 150 sent 5 scouts back to freezing northern Minnesota on an unforgettable trip. We had the opportunity to experience Northern Tier’s winter Program, Okpik. This weekend long trip focused on winter camping and survival, and was truly an amazing learning experience for all our Scouts, as it is one of the most extreme situations these scouts will probably ever voluntarily put themselves in. Leaving on Thursday, January 29th, five scouts and two ASMs set off to Ely, Minnesota. We would arrive on base on the 30th before leaving base for our trek the next day.

The trek itself is all about dogsledding. We arrived for the Dogsled Trek program, which involves not only working with the dogs, but sleeping off base and learning advanced cold weather camping skills, unlike similar programs more focused on dogs where Scouts stay in a cabin. In addition to doggsledding, some scouts got to learn how to cross country ski for the first time! On our treks to and from our camp, a team would cover the four mile distance on skis, dragging a sled behind them.
The highlight for many of our scouts were the dogs. With 18 dogs across three sled teams, we learned how to drive and take care of the dogs. Running usually two trips a day from our camp four miles from base, we had a lot of time to meet these amazing animals and learn to work with them.

In addition to our experiences on the Trail, Okpik introduced us to some of what will probably be the most extreme conditions we will ever camp in. We did not bring tents, instead using Quinzee snow shelters or wind walls in conjunction with high quality winter sleeping bags to stay warm. We were fortunately incredibly well supplied with amazing winter gear to keep warm out there, but even still, winter camping like this pushes you to your physical and mental limit. All of our crew had some amount of previous high adventure in the troops recent Seabase sailing and Northern Tier canoe program. While all of these treks were amazing, the unique challenges of winter camping elevated this program to another level. At Okpik, warmth, and thus survival, was a continuous process. Even when not actively working to warm themselves while on the trail, scouts had to constantly be vigilant and prepared in order to stay safe on the ice.


Overall, Okpik was an amazing journey! We learned new skills, we pushed ourselves to our limits, and we made memories that we will never forget.