January 2019 was very cold – especially for Troop 150. The weather might seem fine if you are outside for about an hour or two each day, but when you spend two nights in very low temperatures, it’s cold. Scouts of Troop 150 decided to take on the cold while on their monthly campout (The Klondike Derby). Along with two Troop meetings and a PLC, Scouts also participated in their Annual Inventory Day.
Annual Inventory Day is a day that is designated towards organizing and taking inventory of items in the Troop closet. Led by our Troop Quartermaster, it was a great success. Scouts took everything out of the Troop closet, made sure it was in fit condition, and organized the closet as they put things back. Lunch for this event was paid for by a very generous adult.
Two weeks later, Troop 150 Scouts met at AUMC on a Friday night and departed for the Klondike Derby at Harper’s Ferry. The Klondike Derby is a competition of Patrol Skills, Patrol Spirit, Leadership, and teamwork that are shown at a total of 34 stations. The higher the level of these categories that you show at a station, the more “gold” you are awarded. The patrols with the most gold are the winners!
Upon arriving at Harper’s Farry, Troop 150 set up tents in the dark and prepared for the cold night ahead of them. Temperatures dropped to below 16 degrees Fahrenheit over the night. In the morning, Scouts woke up early to go to Cutler Hall where they could eat breakfast. Thankfully, Scouts did not have to cook in the cold this campout.
After a breakfast of pancakes and sausages, Troop 150 attended morning flags and then split up into patrols to start stations. When it was time for lunch, patrols finished up the station they were at and headed over to get some grilled cheese sandwiches and hot chocolate. When their patrols had finished lunch, they headed back out to do more stations. As the day drew to an end, Troop 150 ate pizza for dinner and then waited for the results of the competition.
When the results came, they sure were exciting. The Eagles patrol placed 3rd place in Scout skills and 3rd place overall. The Dragons received awards for being 1st place in leadership and 2nd place overall. Members of the Sharks patrol were also congratulated on receiving 3rd place for leadership. Although not all Troop 150 patrols won something, every patrol had a lot of fun and worked wonderfully together as a patrol.
Also, on the days of which there was snow, some Scouts of Troop 150 went out and shoveled people’s driveways in an effort to fundraise for a trip to Philmont Scout Ranch, a high adventure Boy Scout Camp in New Mexico. They received several notes of appreciation for their shoveling jobs.
