 |
While most of Tyrone spent the weekend inside listening to the constant roar of their furnaces battling the sub-freezing temperatures, Boy Scout Troop 300 headed off to the Igloo Campout on Friday night at Camp Wopsy in Clearfield County. The Scouts arrived at 5:15 p.m. and used the remaining hour of daylight to set up camp. The Scouts scattered bales of straw and pitched their tents over the straw. The straw is the perfect choice, a cheap insulator that is biodegradable. As darkness fell, only four other troops from the Chief Logan District joined them in the overnight campout. The Troop awoke to a gentle snowfall, crawled out of their tents to a temperature of a mild 14 degrees. When morning came, Troop 300 joined up with nearly 200 Scouts and Leaders for the Klondike Derby. The Scouts pulled their Klondike sleds loaded with equipment down the frozen roads of the camp. The Scouts were tested on Orienteering, Fire Building, Knots and Lashings, First Aid, Cooking, Obstacle Course, and No Trace Camping. At the end of a long, and grueling seven-hour day in the 24 degree weather, the scores were tallied. Over 20 patrols from the Blair and Bedford county area participated. The “BattleHawk” patrol from Troop 300 won the Klondike Derby – five points ahead of the nearest patrol. Organizers of the event, John and Eric Casanave, presented yet another trophy for this outstanding bunch of young men and their dedicated leaders. |
| Troop 300 gathers for a photo at the Igloo Campout at Camp Wopsy. | |
 |
|
| Simon Wilson and Ben Kowalski are bundled up for their First Igloo Campout and Klondike Derby. Both boys achieved several requirements for their First Class Rank Advancement. | |
 |
|
| Scouts drank nearly 4 gallons of hot chocolate, and the leaders finished off nearly half a gallon of coffee during the Igloo Camp and Klondike Derby. |
