Troop 13 of Greenville enjoyed another successful year at Klondike camp learning from Plant Health Care Manager, Sten Cempe. This year the weather was pleasant with overnight lows in the 30’s and upper 20’s. Saturday was a beautiful sunny day with the high near 50 degrees, not typical for January.
What is Klondike Camp?
Klondike is an annual winter camp attended by Troop 13 along with 30 other troops at Camp Shenandoah. The troop sets up the main tent, borrowed from Dr. Robert Marsh, the weekend prior to the event. It is used as a dining hall, kitchen, and shelter from the elements. The boys have individual tents and are taught how to keep warm. They are expected to stay in their tents in all night unless they become cold, in which case they can come into the big tent to warm up.
During the day the boys compete in various activities including fire building and cooking, dog sled racing, emergency shelter building, and first aid. Troop 13 performed well though they did not rank in the top three patrols this year. Each morning the boys cooked a hearty breakfast consisting of sausage gravy, biscuits, scrambled eggs, and fried potatoes. The boys also cooked a pork loin and mashed potato dinner on Saturday evening.
Sten was proud of the boys for their performance against the stiff competition. “We had a very good weekend. We were able to have the camp broken down and ready to leave by 9:30 in the morning, a new record for Troop 13!”
It is thanks to volunteers like Sten that make learning experiences for our local youth possible. Thank you Sten to your dedication to our community and well done Troop 13!