Members of the Jaffrey BSA Girls Troop battled chilly weather to show off their survival skills at the annual Klondike Derby in Manchester, where teams of Scouts compete to complete tasks while showing teamwork and a positive attitude.
The Klondike Derby, held at Camp Carpenter in Manchester, was held Feb. 5. The event, an annual competition that has been running since 1949, emulates the Klondike Gold Rush. Teams of six put together a dog sled holding survival supplies, including fire-building supplies, three gallons of water, two blankets, long poles, rope, a small stove, food and their Scout book. The Scouts pull their sled from station to station to practice various skills.
“We all had a great time, and it was a great opportunity to get to know everyone better, and work as a team. It was especially fun to be able to really apply the skills we’ve been working on in real-life situations while competing against other troops,” said senior patrol leader Lilly Tullio, who participated in the event.
This was the first year Troop 33G – which only formed in 2019 – participated in the event, and they finished in a tie for 10th place out of 40 teams. The team, consisting of Lilly Tullio, Felix Kot, Natalya Kavalchuck, Maddy Pelletier, Bella Erickson and Cassie King, was known as the “Orca Patrol” for the competition.
“We are so proud of the Scouts,” said Scoutmaster Heather Weibel Tullio. “They were outside in 20- to 25-degree weather for 10 hours, pulling their loaded sled on skis. They worked together really well, remembered so much of what they’ve learned, and kept up positive attitudes all day.”
Jaffrey’s Boys Troop 33 also participated in the derby, placing 17th.
Troop 33G also received an honorable mention for their first aid skills, and received perfect scores at three of the 10 stations: first aid, fire-building and wilderness survival.
Troop 33G is open to any girl in sixth grade through senior year of high school. Weekly meetings are held Mondays at Victory High School in Jaffrey, along with Troop 33 Boys. For information about Troop 33G, contact Shannon Tremblay at shanrhodestrem@gmail.com.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.