Along the Klondike trail
Devin Heilman | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 9 months AGO
<p>Trey McArthur, 12, a Boy Scout with Coeur d’Alene Troop 209, helps pull the troop’s Klondike sled through a wooded area just East of Silverwood Theme Park Saturday during the Klondike Derby. Scouts were required to demonstrate their skills in survival, teamwork and preparedness in order to earn points to compete with other Inland Northwest troops.</p>
<p>Rathdrum Boy Scouts Gordon McKibben, 14, right, Davan Tancre, 11, left, and Noah Miller, 13, pull their Klondike sled through the Silverwood Theme Park campground parking lot Saturday with Ben McNeil, 13, pushing from the back. Troop 216 from Rathdrum called themselves the Atomic Platapi.</p>
<p>Colin Glass, 12, with Coeur d’Alene Boy Scout Troop 209 gets out a flint and steel fire-starter from his backpack for a section of the Klondike Derby where scouts had to prove that they came prepared with all necessary tools to survive in the wilderness.</p>
<p>Matt Aranda, a Mighty War Chief from Coeur d’Alene Boy Scout Troop 209, stands with a walking-stick, awaiting the team’s next challenge Saturday during the Klondike Derby.</p>
<p>Mighty War Chief from Coeur d’Alene Boy Scout Troop 209, Morgen Reynolds, 12, sits in his team’s wilderness shelter while the troop waits for judges to critique the team’s shelter building ability Saturday during the Klondike Derby.</p>
ATHOL - They pushed their handmade sleds over the rugged terrain, some on skis, some on wheels.
Others carried the sleds, using only brute force to transport their belongings from one station to the next.
They competed for gold nuggets, much like the prospectors who risked it all in the Alaska Gold Rush more than 100 years ago.
For Boy Scout Tyler "Taco" Rich of Troop 202, the annual Klondike Derby is an unforgettable event.
"It's loads of fun and you want to come because you get the experience of a lifetime," he said. "You get to have fun and you get to do teamwork at the same time."
The 2014 Klondike Derby officially began Saturday morning in the campground and woodsy areas surrounding Silverwood Theme Park. More than 600 Scouts from the David Thompson and Old Missions districts split into multiple teams, racing through a course against time and each other to the 15 "townships" (named for towns along the Alaskan Klondike trail) where they displayed their scouting skills and sportsmanship. Tasks included shelter building, BB gun marksmanship, an obstacle course, fire starting and much more.
"You have to do your yell, and you have to show them your flag, you have to have all your gear on your sled," said Tyler, 14, of Coeur d'Alene. "But mostly, it's here to be fun."
Scouts were required to make their Klondike sleds and pack them with all the gear and food they needed for the six-hour venture. Some had to improvise and find ways to increase their speed since no snow was on the ground.
"It's much better and much more fun when there's snow," said Joanne Walker, derby chairperson and committee chairperson for Troop 111. "And it's much more challenging."
Walker, of Cocolalla, has been involved with the derby for 10 years. She said she enjoys seeing the troops be successful in their endeavors.
"To me, this is an amazing event to bring teams and kids together, because they have to work together as a team and as a group, and that's part of what they get judged on," she said. "It's amazing that you get kids that go to different schools, they go to troop meetings but then they come together and have to spend an entire day working together."
Mighty Buffalos team members from Troop 289 worked side by side to identify tree specimens at the Lindman station. A wheel on their sled had already broken when they arrived at Lindman, teaching them a valuable lesson.
"Don't jump the cart," said patrol leader Isaac Carey, 13, of Athol. "That's what we did and broke the axle. We were jumping potholes." Despite the setback, the members were optimistic about their first aid and fire-starting skills.
As the Scouts traversed the course, they had to be wary of bandits who would confront and quiz them on Scout knowledge. If they gave the correct answers, they acquired gold, but if they were wrong, the bandits stole some.
"We're trying to do more creative things, like faking we're hurt on the trail. It catches them off guard," said bandit Sidney Helberg, 20, of Post Falls. "I think seeing the kids growing up with good morals and good direction is good in helping in that, and making sure they're aware of their surroundings. Helping people, picking up trash, respect is a big thing that I think they take out of Boy Scouts, and that's really cool for me to watch that."
The derby ended after 3 p.m. and awards were given to patrols with the most gold nuggets. The Scouts made it through the Klondike, many with ideas for how to improve for next year.