Klondike2009

ICE & SNOW CONDITIONS AS OF 2/08/09
What a difference a week makes! Ice is still 8-12 inches thick, however, today's warm temperatures melted the top layer of snow, leaving two inches of water on the surface. Anticipating colder temperatures this week, we may be looking at just ice by Tuesday & Wednesday. Snow will be limited to the edges of the lake, so snow shelter building may need to move to the edge of the lake. If we deem there is not enough snow Saturday, materials already on the equipment list can be used to create a shelter. I will have an additional update later this week and then again on Friday. Stay tuned. Brian Beihl, SM, T2

Schedule

The 2009 Klondike will take place on Antrim's Gregg Lake, February 14, 2009.
0900 - 0950 hours -- Registration. Expedition patrol leaders receive orders at that time.
0900 to 0950-- Sled inspections immediately following registration
0950 hours -- Rules & questions
1000 Event starts -- Go to your patrol's base camp -- your 1st assigned base. Assign two patrol members to make cooking fire at this station. Remaining patrol members do the activity. Leave fire & dutch oven in care of judge at that station at the end of the activity.
1030 2nd Assigned base
1100 3rd Assigned base
1130 4th Assigned base
1200-1300 Lunch at home base - Snowshoe & Mushing Demos
1300 5th Assigned base
1330 6th Assigned base
1400 Race to Admundsen Base. Race starts at the air horn.
1415 Hot chocolate & awards
1430 Dismissed
1430 Overnight campers set up camp

Bases

Troop 2's Atlatl & darts. We have two atlatls and 8 darts, one thrower and four arrows per patrol at the station. Darts have metal washers at the tip, to replace what would have been a sharp stone or metal arrowhead. The weight of the tip increases accuracy and distance. Our testing indicates these could easily be thrown 50 yards. Distance to the staggered penguin targets will be 30 to 50 feet. One scholar has indicated that devices similar to this put early man on the top of the food chain because they could be used effectively from a distance. This device can easily be made in a survival situation using a sharp rock at the tip tied on with cord.

For your Saturday lunch, you'll need to bring your own rations. How you prepare your penguin is up to you. Shackleton's party made penguin in just about every way you can think of!

1 thawed whole penguin (chicken) for every 8 patrol members. 8 potatoes, 8 carrots, spices. Adults will be fed chili at Admundsen station at $1.00 per cup.

1 orange for every patrol member (to prevent scurvy ;-)

Enough home-made pemincan, granola or fruit leather for every patrol member. Pemmican in particular was a staple of polar explorers.

Fresh water - 2 gallons for every 8 Scouts.

Enough home-made pemincan, granola or fruit leather for every patrol member. Pemmican in particular was a staple of polar explorers.

	Journey to the Poles the 2009 Monadnock District Klondike Derby February 14, Antrim, NH 0900-1400 hours Sponsored by Troop 2 Registration @ NHScouting.org Questions to Brian Beihl
The Endurance "For scientific leadership, give me Scott; for swift and efficient travel, Amundsen; but when you are in a hopeless situation, when there seems to be no way out, get on your knees and pray for Shackleton."-- Sir Raymond Priestley Handouts Downloadable handouts on MS Word. Click to download. Klondike2009 SM,SPL & PL leader handout.doc 4 pages Klondike2009 Scout handout 1 page Google Satellite Map Added 1/18 Map with bases & schedule	Leadership & Teamwork Every polar expedition had two things in common -- leadership & teamwork. Without it, explorers could not even launch the expedition, let alone reach the poles. As a Scout, your fellow Scouts--your teammates--depend on you to be properly prepared for your campout, trip, or meeting. You depend on them to be equally prepared, and although you may not all have the same skills, it's the collective knowledge and experience that equals success. Can an expedition succeed without a leader? I would argue, no. When Shackleton's ship the Endurance is crushed in the ice pack with supplies running low, Shackleton would not allow his men to think that all hope was lost. The expedition members survived for 14 months by living off the harsh landscape and summoned rescue without losing a single member. It's one of the greatest examples of leadership in history. Being a Boy Scout sets you apart from other kids, and puts you in the company of Scott, Admundsen & Shackleton some of the bravest explorers of our time. Are you prepared? Are you ready to be on an expedition team? Are you ready to lead? Brian Beihl Scoutmaster, Troop 2 ADDED 1/20: Webelos Klondike Information Boy Scout Klondike Update Email 1/23 Boy Scout Klondike Update Email 2/3 ICE & SNOW CONDITIONS AS OF 2/08/09 What a difference a week makes! Ice is still 8-12 inches thick, however, today's warm temperatures melted the top layer of snow, leaving two inches of water on the surface. Anticipating colder temperatures this week, we may be looking at just ice by Tuesday & Wednesday. Snow will be limited to the edges of the lake, so snow shelter building may need to move to the edge of the lake. If we deem there is not enough snow Saturday, materials already on the equipment list can be used to create a shelter. I will have an additional update later this week and then again on Friday. Stay tuned. Brian Beihl, SM, T2 Robert Falcon Scott	Patrol Expedition Gear Sled Watch Blanket Six wooden poles 6' long which can be burned if necessary. Two large tarps Dutch oven or means of cooking your penguin (whole chicken) Cooking implements One 50 foot length of rope One sleeping bag Fire-making tools & tinder. We'll supply charcoal in a cache you'll need to find. Change on 2/3 : Please bring your own charcoal Roll of foil Large foil roasting pan or disposable cookie sheet on which to make your cooking fire. You will need to transport your ashes out. Scout Handbook Wilderness Survival merit badge book 100 feet of twine or thin rope. Patrol-sized first aid kit Hand saw Three snow shovels All individual gear carried by sled -- exception when transporting victims. Patrol Flag
Scoring Judges will be scoring on five criteria during the Klondike. Preparation Individual - (see Individual Gear) 1 point per Scout, 8 points max per patrol Unprepared for conditions can count negative - wearing tennis shoes, for instance! Patrol - All items on list for sled 8 points max. Polar Explorer Trivia - 1 point per correct question -- 5 points max. Basic questions limited to the explorers for whom the bases are named. Questions will be asked at a random time of every patrol by a roving polar explorer. Things like, "Whose ship was the Endurance?" and "Who died trying to find his food cache?" are the types of questions. Tasks, Scout Spirit, Leadership & Teamwork Peary Base - 10 point max Scott Base - 10 point max Shackleton Base - 16 point max Byrd Base - 10 point max Endurance Base - 10 point max Ross Base - 10 point max Admundsen Base 5, 3 or 1 point for 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the race for the pole. Directions to Antrim and information for leaders. Resources Scout Handbook Wilderness Survival Merit Badge book Making pemmican & fruit leathers: http://www.parkerclan.ca/jerky.php http://nourishedmagazine.com.au/blog/ articles/pemmican http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/dry/ fruit_leathers.html http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0, homemade_granola,FF.html Harpoon Thrower (Atlatl) Picture of Atlatl (spear thrower) similar to that being made for Shackleton Base Bios of polar explorers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_explorer Camping Optional camping will take place Saturday night for units wishing to stay over. Staying over in snow shelters built earlier qualifies for wilderness survival MB. We've made arrangements for both on-ice camping (preferred, the shelters the kids will build will be available- snow permitting). We're trying to make it a polar experience. Ample firewood is available. The Girl Scouts of the Green & White Mountains have denied use of the camp property. Would advise you to bring your own firewood or be prepared to haul it from our troop site, about one mile from the parking lot. If camping, please advise to beihl@comcast.net.	Schedule The 2009 Klondike will take place on Antrim's Gregg Lake, February 14, 2009. 0900 - 0950 hours -- Registration. Expedition patrol leaders receive orders at that time. 0900 to 0950-- Sled inspections immediately following registration 0950 hours -- Rules & questions 1000 Event starts -- Go to your patrol's base camp -- your 1st assigned base. Assign two patrol members to make cooking fire at this station. Remaining patrol members do the activity. Leave fire & dutch oven in care of judge at that station at the end of the activity. 1030 2nd Assigned base 1100 3rd Assigned base 1130 4th Assigned base 1200-1300 Lunch at home base - Snowshoe & Mushing Demos 1300 5th Assigned base 1330 6th Assigned base 1400 Race to Admundsen Base. Race starts at the air horn. 1415 Hot chocolate & awards 1430 Dismissed 1430 Overnight campers set up camp Bases Byrd Base -- Non-compass Navigation -- Points = Max of 10 Points awarded for completing the task, leadership, teamwork 30 minutes Compasses don't work accurately at the poles. To navigate to your cache of fuel, you will need to use the sun or any other means of navigation you have at your disposal. We will teach you what you need to know, then give you a heading to find your cache. After you've retrieved your cache, move to your next assigned station Peary Base -- Snow Shelter Building -- Points = Max of 10 Points awarded for completing the task, Scout spirit, leadership, teamwork 30 minutes Make a shelter, or shelters, capable of housing your patrol. A storm is moving in in 30 minutes. You must build a shelter or perish in white-out conditions. (Preparation: Research types of snow shelters, but be prepared with a back-up plan for no snow) Scott Base -- Snow Blind -- Team building -- Points = Max of 10 Points awarded for completing the task, leadership, teamwork 30 minutes Snow blindness happens in bright sun when overhead sun is also reflected by the white snow. Your blinded patrol will navigate through an ice field with one of your seeing patrol members guides you with voice commands. By the way, you'll be hauling a sledge (canoe) filled with snow. Shackleton Base -- Harpoon Throw -- Bag a Penguin for Lunch Points = varies on marksmanship 30 minutes Each patrol member has two attempts to harpoon or bolo a penguin for lunch. Your score is based on a total of 16 throws, with 1 point for each penguin harpooned. (Parents: Don't freak out -- blunted stick with sling and plastic penguins.) This will be done with a modern attempt at using an Atlatl, a spear thrower used by native peoples thoughout the world, including the Inuit. Endurance Base -- Ice Rescue -- Points = Max of 10 Points awarded for completing the task, leadership, teamwork 30 Minutes One of your expedition members has fallen in the Arctic ocean. You have four minutes before he dies in the freezing water and you need to rescue him without endangering other expedition members and administer first aid. Your victim will need to be transported to your next station. If, in the judge's opinion, your patrol endangered another member during the rescue, you may lose points and have to transport TWO members to your next station. (Preparation: You don't have time to find the answer in your Scout Handbook. Know what to do and how to do it BEFORE you arrive at Klondike. Ross Base -- Winter First Aid --Points = Max of 10 30 Minutes Your victim who fell through the ice has frostbite and an undisclosed serious injury. Your patrol must administer first aid and must get a distress message to your resupply plane, due to fly over in 30 minutes. Admundsen Base -- The South Pole --Race for the Pole -- Speed race Winner receives 5 points, 2nd 3 points, 3rd 1 point. And glory. All Sleds race for the pole from their current base and race to Admundsen Base at 1400 hours. Wait for the start horn. Troop 2's Atlatl & darts. We have two atlatls and 8 darts, one thrower and four arrows per patrol at the station. Darts have metal washers at the tip, to replace what would have been a sharp stone or metal arrowhead. The weight of the tip increases accuracy and distance. Our testing indicates these could easily be thrown 50 yards. Distance to the staggered penguin targets will be 30 to 50 feet. One scholar has indicated that devices similar to this put early man on the top of the food chain because they could be used effectively from a distance. This device can easily be made in a survival situation using a sharp rock at the tip tied on with cord.	Rations For your Saturday lunch, you'll need to bring your own rations. How you prepare your penguin is up to you. Shackleton's party made penguin in just about every way you can think of! 1 thawed whole penguin (chicken) for every 8 patrol members. 8 potatoes, 8 carrots, spices. Adults will be fed chili at Admundsen station at $1.00 per cup. 1 orange for every patrol member (to prevent scurvy ;-) Enough home-made pemincan, granola or fruit leather for every patrol member. Pemmican in particular was a staple of polar explorers. Fresh water - 2 gallons for every 8 Scouts. Enough home-made pemincan, granola or fruit leather for every patrol member. Pemmican in particular was a staple of polar explorers. Mmm. Tastes like chicken. "Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success." -Advertisement placed by Ernest Shackleton Individual Gear All Scouts must have the following minimum gear. Your patrol will be graded on preparation, with 1 point for each appropriately dressed Scout, maximum 8 points per patrol. Minimum Requirements: Hat, gloves, boots, and appropriate outerwear. Neckerchief Water bottle with at least 1 liter of water. Mess kit or dish & spoon/fork Other items as indicated in your Scout Handbook for cold weather activity. Rear Admiral Byrd