Spent Friday night into Saturday at scout camp for our annual winter Klondike Derby last night, well over a foot of snow on the ground and with temps last night/this morning hovering around 3°, it was a cold day. But we had lots of great firepit food!! Started the fire with our bow drill too!! The boys had a blast and did great too! Canned venison stew for lunch. It warmed up to almost 10°!! The boys and their sled after a long day!
There were some that braved the cold and slept in tents and yurts. We stayed in our cabin with our warm woodstove!
Boy I would want a good sleeping bag for camping in those temps! My wife bought me one a couple years ago for when I go camping with a couple friends. We have not been camping since. UGH. Glad you guys had a good time. Great thing you do there for the scouts Scotty!Your a good man.
Pappy, me and the other dad's love.it just as much as the kids......great memories all around, too! The kids already asked if we'd take them back up for a weekend in March to prepare for the spring jamboree......
Some true grit there. Nothing like hot tasty food on a cold day. Reminds me of my scouting days at winter camp outs. No cabin though. Good job Scott.
I learned the hard way, always keep your water bottle in your sleeping bag. Made for a rough morning, though that could have been the bourbon too?
Scotty Overkill , your story brings back memories of when I did that as a kid in the Boy Scouts. Thanks for sharing the pics, glad you, the other dads and the boys had a good time.
Looks like a great time. Did everyone switch places breaking the trail? Snowshoes? Great pics...... as much as I love winter camping in a tent, that cabin looks very welcoming. Great job being a scout leader teaching these youngsters something they will use throughout life.
Well Seasoned there were no snowshoes, I honestly wish I had a pair though..... There were 10 different stations scattered all over the woods where the kids had to take on different challenges so yes the kids took turns breaking the trails. Our kids and one other group were the only ones who got the friction fire points though! I was proud they finally learned how to make fire from nothing but wood!
Man that's awesome. I want to get my boys involved in scouting asap. I was talking to a couple at a birthday party last weekend and their oldest boys were on their winter camping trip. Said the scout troop around here was very good.
That is awesome! Starting a fire like that, in the damp cold is not easy! Glad you all had a great time!
Never done fire from friction but several of the scouts in our troop are quite adept at using a flint. The best things that I have ever seen for starting a fire with that method are dried hydrangea flower heads. The Klondike rules say 'must grow in NJ, no dryer lint, no wax fire starters'. Dried hydrangea heads burn like gasoline. Other garden vines are pretty respectable fire starters also.
here's me demonstrating the bow drill method in a video I made a year and a half ago......I made these kits up for the kids last year and have since perfected it, I still have to make a video using the pump drill I just made. It's amazing how fast you can get one started with the pump drill......I'll make a video sometime this week demonstrating it.
Brings back fond memories of the Klondike Derbies from scouts as a kid. Sleeping outside even with the right gear is one thing, getting out of that sleeping bag in the morning......plain sucks Those campfire breakfasts are what I was taught and have since referred to as "Stick to your ribs meals" when your out in those temps you probably burn 1000-1500 calories just staying warm
