I adore my son. And I would do almost anything for him. But this adoration at times does get sorely tested. For instance, when I am faced with spending 8 hours outdoors on a winter day in January. I would be hard pressed to think of something that sounds less fun than the Klondike Derby. But Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts have participated in these things for five decades now. Who am I to judge?
Suffice to say, I was not looking forward to our participation in yesterday’s countywide Klondike Derby, but my son was over the moon excited. That means I got up at an insanely early hour on a Saturday to bundle up and head outside. If you’re lucky enough to have no idea what a Klondike Derby is, it goes something like this:
- Decide to freeze.
- Get a bunch of different Packs together.
- Each Pack sets up a different station where Cub Scouts get a chance to demonstrate various scouting skills and teamwork.
- Rotate to different stations throughout the day, earning beads along the way.
- Freeze the entire time.
To some folks, this is a recipe for a good time. To me, it sounded like a full-day of torture. But thanks to unseasonably mild temperatures and my son’s bliss, I ended up having a pretty good time, too. I never would have believed I could enjoy myself, but I ended up doing just that.
My son’s den learned how to make an emergency stretcher. They only dropped the “victim” a handful of times. He wasn’t injured when he started, but seemed a little dazed afterward.
Being outside means portable toilets. Not the best part of the day. Although they were in rather good condition, considering.
The human foosball station proved very popular. My son was the goalie.
And who doesn’t love slingshots?
The hot chocolate was a necessity and fortunately, also abundant.
It was a good day. But man, we were tired at the end. We had to take multiple breaks (like the one below) on the way back to the car.
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