Simsbury Boy Scouts Storm the Castle at 2014 Klondike Derby

All three Simsbury Boy Scout troops join 290 Scouts and Scouters to take over BSA Camp Workcoeman in New Hartford for a weekend of Medieval-themed events

Boy Scout troops from ten towns in northern Connecticut joined Troops 76, 174, and 175 to compete in outdoor skill and team building events the first weekend of February.  The weather was perfect with temperatures in the 40’s and snow covering the ground.

Like any Klondike Derby, scout patrols of 4-8 boys pulled traditional dog sleds from “town” to “town”.  This year Monty Python’s Holy Grail and the Princess Bride movies provided the inspiration for a series of challenges.    At the Black Knight’s Forest (“it’s only a flesh wound”) it was First Aid; in the Fire Swamp it was figuring out how to cross the deadly swamp as a team;  at the Forest of the Knights who say Ni, Scouts used a “herring” (really a two-man saw)  to cut down “the tallest tree in the forest”; at Florin they threw tomahawks; used their map and compass skills at Castle Antioch to collect clues to a medieval puzzle, and at Caerbannog they built fires from materials on their sleds to boil a pot of “dragon spit.”   Crossing the Gorge of Eternal Peril, scouts pulled themselves and their gear across a tyrolean traverse after tying a bowline-on-a-bight to use as a seat harness.

For lunch, all 180 scouts and 90 adults converged on “Swamp Castle” at Workcoeman’s Griffin Lodge  for a Dutch Oven cook-off competition.  The scene of 20 campfires steaming into the mid-day sky was one to behold, and the food was delicious.  The Mineteer Patrol from Troop 270 in Durham won with shish kebabs cooked in a Dutch oven that would have done any medieval round table feast proud.

The scouts’ favorite event by far was the “Princess Rescue” at Swamp Castle.  Using foam “swords”,  Patrol members attacked a dragon who had imprisoned a princess at the castle.  A blindfolded adult in a dragon hat and armed with silly string made the “dragon”, with the “princess” telling him where the attacking “knights” were coming from.  It was a great, fun break from the other scout skill events.

Unlike any other Klondike, a massive catapult and trebuchet competition capped off the day’s events.  Patrols brought in materials for siege machines that ranged from 18 inches to 8 feet tall, which they lashed together throughout the day.  Twenty-five catapults launched soccer balls and other ammunition at a “castle” to compete for accuracy and distance on Camp Workcoeman’s parade field.

An abbreviated sled race in the dark led up to a fellowship dinner in the warm dining hall, followed by a slide show that captured the Scouts’ fun and effort throughout the day.  Capping the day was a skits and awards campfire hosted by the Order of the Arrow.

Awards for the day went to:

Overall Event Grand Champion: Troop 125 Jamaican Hopscotch Mafia
2nd Place Overall: Troop 175 Holy Handgrenades
3rd Place Overall: Troop 175 SAM Patrol

Hot Lunch Cook-Off: Troop 270 Mineteener Patrol

Abbreviated Sled Race-in-the-Dark: Combined patrols from Troop 175

Catapult, Over 3 Feet, Lashed: Troop 174 Border Patrol
Catapult, Over 3 Feet, Engineered: Troop 175 Holy Handgrenades
Catapult, Under 3 Feet, Lashed: Troop 121 The Kings
Catapult, Under 3 Feet, Engineered: Troop 175 Brickshaw

The day was all about the scouts having fun, practicing skills, and working as teams, but it couldn’t have come off without outstanding adult support.  All 90 scout leaders pitched in on everything from coaching their scouts on how to build catapults before the event, to registration, to running “towns” and judging catapults, to making trophies, to cooking dinner and dessert for all 290 participants.  Many thanks to all the parents and leaders who helped pull off a great event.

The 2014 Matianuck District Medieval Klondike Derby ended after a night of camping under the stars.  Everyone slept well after a very full day.  By 10am Sunday morning, all scouts were on their way home and back to the 21st century.