On January 31, Boy Scout Troop 222 of Petersburgh took part in the annual Klondike Derby at the Rotary Scout Reservation in Poestenkill. In the Derby, a patrol of scouts must pull their self-made sled through many steep hills and obstacles, build a shelter in which they can comfortably weather a blizzard, rescue a victim from a frozen lake, build a winter campfire, cook a hot gourmet meal on the trail, secure their food from possible rampaging bears and race their sleds through the deep snow overcoming any obstacles in their path to safely reach their destination.
The scout patrols are judged based on their ability to perform these tasks, and Troop 222 took first place in Bear Division for Shelter Building and Fire Building. They placed third overall and had a great time testing their winter survival skills. Several of the scouts even braved the single-digit temperatures overnight and camped out in their tents to earn a Winter Freeze-Out patch.