PARSIPPANY — Over 300 youth in the Scouts BSA program participated in the annual Fishawack Klondike Derby, a team competition testing Scouting skills and knowledge. The event was held at Mt. Allamuchy Scout Reservation in Byram Township on Saturday, February 4.
Those youth compete to maneuver a Klondike sled with equipment from one town to the next around the reservation. It is somewhat reminiscent of the Gold Rush of many years in Alaska, with towns such as Nome, Barrow, Iditarod, Denali, and Juneau. At each town, the team and its captain decide how to utilize the members’ skills best to solve a problem within a certain time constraint. Each team was tested on skills including Pioneering, First Aid, Shelter Building, Orienteering, Shooting, Scout Lore, Cooking, Nature, and Flint & Steel (a.k.a. Fire Building).
The sled teams spent nine hours in brutal “Arctic blast” 1-degree to 20-degree (with -10 degree windchills) weather preparing and pulling their sleds from town to town in the competition that day.
The Scouts BSA Troop 173 (Parsippany) Junior team, under the leadership of Michael Corbett of Parsippany, placed second out of a field of 14 teams. Additionally, the Scouts BSA Troop 173 (Parsippany) Senior team, under the joint leadership of Jonah Lance of Parsippany and Nick Shatynski of Whippany, placed third out of a field of 27 teams.
Scoutmaster Dave Franz stated: “I’m really proud of our Scouts. They maintained a sense of humor and good cheer while enduring a challenging day. The leaders continued a tradition of enthusiastic preparation, resulting in high placement. They are already looking forward to next year’s competition.”
Troop 173 has served youth in the Parsippany, Hanover, Morris Plains, and Boonton areas since 1957.
