The 2021 Old Ephraim Klondike Derby was a huge success in spite of the bitter, cold arctic
wind that blew most of the day on Saturday. A total of 13 troops, including two girl troops, participated in this year's derby. Nearly 100 youth participated (99 to be exact) and nearly 50 adult leaders were there as well.
Almost all of the troops camped Friday night, mostly in snow trenches, but there were a few snow caves and tents as well. Fortunately the wind didn't blow as much in the camping area and it snowed a little all night long so everyone was able to sleep warm and cozy.
Activities on Saturday included searching for a person (which looked a lot like a bag of candy) after an avalanche, lighting fires with just two boards, a cotton ball, some petroleum jelly and a few ashes, and putting together a personal first aid kit. The ROTC unit from Utah State University helped man many of the stations and even demonstrated a flame thrower. For more great photos of the entire event you can
click here. There is also a
13 minute video of the activities on Saturday (a snippet of the video is at the end of this blog). The photos and the video were all recorded and shared by Michael Gordon.
Of course, the days events were capped off by the traditional Klondike sled race. The course this year was much longer than the past so troops weren't required to have a rider on the sled, but they still appeared exhausted by the end of the course. Kudos to everyone that was there for surviving the wind all day!
A big thanks to Paul Harris and his volunteers, the USU ROTC cadets and of course all of the scouts and their leaders for making this event a big success. Also thanks to the US Forest Service for allowing us to hold the event at Sunrise Campground and thanks to UDOT for allowing us to use the Bear Lake Overlook parking area and restroom. We will see everyone again next year!
