CARIBOU, Maine — Boy Scouts from around Aroostook County put their outdoor survival skills to the test in a display of friendly competition during the 49th annual Scout Winterama here last weekend.
The newly built Scout Hall played host to the Winterama for the first time.
“We thought Caribou would be a good location with the addition of the new Scout Hall, for warmth if kids get cold, and the town was very supportive,” said Troy Laplante, a local assistant cubmaster. “They built a berm for the camp site and plowed a trail for the klondike activities. It’s a nice centralized location for everyone.”
Scouts used their survival skills in a Klondike Derby to test: trail preparedness, which is how well their Klondike sleds were prepared for the trail; lashing, where Scouts built supports designed to drag a person to safety; fire starting and cooking, where Scouts had to be able to keep a fire going in the snow and wind, and cook a meal on the trail; and tree identification, compass bearing, and camping.
“Being a Scout takes dedication, a lot of responsibility, and good scouting makes good leaders. Essentially it takes kids who want to have fun,” Laplante said.
Scouts were judged on self-made campsites. Troops built igloos and were expected to camp for two nights as part of the competition.
“This is to prepare them for life in the future, if you know how to camp out in the woods and if something should happen you’ll know how to prepare yourself, hunker down and be safe, and maybe stay alive,” Laplante said.
Previous Winteramas have been held at the former Loring Air Force Base as well as at Aroostook State Park in Presque Isle.
“Since Loring closed it’s been a real rough time finding an appropriate place for Winterama because there was no place for people to warm up,” said Vaughn Keaton, scoutmaster for Troop 184 of Caribou. “This is the first Winterama here, we may have more and we’ve had great support from the Caribou City Council. They allowed us to use their highway department to help get the shelter area ready, they helped plow out the area for the Klondike Derby trail, the Caribou rec department placed signs on the snowmobile trails warning snowmobilers of the Scouts — it came together well,” Keaton said.
First-, second-, and third-place prizes were awarded for each Winterama event and Caribou’s Troop 184 managed to bring home the coveted Wink Larsen trophy for best overall campers.
Keaton believes being a Scout is important, it helps build character, teach leadership skills and strengthen overall citizenship. Keaton knows not all Scouts will make it to the rank of Eagle, but those who do, he said, leave a positive mark on society.