Breadcrumb Trail Links
Published Jan 25, 2026 • 2 minute read
A team of scouts tries to start a fire with wood chips, dryer lint and a match in order to melt snow into water for their “sick ” companion during a klondike derby at Harrison Park in Owen Sound on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. Greg Cowan/The Sun TimesArticle content
Four of them pulled a heavy wooden sled through the woods, blazing their own path into the deep snow.
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A gentle wind blew down large snowflakes from the trees above as a little girl, suffering from faux hypothermia, joked that the squirrels were attacking them.
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A volunteer from Flesherton, swaying side to side to keep warm in the well-below-freezing temperatures, instructs the brave wilderness adventurers to build a fire using only the tools in a small bag. Their ill compatriot needs water. Time is against them.
Nearby, two dogs begin to bark excitedly as folks pass each other on the nature trail at Harrison Park, and the volunteer tells the girl with “hypothermia” that she should probably get up from the sled and move around or else risk getting seriously cold, for real.
The Klondike Derby is a popular game among scouting troops during the winter months, based on the Klondike Gold Rush.
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On Saturday, at the Shining Waters Winter Camp in Owen Sound, scouts and venturers from the 5th Hanover, 1st Palmerston, and Troop 402 out of Miamisburg, Ohio, joined forces for a weekend of fun and survival training at the park.
During the Klondike Games, teams of five worked together to build fires, make shelter and get their injured friend to safety through the woods.
Rick Lamon from the 5th Hanover scouts and venturers, who has been coming to winter camps at Harrison Park for 40 years, said other activities planned for the weekend included log sawing, lashing and knot tying, and firestarting.
It was the 61st annual winter camp at the park in Owen Sound, and Mayor Ian Boddy was on hand to greet the American contingent.
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Last year, troops from Port Elgin and Barrie attended, but Friday’s blizzard led some groups to call off their trips to the Scenic City this time.
The troops from Miamisburg actually arrived on Thursday after several detours and stayed at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 6 that night before moving into the park campground on Friday for camp move-in day. The troops slept in tents Friday night and Saturday night before packing up and hitting the road on Sunday.
Scouts Canada promotes winter camping as a way to test the resolve, survival and adventure skills, as well as good judgment.
“Scouts Canada believes all youth should have the experience of knowing how to embrace winter: have fun and enjoy the outdoors in the winter months,” the organization says on its website.
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