Overnight Thursday, during the below-zero temperatures and heavy gusts of wind, a hardy few from Scout Troops 708 and 4475 had fun camping outside in the weather from 4:30 p.m. to 10 a.m.
On the coldest winter night of the year, six scouts, ages ranging from 13-15, took on the challenge of camping in negative-degree weather. According to On Scouting, the official scouting magazine, the scouts do this to earn a bead for every night they spend camping in unique weather conditions.
One such weather condition is camping in negative-degree weather, and the bead they earn is a clear one.
The troops wanted to take on this challenge by camping at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park at first. But due to high winds, they instead camped on an assistant scout’s property.
“The Scout Motto is ‘Be prepared,’ and we try to make sure that this is an opportunity where they can have a safe environment in which they can expand their comfort zone,” said Scout Master Brian Marema.
He added that while some people and scouts usually call this camping challenge the “misery challenge,” his scouts prefer to call it “camping in cold weather.”
To bring fun and keep safe at the campout, Marema also made sure that he got survival tips on how to use gear, about food activities, camping, properly using clothing and so forth. He then uses his experience to teach the scouts — even scouts who’ve previously gone “camping in cold weather” — new skills.
“I want it to be a fun experience, and I want them to be able to learn and gain some confidence in what they can do,” said Marema.
Jenny Grider, a scout committee member, mother of a scout and “camping in cold weather” attendee, said that the group even went on a hike to keep themselves warm before bed.
“We hiked around where we were. OK, just kind of a walk to get everybody moving to keep them warm,” Grider said.
“We made sure everyone stayed warm at night with multiple different ground pads and just a few different techniques and different ways to keep yourself warm without having thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment,” said Mason Grider, a Troop 708 Scout.
He added that the camping event was really just another fun way to get to hang out with some of his friends.
