CARIBOU, Maine — The 49th annual Scout Winterama took place in Caribou over the weekend. Scouts from around Aroostook County put their outdoor survival skills to the test in a display of friendly competition.
The newly built Scout Hall in Caribou played host to this year’s Winterama for the first time. Troy Laplante, assistant Cubmaster, says the city of Caribou has been a big help.
“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. They built a berm for the camp site and plowed a trail for the klondike activities. It’s a nice centralized location for everyone,” Laplante said.
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; as well as 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 keep you alive,” Laplante said.
Previous Winteramas were held at the former Loring Air Force Base as well as at Aroostook State Park in Presque Isle. Vaughn Keaton, Scoutmaster for Troop 184 of Caribou, said Scout troops have been looking for a new home for their Winteramas and the city of Caribou has stepped up and lent a helping hand.
“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. 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 for 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 for those who do he said they leave a positive mark on society.
