Klondike Contest 5-6

Next we had the mail run. The boys needed to pull the sled around the flag poles seen in the distance. We had three ropes for the seven boys to pull on. After a few falls, in the deep snow, the boys were successful in grabbing the mail bag and returning to the start point.

The next task was an ice rescue. We needed to throw a rope 30 feet out to a sled and pull the scout on the sled in. The patrol before us unfortunately had a boy wrap the rope around his hand when they were pulling the sled in and so we had a teaching opportunity about how the tension tightens the rope and will crush your hand. (He was OK).

We laid out 8 lengths of rope and tied them together with sheet bends (square knots will come undone). We were not able to throw the rope far enough at 30 feet, on three tries; the next rescue attempt was at 25 feet. We hit that distance, or at least we were able to "reach" the rope from the sled, and pull in the boy.

We then came to the first-aid rescue. One of our boys was "attacked by a moose earlier in the morning and had a broken arm and leg." The boys ran out to him and threw a jacket over him to keep him warm (he was cold from being injured in the snow all morning.) They made a splint for the arm and leg, and prepared a stretcher for carrying him to safety.

He was loaded onto a stretcher and hauled off to safety. We only fell through the snow once, almost dropping him :)