According to the Otter Lake area coordinator for Scouts Canada, Bruce Jones, the expedition consisted of a one-night camp-out in a designated heritage area. He explained that it was an opportunity for the youngsters to learn how to survive in cold conditions

“It’s just showing them how to camp in the winter,” he said. “It’s a bit of a survival course in the winter. It’s all about setting up their camps, building their shelter for the night and sleeping outdoors.

At around 1 p.m., all the scouts and their leaders gathered around a fire pit in the middle of the camp to conduct the event’s opening ceremony.

Jones kicked off the festivities by giving a rundown of the rules, regulations and an explanation on why sleeping in a quinzhee is more optimal than in a tent.

With the program quite loosely regimented, kids were able to stroll through the woods looking for wildlife.

Throughout the afternoon, the youngsters used shovels to dig snow and build quinzhees – shelters made of a hollowed pile of loose snow. It is similar to an igloo, which in contrast is built using blocks of hard snow.

Most of the scouts were between 11 and 14 years-old with a few older kids aged between 15 and 17 years-old.

For 13-year-old Patrick Davidson, from 114th Ottawa’s scout troop, the opportunity to spend a day making quinzhees in the Pontiac was a great reason for excitement

“You can sleep in them,” he said. “When you dress warmly enough, it’s really worth it.”

Besides learning how to build quinzhees, Davidson said that the most enjoyable aspects of spending the day at camp were sledding in the woods and soaking in the day with his friends.

“We get to make our food,” he said. “We get to learn about survival things too like building shelters and fires.”

Having scouted for over 20 years, Jones said he believes that the experience can be very valuable to kids who are interested because it allows them to learn a number of skills that can be very enjoyable to use and beneficial in the long run.

“Scouts Canada offers lots of skills that they can learn throughout their life as an adult,” he said. “Whether it’s leadership skills or just camping in general, just being outdoors and enjoying it.”

“It’s not easy camping in the winter time,” he added. “If they can survive the night, it’s an accomplishment for sure.”

While he would’ve been thrilled to have more scouts join in, Jones said that he was happy with the turnout, noting that it was quite similar to previous activities.

Scouts and leaders set up their gear underneath a shelter before getting the operating ceremony underway.

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