PENFIELD – At Camp Mountain Run a tradition celebrated its fortieth anniversary.
The Polar Bear is a series of events that take place annually at the Bucktail Council’s Camp Mountain Run between DuBois and Penfield designed to test scouts on a series of events that change slightly year to year.
Along with the activities there is also the tradition of camping out at the site the night before and after. This year those who decided to arrive the night before slept out in -20 degrees Fahrenheit weather and two feet of snow. As of the start of opening ceremonies there were 189 scouts and 67 leaders representing twenty troops, twenty-nine patrols and sixteen communities.
This all started forty years ago when Bob Strong felt that Camp Mountain Run should be used in the winter, which at the time it wasn’t.
According to his wife and son, Joan and David, there were challenges getting the first Polar Bear going. One challenge was the gear. What did each scout need? The types of clothes that should be brought, what tools needed. As the years the years progressed tricks were picked up. Each troop coming up with their own methods for staving off the cold through heaters and structures ranging from yurts to tarping off existing structures.
Other changes took place over the years. For a while the younger and older scouts competed within two different trails. Current Polar Bears now have both run the same trail, but have their scoring kept separate.
Over the years the event has grown in size. When the dining hall was built, breakfast was originally served there. Since then, enough scouts have started camping the night before that breakfast is cooked outside.
“Everyone looks forward to it. This is the highest attended 2-3 day event of the year,” said Bruce Pierson.
