Tracks, Games, And Snowshoes

It was a horrid morning - windy, icy, and snowy.  Gray clouds lingered across the sky as the boys of Cub Scout Pack 529 prepared for a long, frigid walk at Dyken Pond.

We were going for a snowshoe trek through Dyken Pond in Upstate New York on a chilly January morning.  To prepare, we dressed warmly in boots, snow pants, coat, hat, and some other layers.  When we got to the park, the dads helped us put on snowshoes so that we could stand on the deep snow.

The plan was to find and identify animal tracks.  A female leader led  us through the woods and over the lake to help us locate the animal tracks.  She told how to identify whether a track is a dog track or a cat track.  Cat tracks have long toe nails, and dogs don't.

While on this trek, we went over the lake to play an Eskimo Game by running around in a big circle and trying to not get caught by the person who was it.

It was treacherous journey where we feared frostbite and homicidal chipmunks and deer with laser eyes.  Good thing we didn't find any.

Instead, we found the tracks of squirrels and the greatly feared phantom dog Yoohoo.  The real highlight of the trip was when we found fox tracks.  We knew that they were a kind of dog track, and the leader said that they were most likely fox tracks.

After a long walk we finally made it back to the car alive.  This was a fun, exhausting, and educational trip.

Submitted to the Bear Den News - A Pack 529 Publication.