Cold Weather Leader Training PARTICIPANT GUIDE Northern Tier National High Adventure Boy Scouts of America Northern Tier National High Adventure Cold Weather Leader Training Participant Guide Table of Contents Contents About Okpik and CWLT .................................................................................................................................. 5 How Do We Prepare Mentally and Physically? ..................................................................................... 6 WHAT ARE THE RISKS? (RISK ADVISORY) ............................................................................................ 7 HOW DO I PREVENT PROBLEMS? ............................................................................................................. 8 GENERAL POLICIES AND INFORMATION .............................................................................................. 8 HOW DO I GET THERE? ................................................................................................................................. 8 WHAT DO I NEED TO PACK?..................................................................................................................... 10 Patches and Program Awards .................................................................................................................. 13 Feed the Cold(a pre-CWLT assignment) .............................................................................................. 14 Sample Course Schedule ............................................................................................................................. 15 Cold Weather Camping .................................................................................................................... 17 Homeostasis........................................................................................................................................................ 18 Clothing and Personal Equipment .................................................................................................................. 24 Shakedown .......................................................................................................................................................... 27 Sleeping System ................................................................................................................................................. 28 Food, Water and Sanitation ............................................................................................................................. 32 Sample Okpik Menu ...................................................................................................................................... 33 Cold Weather Injuries ....................................................................................................................................... 37 Winter Hazards and Emergency Preparedness ............................................................................................ 42 On Ice Skills .................................................................................................................................... 46 Trip Planning / Camp Site Selection .............................................................................................................. 47 Camp Site Organization .................................................................................................................................... 48 Shelters ................................................................................................................................................................ 48 Snow Kitchen ...................................................................................................................................................... 51 Stove Demonstration – MSR Dragon Fly ........................................................................................................ 53 Pulk Sled Demonstration .................................................................................................................................. 54 Winter Trails ....................................................................................................................................................... 56 Cross Country Skiing Instruction ..................................................................................................................... 57 Snowshoe Instruction ........................................................................................................................................ 60 Winter Ecology ................................................................................................................................................... 61 Activities to Stay Warm and Entertained....................................................................................................... 63 Leave No Trace ................................................................................................................................................... 64 Page 2 of 84 Northern Tier National High Adventure Cold Weather Leader Training Participant Guide Bibliography / Suggested Readings ....................................................................................................... 68 Notes ..................................................................................................................................... 69 Page 3 of 84 Northern Tier National High Adventure Cold Weather Leader Training Participant Guide Welcome from the Chairman Greetings! Congratulations on signing up to join us at the Boy Scouts of America’s premier cold weather education: Cold Weather Leader Training (CWLT) at Northern Tier National High Adventure. We’re excited that you’ll be joining us “Up North” to experience the thrill of cold weather camping. Our volunteer Instructors – Scouters with significant outdoor experience, particularly in cold weather camping – work year-round to plan a training like none other. These guys are among the BSA’s best at camping when the mercury drops, so be sure to take advantage of their cumulative knowledge. I’m certain that, by the time you head home, you’ll know more about the cold weather camping than you thought possible…and hear some great stories, too! Please review this guide, IN ITS ENTIRETY, to prepare for your adventure. You’ll likely have questions. Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] or to Northern Tier’s Associate Director of Program for Bissett and Okpik Operations Sean Ferrier ([email protected]) and we’d be happy to answer them (or point you in the right direction.) Also, note: there is some expected prerequisite knowledge. Some material is, by its nature, more classroom- centric. To spend more time engaged in hands-on education, it is our expectation that you review certain materials before arriving and have a basic knowledge of certain subjects – this will allow us to do a quick on-base review that uses less time. Please be sure to review this guide, the Okpik Guide to Winter Camping that you will receive, and check your email regularly for updates. On behalf of the entire CWLT team, we look forward to meeting you this January. Safe travels! Yours in Adventure, Shane A. Miller Cold Weather Leader Training Chair Northern Tier National High Adventure Page 4 of 84 Northern Tier National High Adventure Cold Weather Leader Training Participant Guide About Okpik and CWLT For over forty years the Okpik program of Northern Tier National High Adventure Programs has provided safe, exhilarating and challenging adventures for thousands of youth and adult participants. The name, Okpik, comes from the Inuit word for the Arctic or Snowy Owl which has been used as the symbol for the Okpik program since it began in the early 1970’s. Beginning in 2018, Northern Tier has opened a new and exciting opportunity for cold weather camping called Kapvik. Kapvik will be held at Gerber Scout Reservation near Muskegon Michigan and will be the new home of Cold Weather Leader Training. Kapvik in inuit means wolverine which is the symbol of Northern Tier’s winter program in the wolverine state. CWLT Participants will receive an introduction in how to cross-country ski, snowshoe, ice fish, build snow shelters and enjoy life in extreme weather conditions and temperatures. You will be accompanied by a trained staff instructor, called an Interpreter, along with experienced volunteer CWLT instructors. The program fully outfits participants with group gear and almost all necessary personal clothing. The goal of the CWLT program is to instruct you on how to see low temperatures as an opportunity, not a barrier, to turn a 3-season camper into a year-round camper and how to take it back to your Troops, Districts, and Councils. Cold Weather Leader training is hosted at the Gerber Scout Reservation near Muskegon Michigan, home to Kapvik. Crews explore the backcountry trails of Gerber Scout Reservation and Owassippe Scout Reservation, No city lights, no noise, simply wilderness. Okpik and Kapvik are the premier Cold Weather Camping Program of the Boy Scouts of America. We are excited by your interest in cold weather camping and we look forward to introducing you to the wonders of a North Woods winter. Pronunciation Guide Okpik (the winter program) Ook pick Bizhiw (2-night award) Bee zhoo Quinzhee (sometimes spelled Quinzee) (snow shelter) Quin zee Page 5 of 84 Northern Tier National High Adventure Cold Weather Leader Training Participant Guide How