Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Sled Dogs....Oh My!

Hanging out with sled dog, Okemo.

The Cub Scouts of Pack 719, Den 4 along with several Girl Scouts came out to the Northern Central Rail Trail in White Hall, Maryland this past Saturday to visit the Maryland Sled Dog Adventures team and work on their dog sledding badge. As you can see, a good time was had by all.

Sled puppy, Acadia and Sobo wrestle before the dog sledding program

During the dog sledding program, the scouts learned all about dog sledding including how to harness the dogs, how to put booties on the dogs, the commands used in dog sledding (and how to "gee over" on the trail to avoid trail traffic), what sled dogs eat, and how sled dogs are trained.

After learning all about dog sledding, the scouts were hungry and got to enjoy brownies and hot cocoa.

Brownies and Hot Cocoa. Yum!

After brownies and hot cocoa, the kids learned about the 1925 Great Alaska Serum Run from Nenana, Alaska to Nome, Alaska. For more information on the Serum Run, click here.

"I've got the serum and I'm heading for Nome," thinks this cub scout

And then it was out for the scouts' dryland dog sled ride. Each scout took a short ride with the entire Maryland Sled Dog Adventures team of sled dogs while relaying the medicine to save the children of Nome. During the rides, Zoe and Sobo ran in lead while Okemo and T-Bone ran in wheel. Meanwhile, sled puppy, Acadia, took a nap in the dog truck.

Setting off on his dryland dog sled ride

Riding down the trail

Returning to the trail head, the scouts helped to feed and water the dogs while learning that sled dogs can burn more than 16,000 calories per day. They also learned that breakfast is Okemo's favorite part of the day.

Hungry Okemo receives a hug.

T-Bone receives some pets from this cub scout

Then it was time for the dog sledding patch presentation. As each scout received his or her dog sledding badge, he or she told us what to he or she had learned during the dog sledding program. Best Answer: Bryan learned that you should always wear safety gear (helmet and safety glasses) when dog sledding. We're sure young Bryan has a great career ahead of him at OSHA.

A cub scout receives his dog sledding patch

"Can we keep her?"

Cub Scout Pack 719, Den 4

For more information on Maryland Sled Dog Adventures' patch programs in dog sledding for cub scouts and girl scouts, visit the Tours page of our website. To see additional photos from this scout program and others visit our Gallery. And for even more great photos, visit our Webshots Gallery.