The North Dartmouth Boy Scout troop, #74, recently competed in a challenge that puts all their scout skills to the test.

The Klondike Derby — named after the Klondike gold rush to the Yukon territory in the late 1800s — demands that the boys rush from "city" to "city" to test skills such as using knives and saws, starting fires, first aid, and working together, said troop leader George Ripley.

"It's a test of scout skills. They're not allowed to have adults help them at any of the stations," said Ripley.

While there's no dedicated warmup for the derby. The boys are adequately trained during meetings and campouts, said Ripley. Boys must be able to demonstrate skills — such as identifying poisonous plants, tying various knots, and building shelters — on these ventures.

While the Boy Scout program — for ages 11 through 18 — is focused on learning life skills, that doesn't mean leaders don't make it fun.

"What [scout leaders] do is they've created a bunch of stations which they call 'cities,' and you have about eight boys pulling them around for the whole day," said Ripley. That's right: boy-powered dog sleds.

Many of the boys start their "training" at a young age, as the Cub Scout program starts at five years old. Each year they move up with age-oriented activities. Around fifth grade, boys can then join the Boy Scout troops, although they don't have to have started as Cub Scouts to sign up, said Ripley.