Monthly Rewind
February, 2026
Words: Noah, Troop Historian
Photos: Troop 333
As part of my Historian role on the staff on Troop 333, I’d like to introduce a new series: The Monthly Rewind. In it, I’ll be recapping all that went on in the month—the events we had, the things we learned, the highlights of the month overall, and how we showed Scout Spirit.
To begin the month of February, we had a very successful night hike at Twin Peaks. We hiked from the bottom to the top and back down, learning about hiking safety and practicing our orienteering skills along the way. We enjoyed a bit of hot chocolate at the top, prepared kindly by our adult leaders, which kept us warm and happy on the hike back down.
Night Hike
Our next regular Tuesday meeting was solely dedicated to preparation for our Klondike Derby. Although very few Scouts —just Nikhil, Dashiell, Kevin, and I—ended up attending this snow camping trip, it was helpful to review snow camping skills as a troop. One fun and interactive activity involved each patrol dressing up one of their members in different layers for different conditions.
Klondike Derby
The Klondike Derby itself was a success even with a small crew. Dashiell and I spent a few hours building a snow shelter completely from scratch. We dug out an 8 foot long by 5 foot wide depression in the snow, then built snow walls on either side. We made a roof of sticks and covered it with frozen snow blocks as insulation. The shelter turned out to be so warm that we felt a persistent drip of water through the night. Otherwise we slept well and warm. Next time, we’ll add more ventilation.
On Sunday, the day of the competition, our patrol of four combined with Troop 29 to compete against other troops in simple games testing Scout skills. Although we won only a few titles, I think that we did an excellent job working together. With only four people on this trip, cooking, cleaning, and organizing camp was easy and efficient. We left on Sunday evening to avoid the bug winter storm that blew in early Monday morning, and returned to San Francisco before midnight.
Our final meeting of the month featured a lesson by Skyler on the United States flag code, its importance, and the respect that is expected to be given to the United States flag.
Following this, we had a “flag” activity of our own to finish the meeting. In the pouring rain, patrols used their knot tying and lashing skills to construct the tallest, free standing flagpole out of wooden dowels. The Turkeys patrol came out on top, but the other patrols did an great job as well.
Flag Etiquette
To finish out the short, short month of February, we performed our regular San Francisco Recreation & Parks service at Lake Merced. As a troop, we logged 20 hours of community service helping SFRPD gardeners remove three truckloads of invasive ice plant. Cheers to Ryan, Oliver, Jimmy, Skyler, Hayden, Zachary, and Arhaan for their hard work.
Community Service
Although February was not the busiest of months for Troop 333, we learned and practiced many skills—including flag ceremonies, knots and lashings, orienteering, and winter camping. Most of all, we learned teamwork, helped each other, and gave back to our community.
Overall, I’d say February was a great month for the Troop. We’ve got a lot planned for March, so check back next month for the next installment of the Rewind!