Boy Scouts freeze like Washington's troops at Valley Forge

Remember George Washington and his men, said Boy Scout leaders as they rallied their own near-frozen troops at Valley Forge National Historical Park on Saturday morning.

The Continental Army didn't have the high-tech, cold-weather wear the scouts have.

A shining sun was deceiving as more than 1,600 scouts gathered - braced against a punishing wind and bundled with thick layers - for the organization's 104th annual pilgrimage and encampment at the site where Washington's Continental Army stayed during the treacherous winter of 1777-78.

Thanks to Arctic gusts, the region felt a windchill just a few degrees above zero Saturday morning, with temperatures dropping to the lowest of the season Saturday night into Sunday.

In Sea Isle City, more than 2,000 brave souls shouted and grimaced as they jumped into the Atlantic Ocean for the 22nd annual Polar Bear Plunge. Air temperatures were around 20 degrees and the water registered a frigid 34.

Some stoic participants who endured the cold water for the fund-raiser wore swim trunks and bikinis as they briskly pranced in the surf.

In Valley Forge, a scout leader called to the troops at the opening ceremony: "Are you warm enough?"

A halfhearted roar went up.

"I'll take it," he replied. But the scouts from 10 states, wearing fur-lined hats and hardy boots, said they were ready for the brutal February weather - though they arrived to see the coldest conditions for their encampment in recent memory.

"We kept an eye on the weather," said Joe Ulmschneider, a troop leader from Prince Frederick, Md., who brought 17 scouts. "The boys are prepared."

It is their troop's first time participating in the event, which organizers say is the longest continuously held scouting event in the world. They took a cold-weather class and wore plenty of layers.

How frigid did it feel to 11-year-old Evan Davis, a member of Ulmschneider's troop?

"Very," he said, only his eyes peeking out from under a hood.

The scouts, who were completing activities about Revolutionary War-era and modern-day cavalry - skirmishing with rifles, and music of the Revolution - had buses standing by to warm them up. Barry Kauffmann, chair of the event, briefed the large crowd at 9 a.m.: Stay hydrated, warm up if you get cold, and call for help if there's an emergency. All leaders had taken a required cold-weather course.

The city could likely take a few notes from the Boy Scouts as it faced what could be record-breaking cold this weekend.

Saturday night into Sunday, temperatures in Philadelphia were set to hit single digits for the first time this winter.

The Valentine's Day record low is 2 degrees, set in 1979. The city will likely come just shy of breaking that: The forecast low Sunday is 4 degrees, said Mitchell Gaines, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

A reading of zero degrees would be the city's first in 22 years. Gaines said it wasn't likely, though spots in surrounding counties could drop that low.

The Weather Service issued an advisory for dangerously cold windchills in the area through Sunday morning, with potential gusts up to 50 m.p.h.

With windchills, the overnight air will "feel like 10 to 15 below zero," Gaines said.

SEPTA service remained on track Saturday afternoon, though officials were watching the weather, said spokeswoman Heather Redfern.

Extra crews would be on hand Sunday morning to get the trains started early, and the trains for the Market-Frankford and Broad Street lines would be spending the night inside tunnels to keep them warmer, she said.

With intense, short snow showers and gusty winds on Saturday, temperatures stayed steady in the teens and low 20s, Gaines said.

After a frigid Valentine's Day, the cold snap shouldn't last long, Gaines said. Snow is possible Monday, but temperatures should rise enough Tuesday for rain.

Until then, the region - and the Boy Scouts - will try to stay warm.

"We're slightly concerned," said Joe Fletcher, a leader of Troop 706 from Glyndon, Md. "We're keeping an eye on them."

His troop was prepared for Valley Forge with layers, windproof clothing, and instructions to stay hydrated and eat snacks.

At least one member said it was working.

"I like it," said 16-year-old Henry Burtis with a shrug of his well-bundled shoulders.

jmcdaniel@philly.com

610-313-8205@McDanielJustine

Staff writer Julie Shaw contributed to this article.