Philmont Questions

“We’re back from Philmont! And we had the time of our lives! After spending three days in Colorado Spring visiting a few sites (Air Force Academy, Pikes Peak, Garden of the Gods, Flying W Ranch and rafting down the Arkansas River) we headed to Philmont Scout Ranch to begin our trek.

The 12 day trek included overnight stays at both staffed camps and trail camps. Our circuit trek started at trail camp Anatazi, took us north through Valle Vidal, south through Mount Baldy area, and finished up at Ponil. The boys participated in all the activities at the staffed camps, including visiting ancient Indian writings, wilderness first aid, wilderness search and rescue, mountain biking, logging competition, horseback riding, boot branding, gold panning, blacksmithing and many others. We saw the only fossil of a T-Rex footprint in the world. The crew also climbed Mt. Baldy, which they all felt was the highlight of the trip. There was only one opportunity for a shower, and that was at Ponil on the last day!

We also participated in an interesting conservation project in Seally Canyon. The damage created when a railroad tore out a logging track eventually eroded to a deep crevasse 20 feet deep and 50 feet wide. In an effort to fill in the crevasse, the Boy Scouts are building rock damns along the bottom to force the water to meander, rather than flow straight through. This meandering action will lay down sediment and eventually return the land to the natural state. Perhaps someday the boys may return to the area with their children to witness the fruits of their labor.

Our diet consisted of squeeze cheese, fruit roll-ups, pilot biscuits and other assorted stuff. Dinners were cooked as one-pot meals, regardless of how many separate dishes were on the menu. So we ended up with meals like - chicken teriyaki mixed with mashed potatoes and peas. Oh well, it made clean up easier. And the less time the boys spent cleaning meant more time to explore the canyons. The combination of the altitude and the interesting diet caused me to make several urgent trips to the "Piloted Bombardier", an open air back-to-back two seater latrine with no roof and no sides. I suppose I should have been grateful to have a room with views. But I am afraid the boys ended up with a view of me on the can that they could have done without.

Unfortunately, I came down with the flu on the first day of the trek – coughing, chest congestion, headache, body aches, fever, drainage…you get the picture. It made me so mad to have to come down with that crap at that time, especially since it had been many years since I had had the flu and a long wait to experience Philmont. I managed to keep my fever down with lots of Vitamin I and extra fluid. The Philmont Health Lodge delivered meds to me at the staff camps. Physically, I felt really rotten most of the time, but there was no way I wanted off the trail. I simply did not want to miss this adventure and special time with my son. The boys generously carried my food (7 days worth at most) and my share of the crew gear most of the time, which didn’t seem to slow them down at all! The only activity I missed was the climb up to Mt. Baldy. I had a hard enough time breathing at 10,000 feet due to the severe chest congestion, so I was concerned about my ability to climb Baldy and possibly becoming a liability to my crew. So I hung around camp at Copper Park, searched for wildflowers, and sifted through tailings form an old mine in search of fossils. I spent the afternoon battling a mini-bear who was insistent upon chewing through one of the boy’s packs.

Our crew was simply great! Although we had boys from three different troops, they somehow found a way to work together. They elected my son for the crew leader and I must say that he did an excellent job. My role as advisor was simply to make sure that they were safe, adhered to the rules, and followed the wilderness pledge. Otherwise, the boys took care of everything from cooking and cleaning to map and compass reading. This was their adventure and I was just along for the ride.

New Mexico is simply magical. Every night I set up my tent so that I could see the stars, which seemed to shine much brighter than anywhere else. The sky was deep azure blue and the land in Valle Vidal was lush and green. The sandstone canyon walls offered interesting rock formations that begged us to climb to the top. Huge herds of cattle and buffalo roamed the ranches of this area. One mean ol’ bull chased us away from his cows which kind of freaked me out. We saw two rattlesnakes and one mountain lion on a ridge. No bear sightings, which doesn’t surprise me because we were very noisy.

A ranger had told us early in our trek that if you look over your left shoulder at the Tooth of Time as you leave, you will return some day. As the bus pulled away from base camp, a hush fell over the group. Every single person in our crew peered at the rock formation over their left shoulder as we drove off. I hope that the boys will remember this trip for the rest of their lives. I know that I will.”

“Thanks for the report!

Good times...”

“where is philmont?”

“fingerlakeshiker - Philmont is in the Sanger de Cristo Mountains of Northern New Mexico.

creekdancer - Great trip report. Sorry you were sick, but kudos for not leaving the trek.

Your trip covered a lot of the same places we went: Ponil, Indian Writings, Copper Park, Baldy Mountain...

Thanks for bringing back the memories.”

“thanx for answering my question phil-”

“fingerlakeshiker - FYI, Philmont is over 200 square miles of wilderness with 60 interconnected backcountry camps, most staffed by backcountry rangers. Each camp has a them and the rangers (co-ed) are "in character." Themes include mountainman, lumberjack, archeology, western lore, cantina, black powder rifle, fishing, blacksmithing, mining, challenge course, panning for gold, burro packing, rock climbing, etc. Each crew goes on a 12 day trek and visits a different camp each night. Food is provided by stopping at a commisary/trading post every 2 to 7 days. Totally awesome experience.

Philmont was donated to the Boy Scouts of America by Wade Phillips (Phillip Petroleum) so young people could enjoy a wilderness experience. He also donated the funding necessary through an endowment to help keep it financially stable and affordable. Quite a story, really.

Philmont is co-ed and treks are open to any organized group, not just scouts (e.g., 4H, groups from other countries, etc.).”

“I almost always agree with Phil, but I think he's "undersold" Philmont.

Put simply, Philmont is THE backcountry training experience for youngsters (and if I may add.. quite a few "oldsters" as well!). It is without peer in this standing, and is known as "the mecca", so-to-speak, by most scout troops around the country. It is often the culmination to their backcountry training.
last edited: 7/08/05 9:45:53 PM”

“Actually I shouldn't have said "training", I should have said "experince".

By the time you go to Philmont you've had a great deal of training (hopefully), and you're enjoying your "experience" there.”

“wanderer - Thanks for the clarification!!!”

“The first time I put on a pack was at Philmont. The seed was planted and 13 years later I put on a pack the 2nd time, and started walking south from Kathdin...
3o years later my Philmont map still hangs in my old room at the folks house.”

“first time i ever backpacked was at Philmont as well, around 1983 or so.....

ever since then, i knew i wanted to live in the Rockies.... took me a while, but i'm here now.”

“Wow - Hard to imagine Philmont being the first time anyone put on a backpack...what an experience then!”

“We went to Philmont last summer. Great Trip!
We just got back Saturday from Northern Tier Canoe Base. Another great trip. I'll have the trip report in a day or two.”